WICKED WIND OF THE WEST

terryswails1
23 minutes ago
4 min read

After the warmest day in two weeks, temperatures are on their way down again thanks to the passage of a strong clipper. Rapidly rising pressures on its backside and stout cold air advection will drive winds that at times early Wednesday may gust as high as 45 to 55 mph. The HRRR shows gusts around Sioux City as high as 61 mph. That meets severe thunderstorm criteria.

Along with the winds will come a shot of colder air that overspreads the region Wednesday morning. At 6:00am, readings will range from 32 in the north to 36 in the south. Slowly falling readings will have everybody back in the 20s by early afternoon.

6:00am temperatures

Readings at noon.

Accompanying the wind and colder temperatures will be snow showers Wednesday morning. Around 8:00am, you can see them north of I-80 spinning southeast behind the clipper. The snow showers could be accompanied by some heavier snow squalls that would briefly reduce visibility, especially with the powerful winds. A few spots in the far north could see 1/2 to 1", especially near HWY 20. Most areas, 1/2 inch to a dusting.

Wednesday night winds will back off as a weak ridge of high pressure passes. Lows should dip into the range of 10 north to 18 south.

GIVE THE GIFT OF MY 5 STAR AIRBNB IN GALENA

Holiday and winter specials are now in effect through March. Let us help you set up a personalized gift certificate that's sure to create a lifetime of memories! Santa Claus approved. Call or text Carolyn at 563-676-3320 for details and our very best pricing. https://www.littlewhitechurchgalena.com/

2 MORE CLIPPERS & AN ARCTIC BLAST

With cold air and the storm track back in play late week, two clippers will streak southeast, producing accumulating snow. The first zips in later Thursday afternoon, with light to moderate snow into much of the night. It's a wee bit early to get precise with amounts and location, but the general idea is for a swath of snow that covers the NE half of Iowa and Illinois. 1-4 inch totals seem to be favored from this system. This is the NWS snowfall forecast.

The EURO suggests amounts that look like this. Noticeably heavier southwest of the Quad Cities.

A dry day follows on Friday, with temperatures starting to trend colder. Highs will be in the low to mid 20s awaiting the next clipper which brings in Arctic air Saturday night and Sunday morning. Early indications are that this clipper moves just a little further southwest than the previous one, favoring the heavier amounts across the southwest half of my region. Here's what the EURO is projecting for snow totals from clipper number 2.

The EURO indicates this for snow accumulations from the two clippers combined.

The GFS is an inch or so lighter, but similar in where the heavier axis of the snow lays out.

It's worth noting that the CAMS (convective allowing models are further northeast with the heavier snow), meaning revisions are still possible in amounts the next 24 hours. No matter what, snow is in our future and to cap it off, Arctic air spills into the region Saturday with highs in the single digits to teens with snow falling. Rest assured it will be pure powder and fluff up nicely. Saturday night with clearing skies and fresh snow, down go the temperatures with the EURO showing lows of 10 to 14 below zero.

Wind chills early Sunday are as cold as 30 below in the northwest. A general range of 20 to 30 below is anticipated, and headlines for the cold will most certainly be issued by the NWS.

Sunday looks to be a good day to hunker down, with highs on the EURO struggling to reach zero. The GFS is more like single digits. Ugly either way.

Starting next week, we see an abrupt pattern change that brings much warmer temperatures to much of the nation. This is the 500mb flow the evening of December 19th. That west to east zonal flow sends mild Pacific air across the country.

Temperatures in the central Plains are as much as 36 degrees above normal. The whole country suddenly goes mild. What a flip considering the MJO remains in phase 8 which analogs to cold and below normal conditions.

The GFS actually shows highs across southern Iowa into WC Illinois, reaching the low 60s. That may be a push, but if that zonal flow ends up as pronounced as shown, it is within the realm of possibility.