Monday December 9 2019

Today’s rain is moving out this tonight, but the storm has a few more parts to it.  Tuesday will bring mid 50s to nearly 60ºF to our area.  We are still on for the arctic air to arrive Tuesday night and transition an impulse to snow through Wednesday morning. There will be a few hours of a snow burst, but overall this is not a heavy event. Just enough at the time to possibly ice up some roads.

The modeling is bringing this in a little earlier than prior runs, as expected.

I know it is hard to imagine the snow stickage after such a mild day, but it has happened before. The timing overnight and intensity of the snow will impact some of the region.

This is a quick post with my thoughts on what areas are likely to have some slick roads and where it is still worth paying close attention to:

Monday Evening Surface Weather

Monday Evening Temperatures 

There is plenty of arctic air in the Northern Plains that will spill in at the back edge of the cold front.  This will catch up to the rain and develop a burst of snow late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Snow Thoughts

• Tuesday temps warm to the mid 50s or near 60ºF
• Tuesday Evening: Rain will fall as temps drop into the 40s. This will help chill the ground.
• Tuesday Night: Rain will change to snow as temps drop into the 30s. This will further help chill the ground.  Some road crews are suggesting ‘pre’treating’ but it will wash away.
• Snow Changeover: The timing is speeding up. Look between 10 PM in the far western suburbs to 2 AM in metro areas.
• Snow Burst: Midnight to 3 AM a period of heavy snow could help overtake the warmer ground and enable stickage.
• Freezing Line will reach the western suburbs. See my map below. The cities are likely to stay above 32ºF, but the snow burst could still allow stickage.
• If there is a road problem in your area, we should see it long before any schools need to make a call. 
• Light snow and snow showers should last into the morning, but in the daylight there should not be any additional issues.

 

Snow Timeline —> slider

 

Morning Temperatures: Potential Freezing Line

 

 

Mostly Likely Impact Wednesday Morning

I will not post model snow maps as they are misleading. NOT all snow that falls will stick!

This is not a standard snow map. What is more important to consider is what can stick on the roads versus how much could accumulate on the grass

 

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