Dec 23, 2009 6:52 pm US/Central Snow Storm Round 1 Arrives In Metro Area
  MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
Drivers should be aware that traveling in the southern third of the state will be difficult late Wednesday. (File)
It won't be a silent night this Christmas Eve and Christmas, atmospherically speaking, as the Twin Cities can expect up to a foot of snow and further north could get up to two.
A winter storm warning for all of the Twin Cities begins Wednesday evening at 9 p.m. and will last until Saturday morning.
The snow started Wednesday evening, coming in from the south, said WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer. If you're traveling to the north this afternoon, you should be fine. However, if you're traveling to the south, you'll be heading straight into the storm.
That line will move up into the Twin Cities as Wednesday turns into Thursday. South of the line of snow will be another line of rain-snow mix, with some sleet and freezing drizzle.
Drivers should be aware that traveling in the southern third of the state will be difficult late Wednesday, though conditions may only devolve from there.
The heaviest snow is expected to fall Thursday, providing an extremely white Christmas Eve. From there, it doesn't show signs of stopping until early Saturday.
The snow fall will remain pretty consistent throughout Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day. Shaffer said the snow should come in waves.
"The one thing I want to stress is that those driving should keep an eye on the radar," he said. There may be pockets of less significant snow fall.
The wind may cause some problems with gusts heading from the northeast and eventually northwest. Winds could be between 15 and 25 mph, with higher gusts possible.
However, the snowflakes should fall heavy and wet instead of flaky and dry, so blowing snow drifts may not cause as much of a problem for drivers.
It will still be snowy and windy on Friday, but a little bit better than Thursday's snowfall. By Saturday, only the flurries will remain.
The heaviest snow is expected north and west of the Twin Cities. By Saturday morning, west and central Minnesota may show accumulations of 1 and a half to 2 feet of snow. The Twin Cities is expected to get roughly 10 inches.
"This is a long duration event," said Shaffer.
Temperatures aren't expected to fall until after the system moves through.
If you're traveling to or from Wisconsin, there's a better chance of mixed precipitation, and not as much snow. But it could still cause headaches on the road with sleet or freezing rain.
Conditions in northern and eastern Iowa are slick, with icy roads due to freezing rain.
The City of Minneapolis issued a statement warning residents to be mindful of snow emergency rules, and to remind guests not to park on snow emergency routes should an emergency be declared.
when i was watching the weather this morning the meteo said that over the course of the next 24-36 hours, the low pressure causing this is going to end up stacked vertically. first thing i thought of was "man that's how hurricanes end up forming in the tropics" welcome to your midwestern hurricane.
Heard the best line yesterday on the way to work...
Belinda Jensen giving the updated weather report on KS95 - "I know that Kare-11 says we are the calm before the storm, but I am here to tell you let the hysteria begin because we're going to get hit and hit hard"
My daughter and her family are supposed to drive up from Zumbrota tomorrow. I don't know what to tell her. If they can just get here I'll put them up for the night. Maybe I'll just keep them all here and we can have a slumber party. It's been over 30 years since we all slept under one roof.
I heard on the radio that this snow storm reaches all the way to Texas.
When I left the house today, I got stuck getting out of the driveway. This is after shoveling by the way. Some guy taking his kids sledding at the hill by the house helped me get my car out onto the street where it finally started going.
When I got home this evening, my car got stuck getting into the driveway. More shoveling, then another guy driving by stopped and helped me push my car into the driveway.
I was tempted to leave my car in the street, considering St. Paul still hasn't plowed the side streets. But I'm hoping against hope that they come by overnight to plow. I know their track record though, and it isn't promising.
When I get my own house, it's not going to be in St. Paul.
Seriously, I visited my parents in Landfall, that little mobile home park over on 94 by 3M and Oakdale, and even they managed to get their streets plowed. At least once to get the majority of the snow cleaned up anyway.
It looks like it may be a slumber party for us tomorrow as well OT. We did do it a number of years back over new years and it was a blast. And that was for 2 days. Now we have a hot tub to ease the cabin fever.
And I agree KC - St. Paul sucks as far as plowing goes. J's street still hasn't been cleared from the first round while mine was just done again for the 4th time through. I love seeing my taxes at work for me.
SSP has the finest plow crew ever! I'm friends with a couple of them and one's mother lives across the alley from me. He told me yesterday that he likes to clear out his mother's street and then swings around the block and clears my street and our alley first thing. Of course, the gal from acoss the street was in front of my walk again yesterday, but has moved since. :chagrin:
the plows only came through once Christmas morning sometime. I had to shovel the heavy wet snow away for the drive way to get my car out. Then it all froze! So when the cop came for the police report on my car breakin, he couldn't get past my daughters boyfriends car parked on the street because the plows didn't come back through a second time and clear enough room for on street parking. He had to move his car so the cop could leave and drive forward instead of backing down the street. WTH?!
Yeah, I got home Christmas night to a nice big pile of snow that the plows had finally come by and pushed into my driveway. It wouldn't have been a problem if they had plowed during the storm instead of after. I spent an hour and a half cleaning up their mess. It really sucked to get home after a long Christmas day where all I really wanted to do was go inside and relax. Instead, I shoveled a ton of snow (it's really different when you're not motivated by anything like a Medallion, just wanting to get your car in your driveway) and got in the house at about 12:45am, exhausted from shoveling, and just collapsing on my bed.
The Cooler Crew website claims shoveling in your yard or driveway to be good Medallion hunting practice... did you throw your keys in the snowbank too?
I was actually lucky to come home Christmas night to part of my driveway shoveled out. My neighbor came over when I was gone and did it for me. She never does stuff like that. how nice. No good deed goes unpunished though to get my car broken in to the same night. geeesh.
LMFAO... seroiously I can picture it in my mind. The national news cuts from the live footage from Puxatawney to St.Paul where the vulcans-keepers of the flame let old Phil know what they think of his prediction.
They should get stuffed animal and do it... f'n hilarious.
I see a grainy Clue Writer type of film next year - with Punxatawney Phil bound and blindfolded in a chair - and several Vulcans delivering a monotone speech behind him threatening the end of Winter for all non-believers. He WILL SEE HIS SHADOW!
Dec 23, 2009 6:52 pm US/Central Snow Storm Round 1 Arrives In Metro Area
  MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
Drivers should be aware that traveling in the southern third of the state will be difficult late Wednesday. (File)
It won't be a silent night this Christmas Eve and Christmas, atmospherically speaking, as the Twin Cities can expect up to a foot of snow and further north could get up to two.
A winter storm warning for all of the Twin Cities begins Wednesday evening at 9 p.m. and will last until Saturday morning.
The snow started Wednesday evening, coming in from the south, said WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer. If you're traveling to the north this afternoon, you should be fine. However, if you're traveling to the south, you'll be heading straight into the storm.
That line will move up into the Twin Cities as Wednesday turns into Thursday. South of the line of snow will be another line of rain-snow mix, with some sleet and freezing drizzle.
Drivers should be aware that traveling in the southern third of the state will be difficult late Wednesday, though conditions may only devolve from there.
The heaviest snow is expected to fall Thursday, providing an extremely white Christmas Eve. From there, it doesn't show signs of stopping until early Saturday.
The snow fall will remain pretty consistent throughout Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day. Shaffer said the snow should come in waves.
"The one thing I want to stress is that those driving should keep an eye on the radar," he said. There may be pockets of less significant snow fall.
The wind may cause some problems with gusts heading from the northeast and eventually northwest. Winds could be between 15 and 25 mph, with higher gusts possible.
However, the snowflakes should fall heavy and wet instead of flaky and dry, so blowing snow drifts may not cause as much of a problem for drivers.
It will still be snowy and windy on Friday, but a little bit better than Thursday's snowfall. By Saturday, only the flurries will remain.
The heaviest snow is expected north and west of the Twin Cities. By Saturday morning, west and central Minnesota may show accumulations of 1 and a half to 2 feet of snow. The Twin Cities is expected to get roughly 10 inches.
"This is a long duration event," said Shaffer.
Temperatures aren't expected to fall until after the system moves through.
If you're traveling to or from Wisconsin, there's a better chance of mixed precipitation, and not as much snow. But it could still cause headaches on the road with sleet or freezing rain.
Conditions in northern and eastern Iowa are slick, with icy roads due to freezing rain.
The City of Minneapolis issued a statement warning residents to be mindful of snow emergency rules, and to remind guests not to park on snow emergency routes should an emergency be declared.
It's not cold outside!
I was just down at Rice Park (saw Beauty and the Beast at the Ordway)
It musta snowed 3 inches during the time we were in the show.
What a beautiful park to walk out in during the snowstorm all lit up.
Belinda Jensen giving the updated weather report on KS95 - "I know that Kare-11 says we are the calm before the storm, but I am here to tell you let the hysteria begin because we're going to get hit and hit hard"
I loved it! :sillygrin:
St. Paul still hasn't plowed any of the side streets around my area. Maplewood seems to have done a decent job though.
I heard on the radio that this snow storm reaches all the way to Texas.
When I got home this evening, my car got stuck getting into the driveway. More shoveling, then another guy driving by stopped and helped me push my car into the driveway.
I was tempted to leave my car in the street, considering St. Paul still hasn't plowed the side streets. But I'm hoping against hope that they come by overnight to plow. I know their track record though, and it isn't promising.
When I get my own house, it's not going to be in St. Paul.
Seriously, I visited my parents in Landfall, that little mobile home park over on 94 by 3M and Oakdale, and even they managed to get their streets plowed. At least once to get the majority of the snow cleaned up anyway.
And I agree KC - St. Paul sucks as far as plowing goes. J's street still hasn't been cleared from the first round while mine was just done again for the 4th time through. I love seeing my taxes at work for me.
I was actually lucky to come home Christmas night to part of my driveway shoveled out. My neighbor came over when I was gone and did it for me. She never does stuff like that. how nice. No good deed goes unpunished though to get my car broken in to the same night. geeesh.
Heh, I was just tired of getting stuck in the snow. I think next time I buy a vehicle, it'll be a Jeep. As long as I can get it in orange...
http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm
They should get stuffed animal and do it... f'n hilarious.
they mate, they lay eggs, they die, they mate, they lay eggs, they die.
any purpose to these bugs?
I've driven through a plague of them up near Mille Lacs one night - made a huge mess on the windshield. ick.
Mate & Die That's about it.
Some people may think that paying taxes is in there somewhere but I disagree
reminds me of cows with guns.
they eat to grow, grow to die. die to be ate at the hamburger fry....
I haven't actually ever chased. I expect if I tried now my girlfriend would kill me. I can't deny it would be fun to do though.
:sillygrin: