Southern Snowmageddon II

2/10/2011 article in TulsaWorld.com puts in perspective the extent

of snow on thousands of homes and businesses in the Southern Plains.

10:10 AM EST 2/10/2011 On the exact one-year anniversary of the Mid-Atlantic's 2010 Snowmageddon II, the Mid-South now digs out from a second paralyzing snowfall of 24"+ in parts of Arkansas. Even the eastern Carolinas were belted with up to 5 inches this morning in Albemarle Sound. Not left behind in the winter whiplash, parts of metro Washington, southern Maryland and the southern Delmarva peninsula received a surprise snow of 1-2 inches. The remainder of the southeast either has a steady cold rain along the coast to rain mixed with snow and sleet in  southern Georgia and South Carolina.

Speaking of "steady cold,"  in the Great Lakes region, epic snowfall of last week has been replaced with even more epic cold. The Great Plains to metro Chicago are shivering today with highs which may not break the single digits or teens all the way to Missouri.

 

HELP ON THE WAY ? 
The quick good news is that long range indications from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center show a mild period will envelope most of the nation for this weekend into early next week. Folks in the Mid-South could use all the help they can get to melt the snow before it warms up too fast, which would produce terrible flooding on top of a winter that won't quit.

 

4:25 PM EST Wed 2/9/2011

Historic snow totals of 20 or more inches are being reported in eastern Snooooklahoma and northwest Arkansas as the Southern Snowmageddon crawls eastward. Winter Storm Warnings continue from Little Rock across northern Louisiana, most of Alabama, Mississippi, western Tennessee and have been posted in eastern North Carolina. Our readers in the southern Mid-Atlantic are noticing snow bands creeping pretty far north for comfort. There is concern this "southern" storm is going to make a run at an overnight surprise, confounding many an evening TV news broadcasts. Latest data continues to suggest those from Baltimore on south and east to Richmond might awaken to an inch or two of "partly cloudly."  (Forecaster Foot - Dundalk, MD)
 
Check back soon for more detailed reports, which will be posted on Mississippi Storm Chasing as well and in our Southeast Facebook Forecast Center.
Forecaster/Severe Storm Chaser Vincent Webb in Yazoo City, Mississippi just recorded these videos on the latest conditions.

Vincent's first report submitted at 4:25 PM EST 2/9/2011

"...the winter of our discontent"

-The Tragedy of Richard the Third, by William Shakespeare in 1597

and a 1961 novel of the same title by John Steinbeck

9:25 AM EST Wednesday 2/9/2011 Shakespeare's play and Steinbeck's novel both point to a common theme in our society today: The desire to strive for sunny and successful days when faced with bleak surroundings and an uncertain future. After reading today's Dallas Morning News, Residents of the Southern Plains and Mid-south are within their right to strive for a warmer future, do they not?

The unrelenting winter weather pattern continues its assault on obliterated Oklahoma, aggravated Arkansas and tenacious but tired Texas. The march of Winter Storm Watches and Warnings across the south alone seems an unstoppable force of nature. Even Shreveport, Louisiana has to contend with pink all over their map and another blanket of unwelcome white on the ground through Thursday. This truly is a sight you seldom see for the South, and for all of us, especially those in risk management.

FOLLOW OUR AFFILIATES We have a growing cadre of "Affiliate Forecasters" who have become the "face of the place" for weather in their state. For the latest on the Arctic attack in Chicago, visit the Puma Weather Center. Storm Chaser Vincent Webb will provide on-going updates from the South at Mississippi Storm Chasing, and Forecaster Nic Roberson is keeping an eagle eye on central North Carolina at his affiliate blog, NC weather.


If you're reading this from the Mid-west, Southern Plains or Great Lakes, and want to join our team to represent the weather of your state on this page... come on over: Visit this application link for details, or simply email us: footsforecast@gmail.com.

MID-ATLANTIC LUCKS OUT? Details on our Mid-Atlantic roundup in the Winter Stormcast Zone by Forecaster Winterman and Advisor Lear. We believe the northern extent of winter precipitation from the "Oklahoma obliterator" will remain the eastern Carolinas and the Virginia peninsula. Thus, we expect only brief periods of light snow for Richmond and Norfolk accumulating less than one inch by Thursday mid-morning.

WINTER OVERKILL For those in the south, the National Weather Service advisory map drips with silent suffering: There are countless tens of thousands of homes from New Mexico to Oklahoma and Texas where water lines have burst, natural gas has run out, electrical lines are down, and food supplies are running low. How long can you eat cold chicken noodle soup in an unheated home while it's still snowing outside? Although many take the headline "the winter of our discontent" out of context by referring to the present day, in light of how difficult this season has been, we're going to allow this association to stand. We hope all our English teacher colleagues will find the example apropo.

We can at least offer winter-worn warriors some relief in the forecast. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center shows the 6- to 10-day temperature outlook yielding a higher probability temperatures will trend to above normal by this time next week. Even more ironic in that forecast is to see that the same areas having succumbed this week to the imbalances of late may be in the bulls-eye of a rapid warm spell come next week. May the rainmakers simply grant time for the snow to melt s l o w l y so as to not upset the Red River and Mississippi alike.

(Forecaster Foot and Advisor Lear)