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Snow This Afternoon - Friday Afternoon

Snow This Afternoon - Friday Afternoon

Snow Accumulates 3-6"+ through Friday

** Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for the entire ABC 6 Viewing Area. To see these advisories please click on the ABC 6 Winter Weather Page **

This probably isn't the news you wanted to hear right before Christmas Eve. We've already had our snowiest month on record, so what's a little more snow, right? Just kidding... Our computer models overnight have shifted the heaviest band of snow north once again, so we're back in the game for accumulating snow.

Removing Snow? Don't Forget About Your Gas Meter!

Removing Snow?  Don't Forget About Your Gas Meter!

 The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Pipeline Safety is asking everyone to check your gas meters on homes and buildings and make sure they stay free of ice and snow accumulation that can block the regulator vent.

The gas meter has a pressure regulator vent that must be unobstructed to work properly. If that vent is covered by ice or snow, gas may not shut off properly, resulting in too much pressure in the gas lines and cause possible gas leaks inside your home.  A blocked regulator can also cause the gas to shut off causing a loss of service, frozen pipes, and typical problems that arise when there is a lack of heat.

Most Snow Ever...

Most Snow Ever...

... in one month.  December 2010 will go down in the record books as the snowiest month ever recorded in southeast Minnesota.  The official climate reporting station for the National Weather Service in southeast Minnesota is at the Rochester International Airport.  So far this month the airport has received 37.8 inches of snow.  A normal December typically yields 11.6" of snow.  Here's a list for the snowiest months and the snowiest Decembers alltime.

Snow Will Cause Poor PM Travel

Snow Will Cause Poor PM Travel

Accumulations: Southeastern Minnesota: 3-6" with locally higher amounts along and north of highway 14. North Iowa: 2-4"

What to Expect: Snow will break out across the area during the mid-morning hours. The snow initially will be light, but will quickly pick-up in intensity during the late morning and early afternoon hours. The snow will quickly accumulate through the afternoon and evening causing difficult driving coming home from work and school. I do anticipate most of the accumulation to be over with by 9 PM this evening.

Second Snowiest December on Record So Far...

Second Snowiest December on Record So Far...

We are a little more than half way through December 2010 and we've already smashed some precipitation records. Here is some information from the Rochester International Airport, the official climate reporting station in southeastern Minnesota. The record books kept here are maintained by the National Weather Service office in La Crosse, WI.

So far, December 2010 has been the wettest December in recorded history. We have received 2.96" of liquid precipitation. This precipitation totals is obtained through rainfall and melting down all of the snow, sleet, and ice we have expericened. The previous record was 2.83" set back in 1982. Average liquid precipitation (rain + melted snow, sleet, and ice) for December is 1.02"

Snowfall Totals From Around the Area

Snowfall Totals From Around the Area

Below is a comprehensive list of snowfall totals from across Minnesota and Iowa.

The storm which hit from Wednesday into Thursday morning left quite a range of totals across the area.  To the northwest, totals ranged from 6-8" (a bit higher than we expected) but to the east, dry air really took ahold of the system leaving areas around the Mississippi River missing out on the snow all together.  Amounts dropped of drastically just to the east of Rochester and Preston down to just a few snowflakes around Winona and LaCrosse.  Amounts around 4-6" were popular numbers.

Accumulations from Overnight & Morning Snow

Accumulations from Overnight & Morning Snow

Light to moderate snow will taper off into snow showers this afternoon. We saw a fluffy 2-5" across southeastern Minnesota and north Iowa. I have provided you with the snow totals from our viewing area in both Minnesota and Iowa.

This system didn't deliver too many surprises, but was enough to make morning driving "difficult" according to MnDOT. Many Iowa roadways were 100% covered with snow and ice as of 11 AM Thursday morning. We won't see many improvements on the roads until the light snow tapers off. Several schools in north Iowa were delayed due to the overnight and early morning snowfall. The good news is temperatures will warm into the lower 20s, which is better for road chemicals to work. The evening commute home should be improved over the morning commute to work.