This morning, I thought we would get a jump on the winter season. Last year before Thanksgiving we got our first big snowstorm with 9.9 inches of snow in the Quad Cities.
Here's a little refresher course on winter storm tracks. Depending on the track of low pressure (yellow arrows), we get much different weather.
When low pressure passes directly over us, it usually brings us a mix of rain and snow. The most tricky storms to forecast are those that pass from St. Louis to Milwaukee, or slightly east of the Quad Cities. This makes it difficult to forecast how much snow will fall as low pressure moves north. Meteorologists must calculate the amount of rain that will fall before the column of air above gets cold enough to produce dendrites (snowflakes). If the timing isn't perfect, the snowfall forecast will be less than reliable. Again, these are the trickiest!
Ice storms can be crippling. The worst can cause some cities and towns to lose power for days.
Are you hoping for big snows this Winter season? Chime in on my Facebook page. I'd like to meet the other snow-lovers out there!
-Meteorologist Eric Sorensen