Arctic Cold in Midwest/East w/Hvy Lake Effect Snow

[Jeb]

Heavy lake-effect snow and dangerous wind chills

10:30 A.M. ET 12/18/2004

 

Jonathan Erdman, Sr. Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

 

 

A powerhouse Arctic front will continue to nosedive into the Midwest and South through tonight. Behind this front, winds from 20 to 40 mph will send wind chills as low as -20 in parts of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Cover exposed skin if you plan to be outdoors today. At wind chills of -20, it only takes 30 minutes for frostbite to set in on any exposed skin. By Sunday morning, the bitter cold air will have settled into much of the Upper Midwest. Subzero cold should cover much of the the Upper Mississippi Valley. Numerous watches and warnings have been posted for lake-effect snow in the typically prone areas of the Great Lakes through the weekend. As this fresh supply of cold air glides over the relatively warmer lakes, bands of heavy lake-effect snow are expected to organize over such areas as Upper Michigan, northern and western Lower Michigan, northwest Indiana, northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. Accumulations in excess of 1 foot are possible in the most persistent, slow-moving bands. Winter storm watches are also flying for parts of the southern Appalachians for Sunday. The nosediving Arctic front, coupled with moisture and lift from an upper-level trough look to squeeze out accumulating snow in the central and southern Appalachians Sunday. Parts of interior southern New England may feel a light dusting of wet snow tonight, as a weak low pressure system scoots by. While most precipitation over Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket Island, and the city of Boston should stay in liquid form, some wet snow may mix in at times, producing some slippery travel.