Good morning NBC Action Weather Bloggers,
What a winter we are continuing to have, and the next 7 days have more potential for two or three storm systems of varying strength. I will go into the reason for this next week's bout of winter in a second. First, it was amazing just driving to work yesterday. This has happened with almost each storm we have had. I leave Overland Park where the snow had pretty much melted Sunday afternoon. Two inches had accumulated, even though I had 0.38" liquid from the snow. As I went up Wornall passing 95th street the snow started to add up. Every block, there was more snow. And, by the time I got to NBC Action News on the Plaza everything was covered in white. There was probably just one more inch of snow there than in Overland Park, but this is the 4th time this season, in this short distance from 95th street to 47th street that there was a one inch difference in snow. South Overland Park has had 17.4" of snow this season while the Plaza has had 22.3" of snow so far!
Look at the wild weather pattern forecast from the 6z GFS valid at noon Thursday:
Split flow has formed with a high over a low in the west. The high amplitude ridge from Montana northward has allowed for a cold air source to provide us with these cold air masses this week. The southern branch is providing a series of weaker storm systems that will be difficult to figure out. The flow comes off of the Pacific and then breaks into the two streams. One going up over the ridge, and the southern energy breaking off into these weak systems. The latest models have one storm moving by Thursday night into Friday, a second one on Sunday (likely ruining the warm up we had planned for late in the weekend and possibly bringing another chance of snow), and a third one moving across early next week. The models are hinting at a chance of snow or a mixture from each of these southern branch systems.
And, it is 26 below zero over northern Minnesota this morning. This is ahead of the Arctic front, ouch! This next Arctic front will blast our way this evening passing through before midnight. Wind chill factors could be well below zero on Wednesday morning. Then, we will see increasing clouds and a chance of snow by Thursday. It is still too early for a snow accumulation forecast. The GFS continues to insist it could be 3 or more inches. So, let's see how this trends today.
There is a total lunar eclipse Wednesday evening beginning at 7:43 PM, right after the moon rises in the east. And, it continues for three hours reaching totality around 9 PM. It will be something we will have three hours to experience.
A total eclipse of the Moon occurs during the night of Wednesday, February 20, 2008. The entire event is visible from South America and most of North America (on Feb. 20) as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia (on Feb. 21). During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon's disk can take on a dramatically colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and (rarely) very dark gray.
An eclipse of the Moon can only take place at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped parts, one nested inside the other. The outer shadow or penumbra is a zone where Earth blocks some (but not all) of the Sun's rays. In contrast, the inner shadow or umbra is a region where Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.
Have a great day. We will have a complete update with our new data by early this afternoon.
Gary