First Snowfall of the 2013-2014 Hits Southern Michigan

Here are the firs measurable snow totals of the 2013-2014 season.  Much of lower Michigan experienced it's first measurable snowfall on 11/11/13.  Winter appears to have come in early after a much cooler than normal summer.

Season's collide as a Warm Fall turns into a Cold Winter

Saginaw trace
West Bloomfield 0.1 inches...
Berkley 0.2 inches...
Mayville 0.2 inches...
Detroit Metro Airport 0.5 inches...
Peck 0.3 inches...
Flint 0.4 inches...
Garden City 0.4 inches...
Highland 0.5 inches...
Holly 0.5 inches...
Morenci 0.5 inches...
Pontiac 0.5 inches...
Fowlerville 0.6 inches...
NWS Detroit 0.6 inches...
Monroe 0.6 inches...
Grand Blanc 0.8 inches...

Early Record Snowstorm Hits Colorado up to South Dakota

A record-breaking storm that dumped 4 feet of snow in parts of western South Dakota left tens of thousands of people without electricity on Monday October 7th and ranchers bracing for heavy losses as they assess how many of their cattle died during the unseasonably early blizzard.

The weekend storm was part of a powerful weather system that also buried parts of  Wyoming and Colorado with snow, and spawned destructive tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa. At least four deaths were attributed to the weather, including a South Dakota man who collapsed while cleaning snow off his roof.

Cattle ranchers throughout western South Dakota were reporting losing between 20 percent and 50 percent of their herds, and early estimates suggest the region may have lost 5 percent or more of its cattle, said Silvia Christen, executive director of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association.

Christen said the storm not only killed calves that were due to be sold soon, but also cows that would produce next year's calves.

"This is from an economic standpoint something we're going to feel for a couple of years," Christen said.

National Guard troops were helping utility crews pull equipment through the heavy, wet snow to install new electricity poles in western South Dakota, where more than 22,000 homes and businesses remained without power Monday afternoon, according to utility companies.

At least 1,600 poles were toppled in the northwest part of the state alone, and workers are expecting to find more as they make their way into rural prairie areas, Grand River Electric Coop spokeswoman Tally Seim said.

"We've got guys flying over our territory, counting as they go. We're finding more as we are able to access the roads. The roads have been pretty blocked on these rural country roads," Seim said.

"One of our biggest challenges is getting access to areas that are still snowed in," added Vance Crocker, vice president of operations for Black Hills Power, whose crews were being hampered by rugged terrain in the Black Hills region. "Safety is our No. 1 concern for both our customers and employees working in this treacherous terrain."

In Rapid City, where a record-breaking 23 inches of snow fell, travel was slowly getting back to normal.

The Rapid City airport and all major roadways in the region had reopened by Monday. The city's streets also were being cleared, but residents were being asked to stay home so crews could clear downed power lines and tree branches, and snow from roadsides.

"It's a pretty day outside. There's a lot of debris, but we're working to clear that debris," said Calen Maningas, a Rapid City firefighter working in the Pennington County Emergency Operations Center.

Still, schools across the region were closed, along with many public offices.

Cleanup also continued after nine tornadoes hit northeast Nebraska and northwest Iowa on Friday, injuring at least 15 people and destroying several homes and businesses. Authorities also are blaming the weather for a car accident that killed three people along a slick, snow-covered road in Nebraska.

In South Dakota, the 19 inches of snow that fell in Rapid City on Friday broke the city's 94-year-old one-day snowfall record for October by about 9 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The city also set a record for snowfall in October, with a total of 23.1 inches during the storm. The previous record was 15.1 inches in October 1919.

Temperatures in the Rapid City area were expected to warm into the 60s on Monday to continue melting the heavy snow, according to the National Weather Service.

Low and possibly mid 90's on the way for next week

NORTHERN MICHIGAN -- We set the table for another dry and warm weekend before some real heat gets in here next week. In fact, it looks like the hottest temperatures of the year will arrive early/mid part of next week.

High pressure has been in control of our weather since late Wednesday leading to warm sunny days and cool crisp nights. That will remain the case Friday into our weekend although winds will return southerly which will start to warm things up even more and by late weekend, start to pump back the muggy conditions northward into the Upper Great Lakes.

There will be no rain across the region this weekend into Monday for that matter. There is a cold front that will attempt to work in, but it will stall out and get hung up across Minnesota and not make it any further. That will be the closest any thunderstorms will come. Temperatures Saturday will be in the low/mid-80's with mid-80's on Sunday.

The real heat gets in here starting Monday as the heat will build into the middle part of the week. Daytime highs Monday will be in the upper-80's/low-90's with low and even mid-90's possible in places Tuesday into Wednesday. It will be much cooler right along the immediate shoreline of the Great Lakes. The humidity will also climb with dew points getting close to 70F next week allowing the heat index to perhaps crack 100F (what it will feel like).

The best shot at any thunderstorms will hold off until next Thursday when these is some consensus that a cold front will arrive.

Lightning Hits Blue Water Bridge In Port Huron

Lightning is seen near the Blue Water Bridge Tuesday May 28th, 2013, as a thunderstorm moved through the Blue Water Area. That storm was followed by more severe weather Thursday. The storm left some flooded roadways, downed branches and power outages in Port Huron and Fort Gratiot, Kimball and Port Huron townships. Power was expected to be returned to most customers by Thursday evening.

Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak Kills World-Renowned "Storm Chasers" Tim Samaras and Team

ABC 7 News Denver
By Anica Padilla | Email Me

Colorado storm chaser Tim Samaras, his son Paul Samaras, and longtime chase partner Carl Young were killed in the EF-3 tornado that tore through El Reno, Oklahoma Friday.
Tim and Paul were both born and raised in Lakewood, Colo. but most recently were living in Bennett. Tim is survived by his wife, Kathy.

Tim Samaras was considered a leader in storm chasing expertise and tornado research and worked with 7NEWS, National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, Boeing, and the federal government.
Samaras and his team starred in the Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" for three years before the show was canceled in 2012.

A family member posted this statement on Tim Samaras' Facebook page at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning:

"I'm Jim Samaras - Tim Samaras's brother. Thank you to everyone for the condolences. It truly is sad that we lost my great brother Tim and his great son, Paul. Our hearts also go out to the Carl Young family as well as they are feeling the same feelings we are today. They all unfortunately passed away but doing what they LOVED. Chasing Tornado's. I look at it that he is in the 'big tornado in the sky...' We (the family) will keep folks aware of what the funeral estrangements are, but please in the meantime keep Tim and Paul in your thoughts and prayers."

Tim Samaras was 55 and his son Paul was 24. Carl Young was 45.

"Carl and Tim were the best of friends," and chased many times, Jim Samaras said.
Carl Young’s father, Bob Young, told CNN his son always wanted to be a meteorologist.

Tim founded TWISTEX (Tactical Weather Instrumented Sampling in Tornadoes EXperiment) to pursue tornadoes and advance the research and warning available to the public.

"Tim Samaras has led, designed, and fielded complex instrumentation research efforts over the past 30 years," the TWISTEX website says.

He was one of the safest in the storm chasing community, and he did it not for just the thrill but the research, friends said.

--Reaction from friends and colleagues--
The deaths of the three men have stunned the storm chasing and weather science community.
"I have known Tim for over 20 years, he was the most brilliant and most careful severe weather researcher of them all. Tim was not a cowboy, he was as cautious as possible about his approach to studying these dangerous storms," said Mike Nelson, 7NEWS Chief Meteorologist, who has worked with Tim in a variety of weather and science projects.
Continue Reading

NOAA: More and Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes in 2013

The global hurricane season, which begins late this month and extends until early winter, is a mixed bag in 2013, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) predicting extreme activity in the Atlantic and mild activity in the Eastern and Central Pacific Oceans. 

According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms in the Atlantic. Seven to 11 of these may become hurricanes, with three to six may developing into Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricanes.

“This year, oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the Atlantic basin are expected to produce more and stronger hurricanes,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “These conditions include weaker wind shear, warmer Atlantic waters and conductive winds patterns coming from Africa."

The average for the Atlantic hurricane season from June to November is 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

NOAA’s outlook for the Eastern Pacific and Central Pacific basins is expected to be calmer than usual, with a 70 percent chance of experiencing 11 to 16 named storms, five to eight hurricanes, and one to four major hurricanes.

The Pacific experiences an average of four major hurricanes from May to November. The season’s first named storm, Tropical Storm Alvin, already developed on May 15.

The 2013 forecasts were completed with improved forecast modeling, data gathering, and an updated National Hurricane Center communication protocol, says NOAA, and will be updated again in early August.

“With the devastation of Sandy fresh in our minds, and another active season predicted, everyone at NOAA is committed to providing life-saving forecasts in the face of these storms and ensuring that Americans are prepared and ready ahead of time.” said Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., NOAA acting administrator.

In July, NOAA will introduce a new supercomputer to run an upgraded Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) model that it says more accurately depicts storm structure and storm intensity. The transmission of real-time Doppler data into the HWRF should increase its accuracy by 10-15 percent.

Additionally, the National Weather Service now requires hurricane warnings to remain in effect even when a storm has become post-tropical, such as Hurricane Sandy was when she hit the coastline. 

Rare May Snow in Midwest

An extremely rare Winter Storm is moving out of the Rockies and into the Midwest.

This storm has already dumped up to 15.5 inches of snow near Owatonna, Minn. where I-35 was closed early Thursday due to snow and downed power lines. Up to 14 inches of snow has been measured in Ellsworth, Wis. These snow totals are truly amazing considering we are in early May.
Localized power outages have been reported in portions of southern Minnesota due to downed power lines from the heavy, wet nature of the snow.

Through early Friday, the wet snow or rain changing to snow will focus from the Plains into the Upper Midwest in the cold air behind a sharp cold front and near a closed area of low pressure aloft.

Locations from Kansas and northwest Missouri to eastern Nebraska, Iowa, southeast Minnesota, northwest Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan are most likely to see this, but flakes could also fly as far south as northern and western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.
Rochester, Minn., Eau Claire,Wis. , Des Moines, Iowa and possibly even Kansas City, Mo. are in the swath that will see accumulating snow. It appears the most significant band of snow will stay just south of the downtown Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.

The heaviest snow totals of 6 inches or more, with local totals over 1 foot, are expected in a narrow zone from northern Iowa to southeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.
Kansas City has seen measurable snow in May only once in recorded history, so this would be a rare event. In addition, Rochester, Minn. will likely see its biggest May snowstorm in history by recording more than 2 inches.


Although the May sun angle should be enough to limit impacts on roads during the day, snow accumulation on trees and power lines could produce power outages in locations that see more than 4 inches of snow.


 A swath of the mid-Mississippi and Lower Ohio Valleys may pick up over two inches of total rainfall through this weekend, thanks to the slow-moving storm.

This is obviously not great news for a region still dealing with river flooding.  Rivers are still above flood stage from Indiana southern Wisconsin and Illinois to Arkansas and west Tennessee, including the Mississippi River downstream from Davenport, Ia. to north of Memphis.


Additional locally heavy rainfall may send smaller creeks and streams into flood again, as well as prolong, or delay mainstem river crests.

This is a very complicated forecast scenario. Therefore, exact forecast details are still highly uncertain, so check back with us as we refine this forecast.

Suffice to say, this will be a rather wild weather pattern for early May

Snowfall Totals/Notables So Far

Here are the latest peak snowfall totals by state as of early Thursday morning:

• Buckhorn Mtn., Colo.:  28.2"
• Near Buford, Wyo.:  20"
• Near Harrisburg, Neb.:  6.1"
• Near Edson, Kan.:  4.5"
• Ringsted, Iowa:  6.5"
• Near Owatonna, Minn.:  15.5"
• Beresford, S.D.:  6"
• Ellsworth, Wisc.:  14"

Some other notable totals include:

• Ft. Collins, Colo.:  10-16"
• Near Boulder, Colo.:  8"
• Denver, Colo.:  3.2"
• Cheyenne, Wyo.:  12.8"
• Omaha, Neb.:  3.1"
• Sioux Falls, S.D.:  1.5"

Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyo., as well as Interstate 70 westbound near Georgetown, Colo. were closed due to accidents and/or heavy snow on May 1.

The weight of heavy snow downed tree limbs, triggering power outages in parts of northeast Colorado Front Range. Power outages and downed power lines were also reported in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin early on May 2.

This was the first one-inch-plus May snowfall anywhere in the state of Iowa since 1967 and the first such May snow in Sioux Falls, S.D. since 1944.

This May snowstorm is setting records in snow Omaha (3.1") and Rochester, Minn. (7" as of this writing).

A tentative May one-day snowfall record for the state of Minnesota may have been set near Owatonna, Minn. (15.5").  These records will need to be officially certified by climatologists and meteorologists.