Quick-hitting round of rain and snow to target Plains, Midwest Wednesday
By
Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Mar 25, 2020 8:42 AM EDT
Volunteers with DFW Chinese American Epidemic Relief Initiative have donated thousands of masks and gloves to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 in Texas.
A weak storm system tracking out of the interior Northwest and across the Front Range will bring along the threat for a chilly rain and some wet snowflakes across the Plains and Midwest through the day on Wednesday.
As the storm system moves east of the Front Range Wednesday morning, Rapid City and the Black Hills of South Dakota, will be among some of the first locales across the Plains to deal with the potential for a wet snow as the disturbance races eastward.
With temperatures expected to hover in the lower to middle 30s across much of South Dakota, any accumulating snow will likely be limited to grassy and elevated surfaces. For those traveling along Interstate 90 through South Dakota, expect to have wet road conditions and your windshield wipers turned on.
The storm system will continue to quickly track eastward into Minnesota by midday. Across the Twin Cities, precipitation will start as a chilly rain as the disturbance moves in.
While precipitation may start as rain, cooler air on the back side of the storm will filter in, allowing for wet snowflakes to mix in late in the afternoon in Minneapolis. By the time the storm clears out of the area during the evening hours, a coating to an inch or so is possible.
As the sun sets and temperatures lower into the evening hours, it is likely that rain will transition to snow over northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and accumulate into the overnight hours.
Marquette, Michigan, a city that is no stranger to late-season snowfall events, could add on an additional 1 to 3 inches of snowfall from late afternoon into the overnight hours Wednesday. To date, Marquette has observed just over 15 feet of snow and counting.
Another city that has joined the century club in terms of snowfall this season, Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, could also tack on some more late Wednesday into Wednesday night. To date, the Soo has observed just over 10 feet of snow.
Although wintry weather is in the forecast for the city, a sure sign of spring and warmer air to come graced the city as the Soo Locks officially opened for the season at 12:01 a.m. EDT, Wednesday morning. The Soo Locks serve as a busy shipping route across the Great Lakes, as ships from all across the globe travel through them when conditions permit. The start to, and efficiency of the shipping season can be very weather dependent during the early spring months, as ice buildup can occasionally delay the massive freighters that travel through it.
That has not been the case during the winter of 2019-2020, as below-average ice cover allowed for some ships to extend their season well beyond recent years' past.
While ice may not pose a primary threat for these large ships this year, captains will need to be mindful of the wind direction along their route Wednesday into Thursday as the center of circulation and its associated counter-clockwise wind field around it tracks across the Great Lakes.
Aside from a brisk northerly wind and a few lingering snowflakes early Thursday morning in Sault Sainte Marie, the storm system will quickly track into southern Canada, leaving the rest of the day with drier weather.
However, dry conditions will not last very long across the Plains and Midwest as another quick-hitting system will threaten many of the same locales and eventually portions of the Northeast with bouts of wet weather into the day on Thursday.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Quick-hitting round of rain and snow to target Plains, Midwest Wednesday
By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Mar 25, 2020 8:42 AM EDT
Volunteers with DFW Chinese American Epidemic Relief Initiative have donated thousands of masks and gloves to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 in Texas.
A weak storm system tracking out of the interior Northwest and across the Front Range will bring along the threat for a chilly rain and some wet snowflakes across the Plains and Midwest through the day on Wednesday.
As the storm system moves east of the Front Range Wednesday morning, Rapid City and the Black Hills of South Dakota, will be among some of the first locales across the Plains to deal with the potential for a wet snow as the disturbance races eastward.
With temperatures expected to hover in the lower to middle 30s across much of South Dakota, any accumulating snow will likely be limited to grassy and elevated surfaces. For those traveling along Interstate 90 through South Dakota, expect to have wet road conditions and your windshield wipers turned on.
The storm system will continue to quickly track eastward into Minnesota by midday. Across the Twin Cities, precipitation will start as a chilly rain as the disturbance moves in.
While precipitation may start as rain, cooler air on the back side of the storm will filter in, allowing for wet snowflakes to mix in late in the afternoon in Minneapolis. By the time the storm clears out of the area during the evening hours, a coating to an inch or so is possible.
As the sun sets and temperatures lower into the evening hours, it is likely that rain will transition to snow over northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and accumulate into the overnight hours.
Related:
Marquette, Michigan, a city that is no stranger to late-season snowfall events, could add on an additional 1 to 3 inches of snowfall from late afternoon into the overnight hours Wednesday. To date, Marquette has observed just over 15 feet of snow and counting.
Another city that has joined the century club in terms of snowfall this season, Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, could also tack on some more late Wednesday into Wednesday night. To date, the Soo has observed just over 10 feet of snow.
Although wintry weather is in the forecast for the city, a sure sign of spring and warmer air to come graced the city as the Soo Locks officially opened for the season at 12:01 a.m. EDT, Wednesday morning. The Soo Locks serve as a busy shipping route across the Great Lakes, as ships from all across the globe travel through them when conditions permit. The start to, and efficiency of the shipping season can be very weather dependent during the early spring months, as ice buildup can occasionally delay the massive freighters that travel through it.
That has not been the case during the winter of 2019-2020, as below-average ice cover allowed for some ships to extend their season well beyond recent years' past.
While ice may not pose a primary threat for these large ships this year, captains will need to be mindful of the wind direction along their route Wednesday into Thursday as the center of circulation and its associated counter-clockwise wind field around it tracks across the Great Lakes.
Aside from a brisk northerly wind and a few lingering snowflakes early Thursday morning in Sault Sainte Marie, the storm system will quickly track into southern Canada, leaving the rest of the day with drier weather.
However, dry conditions will not last very long across the Plains and Midwest as another quick-hitting system will threaten many of the same locales and eventually portions of the Northeast with bouts of wet weather into the day on Thursday.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo