Final 2011-2012 Winter Forecast: Midwest Forecast

BREAKDOWN:

MIDWEST ANALYSIS

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The Midwest is in for it this year. Temperatures will be below average for pretty much the entire region. More frigid air will be stationed in the Upper Midwest region extending westward into the North Plains. This frigid air will be colder than air in, say, the lower Great Lakes or Ohio Valley. Colder air, in a nutshell, makes snow ratios rise. Snow ratios are defined as one inch of water equalling ‘x’ inches of snow. Let’s say a snowstorm hit and 10 inches of snow fell in an area. Theoretically, if you were to take a column of that 10 inches and melt it into water, you would have 1 inch of water. That would be written as 1:10, or 1 inch of water: 10 inches of snow. In cold environments, snow ratios can rise to 1:20, whereas warmer climates usually have snow ratios around 1:7, defined as wet snow. With this frigid air in place over the North Plains this winter, clippers that usually dump 1-3 inches may put down over 4 inches as the colder air increases snow ratios. These clippers will also come downwards into the Midwest more often this winter. With the Canadian frigid air mass in place, some clippers may be re-directed into the Midwest. Adding to the snowfall will be ‘Panhandle Hooker’ storms- the type of storm that produced the epic February Blizzard last year in Chicago. These storms dip down south near Oklahoma and can fire up north and spread snow across the Midwest. These are usually the big snow makers for the region. The pink area we outlined as a combination of the effect cold air may have on the clippers, as well as the Panhandle Hooker storms.

Regional times are as follows:

Nationwide Winter Forecast Release: 12:00 PM CDT
Southwest Winter Forecast Release: 12:10 PM CDT
Southeast Winter Forecast Release: 12:20 PM CDT
Northeast Winter Forecast Release: 12:30 PM CDT
Midwest Winter Forecast Release: 12:40 PM CDT
Northwest Winter Forecast Release: 12:50 PM CDT
South Central Plains Winter Forecast Release: 1:00 PM CDT