Monday, February 28, 2011

River Flooding Update

Many area rivers will reach minor or moderate flood stage, but the worst flooding is expected on the Blanchard River where major flooding is expected. The Blanchard River in Findlay is expected to crest Tuesday morning at 16.5' with is well beyond the 13' mark for major flood stage and 2' below the record crest in August of 2007.

Friday, February 25, 2011

New record set

Monthly snowfall at Toledo Express Airport has officially hit 26.0", making it the snowiest February on record, and breaking the previous record set in 1900.

Next week

After a light snowfall Saturday, temperatures will warm up Sunday into Monday along with some rain arriving.  Rainfall of possibly 1" combined with melting snow (the current snow pack contains 0.7" of water) could create some problems on area rivers next week.

Here are links to the latest river levels and forecasts:

Northwest Ohio River Levels

Northwest Ohio (closer to Indiana border)

Southeast Michigan

Snow Totals

Here are some links to some National Weather Service snow totals.  Note that some totals are for 12-hour periods, and that "snow on the ground" also includes any previous snow prior to the last event.  Blowing and drifting snow will make exact measurements extremely difficult.

Click here for reports from northern Ohio, near and east of I-75

Click here for reports from northern Ohio, west of I-75

Click here for reports from lower Michigan

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The latest storm

10 am update:

Snow will continue tapering off.  Winds will still gust over 30 mph into early afternoon.  Many of the advisories/warnings have expired or been cancelled, the remaining counties will see the winter storm warning end by 4 pm.

8:30 am update:

Western edge of the snow is now near the OH/IN border.  This will continue chugging eastward around 30 mph, so look for snow to taper off (west to east) over the next few hours.  Additional accumulations will not be too much, but winds will continue to blow and drift the snow through midday and early afternoon.

 

6 am Friday update:

Snow will be moderate to heavy at times, and taper off between 9 a.m. and noon.  Reports of thundersnow have occurred south of Findlay.  In thundersnow, 2-3" of accumulation per hour are possible.

The majority of the viewing area will have final accumulations in the 5-9" range.  There could be some spots in northern Hillsdale & Lenawee counties that get slightly less, and areas near & south of Findlay could exceed 10" in spots -- especially where the thundersnow occurs.

A winter storm warning continues for all of northwest Ohio, and a winter weather advisory continues for southern Michigan.

Winds will continue at 15-25 mph from the north with occasional gusts near or exceeding 35 mph.  This will cause blowing and drifting snow.  Winds will subside slightly by midday at 10-20 mph with higher gusts.  By late afternoon, winds will be in the 5-15 mph range, and then drop to near calm tonight.

Check out our news page at www.wtol.com for the latest closings, delays and snow emergency levels.

Snowiest February??

The current monthly total (as of midnight Friday morning) for Toledo Express Airport is around 20", which is about 12" above normal.   The storm today has the potential to boost the monthly total to the #1 highest snow for any February.  If by some chance it does not occur today, there is a chance of an inch or two of snow Saturday.  (By the way, the seasonal total is around 39" as of now.  We would have to achieve a total of 52" for us to get to the 10th snowiest winter on record).

Monday, February 21, 2011

Winter Storm Update

Freezing rain has brought most areas an icy Monday morning. Steady, and at times moderate freezing rain across southern michigan and extreme northern Ohio resulted in 1/4" to 1/2" of ice accumulations from midday Sunday into this morning.

It is still expected that a light wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain will linger through the rest of the morning. Snow with a chance of a mix south of Toledo will redevelop this afternoon and into the evening tonight. All precipitation should turn entirely back to snow after dark tonight. Bursts of moderate and even heavy snow possible tonight which may result in 3-5 inches of snow by very early tomorrow morning. Outside of a few flurries Tuesday morning, the day will gradually turn partly sunny.

Here's a map of expected snow accumulations this afternoon through tonight:

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Storm Details

Overnight Update:  Scattered light rain or isolated freezing rain will be possible well south of the turnpike.  Occasional freezing rain (with some snow in spots) will continue across northern sections with additional ice accumulation.

9pm:  Lucas county has been added to the Winter Storm Warning due to the icy conditions.

7pm:  we have received official National Weather Service spotter reports of a tenth to a quarter inch ice accumulation across parts of southern Michigan.

EVENING UPDATE:

There will be a lull in the precip across NW Ohio at times this evening.  Snow has changed to freezing rain in many locations.  Temps will rise a slight amount later this evening, allowing some plain rain across NW Ohio and freezing rain in SE Michigan & near the state line.  Ice accumulation will be a real problem for the northern sections of our viewing area.

This rain will turn back into a mix around daybreak, then back to light snow.  There will be a break in the precip during the day.  Another system will spread another round of snow in late in the day into the night.  A daytime accumulation of 1-2" is possible, with additional accumulations Monday night.

Morning post:

Some snow, or a mix of sleet and snow, will move into the area late this morning into early this afternoon.  A light accumulation of snow and sleet is possible.  The precip will change to freezing rain during the afternoon, and a glaze of ice is likely--especially the northern half of the area.

The precip will turn to non-freezing rain as temps hit the mid 30s by late afternoon or early evening.  Southern Michigan and areas near the state border could see the freezing rain last into the mid/late evening.

We'll have periods of steadier rain overnight with lows just above freezing.  The rain will turn more scattered after daybreak, with colder air returning.  A mix or snow will be around in the morning to midday.

A winter storm warning is in effect for Fulton, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Monroe & Williams counties.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for most everywhere else.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Warm Temps

No Flooding Issues Expected

Even with all the recent snow melt, flooding on the area rivers at this point is not expected to become an issue. The lack of heavy rain will keep river level well below flood stage through the weekend. One concern that could creep up with the rapid melt would be ice jams which could cause some isolated flooding and fluctuations in river levels.

Here's a look at the Blanchard River in Findlay through the weekend:


Here's a look at the Maumee River in Waterville through the weekend:

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Melting Snow Cover

Sunday's Highs

"Mild" Lows

Temps late last evening into this morning produced some of the warmest temperatures since mid-January.  Other than some isolated spots, like Adrian, the majority of the viewing area saw morning lows above freezing.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Major Pattern Change -- Warmer!





Our air has been coming in from the northwest, allowing the bitter arctic air of Canada to continously keep things frigid.  However, an overall pattern change will occur in the next few days, allowing temperatures to surge back above normal by Sunday.

The air flow will come in from the west, allowing the milder Pacific air to be more of an influence on our temperatures.

Normal high for this point of the month is in the upper 30s.

Bitterly Cold Morning

Lows temps hit the lowest level of the winter in many spots this morning.  No new records were set, but temperatures were way below the normal low of 18°.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Updated Snow Stats

Thanks to the recent snows, our monthly total has jumped significantly above normal.  In fact, a "normal" February produces about 8.5" of snow, and Toledo Express has already surpassed that...not even one full week into the month.

Cold & Unsettled

After an accumulating snow today, more is on the way for late Sunday into Monday morning.

Following that will be another surge of arctic air, keeping highs in the teens.  Lows Wednesday & Thursday morning could dip below zero.  Another shot of arctic air will reinforce the chill Thursday through Friday morning.

However....it looks like there will be a decent jump in temps for next weekend.  Highs will return above normal (and above freezing).

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Wednesday - 1 pm update

The leftover snow is turning very scattered, and will continue diminishing the rest of the day.  The clouds have even broken up for some peeks of sun.

It will still be a bit breezy, so some additional blowing and drifting snow is possible.

This shall be the last forecast update for this storm on the blog.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tuesday Evening Storm Update

Round one of the storm exited the area early this morning.  Round two hits this evening through tomorrow.

There is still going to be three distinct zones of concern:  the first will be southern Michigan.  This area will see the maximum amount of snowfall.  Additional amounts will range from 6-10" close to the stateline, to possibly exceeding a foot tonight into Wednesday in northern Hillsdale and Lenawee counties.

The second zone will be areas well south and southeast, where snow will transition to sleet and freezing rain and provide a glaze of ice in excess of 1/4 inch.  This will fall on top of the snow on the ground, creating a sheet of ice on the snow pack.  Areas from BG & Fremont and points southward.

The third zone lies in between the other two -- moderate to possibly heavy snow with the potential for some sleet and freezing rain.  Greater Toledo down to around Bowling Green could see 3-6" inches of snow, along with some sleet and perhaps a light glaze of freezing rain.

We will continue to update the forecast as the storm gets closer.  A simple shift of the mixed precip north or south by even just 20-50 miles will greatly alter snow accumulations.