11pm Update

The snow started really picking up a little while ago. A back step check shows a little over an inch down. The way that it is snowing now, it will add  up quickly.

4:30pm Update

We have had off and on light snow. There is a dusting on the roads and now the cars too. The snow is starting to pick up, and so is the wind. In fact…

Wizard’s gizzards! It’s a Blizzard!

Blizzard Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
340 PM CST TUE DEC 8 2009

...AN INTENSE WINTER STORM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW...STRONG WINDS...
AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...

.A STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...WILL
STRENGTHEN RAPIDLY AS IT TURNS NORTHEAST AND TRACKS TO NEAR
CHICAGO BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...AND LAKE HURON BY WEDNESDAY
EVENING. THIS TRACK IS FAVORABLE FOR PRODUCING HEAVY SNOW ACROSS
ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN WISCONSIN. IN ADDITION TO THE
SNOW...WINDS WILL INCREASE TONIGHT AND GENERATE WIDESPREAD BLOWING
AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE STORM WILL SLOWLY PULL AWAY FROM THE AREA
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...CAUSING THE SNOW TO END.
HOWEVER...STRONG WINDS...AND BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.

WIZ013-020>022-073-074-090545-
/O.CAN.KGRB.WS.W.0006.000000T0000Z-091210T0600Z/
/O.NEW.KGRB.BZ.W.0001.091208T2140Z-091210T0600Z/
NORTHERN MARINETTE-MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO-DOOR-
SOUTHERN MARINETTE-SOUTHERN OCONTO-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...KESHENA...STURGEON BAY...CRIVITZ
340 PM CST TUE DEC 8 2009

...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY
NIGHT...
...WINTER STORM WARNING IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREEN BAY HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
THE WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

* SNOW WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE IN INTENSITY THIS EVENING BEFORE
  BECOMING HEAVY WITH NEAR WHITE OUT CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT AND INTO
  WEDNESDAY MORNING BEFORE DIMINISHING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE
  HEAVIEST SNOW SHOULD FALL BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND NOON ON WEDNESDAY.

* 10 TO 14 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

* THE COMBINATION OF SNOW...WINDS THAT COULD GUST AS HIGH AS 45
  MPH LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...AND NEAR ZERO
  VISIBILITIES WILL LEAD TO BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES AND MAKE
  THIS A DANGEROUS WINTER STORM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS
AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT
CONDITIONS...MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.
THIS IS A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. DO NOT TRAVEL.
IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT
WITH YOU. IF YOU GET STRANDED...STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.

**************************************

Ok, so that is getting pretty real. This is a warning, not a watch.  That and the stuff about only a few times a decade do we see a storm like this, haven’t had one this strong in years.

My favorite line from the movie Twister…

It’s not coming, it’s already here.

According to the radar things are going to get pretty intense pretty soon. On national radar the magnitude of the storm is pretty impressive. Hunker down ladies and gentlemen, this could get ugly.

More to follow later..

RJB

__________________

1:15pm Update

Not much to report yet. There were some flurries falling outside, but nothing too exciting yet. The national radar is pretty impressive.

Late Morning Report

Greetings and welcome!

It looks like we have a pretty special day lined up.  There are winter storm warnings, special weather statements, and all kinds of anticipation.

Like a youngster at Christmas, I was on the  computer checking the weather about 30 seconds after I woke up. Here is what I found..

A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT THE GREAT LAKES REGION THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO REACH AN
INTENSITY LEVEL NORMALLY OBSERVED ONLY A FEW TIMES EACH DECADE...
AND THE AREA HAS NOT BEEN AFFECTED BY A STORM THIS STRONG IN
YEARS.

Golly.

The NWS has also upped totals a little bit. We are now looking at 7″ tonight and 5″ Wednesday. Some of the warnings say 8-14, with us on the north edge of the high end of that.

Some of the models and forecasts have been scaled back slightly since last night and pushed the storm slightly southeast, but we remain in the 9-12″ band throughout.

We do have a little snow on radar as close as Crivitz, but that is just the leading edge. The big stuff is just hitting SW Iowa, and will come later.

I suppose that now that the snow is 30 miles away, it is time to flush my skepticism and drag the snowplow out of the bushes and get it mounted onto the truck. If the foot of snow, 40mph winds, and blizzard conditions come true,  it might be a good idea.

I did get truck and snowmobile gas last night, and will double back for kerosene for the Reddy heater and a few gallons of gas for the generator later.

The last one might be kind of important. With the first big snow and some high winds, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a few trees fall onto the power lines, and with near impossible travel conditions expected, it might be a while before crews can address the subsequent outages. The line crews do a great job around here, but they might be well challenged in the next 36 hours.

Today is also the 10th anniversary of when I started doing snowmobile reports on Silvercliff.com. It has been an interesting path, and I have made a lot of great friends along the way. Thank you to all of you that kept this going through your donations, encouragement and friendship.  Because of that, today is a pretty special day in itself.

The NWS is bringing the frosting for the cake.

...THE AREA HAS NOT BEEN AFFECTED BY A STORM THIS STRONG IN
YEARS.
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON
TO MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

* LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP BY MIDDAY...INCREASE IN INTENSITY THIS
  AFTERNOON AND THEN CONTINUE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THE HEAVIEST
  SNOW SHOULD FALL BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND NOON ON WEDNESDAY.

* 8 TO 14 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

* THE COMBINATION OF SNOW...WINDS GUSTING TO OVER 30 MPH AT
  TIMES LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AND LOW VISIBILITIES DUE TO
  BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL MAKE THIS A DANGEROUS WINTER
  STORM.
Well, I am off to go and get ready for the weather. I will update later when the snow starts.
Have a good day and thank you for visiting!
RJB