[LeArc] Significant Weather Outlook

[Tony Coniglio]

> 
> SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK
>  NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
>  515 AM CST FRI MAR 1 2002
>  
>  ...MAJOR WINTER STORM LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH VERY HEAVY SNOW
>  AMOUNTS...
>  
>  A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER WESTERN KANSAS WILL MOVE EAST
>  LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.  LARGE AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE WILL BE SHUNTED OVER
>  THE ARCTIC AIR MASS AHEAD OF THE STORM PRODUCING HEAVY SNOWS.  AT THIS
>  TIME...FLURRIES WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION LATER THIS MORNING AND EARLY
>  AFTERNOON WITH SNOW DEVELOPING IN IOWA BY DUSK.  SNOWS WILL BECOME HEAVY
>  AT TIMES FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY BEFORE TAPERING TO FLURRIES BY
>  EVENING.  AS THE SYSTEM PULLS TO THE NORTHEAST ON SATURDAY...WINDS WILL
>  INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH RESULTING IN CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING
>  SNOW BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON.   TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL STAY IN THE UPPER
>  20S TO LOWER 30S AND THEN FALL INTO THE UPPER TEENS AND LOWER 20S BY
>  SATURDAY MORNING...WITH TEMPERATURES STEADY THROUGH THE DAY.
>  
>  THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SYSTEM AS IT INTERACTS WITH THE INCOMING ARCTIC
>  AIR WILL RESULT IN ABNORMALLY HIGH VARYING SNOW AMOUNTS OVER SMALL
>  AREAS WITH NARROW INTENSE BANDS OF SNOW.  AT THIS TIME...TOTAL SNOW
>  AMOUNTS WILL BE AT LEAST 6 INCHES OVER ALL THE REGION WITH 7 TO 10
>  INCHES NORTHWEST OF AN AXIS FROM DUBUQUE TO VINTON.  SOUTH OF THIS
>  AXIS...FROM FREEPORT TO WASHINGTON...SNOW AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH
>  8 TO 11 INCHES WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS...THIS INCLUDES THE CEDAR
>  RAPIDS AND IOWA CITY LOCALITIES.  SOUTH OF THIS LINE...INCLUDING THE
>  GREATER QUAD CITIES SOUTHEAST TO A LINE FROM MACOMB TO KEOKUK...8 TO 14
>  INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED.  IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST AROUND MACOMB AND WEST TO
>  KEOKUK...THE SNOW MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SLEET OR RAIN FOR TIME. THIS
>  MAY LIMIT TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS THERE TO 7 TO 11 INCHES.
>  
>  WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW TO WELL BELOW FREEZING...COMBINED WITH WINDS OF
>  20 TO 30 MPH WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD AREAS OF DRIFTING AND BLOWING SNOW.
>  MOST AREA ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW-COVERED AND TREACHEROUS BY SATURDAY
>  MORNING...MAKING TRAVEL VERY DIFFICULT AND POSSIBLY DANGEROUS.
>  
>  YOU SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST LOCAL WEATHER FORECASTS
>  AND STATEMENTS THROUGH NOAA WEATHER RADIO...LOCAL NEW OUTLETS OR THE
>  INTERNET...FOR THE LATEST FORECAST INFORMATION ON THIS STORM SYSTEM.
>  
>  NICHOLS
>