[LeArc] Significant Weather Outlook

[Tony Coniglio]

> 
> SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK
>  NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
>  520 AM CST THU MAR 21 2002
>  
>  ...WINTER HAS ARRIVED ON THIS FIRST FULL DAY OF SPRING...
>  
>  A NARROW BAND OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL QUICKLY EXIT THE REGION
>  BY MID MORNING. MANY LOCATIONS NORTH OF HIGHWAY 34 WILL
>  SEE MINOR ACCUMULATIONS RANGING FROM A DUSTING...TO A COUPLE TENTHS
>  OF AN INCH. THE SNOW WAS OCCURRING BEHIND AN ARCTIC FRONT...WHICH
>  SWEPT ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT...USHERING IN
>  SHARPLY COLDER AIR ON GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS. TEMPERATURES WILL
>  FALL THROUGH THE 20S IN MOST LOCATIONS THIS MORNING...BEFORE
>  HOLDING NEARLY STEADY...AS CLOUDS GIVE WAY TO SUNSHINE MID MORNING
>  INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. OVERALL...TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL
>  AVERAGE SOME 20 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THIS COLD AIR...COUPLED
>  WITH STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS...GUSTING TO NEAR 35 MPH AT TIMES...
>  WILL PRODUCE COLD WIND CHILLS LOWERING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE
>  AND BELOW ZERO.
>  
>  TONIGHT...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL REMAIN TIGHT ENOUGH TO ALLOW
>  THE WINDS TO HOLD UP BETWEEN 10 AND 20 MPH. THIS WILL KEEP
>  THE TEMPERATURES FROM FREE FALLING. NONETHELESS...IT WILL BE A COLD
>  NIGHT WITH LOWS BY MORNING IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS.
>  
>  LOOKING AHEAD...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR ACCUMULATING SNOWS OVER
>  PORTIONS OF THE REGION LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY.
>  A SECONDARY SURGE OF COLDER AIR WILL ARRIVE LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON
>  AND EVENING WITH THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT. THE FRONT IS
>  EXPECTED TO PULL UP STATIONARY ACROSS NORTHERN MISSOURI SATURDAY
>  NIGHT...AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER THE ROCKIES AND MOVES EAST
>  ALONG THE FRONT. STRONG MOISTURE ADVECTION ON SOUTHERLY
>  WINDS WILL OVERRUN THE SHALLOW COLD AIRMASS...SETTING THE STAGE FOR
>  A POTENTIAL HEAVY...WET ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL OVER PORTIONS
>  OF THE AREA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY. THE POTENTIAL
>  WILL ALSO EXIST FOR HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY FREEZING RAIN TO OCCUR
>  ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA.
>  
>  AT THIS TIME...IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO TELL THE EXACT TRACK OF THE
>  STORM SYSTEM...WHICH WILL HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON PRECIPITATION
>  TYPE AND AMOUNTS. BE SURE TO STAY TUNED TO LATER FORECASTS AND
>  STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE POTENTIAL FOR A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM TO
>  AFFECT THE AREA LATE IN THE WEEKEND.
>  
>  MCCLURE