Groundhog Day Storm May Affect More than 100 Million People

[JBean]

Over here on the west coast Santa Ana Wind conditions kicking in tonight:
Wind Advisory

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
646 PM PST TUE FEB 1 2011

...DAMAGING WINDS EXPECTED ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS OF LOS ANGELES
AND VENTURA COUNTIES AS WELL AS MOST VALLEY AREAS TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY...

FOR TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO
THE GREAT BASIN WILL CAUSE STRONG TO DAMAGING SANTA ANA WINDS TO
DEVELOP ACROSS MUCH OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES. WIND
GUSTS IN THE MOUNTAINS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 60 TO 70 MPH DURING
THE PEAK OF THE EVENT LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY WITH ISOLATED
GUSTS TO 80 MPH POSSIBLE. ACROSS THE VALLEYS OF VENTURA
COUNTY...THE SANTA CLARITA AND NORTHERN AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF
THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY...PEAK WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 60
MPH.

STRONG WINDS WILL ALSO AFFECT THE VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL PLAIN...
WHERE WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED...AND THE LOS ANGELES
COUNTY COAST BELOW PASSES AND CANYONS FROM MALIBU TO HOLLYWOOD...
WHERE GUSTS OVER 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED. STRONG GUSTY WINDS OF 35 TO
45 MPH WILL ALSO AFFECT CATALINA ISLAND...POSSIBLY BRINGING
CHOPPY CONDITIONS INTO THE HARBOR.

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

9:48 pm central time. We are seeing some lightning now as well. This is eerie.

 

[PMLsmom]

JBean - I am south of you in Bks., CA. We usually get them when you get the warnings (over the grapevine). Nothing here on weatherunderground for the SA winds...We are at 51 degrees right now, but the winds will just make it warmer...My DH is in CT, so my heart is with all of you over on that side of the US. Prayers for all of you and also for the aussies...

 

[JBean]

My mom is in Gurnee and she said she is getting like 18 more inches tonight or something??

 

[JBean]

JBean - I am south of you in Bks., CA. We usually get them when you get the warnings (over the grapevine). Nothing here on weatherunderground for the SA winds...We are at 51 degrees right now, but the winds will just make it warmer...My DH is in CT, so my heart is with all of you over on that side of the US. Prayers for all of you and also for the aussies...

I am south Orange Cty so I just get the warm weather from the SA's and not too much wind. Our weather is calling for SA wind conditions from tonight through the weekend. I will be in LA County over the weekend in west Hollywood, so I won't wear an updo.

Stay safe peeps everywhere.

 

[JBean]

Blizzard Warning



Urgent - winter weather message
national weather service chicago il
823 pm cst tue feb 1 2011

...life threatening winter storm impacting the region...

Ilz003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-inz001-002-010-011-019-
021030-
/o.con.klot.bz.w.0001.000000t0000z-110202t2100z/
winnebago-boone-mchenry-lake il-ogle-lee-de kalb-kane-dupage-cook-
la salle-kendall-grundy-will-kankakee-livingston-iroquois-ford-
lake in-porter-newton-jasper-benton-
including the cities of...rockford...belvidere...woodstock...
Waukegan...oregon...dixon...dekalb...aurora...wheaton...chicago...
Ottawa...oswego...morris...joliet...kankakee...pontiac...
Watseka...paxton...gary...valparaiso...morocco...rensselaer...
Fowler
823 pm cst tue feb 1 2011 /923 pm est tue feb 1 2011/

http://forecast.weather.gov/showsig...al_place1=Gurnee+IL&product1=Blizzard+Warning

 

[JBean]

My MIL lives in Buffalo, who knew she would have better weather than my mom in Chicagoland?

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

Here's a link of viewer submitted photos to our local ABC channel news. Haven't looked through them yet, but might come across some interesting photos.

http://useeit.abc7chicago.com/ChannelGallery.aspx?c=4983

 

[Sooner Fan#1]

Also try wunderground weather...it's pretty amazing

 

[WhyaDuck?]

Snow starting in Southwestern Ontario.

Major winter storm tonight into groundhog day. The major storm which was born in Texas late Monday is tracking northeast across Indiana accompanied by a huge shield of wintery precipitation. Heavy snow has arrived in Southwestern Ontario this evening and will quickly spread northeast to the greater Toronto area shortly after after midnight and into Eastern Ontario by Wednesday morning. Widespread total snowfall amounts of 20 to 30 centimetres are likely before the snow begins to lighten up early Wednesday morning in the southwest..Later in the morning for Toronto and late in the day for the east. In addition brisk northeast winds of 30 to 50 km/h will accompany the snow..Creating frequent whiteout conditions. Places such as Stratford..Kitchener..And Toronto will get near blizzard conditions overnight and Wednesday morning and it is quite possible that a blizzard warning may be issued for these regions. The snow will likely mix with ice pellets and some freezing rain for awhile tonight for regions near Lake Erie. A few claps of thunder are also quite possible. This will be the first Major winter storm of the season for the Toronto area..And the strongest storm of the season for many regions outside the traditional snow belts. It will have a major impact on travel with considerable blowing and drifting snow and dangerously low to nil visibilities in whiteout conditions. This is a warning that dangerous winter weather conditions are imminent or occurring in these regions. Monitor weather conditions..Listen for updated statements.

From Environment Canada.

 

[Dark Knight]

N. Indiana checking in, again. Blizzard Warning remains in effect, we still have power, praise the Lord! No idea how much snow due to the blowing, but drifts are forming quickly. I am hearing sleet mixing in with it, so that may lower the snow totals. We're under a level 2 emergency.

 

[LadyL]

not much snow here yet ... very windy and cold BRRRR

but I already got someone to work for me tomorrow b/c it's supposed to start at midnight here (which is right about now!) and not end till late morning or something

SNOW DAY! lol

 

[Hopeful One]

Reading all of your "check-ins" and let us be thankful that we have warm beds to snuggle in tonight!!! Hope and pray we all keep power tonight and tomorrow!

 

[Hopeful One]

not much snow here yet ... very windy and cold BRRRR

but I already got someone to work for me tomorrow b/c it's supposed to start at midnight here (which is right about now!) and not end till late morning or something

SNOW DAY! lol

GOOD! Better to not be in it at all!!! Believe me, I drove home in the beginning of it, figuring "ah, big deal!" and it was bad!

 

[WhyaDuck?]

FYI: For Ontarionians - Be sure to check your GO train times tomorrow, as they are on a revised schedule. Express trains are stopping at all stops to avoid track switches.

 

[mommy23]

Just got an email, and news warning, our natural gas company is having a hard time keeping up with demand in these cold temps, so to conserve, turn down heat, etc..... GREAT we are now gonna have power, but still run out of heat, and hot water ughhhh.

 

[tlcya]

no power outage yet, thank goodness. Son started running a fever this evening, last thing I need is no power right now. Sitting herewatching him sleep. fever is down for the moment. No clue how much snow we've gotten thus far. It snowed like hell. Then came sleet mixed in with snow, now back to all snow again.

Hey DK, local news talked about thundersnow a town not far from mine experienced it. Course if it were here I may never know it. Between the heater running constantly, the howling of the wind, and the snowplows going by on the busy street, I probably couldn't hear it even it it was happening now, lol.

 

[WhyaDuck?]

We're supposed to have thunder snow here, as well! I had never even heard of it before. Now I am wondering if maybe I had heard thunder during a snow storm before, and just thought it was a snow plow noise or something!

 

[Cubby]

I've never seen anything like this. The wind gusts are ranging from in the 20's to 40's mph range. I can't see 200' away. I can't make out where the curbs and street seperate and I live on a snow route. It looks like a white dust bowl out there.

This afternoon Tom Skilling (WGN ) said lake effect snow was being lifted so high into the atmosphere and the winds were carrying it so far west Dekalb, IL was getting lake effect snow. That is unheard of! DeKalb is 65 miles west of Chicago and I am not sure that is the distance between the lake front and Dekalb or just the city limits.

And the worst isn't even here yet! The heavist snowfall at a rate of 3" an hour will be happening overnight.

Glad I pay an association fee and someone else will be shoveling it!

Someone is out there now trying to get the drive ways under control and the village doesn't even have our plows on the road.

 

[tlcya]

update. Just heard a crack of what I think was thunder snow. Only way I could tell was that I saw light flickering in the sky like distant lightening, then the sound. You are right Ducky, I think I could have heard it before but never had a clue it wasn't just a plow.