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Pacific Storm to Impact California; Severe Weather in the ArkLaTex; Critical Fire Weather Persist in the Southern Plains

A Pacific storm with atmospheric river will bring heavy mountain snow and strong winds to the Sierra Nevada and heavy rainfall over parts of coastal southern California through Thursday. Severe thunderstorms are likely in portions of the Southern Plains into the MS Valley late Wednesday. An extended period of critical fire weather conditions will continue in the Southern Plains through Saturday. Read More >

Overview

The first significant lake effect snow took place late Wednesday night through early Thursday morning. Widespread 3-6 inches of snow with pockets of 8-12 inches fell across the northwest wind lake effect snow belts. Strong winds, at times gusting more than 40 mph, caused considerable blowing snow especially over exposed roadways, leading to difficult driving conditions and multiple car accidents. Cold air invaded the region late Wednesday night into Thursday, leading to below-zero wind chill temperatures across much of the area.  This event signaled the beginning of the winter season to many.

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Visible satellite image from approximately 12:30 PM Thursday, 11/9, showing multiple lake effect snow bands across Lake Superior and Upper Michigan
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