Tracking Atmospheric River for the West Coast; Space Weather Storming Continues

An atmospheric river will bring threats of gusty to high winds and heavy rainfall to California mainly Thursday into Saturday which may bring areas of flooding and wind damage. Heavy snow will be possible over the Sierra Nevada mountains Thursday into Friday associated with the atmospheric river. Minor to severe geomagnetic storming (space weather) is expected to continue into early Thursday. Read More >

With all the crazy weather in December and warmth preceding it, it’s hard to believe that January was several degrees below average. But, after the mid-December Derecho, we plunged right into the depths of winter, and January brought several episodes of snow and cold. While the cold was generally not record-breaking, it was consistently cold for most of the month. Snow and liquid equivalent precipitation was generally below average, though a rogue lake-effect snow event brought Duluth’s snow totals just above average. Drought status remains relatively unchanged per the US Drought Monitor, and Lake Superior’s water levels are now likely to remain below average as we go into spring.

Per CPC’s forecasts, the rest of February may feature cooler temperatures and higher precipitation than normal with drought persisting (but possibly improving going into spring).