Winter Storms Ends, Quiet Weekend Ahead

A storm system that effected much of the Central and now Eastern U.S. brought whiteout and icy conditions. A combination of Snow, Sleet, and Freezing Rain prompted some flight cancellations and school closings. There was near record snowfall in Kansas where some parts were buried over a foot of snow. Wichita saw its second-highest snowfall storm total on record with 14.2" over two days. The record still stands at 15". Also, Kansas City International Airport did set a record with 9" falling in a single day. This beats the old record of 5.1 inches set in 2010. This prompted the governor of Missouri to declare a state of emergency Thursday Morning. The storm also attributed to atleast a death in Oklahoma, Utah, and 2 in Wisconsin.
The snow did hit drought-stricken areas in place like Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. On average, one foot of snow converts to about an inch or maybe up to 2" of rain. These are areas that help make up 55% of the U.S. that is in a Moderate Drought and 6% of the U.S. that is currently in an Exceptional Drought (worst drought category to be placed in). This massive storm system stretched as far South as the Gulf States. It was moist and warm enough to spawn up an unconfirmed tornado in Jefferson Davis County in Mississippi. Surveyors will access the damage there today to figure out if this was indeed strong enough to be classified as a tornado. More details on this to come.
Here in Indiana, the storm was in its weakened state. The Portage area saw 2-4" of snow. Danville reports close to 2" of snow. 1.2" in Lafeyette, 1.1" in Frankfort and Paragon. Indianapolis saw a half inch of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Precipitation amount totals up to 0.42".
At 10AM Friday, the temperature went above 32° and the winter weather advisory was allowed to expire. Temperatures ranged from 28°-32° between 6pm Thursday and 9AM Friday. Temperatures on Friday will be in the mid to upper 30s. It'll likely to be a challenge to reach a high of 40°. Any precipitation falling during the day will be in the form of a light drizzle or rain. Clouds will possibly remain overhead which will likely prevent temperatures from inclining too much.

The first storm event came in late Monday Night into Tuesday dropping 0.25" of rain and trace amounts of snowfall. We just wrapped up the second storm event but wait...the 3rd system is not far away and yes, there is a 4th one too! Here's a look at the 3rd one (Image #1 below), this looks to start off as a rain event and then possibly change over to some snowfall. We'll take a better look at it throughout the weekend. Looks to come in on Monday as Rain and change to Snow by Tuesday Morning. As colder air marks its return temperatures may fall back throughout the day. The 4th one lined up behind this looks to come in on Thursday as an all snow event. Month ends cold and active. March opens cold and active. There is even a 5th & 6th event lurking, all possible snowmakers. Also, here's a look at the Jet Stream Winds. High Latitude Blocking is setting up. The next 24-72 hours (Image #2) will be the warmest over the next 10 days. Again, Cold Air will not only be here to finish February but it'll be a cold and stormy open to March as well. Take a look at Image #3. In for a cold March 2nd. This cold air has been advertised all month and its still game on.



TODAY: Mostly Cloudy. Morning Fog. Mild Afternoon. High 38.

TONIGHT: Mostly Cloudy, Dry, & Chilly. Low 25.

SATURDAY: A mix of plenty of clouds and some sunshine. Chilly. High 35

SUNDAY: Partly cloudy, cool, dry, and mild. High: 42

MONDAY: Early Sun Possible. Clouds Increase. Late Day Rain Changes to Snow Monday Overnight. High 43

TUESDAY: Snow likely. Some Accumulations Possible? High 39.


***7 DAY OUTLOOK***

FEB. 23	FEB. 24	FEB. 25	FEB. 26	FEB. 27	FEB. 28	MAR. 1
SATURDAY	SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
MIX OF CLOUDS/SUN	PARTLY SUNNY	AM-SUN? PM-RAIN?	RAIN TO SNOW	SNOW POSSIBLE	SNOW LIKELY	SNOW LIKELY
	DRY	STORM #3		BECOMING COLDER	STORM #4
35	42	43	39	33	33	34
24	29	34	26	23	21	21