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UPDATE: Click straight to AccuWeather for the latest on the life threatening winter storm NOW impacting the Plains. Over 50″ of snow was dumped on Colorado, same system now intensifying dangerously over the Plains, generating hurricane force winds across Texas and New Mexico!
Also check out Jesse Ferrell’s blog for Terrific updated info on peak winds, highest snow totals and more….
Reno and Boise shiver in coldest morning since Dec 22-23, 1998

Downtown Reno, Monday, 7 Dec, 2009

On the heels of a major snowstorm which dropped a record amount in many places the most snow in Reno in over 5 years as well as creating a nightmare on the roads, skies cleared and Arctic high pressure settled overhead to produce a bone-chilling and polar night..it was the Coldest Morning Since December 1998 for both Boise and Reno…

Boise, Idaho -6

Reno, Nevada -3 (lowest since Dec 21, 1998)

Here are the totals for some ski resorts and selected sites across the region:

Kirkwood Ski Resort — 30 to 40 inches of snow

Alpine Meadows — 33 to 42 inches

Sugar Bowl — 36 inches

Mammoth Mountain — 13 inches

Tahoe City — 18 inches

Truckee-Tahoe Airport — 25 inches

Glenbrook — 17 inches

Carson City — 15 inches

Southwest Reno (near Lakeside Drive and McCarran Boulevard) — 9 inches

Reno-Tahoe International Airport — 7 inches

North Reno — 10 inches

9.30pm Update: It is simply amazing to see how this pattern is evolving across the USA. From the “lock” positive Arctic Oscillation and the sea of Pacifc-Atlantic driven storminess and warmth to a unlocking of the of cold that was shivering Alaska is now roaring west to east across the lower 48 and producing some extremely low temperature thats have not be achieved in over a decade.

The storm that caused issues and brought chills to my friends in California now winding up and unfurling a sea of white from the Desert Southwest to Ontario is likely drawing the core of strongest Arctic-polar cold into the heart of the Rockies and Plains where the first single digits days and below zero nights are heading for Minneapolis, Chicago may struggle to climb above 10 and may take a run at zero as the core of cold follows that storm system east, northeast. This system is sucking down the cold that brought record lows to Edmonton (Sunday -37C) and potent cold penetrating the inner core of this storm and the warmth being pulled up from the tropics is producing a wild day today and tonight, into tomorrow for the Plains. Thise of you in the deep south and enjoying 70-degree weather, watch out for severe weather and even tornadoes. As for the open Plains from Kansas through Nebraska, Iowa into Illinois and southern and central Wisconsin WATCH OUT. This in North Texas and New Mexico have been buffeted by hurricane force winds that are roaring out of the southern Rockies. BELIEVE ME there will be areas that recieve 2 feet of snow and drifts that pile to 10-15 feet.

I shall be updating more tomorrow..

Thanks for reading.

-Mark