Current US snow cover sits at OVER 50%, a value that would be above normal even for Christmas never mind BEFORE Thanksgiving.
As well as the enormous snowpack that’s largely built-up in just the last 5 days, we’ve got an historically cold air mass to go with it. According to Ryan Maue, this morning is said to be the coldest November day ‘US-wide’ since 1976. That’s because the national average temp is below 21.1F which beats Nov 30, 1976 which dipped to . If true, that’s remarkable and certainly sets the tone for a likely ‘big winter’ ahead.
Check out this current January-like surface chart.
500mb height anomaly says it all.
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The persistency of this mid-winter air mass is already starting to freeze up lakes.
Lake Superior shore already seeing ice again just four months after chunks lasted all the way to July 4th.
Here’s a lake in Excelsior near Minneapolis yesterday.
Credit: WeatherBug
The COLD WNW winds are sure cranking the lake effect snow machine early this year!
Credit: NWS Buffalo
Here’s an intense snow band streaming across Buffalo, NY currently.
WHITE OUT conditions on I-90 this morning from that intense Buffalo snow band.
Credit: WeatherBug
Yesterday Morning Lows
Credit: weather.com
Yesterday’s Highs
Credit: weather.com
Current
Credit: weather.com
Current wind chills more suited to Jan 18 and not Nov 18.
These extremely low dew points also represent the power and span of this incredible arctic air mass.
Departures from normal
Today’s highs
Credit: weather.com
Forecasted highs today
Credit: weather.com
Warming trend still likely next week onwards.
Today’s video has failed to upload and I’m out of the house till later today. Will sort the issue asap!
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Indeed! Not official, but here in our microclimate of Nashville anyway it was definitely winter weatherwise! We’re located on a hill about 860′ elevation West of city near I-40. Low here at 12:38 AM CST NOV 19 tonight WAS 17F, windchill 13F.
Much warmer than wee hrs of yesterday, NOV 18, before dawn. Wind chill of 3F, low of 14F, and high during DAY of 28F. Also got surprise of 1/4″ of snow in predawn hours yesterday. RadarScope showed dry snow for several hours overhead and everything was covered. However by dawn the snow was evaporated by the drier air mass that moved in out of the North West? Have never seen this happen anywhere before even in high Rocky Mts of Colorado at 8000’+ where weather was always weird.