[Vision2020] Massive Winter Storm Pounds US, National Guard Mobilized: "The Great Blizzard of February 1 - 2, 2011"

[Ted Moffett]

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/01/133394849/massive-storm-begins-trek-across-midwest

Quote from website above:

"Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and activated
600 members of the National Guard."
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View map of the huge size of this storm at website below:

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html

Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Last Updated: 2:37 PM GMT on February 01, 2011 — Last Comment: 6:19 PM
GMT on February 01, 2011

Great Blizzard pounds Midwest

Posted by: Jeff Masters, 2:37 PM GMT on February 01, 2011

The Great Blizzard of February 1 - 2, 2011 is here. Oklahoma City is
experiencing whiteout conditions, with heavy snow of 2 inches per hour
being driven by ferocious winds of 36 mph, gusting to 46 mph. With a
temperature of just 9°F, this is an extremely dangerous storm for the
city, and all of Oklahoma has been placed under a state of emergency.
Seven inches of snow had fallen in Oklahoma City as of 7am EST.
Dangerous blizzard conditions extend from Oklahoma, through northwest
Arkansas, southeast Kansas, and southern Missouri this morning, and
blizzard conditions are expected to spread northeastward into eastern
Iowa, southern Wisconsin, most of Illinois, southern Michigan,
northern Indians, and northwest Ohio later today. Cold air is being
driven southwards out of Canada by a high pressure system over Montana
that is at near-record strength. Pressures at Glasgow, Montana this
morning were 1054 mb, close to the all-time U.S. high pressure record
of 1064 mb set in Montana in 1983. Copious moisture is streaming
northwards from the Gulf of Mexico to fuel the blizzard, and snowfall
amounts will likely approach two feet across portions of Iowa and
Illinois today, making it one of the top-ten snowstorms in history for
the region. The storm will probably be Chicago's biggest blizzard
since January 2 - 4 1999, when a storm dumped 21.6" of snow. With
today's snowstorm expected to have very unstable air aloft,
"thundersnow" with snowfall rates of 4 inches/hour is possible, and
there is a chance today's blizzard could rival Chicago's greatest snow
storm of all time, the blizzard of January 26 - 27, 1967. That immense
storm dumped 23 inches of snow on Chicago, stranding thousands of
people and leaving an estimated 800 Chicago Transit Authority buses
and 50,000 automobiles abandoned on the city streets and expressways.
Twenty six Chicagoans died in the blizzard, mostly due to heart
attacks from shoveling snow. Strong winds in Chicago today are
expected to generate 14 - 18 feet waves on Lake Michigan, with
occasional waves up to 25 feet. A significant coastal flooding event
is possible for the city, with beach erosion and flooding along Lake
Shore Drive.

Many major cities will likely receive over 12 inches of snow from the
Great Blizzard of February 2011, including Kansas City, St. Louis,
Detroit, and Boston. Perhaps of greater concern is the potential for a
major ice storm along a swath from Northwest Oklahoma to
Massachusetts. Widespread freezing rain is expected to bring over 1/4"
of ice to many major cities, including Indianapolis, Columbus,
Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and New York City. Some regions could see up to
an inch of ice, and widespread power outages due to toppled power
lines are likely for millions of people. Damages exceeding $1 billions
are possible from this ice storm. In addition, the storm's powerful
cold front brought severe thunderstorms to eastern Texas this morning,
and severe thunderstorms will affect Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Alabama today as the cold front moves east. NOAA's Storm Prediction
Center has placed the region under its "slight risk" threat area for
severe weather today, and a few isolated tornadoes may develop this
afternoon in some of the heaviest thunderstorms.
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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett