STORM SUMMARY NUMBER 01 FOR NORTHERN PLAINS BLIZZARD

400 PM CDT MON MAR 23 2009
 
...EARLY SPRING BLIZZARD AFFECTING THE NORTHERN PLAINS...

BLIZZARD WARNINGS ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FROM EASTERN
WYOMING...WESTERN NEBRASKA...NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH CENTRAL TO
WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA....FAR SOUTHEASTERN MONTANA AND CENTRAL TO
WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT ACROSS
THE COLORADO ROCKIES...NORTHWARD INTO CENTRAL WYOMING. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCHES AND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS.  FOR A DETAILED
GRAPHICAL DEPICTION OF THE LATEST WATCHES...WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES...PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV

AT 500 PM CDT...A 984 MB LOW WAS LOCATED NEAR VALENTINE NEBRASKA. 
AT 500 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADARS AND
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW
FALLING FROM CENTRAL TO EASTERN WYOMING..WESTERN
NEBRASKA...WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...SOUTHEASTERN MONTANA AND INTO
FAR SOUTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA.  STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
CURRENTLY AFFECTING FAR SOUTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA...SOUTHWARD THROUGH
NORTHERN AND EASTERN NEBRASKA..CENTRAL KANSAS INTO NORTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA.

...SELECTED STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL IN INCHES FROM 600 AM CDT SAT MAR
23 THROUGH 200 PM CDT MON MAR 23...

...SOUTH DAKOTA...
5 W SPOTTED HORSE                     8.0                     
8 NW ROCKYPOINT                       8.0                     
3 SE BEULAH                           7.0                     
CAMP CROOK                            7.0                     
SPEARFISH                             6.0                     

...WYOMING...
HARTVILLE                             6.0                     
LANCE CREEK                           6.0                     
DOUGLAS                               4.0                     


THE STRONG LOW OVER NEBRASKA IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHEASTWARD
INTO EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA TONIGHT...ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
TUESDAY AND ALONG THE MINNESOTA-WISCONSIN BORDER TUESDAY NIGHT
INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING.  BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO
CONTINUE TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY FROM EASTERN WYOMING...NORTHWESTERN
NEBRASKA...CENTRAL TO WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...FAR SOUTHEASTERN
MONTANA AND ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF NORTH DAKOTA.  WIDESPREAD
ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS THESE
AREAS...WITH ISOLATED TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 2 TO 3 FEET IN THE BLACK
HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA.  IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY SNOW...30 TO 60
MPH WINDS WILL RESULT IN NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY...CONSIDERABLE
BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF POWER OUTAGES
ACROSS THE BLIZZARD WARNING AREAS .  TRAVEL WILL BE EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS AND IS NOT RECOMMENDED.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN PLAINS...AND INTO THE MIDDLE TO LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY
DURING TUESDAY.

THE NEXT STORM SUMMARY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL
PREDICTION CENTER AT 1000 PM CDT. PLEASE REFER TO YOUR LOCAL
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS
EVENT.

ORAVEC