THE WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER
COLLEGE PARK, MD
STORM SUMMARY MESSAGE
STORM SUMMARY NUMBER 01 FOR WESTERN U.S. WINTER STORM
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD
700 AM PST SAT DEC 24 2016
...SNOW FALLING ACROSS MUCH OF THE WESTERN U.S. WITH RAIN INTO
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THE DESERT SOUTHWEST...
BLIZZARD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA WESTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.
WIND ADVISORIES AND HIGH WIND WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT ACROSS PARTS
OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ARIZONA NEW MEXICO COLORADO AND WYOMING.
ICE STORM WARNINGS AND FREEZING RAIN ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT
ACROSS MINNESOTA NORTHERN IOWA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN.
WINTER STORM WATCHES WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE IN
EFFECT ACROSS MUCH OF THE WESTERN U.S. AND NORTHERN PLAINS
FOR A DETAILED GRAPHICAL DEPICTION OF THE LATEST
WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES...PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV
AT 600 AM PST...A LOW PRESSURE CENTER WITH A CENTRAL PRESSURE OF
995 MB...29.38 INCHES...WAS LOCATED ABOUT 160 MILES NORTH OF LAS
VEGAS...NEVADA. A WARM FRONT EXTENDS FROM THE LOW ACROSS CENTRAL
UTAH THEN SOUTHWARD ALONG THE ARIZONA NEW MEXICO BORDER. A COLD
FRONT EXTENDS SOUTH ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE RADAR AND SURFACE OBSERVATION INDICATE LIGHT TO MODERATE
SNOW FALLING ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN NORTHWARD TOWARD THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES. FURTHER SOUTH...RAIN WAS FALLING ACROSS SOUTHERN
NEVADA...UTAH...ARIZONA AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. BEHIND TO
FRONT...RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE EFFECTING CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA NORTHWARD TO WESTERN OREGON AND WASHINGTON.
...SELECTED STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL IN INCHES FROM 700 AM PST FRI DEC
23 THROUGH 600 AM PST SAT DEC 24...
...CALIFORNIA...
MOUNT SHASTA 3 SSE 6.0
MAPLE CREEK 8 S 4.0
...IDAHO...
HAILEY 2 N 8.5
NEZPERCE 6.0
SAINT MARIES 5.0
COOLIN 9 NW 4.3
SPIRIT LAKE 5 S 4.1
MOSCOW 4.0
RATHDRUM 4.0
...OREGON...
PRINEVILLE 8 E 7.0
LA PINE 5 NNW 6.0
...WASHINGTON...
VALLEY 2 SE 8.0
REPUBLIC 13 E 5.0
AIRWAY HEIGHTS 3 NW 4.4
LUCERNE 15 SW 4.0
PULLMAN 4.0
SPOKANE 4 NNW 4.0
TIGER 10 E 4.0
...SELECTED PEAK WIND GUSTS IN MILES PER HOUR EARLIER IN THE
EVENT...
...CALIFORNIA...
BIG BEAR CITY 13 ESE 80
SAN FERNANDO 5 NNE 69
ACTON 9 SE 62
MOJAVE 2 ENE 59
PALMDALE 5 S 58
LANCASTER 14 WSW 56
SANTA BARBARA 5 N 54
CHATSWORTH 4 N 51
GEORGE AFB 5 ENE 51
...MONTANA...
LIVINGSTON 2 WSW 54
A DEEP UPPER LOW WILL SWING ACROSS THE WESTERN U.S. TODAY BRINGING
SNOWFALL TO MUCH OF THE REGION. AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES TOWARD THE
CENTRAL U.S. A SURFACE LOW WILL DEVELOP IN NORTHERN COLORADO ON
CHRISTMAS MORNING. THE LOW WILL RAPIDLY DEEPEN THROUGH THE DAY ON
CHRISTMAS DRAWING MOISTURE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL U.S. HEAVY
SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND STRONG WINDS WILL
CREATE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS THE DAKOTAS. SNOW WILL CONTINUE
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WHERE NORTHEASTERLY WINDS
WILL LEAD TO UPSLOPE SNOWFALL. AN AREA FROM CENTRAL MINNESOTA TO
EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA TO NORTHERN IOWA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN WILL
SEE A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN. AS THE LOW MOVES ACROSS THE
NORTHERN PLAINS MUCH OF THE MIDWEST THAT SAW FREEZING RAIN WILL
CHANGE TO A PERIOD OF RAIN BEFORE ENDING AS SNOW ON TUESDAY. TOTAL
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE WEST WILL VARY GREATLY WITH
ELEVATION...AS THE VALLEYS WILL SEE 2 TO 4 INCHES WHILE THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS COULD SEE TO 10 TO 20 INCHES. 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW IS
EXPECTED FROM WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. A BAND OF 12 TO 18 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE
FROM NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA TO NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. SIGNIFICANT
ICE ACCUMULATIONS...OF UP TO .25 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM
NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA ACROSS CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND NORTHERN
WISCONSIN WITH LESSER AMOUNTS ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND
NORTHERN IOWA.
THE NEXT STORM SUMMARY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE WEATHER PREDICTION
CENTER AT 100 PM PST. PLEASE REFER TO YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT.
KREKELER
Last Updated: 953 AM EST SAT DEC 24 2016