Good morning bloggers,
Winter Is Here! We have had a mixture of precipitation, and a mind blowing liquid form of precipitation with temperatures at 6 degrees. I will explain in today's blog.
It is quite slick, dangerously cold, and more light precipitation is heading our way. Yesterday's high was 7 degrees, and there is a chance that it stays in the single digits all day today, and other days this week.
- The wind isn't that strong, but it is strong enough to create wind chill factors down to as low as 20 degrees below zero.
- Wearing a lot of layers of clothing will help keep you warm. Gloves, and hats, are highly recommended.
- 40% of your body heat is lost through the top of your head, and I don't have hair.
- We recommend limiting time outdoors for the pets. Their paws freeze up fast when it is below 20 degrees, and this is colder than that!
Did you know that we can have rain drops that are in liquid form and not frozen with temperatures this cold? They are called "super cooled rain drops", and they exist in clouds all the time at temperatures to as low as -39°. At -40° those super cooled rain drops will finally freeze. They are a factor in precipitation formation all of the time.
We have had freezing drizzle, frozen drizzle (where some of those drops froze), and light snow. Look at what is moving in right now:
These two radar images show the NEXRAD radar at Topeka, KS, and Pleasant Hill, MO:
On most radars, this light precipitation will barely show up, if at all. The area near Colombia, MO are heavier echoes. Anytime heavier echoes form, it will be in the form of snowflakes. These lighter echoes, in the green to yellow & orange are likely in form of freezing and frozen drizzle mixed with light snow. It wouldn't take much for it to suddenly be all light snow, but at this time it is in the form of all three. This mixture will add to the slick and hazardous conditions, and it will not be melting anytime soon.
We are in the midst of a pure week of winter weather. There is a chance of a bigger snowfall later this week into next weekend, or early next week. There are still a lot of questions on this larger storm. For now, it is light precipitation and brutal cold that we will have deal with for the next week.
Kansas City Weather Time-Line:
- Today: A 100% chance of a mixture of precipitation. The mixture of freezing drizzle, frozen drizzle, and light snow will accumulate from a dusting to 1/2". High; Near 10° Northeast to east winds at 5-15 mph creating wind chills to near 10 below zero!
- Tonight: Cloudy and cold with some more very light precipitation possible with a light glazing or dusting. Low: 4°
- Tuesday: Mostly cloudy & cold. High: 8° Wind chills near 10 below zero.
- Wednesday: Cloudy with a 60% chance of some light snow. Some accumulation is possible. High: 11°
We are dealing with the Super Bowl loss from last night. That hurt, but it is just a game, and we have our lives to get back to. The Chiefs had a great year. We can pick that game apart and see what went wrong. In the end, however, they lost, and we can't do anything about it. They just finally had a bad day. It was shocking, and they will be great in the next few years. I think we all know that, and they have learned from what happened last night.
Thank you for spending a few minutes of your day reading the Action Weather Blog. Have a great day.
Gary
