Friday, December 6, 2013

Winter Storm Dion to Bring Snow, Ice From California to the Northeast

By: Alan Raymond
Published: December 6,2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
Winter Storm Dion, the fourth named winter storm of the 2013-14 season, will result in more snow and ice for some of the same areas impacted by Winter Storm Cleon.
(MORE: Why The Weather Channel Names Winter Storms)
Dion initially will produce snow in the West through Saturday.
From there, Dion will then spread snow and ice from the Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley, Ohio Valley, Middle Atlantic and Northeast Sunday into Monday.
Here's a look at the forecast through the beginning of next week.

California, Southwest: Snow Forecast

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West Coast Radar

West Coast Radar
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West Snow Forecast

West Snow Forecast
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Snowfall Totals Through Dec. 6th

Snowfall Totals Through Dec. 6th
Dion will push across Northern California, Oregon and Nevada throughout the morning on Saturday.
Since cold air is already in place, snow will fall at low elevations across these states. In fact, accumulating snow has been reported all the way to sea level along the coast of Oregon in the town of Newport. Many cities along the I-5 corridor in western Oregon have also seen accumulating snow, including PortlandCorvallis and Medford. Up to nine inches was reported in Corvallis as of Friday afternoon.
In Northern California, accumulating snow will fall at elevations as low as 500 to 1,000 feet by early Saturday, making travel difficult in the foothills and mountains. Some accumulation is even possible in northern Sacramento Valley.
Snow amounts will vary greatly, depending on location and altitude. But models indicate that parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lake Tahoe could get nearly two feet of snow.
As Dion digs farther south Saturday, the chance of mountain snow also develops in parts of Southern California, where accumulating snow is possible as low as 2,500 to 3,000 feet.
(FORECASTS: San Francisco | Sacramento | Los Angeles)
Saturday into early Sunday, Dion will also produce snow in Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, northern and central Arizona, northern New Mexico and Colorado. This will impact travel along the I-40 corridor, including the Flagstaff, Ariz. area where 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected.
Father north, Salt Lake City could potentially see 2 to 6 inches of snow.
(FORECASTS: Flagstaff | Salt Lake CityTaos)

Plains to Middle Atlantic and Northeast: Snow and Ice Threat

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Sunday's Overview

Sunday's Overview
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South Forecast Sunday

South Forecast Sunday
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Northeast Forecast Sunday

Northeast Forecast Sunday
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Northeast Forecast Monday

Northeast Forecast Monday
By Saturday night and especially Sunday, Dion's impacts will be felt in a large area east of the Rockies.
At this time, it appears some additional light accumulations of freezing rain, sleet and snow are possible from eastern Arkansas and western Tennessee to the Ohio Valley and Appalachians. This includes Little Rock, Ark.Memphis, Tenn. and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Accumulations are expected to be far less than Cleon. However, impacts could still be significant due to the additional weight of the added ice since none of Cleon's snow and ice accumulations will melt.
This wintry mess will also push into the Middle Atlantic and Northeast Sunday into Sunday night. Washington, D.C., BaltimorePhiladelphia and New York City could all see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. However, with warmer air moving in, it appears a changeover to rain is likely late Sunday into early Monday.
Significant icing is possible to the lee of the Appalachians as cold air gets dammed up against the mountains and sets up a freezing rain event. The I-81 corridor from Virginia northward through Pennsylvania could see significant impacts. Accumulating ice is also possible as far south as northwest North Carolina.
As Dion moves out of the Southern Plains and into the Great Lakes region Sunday into Monday, expect light to moderate snow in parts of Kansas, Nebraska, northern Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. Accumulations will be light, but travel may still be affected.
(FORECASTS: Kansas City | Chicago | Milwaukee)
By early Monday, the majority of the energy associated with Dion will be over Canada. However, it appears there will be a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain in parts of New England, upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania. From coastal Southern New England to the Middle Atlantic, the precipitation will have changed to rain.
MORE: Photos of Winter Storm Dion
This iWitness photo of Dexter, Ore. was taken by Lynda Smith. (Photo credit: Facebook/Lynda Smith)

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