I want to begin by apologizing for those of you who regularly use the Action 3 Weather Blog as a source of information and feel like updates have been few and far in between lately. I’ll personally do my best to try to make it a habit to post some information on this blog within my TV and radio workload. As always, your best way of getting information is the old fashioned way…tuning into Action 3 News on television. Thank you for being a loyal Action 3 News viewer, whether you decide to gather your information online, on our partner radio stations or television.
As far as the Christmas Storm, here are my current thoughts for the Omaha metro:
This afternoon & evening…look for patchy light freezing drizzle. There will be a few slick spots also due to the snowmelt from last week’s snowstorm.
Tonight/Wednesday…freezing rain will gradually increase. It looks potentially slippery through the morning rush hour, but surface temperatures may warm high enough through the middle of the day and into the afternoon that any morning ice may melt. The precipitation may come in a few waves.
Wednesday night…a changeover to snow, shortly after midnight and the snow will increase, as well as surface winds increasing to 20-40+ mph.
Thursday…snow and blowing snow will be likely all day and evening. Near whiteout conditions are possible at times, but not continuously, depending on wind gusts through the day. Travel is not recommended due to moderate snowfall intensity as well as limited visibility because of sustained 20-40+ mph winds.
Friday (Christmas Day)…Snow and blowing snow will remain likely, however accumulation should wind down by early afternoon. Generally speaking, I’m putting out a range of 3″-6″ as a starting guess for the Omaha metro…closer to 3″ toward Council Bluffs and 6″ toward the western end of Douglas and Sarpy Counties. We’ll likely continue blowing snow through the evening.
Saturday and beyond…partly sunny skies with northerly winds gradually subsiding as the storm system pulls away. Traveling sh0uld be fine by this point in time, although caution should be exercised due to slippery roads due to snow accumulation and some drifting.
For those of you who may question my snowfall forecast for the metro, please know that the storm snow total is highly conditional upon the track of the surface low and how much of the moisture will precipitate in our area in other forms beside snow, as well as how much moisture will be utilized upstream over the Mississippi Valley within thunderstorms before any remaining moisture reaches our area. With a different placement of the track of the surface low, the snow potential could inflate for the metro if the lower atmosphere remains colder for snow versus rain/freezing rain/sleet.
If you wish for additional updates, I recommend the following two sources:
The Action 3 News webcast (taken from today’s midday newscast): http://www.kmtv.com/Global/category.asp?C=94899&nav=menu550_3_4
My KMTV Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?id=1492954296&ref=ts (I tend to use Facebook quite a bit, so feel free to add me as a friend. Search for “C.T. Thongklin KMTV” to locate and add me if you wish)
Thank you for your patience and if you choose to travel, please do so safely and make sure you regularly tune into an available media outlet, such as Action 3 News, in case if the forecast requires changes.
Have a great afternoon and be sure to catch Chief Meteorologist Ryan McPike on Action 3 News live tonight at 5, 6 and 10pm for the very latest on the Christmas Storm. I’ll be back on air live at 5 am to keep you updated on the storm.
-C.T.