****************
The Snowjust keeps increasing in strength and is not movng very fast how much snow do you think us in the northland will get 1/2 1/4 or hopefully 1 in?
-------------------------
Charles,

We probably will only see a dusting, less than 1/4" at best. But, at least it is snow.

Gary

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Gary,
Glad you didn't get hurt. One way that really helps to walk on ice is to make sure to walk flat-footed. When we'd play hockey in the summer, we'd come out of the locker rooms and walk across the rink barefoot. I always walked flat-footed and never came close to slipping.
What does Wednesday evening's precipitation look like? Any chance of any decent accumulation? Also, do we have any other shots of decent snow accumulation between now and the late February storm that we see as part of the LRC?
-------------------
Matt,

I was sort of half awake, and this is a dangerous state to be in if you are walking on ice to get the newspaper. I am fine!

If you look back in December there were a few fairly significant systems that month. We had rain, we had chances, but it wasn't cold enough for snow. Will it be this time through the cycle? It may come as a surprise to some, but the pattern is quite active and we have had some nice precipitation events. Somehow producing snow has been such a struggle.

Gary

*************
All those storm system will probably in my opinion be Freezing rain.
---------------
Charles,

It certainly feels that way doesn't it.

Gary

***********************
Good Morning to you sir!! I hope you got some rest last night and take some time today-that goes for the whole weather team!!! What a beautiful morning out-flurries falling, cold and crisp-just awesome!!! Side walks are pretty slick though!!! As I watch the last band of lt. snow winding down early this morning,(a wonderful surprise by the way!!) I waved good bye again-why do I feel like an old friend is leaving??? What a deal following this the past 14 days!!!!

I first want to say that the whole weather team did a fantastic job with this storm-you always kept the options on the table and explained them to everyone in a way that could be understand. The whole team was just awesome. Furthermore, following the storm on the blog was a treat beyond words. Much was learned and the fact that the team took the time to listen to people’s ideas and then discuss with them says much about your dedication to the viewers. It is quite the honor to be able to discuss ideas with meteorologists of your caliber and have those ideas taken seriously and responded to. Again, it speaks volumes about you and the whole weather team!!!!

Finally, the storm: I think some may say this storm underperformed because we did not get the big dump of snow. However, we had so many pieces of the puzzle missing-I think?? The storm came out in too many pieces which allowed more warm air to be pulled into the upper layers which then allowed the 850 low to track to our North; The front we wanted to invite to the party came for sure-however, we didn’t want it to drive all the guest away and it dove way too far south messing with the track somewhat and loosing the temp. gradient to intensify the storm (I think it reorganized somewhat last night as there was steep contrast in temps. between say Columbia, Missouri and Eastern Kentucky) Also, all the moisture to our south that developed along the front-that front-the party crasher!!!! I’m not sure if any of this is correct or not-however, taking all these, it is amazing we wound up with the amount of moisture we did. If all the sleet/fr. Rain and drizzle had been snow, the snow geese would be happy indeed. It is amazing we got what we got!!! It takes so many pieces to give our area the big snows-sometimes we get lucky and can be missing a piece-however, 99% of the time, we have to have all the pieces-this time we didn’t, but still managed a great winter storm-three days of frozen precip. For here is incredible!!!!!! So, I wave good bye to this force of nature-hoping/praying for all the people around Springfield and all those neg. effected by the storm-but also watching a wonderful part of Mother Nature pulling out and away!!!! Hopefully Mother Nature will give us some more shots-I have not looked at a model output past yesterday since last Tuesday-I know that the LRC while not showing a huge storm possibility until late Feb., does provide some opportunities for something in the next few weeks. By the way, the LRC was just awesome here-another feather in its cap!!!!!

Well, once again, I have said way too much-I’m chasing my kids this morning, so I kind of typed this on the fly. My main point was to say thanks so much for the opportunity to follow this storm on this blog and providing your thoughts-you and the team are outstanding and not just regarding the weather!!!! Have a great Martin Luther King Jr. day today-and lets hope people really think about why we are celebrating today!!! Take care and get some rest-you and the whole weather team!!! Oh, Jeremy's pictures were outstanding!!! Take care

Bill, the sleet is great for plastic sleds, in Lawrence-oh, the snow is beautiful this morning!!!!
--------------------------------
Bill,

Thank you so much! When I was growing up in Los Angeles I used to make up weather games in the car tracking clouds, yes clouds. Because in L.A. we would go months, sometimes years without real storm systems to track. So, now being in Kansas City we get to track real storm systems on television, but in the blog as well. This blog is almost like my childhood game but real. Does that make sense? It is nice to see that there are many people learning, and enjoying the NBC ACTION WEATHER BLOG.

I need to make a point that I believe is signficant for this spring especially. There was no cutting off of the moisture due to any precipitation forming across Oklahoma, Texas, southern Missouri. This is one of the most overblown problems with spring forecasting. We could have 70 degree dewpoints in place and some forecasters will say that the complex of thunderstorms over north Texas is cutting off our moisture. This really, very rarely happens.

Anyway, it is snowing, have a great day. And, there are other "big" storm systems that have occured during this weather pattern, not just this one. Remember those big rain events. So, there is potential if we can keep the cold air around.

Gary

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Hi Gary,
Finally some snow here in Lee's Summit. Okay, it's just some flurries but it is enough to make me and my son happy! Teach Stormy to go fetch the paper so you don't have to! Glad to hear you are okay. I had several patients this weekend that had to be admitted dut to falling....and not all were weather related. So, be carefull out there to everyone!
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Lisa,

Thanks for the reminder and get ready, the flurries will become steady snow for just a little while.

Gary

*****************
Finally, some actual snow instead of that sleet we all got tired of seeing this weekend! You guys did an awesome job keeping us all up to date on the storm this weekend!
---------------
Thanks Marlina!

Gary

*************
Its finally snowing in Bonner. We got a nice layer of sleet here, which will be good for sledding this afternoon with the kids. Thanks for the good job you all did this past weekend. It was alot of fun, and I am pretty sure I finally figured those maps out.
-------------------
Keri,

Keep learning! It can be fun when you start understanding the maps better.

Gary

*******************
Just a small note of appreciation for the lovely little snowstorm, Gary. It's falling rather gently but horizontally here in OP this morning; a sweet beginning to the morning.

Can't help but be a great day -- and by the way, I have a pair of these neat little thingies to strap on your shoes when you go out on ice. They're straps with little spikes on them. I never use them so will stick them in the mail to you next week. We can't have a downed weatherman!
---------------------
Sunnye,

No one has to know that I was wearing slippers. Now we know why they are called "slippers". That was stupid of me.

Gary

************
Gary:

Just me again!! I totally understand what you are saying-it is so much fun to share your passion with others that have the same passion or to give them your passion-one thing I have always admired about you since you first came to Kansas City (I remeber when you first arrived as I grew up in KC) is your passion for the weather-it is catching and is a part of what makes you the great met that you are.

Thanks also for sharing the information on the mositure-I really appreciate it-I can for sure see it in the Spring-a 70 degree dew point is a 70 degree dew point-doesn't take much to trigger something with that!!! If ever there was proof for winter it was here-there was a ton of mositure down in SE Missouri!! I think I overstated my case a bit regarding the next few weeks-we for sure had some powerful storms come through here from early December through January. I wonder if maybe we will not be more like we were in October in that it was pretty cold then-going off the top of my head we had an abmnormal amount of nights below freezing so we had more cold air-it looks like Canada will stay at least normal if not somewhat below so we have the source region on our side. If we get one of those southern jet lows like we had or a clipper like on Christmas, we could for sure have something. Mother Nature will reveal herself-the fun will be to watch it develop!!!!

Off to take the kids to the creek on their sleds-my bike should be interesting this morning for sure!!! I'm in charge of several student service projects over the next few weeks so unfortunately weather will take a back seat!!! Thanks again for taking the time to respond to all my random ideas/thoughts-I have learned so much from here and look forward to continuing to do so!!!! Have a great day!!!
---------------------
Bill,

Be careful sledding. I just took the dogs for a walk in the snow and even the slightest slope will be FAST! It is solid ice out there.

Gary

*********************
If it would snow like this for about 20 hours it'd make my day. I've seen it snow at 36-38 degrees before, but it was 16 this weekend and not one flake! Gary, based on your theory those 3 Denver snow storms should be back in a couple weeks...wouldn't it be possible for those to track different and give us a shot at snow? That's assuming the temp is below freezing.
----------------------
Chris,

There were others besides those three. So, yes they can track and act differently just like this one did. So, there is hope. This is the reason I predicted 25 inches of snow. I just didn't think we would still be waiting in some parts of our viewing area.

Gary

***************
Wow...this snow just keeps increasing right on top of us!! I wasn't expecting this.

BTW- I got out this morning and it is extremely slick on the roads in Blue Springs. The freezing rain caused serious problems to the roads. The snow is sticking quickly to the roads as well. This includes the main roads in Blue Springs. The road to my house is an ice rink.
---------------
Brian,

It is very dangerous out there. There have been about 10 rollover accidents this morning.

Gary

***************'
What are the chances of a snow day again on Tuesday?
--------------
Charles,

No chance Tuesday, but we have some chances later on.

Gary

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Hi Gary and crew:
Great watching the weather tracking you and the team does.
Here in west-central Mn. we just received a dusting of snow and now are below zero in the temp. dept. South and east of us the area received up to 8" of snow. We seem to be too far north and west of all the weather systems so far. I have a question for you as far as weather patterns go. I am on another farming blog and we were discussing weather. A fellow farmer from Ind. said that weather patterns move from east to west. They are very wet in Ind. since last fall and this farmer said that by spring the Northern Iowa and Mn. area will be in the wet weather pattern. I was just wondering what you thought of this weather pattern setup?
Thanks
Rod from Mn.
ps. Congrats to the Nelson Family
--------------------
Rod,

I see the potential for some wet systems your way this spring. The jet stream will begin retreating which should place you in the storm track eventually.

Gary

*************
Ok..now that we can call this storm done, a have a quick question. Prior to this storm, I had indicated that I thought the second half of Jan and Feb will be seasonably or a bit chillier than normal. Gary, you disagreed. I think our friend the Arctic High is here to stay for a bit. Mixing in the CRC, the now waning El Nino, that persistent cool air that was predicited in the winter outlook, and other features...I think we are going to trend cooler from this very warm start of Winter. Here is the question...how would I trend this? Median temps compared to normal?

Also...still looking out to next week. Back in Dec, this would equate to the "Drizzle Storm". Could be more interesting this time as the cold air should still be near by. Anyway..good job team, and get some rest...
-------------------------
Scott,

I may have disagreed, but I shouldn't have. We made the winter forecast anticipating this type of situation. Then, we lost the Arctic air. So, there is still hope for some winter storms in the next few weeks, but let's be careful as I told you last week. The jury is still out on all of these things, but one thing I know for certain. We are cycling through the same pattern.

The waning El Nino is ridiculous. It is still there and as I said, it influences the pattern but it doesn't create it, end it, cause it, it only influences. So, the waning El Nino is being way overblown. This is the same pattern. Scott, I know you are convinced of this.

And.....

Let's see how many below average days we have. Some winters the Arctic air source stays near by. In December it went away, so when we had all of the storm systems they had no Arctic air to work with. Let's see what happens this time. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the models are completely wrong and it warms up. As I said a few days ago remember in December when we thought all 25 inches of snow would fall in the next two weeks.................well it didn't happen. The models were wrong.

Gary

**************
Gary,

Any idea how long it will be before we break
the freezing mark? Will we see any more temps above freezing in January?
Also is your "winter forecast" archived
online somewhere? I'd like to review (actaully view it for first time) as I'd missed it on
the tube. Glad you are okay!
------------------
Steve,

You can click on it on this site, just go to weather. Remember this was issued way back in early November.

Gary

*****************
Good morning Gary and weather team. As I am looking and learning to read the long range maps, looks like a storm possibility next week. Also I have read this morning and heard from another source the "El Nino" is weakening. Could that have an impact on the rest of our winter weather? However I know the cycle is set. So as I understand, the LRC is set on a 42-46 day main cycle but about every 10-20 days there can be a mini cycle event that goes on? Oh and I saw the light snow this morning at 6:30 a.m. but am thankful for the precip. Michael/Topeka
-----------------------
Mike,

It isn't really a mini cycle, but there are other features that are also repeating within the overall pattern. El Nino's weakening will have almost no affect on our weather this winter. This is of course my opinion.

Gary

************************
Hello weather team,

The snow has ended here and we have ended up with one half inch of snow,which is exactly what you predicted. I think you did a great job keeping us updated during this storm. I just hope we get more snow on February 25th.
-------------------
Brent,

Let's hope we get some chances before then.

Gary

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That was a really nice surprise! Finally getting to see some snow. It actually averaged around .75" in our yard, but it's blowing around a bit. It is really light and powdery.

What are you seeing for next week?

David
------------------------
David,

I awakened at 5 AM, looked at the radar and couldn't believe it. A real area of snow marching our way. It was an exciting morning with just a little snow.

Gary

*****************
Gary,

How are temperatures measured throughout the different layers of the atmosphere? During the sleet storm, you kept updating the temperatures from the various levels of the atmosphere. Are weather balloons released that often? Just curious how you receive accurate temperatures on a regular basis from different levels in the atmosphere.

Is there a website for this information?

Thanks!

Brad
-----------------------
Brad,

There are profilers that get information in various spots, but I was referring to the RUC model which comes out every hour with a computer representation. It isn't as good as a sounding, but it was working well yesterday. The baloons are sent up twice a day.

Gary

**********************
Last night we did transition to snow for a little while in St. Joe, and then we went BACK to freezing drizzle before it stopped!
I missed the snow this morning but I got to see some last night so I'm happy. The ice sleet and snow are enough to make it look nice and white with the trees shimmering with ice so finally winter is here even if it's only for a little while. I bet St. Joe does dip below zero tonight, especially if the winds drop off. As for the models keeping the cold air around, well I don't belive it too much, I think that the 50's and 60's are on their way back because of the LRC. We are still below one inch of snow so now it will be interesting to see how long this lasts, I'm still hopefull!!!
BTW congradulations again to the Nelson Family on their new addition.
Thanks for your time.
Nick in (COLD) St. Joe!!!
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Nick,

I was wondering if you ever changed to snow yesterday. The LRC would support very cold air if it just stays in Canada. Last time through the cycle it got wiped out and then the cold fronts weren't as strong. Let's see what happens this time through.

Gary

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Somehow, someway, we got 1 1/2 inches of snow today in Grain Valley. It was a steady decent amount of snow falling until past noon. It is STILL flurrying. We did get at least 2 inches of sleet also, although it's a challenge to measure that part of the storm... I can now officially walk ON the grass here.
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Beth,

I saw on radar the heavier echoes over your area. That is nice.

Gary

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The weather blog is great and I'm learning so much. I now only watch your news and weather. Over the weekend I was telling some friends about the Blog and now they tell me they have begun to check it on a regular schedule. After following the Blog I now see that when you and your team give the weather you are explaining it and telling us why, when, etc just like your talking to US,and now to me the other stations just seem to be repeating a standard weather report. Thank you for you and the team's passion and excitement. Wow weather is "cool".
--------------------
Pat,

Thank you for noticing the difference! This is the big difference and I am glad that you are sharing it with your friends. We worked very hard over the weekend on this winter storm. Keep letting everyone know that it can be fun, but also that NBC ACTION NEWS provides the best weather information as a storm is moving through and every day. At least this is what we are working very hard to do.

Gary