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Pacific Storm Moves Inland; Clipper System for the Northeast; Strong Storm Impacting Alaska

A Pacific system will bring low elevation rain and isolated thunderstorms to California tonight. Heavy snow is expected for the Sierra Nevada through late tomorrow. In the Northeast, snow may cause hazardous travel this evening into tomorrow. In Alaska, a powerful storm will bring dangerous seas, blizzard conditions, strong winds and bitterly cold across the state through mid-week. Read More >

Event Summary: November 10, 2020

On November 10, 2020, a strong and quick moving cold front made its way through the Midwest. The environment ahead of the cold front was unseasonably warm, with temperatures in the upper 60s and temperatures in the 40s not far behind the front. This lead to strong baroclinicty along the front, and subsequent convection with just the right amount of instability. This is considered a high shear low CAPE (HSLC) event, where organized severe thunderstorms are favored in this environment. Potential hazards are damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes. Two tornadoes have been confirmed at this time with surveys continuing, several wind reports were received (ranging between 50-60 mph, with a few gusts >60 mph). Damage reports ranged from structural damage to tree damage. Many residents were left without power in parts of northwestern IL, leading to some schools canceling class on the 11th. Besides the strong winds, a few severe hail reports were received.

In addition, heavy rain occurred with some of the stronger storms, leading to rainfall totals over an inch. For how dry it has been, flash flooding was not much of a concern. While the environment was very moist and favorable for heavy rainfall, the fast storm motions led to little accumulation through much of our forecast area.

SPC Event Page - November 10, 2020
 

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Surface Analysis (Courtesy Weather Prediction Center)

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