Severe Weather in the Central Plains; Heavy Rainfall in the Tennessee Valley; Critical Fire Weather in the West

Scattered severe storms capable of large to very large hail, severe wind gusts, and a few tornadoes will be possible across the central Plains this evening. Heavy to excessive rainfall may bring a flooding threat from the Great Lakes to the Mid-South through tonight. Hot, dry and windy conditions will continue to bring a critical fire weather threat from the Southwest into the Great Basin. Read More >

A Spring Snowstorm For The Record Books

On May 10, 1990, eastern Wisconsin experienced its latest snowstorm on record. The snow was very wet and heavy, and unfortunately it occurred when most trees and other plants had just leafed out for the new season. As a result, thousands of trees and tree branches came down under the weight of the heavy snow. Many power-lines snapped as the trees/branches came down.

Below is a rough plot of the snow amounts along with a 6-inch contour line.

Below is a Storm Data event narrative for the snowstorm. Click on the image for a larger version.

For the meteorology wonks out there...

Below are maps at 850/700/500mb at 7 PM May 9th, 1 AM May 10th and 7 AM May 10th. Clearly, this was an energetic system that was deepening rapidly. We have a saying in the office, "Upper low, look out below."