Winter Weather May Return to Normal Soon
In a year with very little snowfall or cold air, forecast predicts both over next 10 days.
Compiled by staff
Published: Feb 9, 2012
Some parts of the United States have seen some snowfall here and there, but USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey says the U.S. as a whole has experienced a far below average winter for snowfall.
"Just to put it into a little perspective, last winter in early February we saw at one point about two-thirds of the country covered in snow," Rippey said. "As we moved into early February in 2012 less than 20% of the country was covered in snow. This has been from coast-to-coast the year without a winter to date, both in terms of snowfall and lack of cold air."
That may all begin to change soon though as Rippey says cold Alaskan air will be moving in during the weekend through the Midwest and into the East.
"Bringing some of the coldest air of the winter into those areas and it certainly doesn't look like any winter wheat damaging type of cold moving into the Eastern Corn Belt," Rippey said. "But at the same time areas that have seen very little cold weather are really going to notice a change as we head into the weekend."
That cold could bring a storm from the South Central U.S. into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, which Rippey says has the potential to be a big Valentine’s Day snowstorm.
"We're very early in the game but it is worth mentioning especially in a year without much winter that we could see significant snows," Rippey said. "They could unfold from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic states and parts of the Northeast on around Valentine’s Day."
Weather always has the potential to change in a week’s time, but Rippey says it’s worth watching.
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Tagged: usda, wheat, winter wheat, Corn Belt
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