Great Lakes Storm

[conestogo_flood]

Read this on Environment Canada, haven't heard much from the NWS.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA ONTARIO REGION.
5:37 AM EDT WEDNESDAY 11 OCTOBER 2006.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ISSUED FOR..
CITY OF TORONTO
WINDSOR - ESSEX - CHATHAM-KENT
SARNIA - LAMBTON
ELGIN
LONDON - MIDDLESEX
SIMCOE - DELHI - NORFOLK
DUNNVILLE - CALEDONIA - HALDIMAND
OXFORD - BRANT
NIAGARA
CITY OF HAMILTON
HALTON - PEEL
YORK - DURHAM
HURON - PERTH
WATERLOO - WELLINGTON
DUFFERIN - INNISFIL
GREY - BRUCE
BARRIE - ORILLIA - MIDLAND
BELLEVILLE - QUINTE - NORTHUMBERLAND
KINGSTON - PRINCE EDWARD
PETERBOROUGH - KAWARTHA LAKES
STIRLING - TWEED - SOUTH FRONTENAC
BANCROFT - BON ECHO PARK
BROCKVILLE - LEEDS AND GRENVILLE
CITY OF OTTAWA
GATINEAU
PRESCOTT AND RUSSELL
CORNWALL - MORRISBURG
SMITHS FALLS - LANARK - SHARBOT LAKE
PARRY SOUND - MUSKOKA - HUNTSVILLE
HALIBURTON
RENFREW - PEMBROKE - BARRY'S BAY
ALGONQUIN
BURK'S FALLS - BAYFIELD INLET.

..A BIG CHANGE ON TAP..

A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN IS STARTING TO UNFOLD
OVER ONTARIO. A SHARP ARCTIC COLD FRONT RUSHING TOWARDS THE
DISTRICT FROM NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO IS COMBINING WITH PRONOUNCED
JET STREAM ENERGY NOW OVER THE US MIDWEST TO SPAWN A SIGNIFICANT
FALL STORM OVER THE GREAT LAKES TODAY.

THE INTENSIFYING STORM CENTRE IS EXPECTED TO CROSS LAKE SUPERIOR
INTO NORTHERN ONTARIO BY THIS EVENING. INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS
IN ADVANCE OF THE ARCTIC COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPING
STORM ARE USHERING MILD MOIST AIR INTO SOUTHERN ONTARIO ACCOMPANIED
BY ABUNDANT SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS.

THE ARCTIC FRONT WILL THEN BLAST INTO SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO THIS
EVENING AND RACE ACROSS THE DISTRICT INTO EASTERN ONTARIO BY
THURSDAY MORNING. THIS SHARP FRONT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY SHOWERS..
STRONG WINDS..AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN. IN THE WAKE OF THE
FRONT MUCH COLDER AIR WILL QUICKLY FLOOD IN THURSDAY WITH
TEMPERATURES TUMBLING TO VALUES MORE TYPICAL OF NOVEMBER. MANY
AREAS WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE A TASTE OF WINTER WITH A FEW WET
FLURRIES IN THE AIR BY THURSDAY NIGHT.

WITH THE SHARPLY COLDER AIR FLOODING IN..THE LAKE EFFECT MACHINE
WILL KICK INTO GEAR THURSDAY AS WELL. WHILE SHOWERS WILL OCCUR NEAR
THE GREAT LAKES..FLURRIES AND LOCALIZED SNOWSQUALLS WILL DEVELOP
INLAND OVER HIGHER GROUND TO THE EAST OF LAKE HURON AND GEORGIAN BAY.
THE SNOWSQUALLS WILL LIKELY BE DRAMATIC ENOUGH TO GENERATE THUNDER
AND LIGHTNING AT TIMES.

THE FIRST APPRECIABLE SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON IS POSSIBLE IN SOME
AREAS OF THE SNOWBELTS BEGINNING ON THURSDAY ALONG WITH LOCAL
WHITEOUT CONDITIONS IN BURSTS OF HEAVY SNOW AND LOCAL BLOWING SNOW.
TRAVEL PLANS SHOULD BE ALTERED ACCORDINGLY AS HAZARDOUS WINTER
DRIVING CONDITIONS ARE QUITE POSSIBLE.

AND IF THAT ISN'T ENOUGH..WATERSPOUTS AND GALE FORCE WINDS ARE
LIKELY OVER MOST OF THE GREAT LAKES.

THIS IS AN EARLY ALERT TO THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT WEATHER.
THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE TIMING AND TRACK OF THIS
DEVELOPING STORM. ENVIRONMENT CANADA IS CLOSELY MONITORING THE
SITUATION.

LISTEN FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MAY ALSO BE FOUND BY CONSULTING THE LATEST PUBLIC FORECAST.
THE NEXT PUBLIC FORECAST WILL BE ISSUED BY 11 AM.

END/ASHTON/KUHN/OSPC

[Stephanie]

I can't help but think of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I hope that all ships stay in port during this.

[bob rulz]

The NWS has winter storm warnings for much of the western and northern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but snow amounts will be very localized. In the lake-effect bands, though, they're guessing 1-2 feet of snow through Friday.

[CrazyC83]

Yeah, a localized event. Most areas won't see anything.

[Cyclenall]

This light snow event for Southern Ontario is already well underway. Near or at Niagara Falls there is a intense LES system that has not changed for many hours. This could lead to a local historic event for around that area! The reason being is the lake effect snow machine will continue bring heavy amounts and already there are power outages, trees down, etc. The weather network is warning them that this will be a major event for those around there since the snowfall could be up to 30 cm!! The guy even threw out 40 cm out there but said he wouldn't forecast that. That would be insane and record breaking. I wish that would be the case for some other parts of Ontario...

Map:

[tropicana]

Toronto even had snowflurries this afternoon and this evening. The earliest snowfall in the region since October 1989.
Quite impressive... especially for sure for the Niagara Region.

-justin-

[bob rulz]

In the Buffalo area there is supposedly some INTENSE snow falling. With the lake being so warm, imagine the kind of storm this would be if it was the height of the lake-effect snow season? It would be historic.

[tropicana]

RECORD SNOWFALL FOR THU OCT 12 2006

Muskegon MI TR tied 1988
Pittsburgh PA TR tied 1921
Sioux City IA TR tied 1969
Springfield IL TR snow
Madison WI TR tied 1959
Ft Wayne IN TR tied 1988
Oshkosh WI TR tied 1936
Milwaukee WI 0.1 inches tied 1909
Marshfield WI 0.1 inches
Rochester NY 0.1 inches
Rochester MN 0.1 inches
Wausau WI 0.2 inches
Detroit MI 0.2 inches **EARLIEST MEASURABLE SNOW**
Midway Airport IL 0.3 inches
Chicago O'Hare IL 0.3 inches **EARLIEST MEASURABLE SNOW**
South Bend IN 0.3 inches
Fargo ND 0.4 inches
Houghton Lake MI 0.4 inches
Saulte Ste Marie MI 0.4 inches
International Falls MN 0.5 inches
Lansing MI 1.5 inches
Grand Rapids MI 2.0 inches
Duluth MN 2.3 inches
Flint MI 2.3 inches **EARLIEST MEASURABLE SNOW**
Buffalo NY 8.6 inches ***SNOWIEST OCTOBER DAY EVER**

RECORD SNOW FRI OCT 13 2006

Buffalo NY 14.0 inches **FINAL TOTAL**
(THIS IS IN ADDITION TO WHAT FELL ON OCT 12)
**SNOWIEST OCTOBER DAY EVER, replacing the record set on Oct 12, 2006***
**HISTORIC SNOW EVENT IN BUFFALO HISTORY**
It is already the snowiest October ever in the city.

-justin-