Fwd: mid-week storm potential

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Philip C. Ordway <pcordway@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Feb 22, 2016 at 2:06 PM
Subject: mid-week storm potential
To: "go@blogger.com" <go@blogger.com>, chicagosevereweather@googlegroups.com

I hope everyone enjoyed the spectacular weather on Friday and Saturday. Most places hit 60F on both days, even if the winds on Friday were intense. (Those were some of the strongest non-thunderstorm winds I've ever experienced. Officially the gusts were over 60 mph with a few outliers over 70 mph.)

Now we're back into a more seasonal pattern. Wednesday into Wednesday night a strong storm will be climbing through the Ohio River Valley with the potential for heavy snow and high winds on the backside. For now, the best track appears to be far enough to Chicago's SE to prevent most of the snow from coming in here. Some big caveats: this storm looks powerful; it is likely to produce a narrow band of intense snow; and the difference between heavy snow and very little snow is only ~25 miles. A lot can change from this point forward, and even if this track verifies ares in and near Chicago could see an inch or two of snow (especially in locations downwind of a NE wind off of Lake Michigan). Anyone traveling east should have on eye on this -- Michigan could get buried, and further east it will be a windy and wet mess. 

Beyond this storm there isn't much on the horizon. The overall pattern looks seasonal, with lots of highs in the 30s and 40s. A brief shot of cold air is possible in the 7-10 day range but that's about it.