WINTER STORM WARNING
Issue Date: 411 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009
Expiration: 1200 PM CST SAT DEC 26 2009

...POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM TO AFFECT THE REGION INTO THE CHRISTMAS
WEEKEND...
.A LARGE STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE MID SECTION OF THE NATION
THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY. LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHEAST TEXAS WILL MOVE
NORTHEAST INTO MISSOURI BY THIS EVENING AND THEN INTO IOWA ON
FRIDAY...WHERE IT WILL STALL BEFORE HEADING EAST BY LATE SATURDAY.
MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO SURGE NORTHWARD FROM THE WESTERN GULF
AND INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST TODAY CAUSING PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW.
THERE MAY BE TIMES TODAY INTO THIS EVENING WHEN SNOW STOPS...BUT
IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE STORM SYSTEM
IS OVER. A SECOND AND MUCH STRONGER WAVE OF MOISTURE WILL MOVE
INTO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
LATE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY AS THE LOW MOVES INTO IOWA. THE SNOW ON
CHRISTMAS DAY WILL BE HEAVY AND BLOWING SNOW WILL BECOME A PROBLEM
ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE RED RIVER WHERE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS MAY
OCCUR. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE
SLOWLY TAPERING OFF ON SATURDAY.
TOTAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY OF
10 TO 20 INCHES STILL LOOK LIKELY...WITH THE LOWER TOTALS ALONG
THE CANADIAN BORDER AND THE HIGHEST TOTALS OVER FAR SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA INTO MINNESOTA LAKES COUNTRY.
TRAVEL TODAY...CHRISTMAS EVE...WILL BE HAZARDOUS BUT NOT
IMPOSSIBLE. ON CHRISTMAS DAY TRAVEL MAY BECOME IMPOSSIBLE DUE
HEAVY SNOW AND WIND. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND
FORECASTS IN CASE CONDITIONS CHANGE.
MNZ001>003-007-NDZ007-008-016-027-029-030-039-054-261800-
/O.EXT.KFGF.WS.W.0011.000000T0000Z-091226T1800Z/
WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-WEST MARSHALL-CAVALIER-PEMBINA-
EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-GRAND FORKS-STEELE-TRAILL-CASS-
WESTERN WALSH COUNTY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CROOKSTON...EAST GRAND FORKS...
HALSTAD...MOORHEAD...WARREN...LANGDON...CAVALIER...GRAFTON...
GRAND FORKS...FINLEY...MAYVILLE...FARGO...ADAMS
411 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009
...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CST SATURDAY...
THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL
NOON CST SATURDAY.
* PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW WILL OCCUR TODAY INTO THIS EVENING.
HEAVIER SNOW WILL MOVE IN LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH
FRIDAY EVENING. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
* TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY
WILL RANGE FROM 12 TO 18 INCHES.
* WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHERLY AND INCREASE TO 15 TO 30 MPH AFTER
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH ON CHRISTMAS DAY
CAUSING NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
* PERSONS WITH TRAVEL PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY
SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR UPDATES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING.  SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF
SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN
AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
$$

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
Issue Date: 240 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009
Expiration: 245 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD INTO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST
CENTRAL MINNESOTA TONIGHT. NEW SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BY THURSDAY
MORNING WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY...THEN LOOK FOR INCREASING
NORTH WINDS AND HEAVIER SNOWFALL STARTING LATER THURSDAY NIGHT
INTO CHRISTMAS DAY THAT MAY CREATE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH HEAVY SNOW MAY CREATE SNOW DRIFTS THAT
MAY CAUSE SOME ROADS TO BECOME IMPASSABLE. THE SNOW WILL
GRADUALLY TAPER OFF LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. TOTAL SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 18 INCHES WILL OCCUR WITH HIGHEST AMOUNTS
ALONG THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER. LOW PRESSURE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS
LONG DURATION SNOW EVENT WILL MOVE INTO EASTERN KANSAS TODAY AND
THEN MOVE INTO IOWA BY LATE THURSDAY BEFORE STALLING OUT OVER IOWA
ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SNOWFALL REPORTS ARE NEEDED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
PLEASE CALL THEM IN.
$$

WINTER STORM WATCH
Issue Date: 923 PM CST TUE DEC 22 2009
Expiration: 200 AM CST SAT DEC 26 2009

...LARGE SNOWSTORM TO IMPACT THE UPPER MIDWEST AND NORTHERN
PLAINS WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...
.A POWERFUL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN
PLAINS ON WEDNESDAY AND MOVE INTO WESTERN IOWA ON FRIDAY...THEN
TRACK TO SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA BY LATE FRIDAY. A LARGE AMOUNT OF
MOISTURE WILL GET DRAWN NORTHWARDS INTO THIS SYSTEM BRINGING
WIDESPREAD SNOW TO NEBRASKA AND SOUTH DAKOTA ON WEDNESDAY...THEN
SPREAD TO NORTH DAKOTA AND PARTS OF WESTERN MINNESOTA ON WEDNESDAY
NIGHT AND TO THE ENTIRE AREA ON THURSDAY. SNOW WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT OR SATURDAY. A PROLONGED TWO DAY PERIOD OF
SNOW COULD BRING SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES POSSIBLE OVER
MANY AREAS. THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER AND CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA COULD HAVE THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL TOTALS OF GREATER THAN A
FOOT POSSIBLE. THE CANADIAN BORDER AREA COULD RECEIVE THE LEAST
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WITH 5 TO 9 INCHES POSSIBLE. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL
INCREASE ON FRIDAY TO 15 TO 30 MPH...AND THIS MAY RESULT IN POOR
VISIBILITY.
TRAVEL FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY WILL LIKELY BE
HAZARDOUS AND ANYONE WITH TRAVEL PLANS SHOULD STAY TUNED FOR
FORECAST UPDATES AS THE TRACK OF THE STORM AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS
CAN CHANGE.
MNZ003-029>031-040-NDZ038-039-049-052-053-260330-
/O.CON.KFGF.WS.A.0011.091224T0000Z-091226T0800Z/
CLAY-WILKIN-WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-GRANT-BARNES-CASS-
RANSOM-SARGENT-RICHLAND-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOORHEAD...BRECKENRIDGE...
FERGUS FALLS...NEW YORK MILLS...ELBOW LAKE...VALLEY CITY...
FARGO...LISBON...GWINNER...WAHPETON
923 PM CST TUE DEC 22 2009
...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING
THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT...
A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING
THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT.
* SNOW WILL DEVELOP WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THEN CONTINUE THROUGH
FRIDAY
* SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 10 TO 15 INCHES COULD OCCUR WITH THIS
SYSTEM WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS ALONG THE SOUTH DAKOTA
BORDER.
* WINDS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY WILL NOT BE A
SIGNIFICANT FACTOR...BUT THEN TURN NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO
20 TO 30 MPH THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY CAUSING REDUCED
VISIBILITY.
* ANYONE WITH TRAVEL PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY
SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS FOR UPDATES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
$$