WINTER STORM WARNING
Issue Date: 403 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
Expiration: 600 AM CST SAT DEC 26 2009

...DANGEROUS WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE ENTIRE
REGION TONIGHT INTO CHRISTMAS NIGHT...
.SNOW WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY FROM SOUTH
TO NORTH THIS EVENING... AND WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES BY 8 OR 9
PM THIS EVENING...CONTINUING WELL INTO CHRISTMAS DAY. THE SNOW
MAY BE MIXED WITH... OR CHANGE TO SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN AT TIMES
OVER PARTS OF NORTHWEST WISCONSIN EAST OF HIGHWAY 53... ESPECIALLY
LATE TONIGHT AND CHRISTMAS MORNING.
THE COMBINATION OF POWERFUL EAST WINDS AND HEAVY FALLING AND
BLOWING SNOW...WILL RESULT IN DANGEROUS BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
ACROSS AREAS ADJACENT TO THE SOUTHWEST SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR
STARTING THIS EVENING...AND CONTINUING THROUGH CHRISTMAS. THE
MAIN IMPACTS OF BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL AFFECT AREAS AROUND
DULUTH... SUPERIOR... TWO HARBORS AND HIGHWAYS 61... 53... 2 AND
INTERSTATE 35 IN THE CLOQUET... DULUTH AND SUPERIOR AREAS.
THIS MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN AS IT LIFTS
NORTHWARD THROUGH THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES TODAY THROUGH
CHRISTMAS NIGHT. THIS STORM WILL CAUSE MAJOR TRAVEL DELAYS AND
BRING DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE CHRISTMAS
HOLIDAY PERIOD.
MNZ025-033>036-038-WIZ006-007-250615-
/O.CON.KDLH.WS.W.0009.000000T0000Z-091226T1200Z/
NORTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-
SOUTHERN AITKIN-PINE-BURNETT-WASHBURN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WALKER...PINE RIVER...BRAINERD...
HILL CITY...AITKIN...HINCKLEY...GRANTSBURG...SPOONER
402 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST
SATURDAY...
* SNOW WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THIS EVENING IN THE
  WALKER... BRAINERD...PINE RIVER...HILL CITY...AITKIN... HINCKLEY
  AND SPOONER AREAS. SNOW... HEAVY AT TIMES... WILL PERSIST
  TONIGHT AND CHRISTMAS DAY. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 INCH PER HOUR OR
  MORE ARE POSSIBLE AT TIMES FROM AROUND 8 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH
  CHRISTMAS MORNING.
* STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 16 INCHES ARE
  EXPECTED...WITH SOME AMOUNTS UP TO 20 INCHES POSSIBLE.
* EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH
  HIGHER GUSTS TO 35 MPH TONIGHT AND CHRISTMAS.
* ROAD CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO BE SLICK AND HAZARDOUS
  THROUGH CHRISTMAS.
* BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL COMBINE WITH FALLING SNOW TO
  PRODUCE LIMITED VISIBILITY OF LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE AT
  TIMES.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS THE
COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WILL
CAUSE DANGEROUSLY LOW VISIBILITY AND DRIFTING SNOW. SNOW COVERED
ROADS...AND DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED. IF YOU
MUST TRAVEL...USE EXTREME CAUTION AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH
YOUR DESTINATION. BE AWARE THAT YOU MAY BECOME STRANDED AND THAT
IT COULD TAKE MANY HOURS FOR HELP TO ARRIVE. KEEP A WINTER
SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE... INCLUDING A FLASHLIGHT... FOOD...
AND WATER. LET SOMEONE KNOW YOUR TRAVEL ROUTE AND EXPECTED
ARRIVAL TIME AND HAVE A WORKING CELL PHONE IN CASE YOU BECOME
STRANDED.
IT SHOULD ALSO BE EMPHASIZED THIS STORM WILL AFFECT A VERY LARGE
PART OF THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES...INCLUDING MINNESOTA...MUCH OF
THE DAKOTAS...IOWA AND WISCONSIN. ANYONE WITH HOLIDAY TRAVEL
PLANS ACROSS THE REGION IS URGED TO STAY CURRENT WITH THE LATEST
WEATHER INFORMATION REGARDING THIS DEVELOPING STORM.
&&
$$

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
Issue Date: 346 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
Expiration: 530 AM CST FRI DEC 25 2009

Expires:200912251130;;
FLUS43 KDLH 242130
HWODLH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
330 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-251130-
KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE-
NORTHERN ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE-
SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE-NORTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN ITASCA-
SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-SOUTHERN AITKIN-
CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-ASHLAND-IRON-
BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE-
330 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE NORTHLAND THROUGH
THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PERIOD. ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY SNOW WILL
MOVE INTO THE NORTHLAND LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND SPREAD NORTH THIS
EVENING. THIS HEAVY SNOW WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRENGTHENING EAST
WINDS...AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM STRENGTHENS TO THE SOUTH OF THE
AREA. THIS PORTION OF THE STORM WILL BRING BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TO
THE HEAD OF THE LAKES REGION. SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO BE MORE THAN
A FOOT FOR MOST AREAS TONIGHT...WITH MORE THAN A TOTAL STORM
ACCUMULATION OF 20 INCHES POSSIBLE IN SPOTS BY FRIDAY NIGHT. THE MOST
LIKELY AREA TO SEE MORE THAN 20 INCHES OF SNOW IS ALONG THE NORTH
SHORE OF LAKE SUPERIOR...FROM DULUTH ALONG THE NORTH SHORE. THE
BLIZZARD WILL CONTINUE INTO CHRISTMAS DAY AND EVEN INTO CHRISTMAS
NIGHT. SOME SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE IN NORTHWESTERN
WISCONSIN. SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS ISSUED BY OUR
OFFICE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT
ACROSS THE HEAD OF THE LAKES REGION. ELSEWHERE... WINTER STORM
CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SNOWFALL OBSERVERS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO RELAY REPORTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DULUTH.
$$

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
Issue Date: 248 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
Expiration: 500 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009

...SNOW SPREADING BACK INTO THE NORTHLAND...
HEAVIER SNOW WILL BEGIN WILL MOVE INTO THE BRAINERD LAKES AREA
THROUGH HINCKLEY AND INTO WISCONSIN FROM SIREN TO SPOONER THROUGH
330 PM. THE ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH AND CAN BE
EXPECTED IN THE TWIN PORTS AND THE U.S. HIGHWAY 2 CORRIDOR BETWEEN
400 PM AND 600 PM. THE HEAVIER SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE THROUGH CHRISTMAS
EVENING. IN ADDITION TO THE HEAVY SNOW...THE WINDS WILL INCREASE
AND CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. DRIVING WILL BE VERY
DIFFICULT TONIGHT AND CHRISTMAS MORNING ESPECIALLY IN THE
BLIZZARD WARNING AREA.
THE SNOW COULD BECOME MIXED WITH OR CHANGE TO FREEZING DRIZZLE AND
SLEET OVER NORTHERN WISCONSIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS ACROSS NORTHWEST WISCONSIN OF
FREEZING DRIZZLE MIXED WITH THE SNOW.
WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND BLIZZARD WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT. IF YOU
MUST DRIVE ACROSS THE REGION...LET SOMEONE KNOW OF YOUR TRAVEL
PLANS...TAKE A WORKING CELL PHONE...AND TAKE A WINTER SURVIVAL
KIT. AND...GIVE PLOWS PLENTY OF ROOM.
$$