Quiet holiday weather continues through Saturday -- a boon for area shoppers and
Midwest travelers -- but evidence grows that homeward-bound travelers may have to
contend with snow on Sunday.
A moderate-intensity storm system is to spin-up over the region. A series of computer
model precipitation estimates, as well as a variety of snowfall forecast techniques, hint
at the potential for some sticking snow. As always with early cold season systems,
precise estimates on the totals likely to occur are complicated by the warm ground and
the lingering warmth of Lake Michigan's water this time of year. But it appears possible
that several inches of snow may occur at some locations -- totals that could be
enhanced by four to six hours of lake-effect snow showers Sunday night into Monday
morning.
RAINS DRENCH ARIZONA AND NEVADA DESERTS
WHILE NOVEMBER SNOW HITS 60 INCHES AT VALDEZ, ALASKA
While heavy rains fell Thursday over parts of Arizona and Nevada, in Valdez, Alaska, a
whopping 13 inches of snow fell on Thanksgiving. As a result, 2008 ranks among the
top 10 snowiest Novembers there, with 60 inches recorded so far this month.
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune
