WEATHER SNAP SHOTS: November 2008 Archives

These are pictures sure to delight the snow enthusiasts. Dave Noble of the National
Weather Service in Valdez, Alaska, who keeps us posted on the weather there, sends us
these pictures of the Thanksgiving Day snowstorm which has hit that south Alaskan
community. Check these out--they're VERY IMPRESSIVE! Dave writes:

"We have received over 60 inches of snowfall this month so far which puts us in
the top 10 snowiest Novembers. In the last 24 hours we have received over 13 inches
of snow in Valdez... An area of low pressure south of the Prince William Sound brought
in Gulf of Alaska moisture over the top of cold air sitting in Port Valdez (kind of like an
overrunning event). Yesterday morning we had an upper-level trough move through
with a south to north moving cold front... I have been here 3 years and still can't get
over the idea of a cold front moving north... Well that cold air in place allowed the
snow to be more of a colder/drier snow last evening and as the atmosphere warmed,
the flakes became fat. It's still snowing this morning with a current snow depth of 28"
as of 9 a.m. AST."

Dave, you’re great! MANY THANKS for sharing these with us and Happy Thanksgiving!

--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

Photos courtesy of Dave Noble, National Weather Service-Valdez, Alaska

Jim Marocchi was cycling on the Fermilab grounds Sunday just after 3 P.M.
and notice the halo (ring around the sun) produced as sunlight passed
through incoming high clouds. He snapped this photo and was good enough
to share it with us. THANKS Jim!!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy of Jim Marocchi, Winfield, Illinois

Mark Vogan, who keeps in touch with us from Glasgow, Scotland, says snow there in
November is hardly a common event---certainly not in recent Novembers. That's one
reason this early Sunday morning snow was a real eye-catcher. Nearly an inch of snow
accumulated and Mark reports his drive to work around 4:35 am was a slippery one. Mark
tells us higher elevations received several inches of snow. THANKS for keeping us posted,
Mark!

Tom Skilling

Terry and Jackie Wagner forwards us this photo of a beautiful Snow Owl perched on a car
outside the Condon Consulting Engineers Office Friday in Ringwood, Illinois. It's a great
shot! Thanks Jackie!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy of Terry and Jackie Wagner and James Condon, Ringwood, Illinois

Monday morning's brief snow produce a 0.1 inch accumulation at O'Hare--just a trace
was recorded at Midway---and was enough to build a small snowman in some
northwest suburbs, out toward Arlington Heights and Mundelein in particular. Our
friend and regular picture contributor Anson Mount sends us this photo of the morning
snow cover in Algonquin where an inch of fast melting snow was on the ground briefly.

Thanks for the photo Anson!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy of Anson Mount, Algonquin, Illinois

Jim Bayne, despite the cold and wind, forwards us this shot of the waves recent gusty,
cold northwest winds have churned up along the Chicago shoreline. The photo was taken
on Oak Street Beach on Thursday. Great shot, Jim! MANY THANKS for sharing it with us!!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

Photo courtesy of Jim Bayne, Chicago

Thanks to Joe Vorrier for providing us this snowy scene from northwest Indiana's La Porte.
Joe reports 7.1 inches fell there. Thanks Joe!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

Photo courtesy of Joe Vorrier, La Porte, Indiana

Thanks to John Gehr and Chuck Heaver for these great shots of the week's second
lake-effect snow in the Indiana/Michigan lake snow belt. Accumulations Thursday into
Friday morning (Nov. 20-21) across the hardest-hit sections of La Porte, St. Joseph and
Starke counties in Indiana and Berrien County, Mich., ranged from 3 to as much as 13.5
inches. Lake snows occur next as cold air drops into the area early next week.

Chuck Heaver told us:

"Over here in Michigan, while Union Pier got a dusting, 3 miles inland Three Oaks
looked like 4-5"; 10 more miles inland; Buchanan looked like 12", maybe more. Take a
look at these shots ... pretty cool!”

Cool indeed! These are great shots! Thanks again to John and Chuck for their terrific
photos!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune


South Bend Airport early Friday morning

Downtown Buchanan, Mich.

Photos courtesy of John Gehr and Chuck Heaver

Meteorologist Steve Brown of Green Bay’s NBC26 forwards us these incredible shots of lake snowfall which buried sections of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Thursday and was still falling heavily—particularly over the eastern U.P.-----late Thursday evening. The lake-effect snowstorm was the second to hit that region this week. Up to two feet fell in the first snow Tuesday. Thanks Steve!

-Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Yelland and Steve Brown

Philip Powell, Professor of Communication at Valparaiso University, sends us these
shots taken on campus Tuesday in the wake of Valparaiso's biggest November snow in
4 years! Lake effect snows there accumulated 10 inches. Thanks Professor Powell for
sharing these great shots!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Philip Powell, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana

Thanks to our friend John Gehr for these pictures Monday (11/17) from the Michigan snow
belt which is being walloped by waves of heavy lake-effect snowfall.

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of John Gehr, Holland, Michigan

These amazing shots of the northern lights over Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest
Territories come to us from Moriel Weiselberg of Deer Park, Long Island who received
them from her friend Carole Witkover. The region sits beneath the so-called auroral oval
and is treated to these spectacular auroral displays regularly. Carole has captured the
stunning displays with incredible clarity. Many thanks Moriel and Carole---and thanks
too to Charles Kallick who first called these images to our attention.

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Moriel Weiselberg and Carole Witkover

Sunset as seen from five miles above the Earth

This gorgeous sunset was taken by Anson Mount, a frequent contributor to our blog . He snapped this photo at the 25,000 ft. level over northern Ohio while heading back to the Chicago area on Wednesday evening. Thanks for this great shot Anson!

Bill Snyder, WGN-TV weather producer

Photo by Anson Mount

Spectacular Arizona sunset

In a place known for its gorgeous sunsets, this one is no exception. Thanks to Stephen Michaelis, a former Chicagoan, for this beautiful shot taken near his home in Peoria, Arizona.

Thanks much Stephen!

Bill Snyder, WGN-TV Weather Producer


Photo by Stephen Michaelis

Wintry weather turns northern Wisconsin snowy and a bit slippery

Check out these photos which have just arrived (Wednesday morning 11/12/2008) from our friend Dan Hanson in Winter, Wisconsin---located about 40 miles southeast of Hayward. THANKS Dan—and stay warm!!

Tom Skilling WGN Weather Center

All photos by Dan Hanson

Pilot Anson Mount sends us this photo looking north-northeast from his cockpit over
Pennsylvania Tuesday morning. The sharp demarcation in the altocumulus cloud deck
caught his eye--and is fascinating. The cut-off in the clouds is so sharp, it
almost looks as if some kind of straight-edge tool was placed along these clouds.

Thanks for sharing this with us Anson!

Tom Skilling


Photo courtesy of Anson Mount, Algonquin, Illinois

Despite welcome rains over sections of the Southeast, extreme drought conditions grip
continue to grip the western Carolinas, northern Georgia, eastern Tennesssee and
southeast Kentucky. These photos of the eye catching LOW water levels on Lake
Hartwell, which sits on the the South Carolina border with Georgia, come to us from

Aaron Bracket, whose aunt took these picture. As Aaron explains, "It is a pretty
large lake and is running way below normal." Aaron’s Aunt, who lives on Lake
Hartwell, writes, "Our lake is disappearing. The dock is just about totally on the
ground. The bridge picture is in the water in front of the stadium by the house—we’ve
boated over it many times—YIKES!!"

It is--and has been--a worrisome situation for residents of the region and we thank
Aaron for sharing these photos. They clearly illustrate how critical the situation there is.
THANKS Aaron and let’s hope this cold season brings the drought stricken area
additional precipitation!

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Aaron Brackett, Valparaiso University

The fall colors at Morton Arboretum in Lisle are always a special treat -- and never
more so than this year. Enjoy these beautiful shots from the Arboretum's Nicholle
Heffern. Many thanks for sharing these with us, Nicoholle, and
please say hello to everyone at the Arboretum for us!!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

A tea crabapple near Firefly Pond

A fullmoon maple in the Japan Collection

A photo of assorted trees taken in the East Woods

A photo taken near the hedge garden, facing towards the research and administration building

A sweet-gum tree taken around Meadow Lake

Photos courtesy of Nicholle Heffern, Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois

The beautiful fall colors here in the city of Chicago are captured in these shots from our
friend Thomas Nava. Thanks Thomas!
--Tom Skilling, Chief Meteorologist, WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune

Photos courtesy of Thomas Nava

Anson Mount captures Thursday evening's sunset (11/6) on Route 176 near Mundelein.
The "dry wedge" of a huge autumn storm draped across the nation's Heartland Thursday
evening--- the cloud-free indentation you see on satellite images of huge storms
which gives these systems their characteristic "comma" shape appearance and a feature
which occurs in a region of strong atmospheric subsidence (sinking air) beneath to
right-front quadrant of the strongest band of jet stream winds---was moving into the
area as Anson snapped this photo bringing the afternoon's occasionally heavy showers
to an end and producing a measure of clearing which is likely to persist into Friday
morning. Thanks for the beautiful shot, Anson!!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy of Anson Mount, Algonquin

So many of you who read our blog are wonderful about sending us photos of our
ever-changing weather---including the ominous looking skies which preceded and
accompanied today’s gusty cold frontal showers and thunderstorms. Check them
out--and MANY THANKS to those who took the time to share their photos with us.

Tom Skilling

Photos courtesy of Gregory Caffero, St. Charles

Photos courtesy of Tyler Christiansen, Elgin

Mike Toohill, who's crop reports are must-reads here, was fishing around sunset Tuesday
in Bloomington's Tipton Park when he spotted and photographed the SUN DOG you're
seeing here. It's the bright, multicolored patch on a patch which appears over a portion of
a cirrus clouds. Many thanks for sharing this with us Jeff! Great shot!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy of Mike Toohill; Bloomington, Illinois

It's not everyday we get a chance to see a sunrise from the cockpit of a
Boeing-777--let alone sunrises over the North Pole, just west of Nome, Alaska and the
Amazon jungle. But, we can thank Jeff Starr, who pilots a Boeing-777 out of O'Hare, for
giving us a chance to do so through these images he has forwarded to us! Jeff, you
made our day!

THANKS very much!

Tom Skilling

Photo courtesy: Jeff Starr

There has been very little change in our Election Day weather forecast for
Chicago. The area continues in line for the mildest Election Day weather
which has occurred in Chicago in the 44 years since Election Day (Nov. 3)
1964 when the city's official high was 75 degrees.

TUESDAY NOV. 4 ELECTION DAY FORECAST
Issued Sunday, Nov. 2
Mainly sunny, breezy and unseasonably warm. High temperatures 18 degrees
above normal! Completely rain-free!

8 a.m. - Sunny skies, 55 degrees, south winds 6-10 m.p.h.
1 p.m. - Mostly sunny skies, breezy and mild, 71 degrees, south-southwest
winds 10-22 m.p.h.
5 p.m. - Clear skies, 66 degrees, south winds 12-18 m.p.h.

OBAMA TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING RALLY
Scheduled to run from 8 p.m. Tuesday evening to 1 a.m. Wednesday morning
Scattered high clouds, southerly breeze 8-15 m.p.h. and unusually mild.
Rain-free! Temperatures at the start of the rally near 63 degrees fall to 57 degrees
by the rally's end.
--By Paul Dailey, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist