Hype Begins (Dwindles) for Potential Major Snowstorm Sunday

Wednesday night update: Most forecasters saw a northward move in the Sunday storm, resulting in a general lowering of storm expectations.

As they're all quick to say, the storm is still still in the Pacific, tracks could change, it's not set in stone, etc..... BUT it's clear that virtually all weather outlets (traditional and less traditional) are closely watching a big storm for Sunday. Here were a few of the headlines we came across on Tuesday night.

Fox

 

Forecasters Predict Minor Snow for George's Birthday

As of Monday morning, here's a quick look at what forecasters were predicting for snow from this Monday evening into Tuesday. Most forecasters were predicting 1-3 inches.

WCCO

KSTP

Fox

KARE11

KSTP tweets slightly later in the morning.

Novak Weather

StormChaser Schwartz

National Weather Service

Weather.com

Accuweather

Monday Snow Possibilities?

Update: Most forecasters now see Monday's storm as something less than a significant snowstorm.

For what seems like the first time in months, many weather outlets are looking at a legitimate possibility of snow on or around Monday, Feb. 20. While there's been hopeful talk about snowstorms in the past, this possible event is being noted by virtually all weather outlets, making it unique for this season. We'll be tracking what forecasters say about this possible storm as things evolve.

Even normally conservative KARE11's Belinda Jensen mentioned that "one model is predicting a big snowstorm here on Monday." While she went on to acknowledge that the model is frequently wrong (news flash!) and that they're looking hard to find possible snow, it's still noteworthy to us that she even mentioned the possibility.

Headline from MPR's weather blog, a weather outlet that tends to be judicious in mentioning upcoming snowstorms.

Weather Underground Launches "Best Forecast"

For fans of weather accuracy assessment, today was a good day. In the process of launching its new "Best Forecast" feature, Weather Underground is also providing an unprecedented level of transparency by providing an accuracy comparison with the National Weather Service's National Digital Forecast Database.

Given Minnesota's reputation as a notoriously challenging location for weather forecasting, it will be interesting to see how the "Best Forecast" feature fares for our area. Either way, we applaud WU's new innovation in weather forecasting.

For more information about the new system, click here.