Thunder Snow - February 22, 2018

Temperature: 18°F
Dew Point: 7°F
Wind: E 6 mph
Clouds: Mostly Cloudy
Precipitation: 35%

The jet stream is moving from the SW currently over the Midwest. This jet stream could result in some interesting weather. A blogger by the name of Kenny Blumenfeld, is calling this an "Intro Meteorology Stumper. Meaning a series of events are going to happen over the course of the next couple of days. Only certain algorithms are even able to pick up such events.

Figure 1. Jet stream (https://earth.nullschool.net).

For starters, today there will be snow coming to the Minnesota/Wisconsin area. This is due to the fact that there is an unpredictable low pressure system/stationary front moving across the country.  Eau Claire is expected to get about 2-4 inches of snow this evening.

Figure 2. 12 hour surface forecast (http://www.intellicast.com/).

The polar continental is bringing down cooler temperatures from the north. The warmer temperatures are staying to the south of the low pressure front.

Figure 3. Surface winds and temperatures (https://earth.nullschool.net).

In the map below, these are the areas that can be expected to be hit by the first wave of snow storms. Midwest receiving mostly snow, below that is looking to have some mix and ice, and moving towards the south is expected to have rain. 

Figure 4. Forecast Map of Thursday (Today) at 7:00 pm (www.wunderground.com/).

That leaves us for the weekend forecast. As stated previously, it is unpredictable to your average person. Looking back at figure 1, the circling air to the northwest could potentially turn into a cyclone bringing a mix of weather events. By Saturday night, there can expect to be anything from large quantities of rain, thick/wet/heavy snowfall, ice conditions or even the rare Thunder Snow. This storm will happen quick, therefore conditions can be unpredictable for what exactly each area will receive. 

Figure 5. Forecast Map of Saturday at 7:00 pm (www.wunderground.com/).