Eastern Cornbelt:
After a weekend storm that dumped up to 4-7 inches of snow on parts of Illinois and Indiana, the region was bracing for another winter storm on Feb. 4-5, with forecasts warning of several inches of snow and strong winds up to 40 mph across portions of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.
Much colder weather was expected to move in after the precipitation. Weekend highs were predicted to top out in the 20s, with lows predicted to fall to near or below zero and wind chills dropping to -20 or colder in some locations.
Western Cornbelt:
Blizzard conditions were reported in northern and central Iowa on Feb. 4, with winds gusting up to 45 mph and snowfall ranging from 1-3 inches across much of central Iowa and up to 3-5 inches in northeastern Iowa.
Parts of southeastern Nebraska were also under a winter weather advisory as the week progressed, with reports of 40 mph wind gusts and up to two inches of snow in some locations on Feb. 4. Frigid temperatures were expected to move in behind the precipitation, with a high of only 10 degrees and wind chills expected to drop to -25 in Des Moines on Feb. 6-7.
Missouri saw a wintry mix of precipitation as the week advanced. Up to 1-2 inches of snow accumulation was expected across areas of northern Missouri by the weekend, with low temperatures dropping to the single digits by Feb. 7.
California:
Northern California saw heavy rain in the valleys and heavy snow in the mountains during the last week of January and the first week of February.
A powerful storm on Feb. 1 brought 1-2 inches of rain and as much as two feet of snow in the Sierra, which followed an even stronger system in late January the deposited up to nine feet of snow on Mammoth Mountain and seven feet in parts of the Lake Tahoe area.
The precipitation is definitely needed in the state. Electronic snow surveys in early February showed a statewide snowpack water level equivalent to 12. 5 inches, which is roughly 70 percent of average and only 45 percent of the April 1 average.
Strong Santa Ana winds were reported in Southern California late in the week, with temperatures hovering in the upper-60s and low-70s. “With the weather warming up next week, we are expecting to see some strong almond bloom by the week of the 22nd,” said one regional contact.
Pacific Northwest:
While coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest experienced rain and chilly temperatures in early February, many inland foothills and mountains were hit with heavy snow.
Forecasts warned of 8-16 inches of snow in Oregon and Washington during the week at elevations above 2,000 feet, with mostly rain and only a dusting of snow reported in the Willamette Valley.
Heavy snow was also reported in northern Idaho, while southern areas of the state were hit with windy conditions and only light snowfall. Much of western Montana was blanketed with up to six inches of snow in the valleys and a foot in the mountains at midweek, and forecasts warned of subzero lows by the weekend across northern and central Montana.
Western Canada:
Weather extremes were reported across Western Canada as the week progressed. On Monday, highs in southern Alberta reached the upper single digits and low double digits in some locations, but snowstorms at midweek dropped 50-70 cm of snow in the Canadian Rockies.
Snowfall was also reported in southern Manitoba, with 5-7 cm blanketing Winnipeg and Brandon at midweek. The snow was accompanied by 60 kmh wind gusts, followed by much colder temperatures.
Weekend highs across southern Saskatchewan were predicted to stay below -18 C, with some locations expecting lows down to -30 C. Forecasts warned of frigid temperatures across the Prairies during the second week of February.