Southern Snow Storm Cripples Travel, Staying Cold Here

I know many of you would love to see some snow here since it's been a while since we saw a significant snowfall. Snow looks pretty as it falls, but on the flip side, it creates hardships for those who have to travel. Snow began yesterday over west Texas and New Mexico and continues today all the way to Atlanta and the Carolinas. Let's begin with the pretty pictures, starting with my son (Justin) from Edmond, Oklahoma.

With several inches to work with, my grandson Ethan created a snowman with help from his Dad & dog!   Here's Atlanta where highway traffic halted due to 2-5" of the white stuff, heaviest north.

Fortunately, most folks stayed off the roadways, but the truckers have to get their cargo through.  Here's the snow cover from a satellite view.

Clouds linger over the southern states so it's difficult to see snow on the ground.  This is the snow cover map through midnight this morning.  We know snow has spread across Tennessee MS/AL/GA into the Carolinas.

With the snow cover so close to us, don't expect much warming for the next few days.

Since the cold air has returned, I moved my tropical plants back into my He-Shed.  There they will stay for the next 10-14 days as any warming will be brief.  Until the upper pattern changes, this will remain a chilly January.

With a general upper trough over most of the country, surges of Canadian cold will keep coming.  With the SW upper flow, expect clouds to linger with another Gulf disturbance coming Sunday PM into Monday.  Finally, the view from the West coast is encouraging. We begin with yesterday's smoke plume that was driven far offshore by the strong northerly winds.

You still see the smoke plumes today, but as winds have decreased, the plume has spread out.  They also appear less intense than yesterday.  Hopefully the firefighters are gaining the upper hand?  Stay tuned!