Storm: 60 mph winds, 25+ foot waves, record low barometer?
This storm should have a name.
This week's storm may be as close as we come to a hurricane in Minnesota. In fact, you may be tempted to call this a land hurricane by Tuesday night. In the anything goes weather year of 2010, this week's storm is just the latest potentially record breaking weather system.
After a record mild and dry start to October, the gales of November will come early this year.
A deep low pressure system will move into Minnesota Tuesday. As the storm moves in and taps colder air from Canada, it will intensify and the central pressure will plunge. The latest forecast model runs indicate the storm has the potential to produce the lowest barometric pressure ever recorded in Minnesota.
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The lowest pressure on record in Minnesota currently stands at 962.8mb in Albert Lea and Austin on November 10, 1998.
Round 1 with this storm is bringing widespread rain and possibly some thunder overnight. Winds may be relatively ,light overnight as the center of the low moves in. When the low center slides by into northeast Minnesota Tuesday afternoon, a tightly packed pressure gradient will force winds to howl starting in southwest Minnesota and spreading northeast through the day and into Tuesday night.
Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts to around 60 mph are possible at times from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday. The sustained high winds and gusts will drive some huge waves on area lakes Tuesday night and Wednesday. As the center of the storms pulls north into southern Canada, wave heights could exceed 25 feet on the eastern half of Lake Superior by Wednesday.
The storm is already cranking up huge waves today along the Oregon Coast, where high surf warnings are in effect.
KGW Pacific City coast cam shows huge waves pounding the Oregon Coast today.
The highest wind gusts may occur in the southwest half of Minnesota. Wind gusts could reach 60mph, and that may cause damage to trees and knock out power to some areas Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Stay tuned as this intense fall storm system evolves over the next 48 hours.
Incredible Texas tornado video:
Check out the amazing (and dangerous) video from Texas shot Sunday evening by Eric Meyers, an emergency management coordinator in Navarro County, Texas just south of Dallas. You just can't make this stuff up.
The storms did cause injuries. They also pushed Texas' 2010 preliminary tornado numbers to around 106, closer to Minnesota's 145 but still a distant second place.
PH