KGS MESSAGE OF THE DAY

2/19/2001 Message of the Day Christopher Duvall, Rutgers University Meteorologist cduvall@rci.rutgers.edu

Precipitation:

Howdy! Most portions of the West Coast of the U.S. will experience some form of precipitation today. The band of heaviest rain and snow will occur in California, Oregon, and Nevada as a Low moves in from the Pacific Ocean. The mountains of California could see over a foot of snow by Tuesday evening, as the Low moves on to Colorado. The Great Lakes area may see some light drizzle and snow, as well.

As a very general rule of thumb, Lows moving West to East bring moisture from the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic Ocean over the U.S. to create precipitation. However the Great Lakes system is interesting because if anything it may move East to West over the Great Lakes, today.

Temperature:

Temperatures should be close to normal for most areas of the country. As always for this time of year, keep an eye on Canada and the northern U.S. for cold air to flow down into the rest of the U.S. this week. As a very general rule of thumb, "new" cooler air tends to come from Canada, "new" warmer air comes from the Gulf of Mexico and the Oceans.

Challenge Questions:

Where is the moisture coming from to produce the precipitation around the Great Lakes? (hint: look at the wind direction)

CD 2/19/2001