Blowing Snow

The weather in West Texas never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday we reached a high of around 80 degrees. Last night at 11:30 it was 65. This morning at 7:30am it was 35 degrees with 40 mph winds and drizzle. Two hours later, it was 25 degrees and there was an inch of snow on the ground and blizzard-like conditions.

In the blink of an eye, it went from a tranquil spring day to Antarctica.

Blowing snow isn't something I was accustomed to in Arkansas. We used to get a descent snow about once a year. Those were some good times. When the snow fell, it was peaceful and almost silent outside.

When it snows here, it's a blizzard. The wind blows a constant 30-40 mph per hour and the cold cuts through you like a knife.

These pictures make it look way too calm. Honestly, it was the only time I really wanted to step outside with a camera. Every other time, the wind would have blown the camera out of my hands.

By noon, the sun was out. The wind was still violent, but the sun was shinning. It was much colder outside than it looked.

By 3pm, the clouds returned, and it was snowing again.

Whenever the weather changes so quickly out here, it makes me think of what it would have been like to live out on this prairie a hundred or more years ago. There was no way to tell if the weather was going to drop 50 degrees in the course of 12 hours. That had to have been rough. The wind with temperatures like this would have killed someone.

Here's the latest weather advisory to illustrate what's happening since I don't have pictures of actual blowing snow, dancing across Interstate 27. I've highlighted the important parts. If you don't live in West Texas, then read your own weather advisory.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Lubbock, TX
11:59 am CDT, Fri., Mar. 27, 2009

... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING.

LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL WILL COMBINE WITH STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS NEAR 50 MPH TO RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL APPROACH 1 TO 3 INCHES... PARTICULARLY FOR AREAS FROM MORTON TO LUBBOCK TO RALLS. FURTHER SOUTH ALONG AREAS FROM DENVER CITY TO POST... SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY BE ON THE ORDER OF 1 INCH OR LESS BUT THE STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL STILL MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS. THE SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF BY EARLY EVENING WITH NO SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED TONIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS THAT SNOWFALL AND COMBINED WITH VISIBILITIES BECOMING SIGNIFICANTLY LIMITED DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. TRAVEL IS DISCOURAGED.

... A DANGEROUS WINTER STORM ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS AREA TODAY AND LINGERING INTO TONIGHT...(I think the word "lingering" makes it sound dramatic, don't you think?)

A STRONG STORM SYSTEM IS BRINGING MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES... STRONG NORTH WINDS AND SNOWFALL TO THE SOUTH PLAINS AND EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. THE TRACK OF THE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AND NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS WHILE LOCATIONS ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS AND SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS WILL SEE LIGHTER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. NORTH WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WILL PRODUCE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WHEN COMBINED WITH AREAS OF HEAVY SNOW AND HAZARDOUS OR DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL OF THE AREA. SNOW WILL LIKELY LINGER (there it is again!) ACROSS THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AND NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT.