Recent Cases: Ingredients-Based Approach


Cases will be posted on this page periodically throughout the winter, time permitting. These cases are not intended to be comprehensive case studies. Instead, they are examples of recent applications of the IM. Sometimes they will just focus on one time period. Please send us any examples of your own.


Winter 2002-2003 Case Examples:

  1. February 24, 2003 - Light snow banding in southeastern Wisconsin

  2. February 11, 2003 - Convective snow in central and southern Wisconsin

  3. March 8, 2003



Winter 2001-2002 Case Examples:

  1. March 13-14, 2002 - Heavy snow in northwestern Wisconsin and Minnesota

  2. March 17, 2002 - Unexpected snow in central Wisconsin

  3. October 25-26, 2001 - Heavy snow in northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota

  4. November 26-27, 2001 - Snow and rain in the Midwest



March 13-14, 2002

A late-winter snowstorm dropped over a foot and a half of snow in northern Wisconsin, central Minnesota, and South Dakota. Some areas of central Wisconsin were coated with up to an inch of ice. Read the Minneapolis Star Tribune's account of the storm. A single-engine cargo plane crashed in Buffalo county, Minnesota, during the storm after reporting icing. The pilot was killed in the crash.

The MODIS satellite captured some images on March 16, 2002 that show the snow and ice swath left by this storm. Images all created by Liam Gumley from the UW-Madison/CIMSS MODIS direct broadcast:

Wisconsin at 1730 UTC showing the snow (white) and ice (grey) left by the storm
True color image of the north central US at 1730 UTC showing the snow/ice
False color image of the north central US at 1730 UTC showing the snow/ice


View more satellite imagery for this case at the CIMSS Goes Gallery



Ingredients maps for the storm

850mb700mb600mb
12UTC 13 March 02 ETA Model Traditional
PVQ & PVF
 Traditional
PVQ & PVF
 Traditional
PVQ & PVF
00UTC 14 March 02 ETA Model Traditional
PVQ & PVF
 Traditional
PVQ & PVF
 Traditional
PVQ & PVF
12UTC 14 March 02 ETA Model Traditional
PVQ & PVF
 Traditional
PVQ & PVF
 Traditional
PVQ & PVF


NWS Text Products and Snowfall Maps

Forecast DiscussionsSnowfall Totals (text)Snowfall Totals (graphic)
Duluth, MN Duluth, MN
Duluth, MN
Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis, MN
Sioux Falls, SD
Wisconsin (by Rusty Kapela, MKX)


Radar Animations (click image to see loop)


Upper Mississippi Valley:
18Z March 13 - 12Z March 15, 2002
Northern Plains:
12Z March 13 - 06Z March 15, 2002




March 17, 2002

12Z UTC 17 March 02 ETA Model RST to GRB Cross-Section Ingredients Maps


Ingredients maps:
850mb700mb600mb
12UTC 17 March 02 ETA Model Traditional
PVQ & PVF
 Traditional
PVQ & PVF
 Traditional
PVQ & PVF




October 25-26, 2001

This case example focus on the period of heavy snow in northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota.

MODIS true color image from 18Z on October 26 showing the extent of the snow cover.

Text of Cooperative Snow Fall Reports from October 24-26, 2001 for the whole U.S.







November 26-27, 2001

This case example focus on three different time periods:
  1. Rain and lightning in Missouri and Iowa around 18UTC on November 26.

    2.

  2. Rain and lightning in Iowa around 00UTC on November 27, 2001

  3. Convective precip (rain) in southeastern Wisconsin at 06UTC on November 27, 2001.