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So far this Winter has been pretty quiet, especially the lower 48. (Alaska is another story.) While parts of the Mountain West have received a fair amount of snow, much of the country is experiencing a snow drought this Winter. It appears this drought will begin to wane this week in parts of the Great Lakes. A snow storm is set to move through the Midwest bringing at least 6 inches of snow to parts of Wisconsin and Michigan this week. Winter storm watches are in effect on both lakeshores of Lake Michigan. A strong shot of cold air is expected behind the storm bringing lake effect snow to the snowbelts of the Great Lakes. Unlike previous cold shots this Winter, the cold air behind this storm is expected to stick around, keeping temperatures near their January normal.

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It’s hard to believe this is the sixth installment of the Big Bowl Preview.  You would think by now I would have a nice logo for the article, but I’m not skilled in that area.  If anyone wishes to design one, let me know.  Until then, I’ll just steal a logo from some random bowl game.

As usual, what follows is a rundown of all Division I FBS (football bowl subdivision) bowl games and one Division III bowl game.  The information presented is meant, for the most part, to be humorous, but I would also recommend using it as your single source for gambling large sums of money this holiday season.  I was in Vegas earlier this year and won the only bet I’ve ever placed in a sports book.  That’s right, I’m undefeated.

All times are Eastern Standard Time, all rankings are from the final BCS standings…

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Meteorological Winter has entered with a bang.  Dense fog near Nashville has caused a 45-car pileup, killing one person.  Snow and chilly temperatures are creating a tough morning in Denver.  Multiple semi-trucks have been blown off I-15 in Utah.  Santa Ana winds have knocked out power to many in the Pasadena, CA area.

Who’s ready for Spring?!

Well, you’re going to have to wait.  Especially if you live in the northern half of the country.  At least that’s the expectation according to NOAA and Accuweather, who have similar Winter Outlooks.  First NOAA:

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As the calendar turns from November to December, snowstorms appear to be the theme.  One is currently leaving the US and heading up through eastern Canada while another drops south out of western Canada through the Rockies and high plains.

The departing storm brought a rare November snow event to parts of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.  It was the first November snowfall in over 15 years for parts of the affected area.  During the day on Tuesday, the snow moved northward through northeastern Indiana and central Michigan.  Snowfall totals in excess of 6 inches were common with some spots hitting double digits.

Snowfall totals from 11-29-11 storm courtesy of Grand Rapids, MI National Weather Service office.

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Say what you want about the guy, but you can’t deny he loves what he does…

He needs a moment, Drew.  He just needs a moment.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Cantore’s lost his mind when graced with the presence of thundersnow.  There was last Winter (February 2011) in Chicago…

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From the NWS…

Tonight: Rain before 4am, then rain and snow. Low around 38. East wind between 6 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Saturday: Rain and snow. The rain and snow could be heavy at times. High near 41. North wind between 11 and 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain and snow before 8pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 33. North wind between 9 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
So you’re saying snow could mix with rain anytime after 4am tomorrow morning and that will continue for potentially 16 hours?  Brilliant.  (This is for Alexandria, VA, by the way.)  I’ll go ahead and say Reagan National Airport (DCA) doesn’t detect or report snow anytime before Noon tomorrow.  This means my forecast would read:

Tonight: Rain. Low around 38. East wind between 6 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Rain in the morning, mixing with, or changing over to, snow during the afternoon. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 41. North wind between 11 and 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than an inch possible.

Saturday Night: A chance of snow before 8pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 33. North wind between 9 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
That took all of two minutes to write, but I suppose it’s a better use of time if it’s just automated.  Oh well, I can just look at webcams for snow to make me happy.  Like this one at Wintergreen Mountain (elevation 3500 ft) in VA:

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Winter Storm Watches extend from the mountains of Virginia to the coast of Maine in advance of this October storm. This map is from 12:15PM EDT on 10/28/11.

October snowstorms are not unheard of in the US, but they are a bit surprising.  Most locations in eastern US average less than an inch of snow during the month, indicating that snow is not the year-to-year norm.  A few inches one year and maybe they won’t see snow again for another 10 years in October.  But 6 inches? 10 inches?  That is a lot of snow for October, especially when leaves are still on trees and people have yet to put on a costume for Halloween.

Much like the event in Denver two days ago and the snow across New England last night – this is expected to be a heavy, wet snow.  Temperatures are still relatively mild for snow, which results in snow ratios around 6:1 (6 inches of snow for every 1 inch of liquid water).  I wouldn’t be surprised if the ratios are lower than that.

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So I mentioned there was a chance of snow in New England a couple days ago.  Then, I back off a little bit yesterday thinking it would be primarily confined to the highest elevations.  And while that appears to be the case, snow is being seen at lower elevations in places like Schenectady, NY and Boxborough, MA.  Winter Weather Advisories are in place for higher elevations in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. where 3-5+ inches of snow are expected to accumulate through tonight.  The snow, much like what Denver experienced yesterday, will be heavy and wet.  This is good news for travelers as roads should be mainly wet.  On the other hand, it’s not good news for people who like electricity as the heavy, wet snow can bring down tree branches and power lines.

And speaking of heavy, wet snow that can bring down tree branches and power lines, it’s looking more and more like that will happen in the Northeast on Saturday.  A Winter Storm Watch is already in effect for parts of eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey where the heaviest snowfall (4-8 inches) is forecast to occur.  However, snow can be expected from the mountains of West Virginia through Boston if the forecast holds.

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Table courtesy of the Cleveland National Weather Service.

It has been quite a wet year in Cleveland, OH… and there are over two months remaining before the calendar turns.  The National Weather Service office in Cleveland is monitoring the progress toward new records with daily updates of the annual precipitation total.  The snapshot above is from this morning and includes all precipitation for the year until midnight last night.  (It’s raining more today, so these numbers will rise.)  As you can see, Cleveland has already broken their record while surrounding cities are still climbing.  If you’re not familiar with the geography of the area, you can refer to the map below.

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Here are some pictures from today’s snow event in Colorado…

The Google offices in Boulder, CO. Would it surprise you to learn that Google created this snow to take this picture? Me neither.