Next storm and the potential track/snowfall

How bad will the weekend storm be? How much snow will we get? Should I cancel my weekend plans? Those are three most popular questions coming up on Facebook and Twitter with our weekend forecast calling for snow. I'm posting an early model projection for snow so you can get a sense for what may be on the way. Keep in mind (and I think we say this all the time when forecasting snow with big storms) the track will determine where the heavier stuff goes. Don't focus on the exact numbers... but use this as a guide to where the heaviest could end up.

Right now, it's looks like the heaviest will end up in western Kansas where the snow begins earlier in the day Saturday. There's no doubt this storm will have an ample supply of moisture to work with, but figuring out how much will fall as rain and how much will be snow should get worked out in the next few days.

Potential track of the storm this weekend

Storm setup

Forecast models have the storm track going from around Amarillo Saturday morning to south of OKC by Saturday evening, and then lifting northeast by Sunday. A second area of light snow may develop going into Sunday morning, which could produce some more light accumulations. 

The heavy snow in Boston has been making news now for weeks. A high resolution satellite captured the most recent departing storm earlier this week. Interesting to see the texture of the clouds as the entire storm pulls away from the coast. I put some arrows on here to help illustrate what is going on in the clouds with respect to the wind. The comma shape to the satellite indicates the swirling winds around the low pressure center. The blotchy look to the cloud texture just south of the center of the storm is because of the VERY cold air aloft (usually 5,000-15,000 feet above the surface)