Off.... Storm Chasing in Minnesota

Even the first time chaser knows Minnesota is not in the heart of tornado alley. But they do receive their fair share of severe weather each season. The Storm Prediction Center has hatched a 30% probability of an organized severe weather event across the southern part of the state for Saturday. Severe weather is defined as hail 1" or larger, winds greater than 58 m.p.h, or a tornado.

As I do each season, I plan on flying out for a weekend of enjoying nature at its finest. The strong and severe storms rarely seen or heard on the west coast, are a welcome treat for me. Supercell storms, wall cloud (pictured below), funnel clouds or even tornado's are simply icing on the cake. =)

Current plan is to depart on a red-eye tonight. Stay tuned for updates.

Snow Likely in on the Valley Floor Monday

The National Weather Service continues to predict snow in parts of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley's, including in Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto. The snow is expected to begin early Monday morning and last through early afternoon, with total accumulations of 1-3 inches possible. Those of you familiar with the area know, snow is a rare in the Sacramento area.

Not all models are in agreement for this snow event, but if it does pan out, could be a record - as the most significant snowstorm hit Sacramento back way back in 1888, where 2.5 inches of snow fell.

Travelers through Sacramento (SMF) should stay tuned for changing weather conditions.

Elsewhere, snow levels around the Bay Area are expected to drop to 1,000 feet Monday, locally lower in any heavy downpours.

Hurricane Jimena Gaining Strength Off Coast of Mexico

Travelers to Baja California/Cabo should monitor the latest Hurricane Center updates.

As of 11:00 PM Eastern:

Hurricane Watch issued for Southern Baja Region

Jimena was located 255 miles SSW of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, moving NW at 7mph. Maximum sustained winds are 145mph, making it a Category 4 - major hurricane. The likely track of the storm is illustrated to the left, courtesy of Weather Underground.

United Passengers Injured On Flight to SFO

United Airlines reported today that a seven passengers aboard UA flight 886 were injured with the plane encountered severe turbulence Tuesday morning over the Pacific, while en route to San Francisco. The flight originated from Osaka, Japan. The airline reports none of the injured are considered serious.

120 Feared Dead In Sudanese Plane Crash

(Guardian)
KHARTOUM, Sudan
At least 120 people were feared dead last night after a Sudan Airways plane carrying more than 200 passengers burst into flames shortly after landing at Khartoum airport. The flight, which had stopped at Amman en route from Damascus apparently veered off the runway after touching down in bad weather. Read more

'Gone storm-chasing! Be back soon

As some of you know, another deeper passion of mine is Storm Chasing. Taking a red-eye flight out tonight and heading to Southeast Texas to intercept a possible severe weather event on Tuesday. Click here for the latest convective outlook. Be back real soon!

Storm Watch - Coast to Coast

East Coast: A major winter storm has hit the Northeast, causing more than 1100 flight cancellations through Friday evening. As much as 10 inches of snow has blanketed New York City. The snow is expected to taper off Sunday. More from NewsDay

West Coast: A potent storm will begin affecting the San Francisco Bay Region on Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued alerts for rain and strong, potentially damaging winds throughout the region.

Plan on airport delays & some cancellations throughout the region.

Tune in for more information.

Storm Highlights from Greater Bay Area Airports: (Updated 12:20 pm) San Francisco Airport - Microburst Alert temporarily issued at 11:30am, followed by wind-shear alerts (cancelled at of 12:20p)
SFO reported peak wind of 67mph at 8:47am
Sacramento Airport 52mph at 8:52am
San Jose Airport 58 mph at 6:53am
Golden Gate Bridge 70mph at 9:19am
Angel Island 78mph at 9:00am
Kregor Peak 107mph (elevation 1900 feet) at 9:41am

Nearly 500,000 people in Bay Area without power.
San Rafael Bridge closed, BART service temporarily stopped from 24th Street Station Outbound.

-San Francisco International has cancelled 30% of flights (67 total) so far today. Most are departing, just quite delayed.
-Oakland, San Jose & Sacramento Airports report 6-25% of flights cancelled thus far.

Weather conditions expected to gradually improve later today.

The National Weather Service is expected to issue a special Airport Weather Warning for San Francisco International this afternoon. An AWW addresses weather phenomena that may adversely impact ground operations at airports, and is usually issued just prior to the onset of severe weather. Weather conditions, specifically erratic winds, will likely disrupt regular airport operations. In the upper left column of this page is a map of real-time airport delays and problems.

Related: Virgin America announced today a fee waiver policy for flights to/from San Francisco and other VX cities due to winter weather conditions. Passengers holding confirmed reservations between January 3-7th may qualify for waiver of change fees and/or fare differences for switching flights. Details here.

United Airlines Cancels over 600 flights past 3 days

According to the Chicago Tribune, United has canceled over 600 flights in the past 3 days due to weather and staffing problems; this has left thousands of people delayed or stranded throughout the country. Initially caused by the severe winter weather across the Midwest, a backlog of delays and cancellations resulted in flight crews being unable to report to other scheduled flights on time. While other airlines have been impacted this week, none to the degree of United's problems.

Airport Sighting...

Most airlines serving Southern California are waiving fees for passengers wanting to reschedule flights in or out of the area's airports because of the catastrophic wildfires this week.

Similar to the significant impact Hurricanes and Earthquakes have had on cities in the past, airlines tend to relax their change or cancellation policies for travelers heading in effected regions. USA Today

Travel Advisory: Hurricane Felix now a Category 5 Hurricane

Hurricane Season is in full force! Hurricane Felix (to the left), currently located Southeast of Jamaica has just been upgraded to a Cat 5 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. The projected path takes it through the Caribbean then at for Belize and/or the Mexican Yucatan by Midweek. After crossing inland, the storm is expected to reemerge, over the Gulf of Mexico late next week.

Also, Tropical Storm Henriette, about 300 miles Southeast of Cabo, Mexico is expected to become a Hurricane within the next 24 hours, making landfall somewhere along Southern Baja Peninsula Tuesday.

Folks traveling to these areas over the next week should be aware of potential travel interruptions.