It's been such a wimpy winter that we get excited about 1-2" snowfalls. So far we have picked up just 3.5" of snow this entire winter compared with the average to date of 20.4". That means we have seen just 17% of average snowfall. Nearly half the country (44.6% of the contiguous US) is reporting snow cover with an average depth of 5.4". That is nearly double the snow on the ground compared to this time last year (23.2% of contiguous US with average depth of 3.3").
There is hope though for snow lovers. Several "clipper" systems will swing through during the coming days and each has the potential to lay down a quick coating of snow. None of these systems should be all that organized and none will be prolific snow makers but in total, these systems between now and Tuesday could squeeze out between 3" and 7".
The GFS model (bottom image) is the most aggressive with 7" while the European model is forecasting less than half that amount for the same period. Albert Clippers are by nature fast moving and normally don't contain a lot of moisture. However, with up to four of them forecast to slide through between tonight and Tuesday, the snow could add up.
http://twitter.com/WGNWeatherGuy
http://www.facebook.com/TimMcGillWeatherGuy
