Historic Northern Plains Snowstorm? And Big Coastal New England Storm

Weather map in late October, 1991, showing the massive blizzard
in the Midwest and the "Perfect Storm" off the New England coast.

The weather maps at the end of October, 1991 were among the most extreme in history.

In the middle of the nation, a historic, intense blizzard was under way, with three feet of snow in Duluth, Minnesota and 45 inches in Superior, Minnesota.

The storm was accompanied by very strong winds, making this among the worst blizzards on record for any season. Record, subzero cold followed the storm.

Meanwhile, in coastal New England, the famous "Perfect Storm" was raging. That's the storm made famous by the Sebastian Junger book and subsequent film.  It cause immense coastal damage from southeastern Canada, through coastal New England down into the Middle Atlantic States.

The two storms combined are one of the most memorable weather events in United States history.

History is about to repeat itself in a miniature fashion.  My intent is not to scare anyone, because what's coming up later this week is by no means as extreme and dangerous as the 1991 event. But still, I'm struck by how similar the weather maps of 1991 are to the expected weather maps of later this week.

Once again, a big snowstorm is expected to hit the northern Plains. And, a rather powerful coastal storm has the potential to cause some damage in coastal New England.  I mentioned the other day this might happen, and it appears to be coming to fruition.

NORTHERN PLAINS

While not as bad as 1991, the expected storms will be serious.  The exact location of the heaviest snow in the upper Midwest is yet to be determined, but toward the end of the week, parts of North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota could see a foot or more of snow. Perhaps two feet. And, like in 1991, there will be strong winds.

The expected weather map for this coming Friday is eerily
similar to October, 1991.  Though not as bad as 1991,
another big snowstorm in the northern Plains and coastal
wind and waves will be a problem in the Northeast. 

Given how early in the season this snow is, there's going to be a lot of livestock losses and crop losses, since not everything is harvested yet.

Winter storm watches and warnings are already in effect in a large area through Montana, Wyoming, much of the Dakotas and northwestern Nebraska. Snow could fall as far south as Kansas.

The temperature in several cities will fall dramatically. It's forecast to be sunny and 75 degrees in Rapid City, South Dakota today, and by tomorrow night it will be in the mid-20s with blizzard like conditions.

The high temperature in Denver Tuesday is forecast to be close to 80. The high temperature there Wednesday will barely crack the freezing mark.

NEW ENGLAND 

Like the Midwest snowstorm, the exact track and position of upcoming storm off the East Coast is still full of question marks. The closer it comes to the coast, the worst things will be.

Coastal erosion and minor splashover flooding is almost guaranteed. But if the storm were to come closer than expected, the coastal flooding would be worse. Gales and heavy rain would sweep southern New England.

Again, this won't come close to being a repeat of the Perfect Storm, but it is something to take seriouis.

This storm probably won't affect Vermont much, maybe throwing some clouds our way Wednesday night and Thursday.  At this point, any rain from this would stay in southern and eastern Vermont.