Alright, this takes the cake for one of the coolest things I've seen in a while! It's a Minnesota shaped forest, which you can view from a satellite mapping system. This is what the Minnesota shaped forest looks like in the Beltrami Island State Forest.
Here's how you can find it! Good luck!
Desert in Bloom!
Thanks to my good friend Rich Koivisto for this great picture from near Bullhead City, AZ. Looks like the desert is blooming!
Nevada Balloons
Here's another neat picture from near Spring Valley, NV of hot air balloons. Thanks to my good friend Stephanie Trindade who spotted these on her way to work Friday.
Highs Saturday
Temperatures in the Southwest certainly look appeasing this Saturday. Interestingly, temperatures in the Southwest are running pretty close to average.
Vegas!
Thanks to my good friend Jason Larson for this picture, who is enjoying some time in Vegas.
Back From the Iditarod
My good friend, Monica Zappa, just recently finished the Iditarod with a time of a little more than 13 days and 6 hours! First of all, CONGRATULATIONS and glad to see that one of your sick puppies is on the mend and doing well!
Here's a great story about Monica as she was preparing for the race. See the story from the local ABC station out of Anchorage HERE:
Friday Storms
Take a look at this Texas-sized hail out of Coperas Cove, TX. @timbofowler snapped a picture of this golf ball sized hail as thunderstorm passed by.
Alabama Rain
Heavy rain on Friday led to this at a golf course in Sylacauga, AL. Thanks to @FarmlinksGC for the picture below.
Stormy Weather
As of 5:53pm EDT Friday, this was the storm report map from Thursday and Friday.
Missouri Tornadoes
Here's a closer view of the storm reports from Thursday in Missouri. There was also a tornado report from Iowa as well.
2014 Tornado Count
As of March 27th, the PRELIMINARY tornado count across the nation was 63, which is significantly lower than the short term (2005-2013) average of 219 through that date. Note that since 2005, we've never seem this few of tornado reports through this date.
Tornado Warning Counts so far in 2014
This is an interesting graphic of how many tornado warnings have been issues by various weather forecast offices across the country. Note how few of these warnings have been issued so far through March 28th.
(Image courtesy: Iowa State University)
Continued Severe & Soggy Weather
Unfortunately, the start of our weekend will be quite soggy for many in the Southeast. Heavy rain and severe storms can't be rule out of some as the storm shifts east.
Saturday Severe Threat
Unfortunately, the multi-day severe weather threat is not over just yet. What started on Thursday, looks to continue through Saturday across the southeastern part of the nation.
Here's the latest thinking from the SPC:
"SOME POTENTIAL REMAINS FOR SLIGHTLY GREATER DESTABILIZATION WITHIN A NARROW CORRIDOR IN THE WAKE OF WARM CONVEYOR BELT CONVECTIVE BANDS AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. IF THIS OCCURS...THEN STRONGER HEIGHT FALLS SPREADING INTO THIS REGION WITH THE AMPLIFYING TROUGH SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR A GREATER SEVERE WEATHER THREAT AS STORMS DEVELOP ALONG THE COLD FRONT FROM THE CAROLINAS INTO ERN GA...AND POSSIBLY SRN VA. FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR WOULD SUPPORT STORM ORGANIZATION WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. HOWEVER...VERTICALLY-VEERING LOW-MID LEVEL WINDS SUGGEST A TORNADO THREAT CANNOT BE RULED OUT."
See more from the Storm Prediction Center HERE:
Active Weather Continues
The storm system responsible for our latest severe weather reports in the middle part of the country will begin to lift north to the Northeast with additional heavy rain and winter weather potential. Meanwhile, another storm system developing in the Pacific Northwest begins to shift east towards the Midwest by the end of the weekend/early next week. Heavy rain/thunder can't be ruled out again in the middle part of the country, while heavy snow looks possible on the northern flank of the storm from the Dakotas to northern Minnesota. Stay tuned for further developments on this...
Northeast Weather Concerns
As this storm begins to move north, heavy precipitation will be cause for some concern through the end of the weekend. At this point flooding and heavy snow could be problematic for some.
Flood watches have been posted where 1" to 3" of rain and ice jams may be possible.
Winter Storm Watches have been issued where as much as 6" to 12" of snow can't be ruled out.
Precipitation Outlook
According to NOAA's HPC, the 5 day precipitation forecast suggests another heavy surge of moisture in the Northeast along with continued heavy moisture in the western part of the country. A piece of energy from the Pacific will transition into the central part of the country with another decent shot of heavier snow across the northern tier of the nation.
Snowfall Potential
Here's the U.S. snowfall potential through midweek next week. Note the heavier blobs of snow that could potentially pop up across the higher elevations in the West along with a pretty significant chance across the Upper Midwest and in parts of the Northeast. Unfortunately, wintry weather doesn't appear to be over just yet!
Temperature Outlook
The temperature outlook looks to take a bit of a roller coaster ride. Highs on Sunday look to be significantly warmer than average, but by Tuesday, we'll be much colder than average again!
Sunday
Tuesday
Thanks for checking in and have a great weekend ahead! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWNTV
