Winter Storm: Feb. 7/8 Recap

Snowfall was heaviest over parts of eastern Minnesota and central/eastern Iowa where as much as 12" fell over the span of 48 hours. You can push back the span even further and see values increase to nearly 18" as the snow began over parts of the Plains well before the upper low became nearly stationary during the day yesterday. Currently only flurries and a few light snow showers are left across parts of the Plains, as the upper level low has begun its' trek into the Ohio Valley and eventually the east coast where it will once again dump several inches of snow. The upper low and its' associated features were an interesting sight to watch, as noted by the previous update that featured a surface plot of temperatures. What could be classified as a mesoscale high pressure system essentially formed along the upper level low and allowed clear skies and calm winds to drop temperatures dramatically over a short period of time last night and into this morning across parts of Iowa and Missouri. Strong northwest winds hampered travel conditions yesterday and much of today across the Plains, as blowing and drifting snow created slick road conditions. Even with areas simply receiving flurries and light snow the winds allowed for a drop in visibility and created some spotty areas of snow covered roads.

With the storm on its' decline for the Plains, several National Weather Service offices have issued their summaries of snowfall totals. They are listed below:

Minneapolis NWS Snowfall Map

Des Moines & Omaha may be added if available

Kansas City NWS Snowfall Map

St. Louis NWS Snowfall Map

Springfield NWS Snowfall Map