Winter takes an early shot

Try to remember Monday, Nov. 5, when a high temperature of 69 degrees tied the record for that date. It might be the last warm day around here. By the end of the week, the thermometers had dived to way below-normal readings. A three-day winter storm of freezing rain alternating with record snow made roads a slippery nightmare.

Earlier in the week the National Weather Service in Glasgow predicted what they called a “very significant storm” beginning on Thursday, and they issued a blizzard warning for snowfall of 12 to 17 inches, strong winds and blowing snow. They advised residents to reconsider travel plans and to have a winter survival kit in their vehicles.

The storm arrived as advertised, starting off with a light rain on Wednesday. Thursday’s menu included a record snowfall of 3.7 inches, winds of 37 mph and fog. Friday served up 2.5 more inches of snow with a light drizzle of frozen rain, topped by fog, stirred by gusts to 48 mph. Saturday cranked up the snowfall again, a record 5.8 inches. Sunday, Veterans Day, produced just a little more snow, bringing the storm total to 12.3 inches. The average temperature was 29 degrees colder than normal Sunday, with a high of 12.

Weather observers used a number of variations on the theme of ice: sleet, freezing drizzle, ice pellets. Whatever it’s called, it glazed the east walls of buildings, made standing icicles of roadside weeds and produced slick pavement over the weekend. Traffic was light, cautious and slow. Some schools on the Hi-Line were closed. Some basketball games were curtailed and a district FFA competition was canceled at Hinsdale School. Flights were grounded at the Glasgow airport.

The forecast through this weekend looks a bit easier: highs in the mid-30s to 40 and lows in the 20s with no precipitation. (See the next week's forecast on Page 2A.)

Cutlines

A snowplow driver tries to scrape through the ice on U.S. 2 East of Glasgow on Tuesday.

Samar Fay/The Courier

Freezing rain built gleaming icicles on plants beside the road near Glasgow.

Samar Fay/The Courier

Sun warms a metal roof in Glasgow on Tuesday, loosening heavy slabs of frozen snow that finally crash to the ground.

Samar Fay/The Courier