Watching Western Higher Elevation Snowfall – National Weather Outlook For November 18, 2023

by | Nov 18, 2023 | Weather

National Weather Forecast

A low departing the northeastern United States will continue to produce rain and snow in the region, especially in the morning hours. A couple of systems near the west coast will bring rain and snow concerns. Meanwhile, a batch of storms will occur Saturday Night across the Central Plains.

Some of the heaviest rain through Sunday will be along the west coast, where some areas could come away with 2-3” of rainfall.

A foot or two of snow could fall through the weekend across the Sierra and Cascades, with lighter snow amounts eastward toward the Rockies. A couple of inches could also fall in parts of New England.

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Price for huge Xcel transmission line more than doubles to $1.14B

More from the Star Tribune: “The price of a massive Xcel Energy transmission line across southwest and central Minnesota — which would connect more wind and solar farms — has more than doubled to $1.14 billion. The higher price tag reflects inflation and supply chain issues, plus other factors such as a longer route — and, if approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, costs would be passed on to customers. The Xcel line is not the only one facing cost increases. Minnesota Power’s plan to upgrade a 465-mile transmission line running from North Dakota to northeastern Minnesota was estimated early in 2022 to cost $700 million. Now, the Duluth-based company says it will cost between $800 million and $940 million.”

3 takeaways from Biden’s big transmission plan

More from E&E News: “Thousands of miles of new power lines are needed to send clean electricity across the U.S. to meet ambitious climate goals. The looming question for the Biden administration is how to get them built. That could involve a previously constrained authority to site new long-distance power lines in the most neglected and congested parts of the country — and speed up development, which often takes a decade or more. A long-awaited study released by the Department of Energy last month laid out the areas of the country with the biggest transmission needs. DOE could soon spell out its plan to use the siting authority — which was strengthened by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law — to pave the way for national transmission corridors. Some energy experts argue that program could alter the course of electricity development as the Biden administration seeks a carbon-free U.S. grid by 2035.”

Wildfires are thawing the tundra

More from High Country News: “Chunks of carbon-rich frozen soil, or permafrost, undergird much of the Arctic tundra. This perpetually frozen layer sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, sometimes storing it for tens of thousands of years beneath the boggy ground. The frozen soil is insulated by a cool wet blanket of plant litter, moss and peat. But if that blanket is incinerated by a tundra wildfire, the permafrost becomes vulnerable to thawing. And when permafrost thaws, it releases the ancient carbon, which microbes in the soil then convert into methane — a potent greenhouse gas whose release contributes to climate change and the radical reshaping of Northern latitudes across the globe.”

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– D.J. Kayser