Yes, Snow Forecasting is Difficult

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In most areas, the forecast for the winter storms the last two weeks were quite good.

The photo below is of an very narrow (less than 10 miles, most areas less than 5) band of extreme snow that fell two weeks ago in eastern Colorado and western Kansas. As much as 29 inches (!) fell in western Kansas, missing the state record 24 hour snowfall by just one inch. That type of narrow extreme snow event, at the current state-of-the-art, is impossible to forecast. A satellite photo, taken nearly two weeks later is below. It was posted Sunday. 

I find this aerial photo of the snow band humorous.

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