John Wheeler: What is an Alberta Clipper, anyway?

FARGO — Today's weather comes courtesy of an Alberta Clipper weather system. The term was coined by Rheinhart Harms, a National Weather Service meteorologist on Milwaukee in the 1960s. Harms noticed that in the north-central United States, particularly in winter, when the jet stream winds were blowing out of the northwest, there would often be these rapidly moving weather systems bringing abrupt changes in weather.

The name comes from the storm's place of origin and their rapid movement. The pattern usually involves a quick warmup followed by a dramatic temperature plunge, often accompanied by strong winds. Snowfall is generally not too heavy although they can bring brief freezing rain.



The heaviest snow, usually only a swath of a few inches, falls on the northeastern side of the low-pressure center. The worst part of these storms is often the wind and falling temperatures in the wake of the low. If there is loose snow available, the wind can induce blizzard conditions.

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