Weather Tidbits: The Alberta Clipper

This edition of Weather Tidbits discusses the Alberta Clipper. An Alberta Clipper is a low pressure system that develops near Alberta in central Canada which moves rapidly east and southeast through the Great Lakes and northeast United States. They are very fast and progressive systems. When Alberta Clippers come southeastward, they tend to be supplied with cold air, and bring that cold air down with it. This means that the precipitation type is usually all snow, give or take a few expectations, especially if you are south of the low pressure center. Because the clipper system brings down cold air from Canada, the type of snow tends to be on the powdery side. However, if the temperatures are marginal enough, the snow may have a wetter tendency to it as well. That would be more likely in an early season event.