BeauDodson Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 EDIT: Have arrived in Davis, West Virginia - Tucker County. Blizzard warning has been issued. Snow should start on Monday afternoon. ==== Do any of you have suggestions for the absolute best areas for up-slope snow in West Virginia? I am not familiar with the area - at all. Looking for thoughts and suggestions. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avdave Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Anywhere on a line from Hazleton, WV off I 68 southward to Kingwood off Rt 26 to Parsons/Davis, WV off Rt 219 down towards Snowshoe, WV off Rt 219 near Marlinton and Perhaps Elkins too. All have elevations above 2000 ft and you are on top of the Allegheny Front and good upslope snows. JonJon, a member here has a B & B you can stay at if he has vacancy in Davis, WV. You can shoot him a PM if interested. Snowshoe Village, WV sits way up about 4000 ft or so, they have condos not sure if they have daily rentals though but they have some small eateries and shops up there but thats about it. Elkins would be your "big " city to go and stay and use that as a central point. US 219 is going to be your main North south highway thru the region as well. Even into Western MD near Oakland and Deep Creek Lake they do well usually too and have the elevation. Oakland has a few chain hotels and eateries as well. I 68 is your northern most East west route and US 50 is your middle of the Allegheny Front route and US 33 would be your southern main east and west route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avdave Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 The infrastructure out there isnt the best though. They are building a new 4 lane freeway but it wont do you much good unless you are driving in from the east which I dont think you would be. I 68 is the only main e-w interstate highway and US 219 is the main N-S highway but it is mainly 2 laned the entire length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellinwood Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Speaking of infrastructure, be ready to have poor/no cell service outside of the main towns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowfan Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Do any of you have suggestions for the absolute best areas for up-slope snow in West Virginia? I am not familiar with the area - at all. Looking for thoughts and suggestions. Thanks! Dave gave the best routes. I'd just add that you should be prepared for some steep spots on both 219 and 50. Not sure I'd be going out there without the appropriate wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffwx Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 My office is 75 miles aware from Lewisburg-- I am considering a drive up Monday night. We are closing a big project, so I can't really skip Tuesday. If we can sneak the heavier snows into Blacksburg, I'm 30 miles away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Are there more favored area for the "big" totals vs other areas? I know with lake effect snow in New York that there are definitely some favorite spots that seem to end up with big totals. Appreciate the detailed in formation - I will print all of this out. Won't make a decision until Saturday night most likely. See how the coming 24 hours unfold. Appears that it would be a wet snow like the Boulder, Colorado chase a few years ago. That one produced this for us http://www.weatherph...nowgallery7.htm The best wet snow event that I have personally ever witnessed Boulder, Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozz Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 If you're ever in Garrett county, MD, try Keyser's ridge, 2900'. One of the best upslope spots in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weathervswife Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 If this were my chase, based on the current forecast I would book a cabin/room at Snowshoe resort. I think it's about 4000 ft elevation and there are modern conveniences and cell service and looks to be in the sweet spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonjon Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Okay, just checked with the boss (my wife) and she said I can put up snow chasers for this event for no charge (I would probably hope for some tips to cover her time to clean rooms). Just finished my man cave in the carriage house complete with pool table, air hockey/ping pong, 55" Flat Screen, wood burning stove and it catches the wifi from the house. If things go down as the models currently show, we may be throwing a Sandy Blizzacane party with our local friends and just enjoying the event. If you can handle that then you are welcome to come. Frankly, I will need some help trying to measure the snow in this kind of event. We're still a day or two from being in the confidence range that I would like to be in as far as the forecast that would make the trip be worth it, but if you are considering coming you may want to commit sooner than later as we only have 4 guest rooms. Those not familiar with our place/location see our website -- www.meyerhousebandb.com -- we are located in the highest incorporated Town in West Virginia (the house is almost exactly at 3100') -- most cell phone providers have great service here, and we are walking distance to a few restaurants/pubs (and a grocery store!). Getting here from the east won't be too bad -- they just opened another leg of the highway yesterday which basically takes you all the way to the base of the Alleghenies. Its about a 17 mile drive from where you climb the Allegheny front until you reach here -- that will be the only real tough stretch. From DC, its a basic I-66 to I-81 South (just 4 miles on I-81), then 55/48 basically straight here, with only a short stretch in VA not being highway (besides the last 17 miles or so atop the mountain as mentioned earlier). I hope this post doesn't jinx the forecast -- but we'd love to have some people out who would really love to enjoy the experience of this possible event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avdave Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Beau, Take these and then you can choose elevation wise. All are on the Allegheny Front and would provide you good upslope snows WV: Snowshoe Village, the highest you can get with out getting to the top of Spruce Knob which is the highest elevation but Im sure it would be closed with a few feet of snow on it. So snowshoe village would be your next bet with an elevation of approx. 4500 Feet. Here you may have shelter and easteries on the summit. Davis, WV at 3200 FT--Highest incorporated town in WV Elkins, WV at 2000 Ft--Largest incorporated town at the higher elevation, more choices of hotels and eateries MT Storm, WV at 3,244 Ft--small town on Rt 42 and US 50 junction near SW tip of Maryland--not much of anything here but elevation MD Oakland, MD: 2,398 Feet--Has few hotel chains and restaurants and super walmart Keysers Ridge, MD: 2,880 Ft, nothing much but a few truckstops and Mcdonalds right off Us 219 and I 68 McHenry, MD: 2,487 Ft.--Wisp Resort and a few restaurants and shops and hotel along US 219 Us 219 is going to be your best bet to reach these locals and are the favorable spots for upslope snows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avdave Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 If you're ever in Garrett county, MD, try Keyser's ridge, 2900'. One of the best upslope spots in the area. Its 2880' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeoman Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Speaking of infrastructure, be ready to have poor/no cell service outside of the main towns. Cell coverage is fine in Snowshoe, at least with AT&T. That's probably your best location in WV regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Okay, just checked with the boss (my wife) and she said I can put up snow chasers for this event for no charge (I would probably hope for some tips to cover her time to clean rooms). Just finished my man cave in the carriage house complete with pool table, air hockey/ping pong, 55" Flat Screen, wood burning stove and it catches the wifi from the house. If things go down as the models currently show, we may be throwing a Sandy Blizzacane party with our local friends and just enjoying the event. If you can handle that then you are welcome to come. Frankly, I will need some help trying to measure the snow in this kind of event. We're still a day or two from being in the confidence range that I would like to be in as far as the forecast that would make the trip be worth it, but if you are considering coming you may want to commit sooner than later as we only have 4 guest rooms. Those not familiar with our place/location see our website -- www.meyerhousebandb.com -- we are located in the highest incorporated Town in West Virginia (the house is almost exactly at 3100') -- most cell phone providers have great service here, and we are walking distance to a few restaurants/pubs (and a grocery store!). Getting here from the east won't be too bad -- they just opened another leg of the highway yesterday which basically takes you all the way to the base of the Alleghenies. Its about a 17 mile drive from where you climb the Allegheny front until you reach here -- that will be the only real tough stretch. From DC, its a basic I-66 to I-81 South (just 4 miles on I-81), then 55/48 basically straight here, with only a short stretch in VA not being highway (besides the last 17 miles or so atop the mountain as mentioned earlier). I hope this post doesn't jinx the forecast -- but we'd love to have some people out who would really love to enjoy the experience of this possible event. Thanks Jon - that is very generous of you. I am checking out your web-site now What kind of drive is it from Snowshoe to Davis? Looks like 2 hours or so - according to MapQuest.I wonder how much of a problem elevation will be for rain vs snow. Although some data indicates colder temperatures - I see the NWS is hesitant to go all snow in some spots. I haven't dug too deep just yet into BUFKIT - and it is probably a bit soon to do that. Also not sure how much the "exact" track of this system will impact upslope snow. Obviously it isn't the same as looking to stick around a 50 mile radius of the eye - center of the storm. Track, unless it is way off what the models are showing, may not matter quite as much. Unsure - I am not overly familiar with upslope events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffwx Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Okay, just checked with the boss (my wife) and she said I can put up snow chasers for this event for no charge (I would probably hope for some tips to cover her time to clean rooms). Just finished my man cave in the carriage house complete with pool table, air hockey/ping pong, 55" Flat Screen, wood burning stove and it catches the wifi from the house. If things go down as the models currently show, we may be throwing a Sandy Blizzacane party with our local friends and just enjoying the event. If you can handle that then you are welcome to come. Frankly, I will need some help trying to measure the snow in this kind of event. We're still a day or two from being in the confidence range that I would like to be in as far as the forecast that would make the trip be worth it, but if you are considering coming you may want to commit sooner than later as we only have 4 guest rooms. Those not familiar with our place/location see our website -- www.meyerhousebandb.com -- we are located in the highest incorporated Town in West Virginia (the house is almost exactly at 3100') -- most cell phone providers have great service here, and we are walking distance to a few restaurants/pubs (and a grocery store!). Getting here from the east won't be too bad -- they just opened another leg of the highway yesterday which basically takes you all the way to the base of the Alleghenies. Its about a 17 mile drive from where you climb the Allegheny front until you reach here -- that will be the only real tough stretch. From DC, its a basic I-66 to I-81 South (just 4 miles on I-81), then 55/48 basically straight here, with only a short stretch in VA not being highway (besides the last 17 miles or so atop the mountain as mentioned earlier). I hope this post doesn't jinx the forecast -- but we'd love to have some people out who would really love to enjoy the experience of this possible event. Ugg, so tempting. I turned down a trip to Philly this week BY work because I'm fighting for a top spot in the nation with my sales numbers. We are closing a huge market out and that ends Nov the 8th. Hurts-- i want to make a weekend up there sometime this winter for some good upslope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonjon Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Thanks Jon - that is very generous of you. I am checking out your web-site now What kind of drive is it from Snowshoe to Davis? Looks like 2 hours or so - according to MapQuest.I wonder how much of a problem elevation will be for rain vs snow. Although some data indicates colder temperatures - I see the NWS is hesitant to go all snow in some spots. I haven't dug too deep just yet into BUFKIT - and it is probably a bit soon to do that. Also not sure how much the "exact" track of this system will impact upslope snow. Obviously it isn't the same as looking to stick around a 50 mile radius of the eye - center of the storm. Track, unless it is way off what the models are showing, may not matter quite as much. Unsure - I am not overly familiar with upslope events. Snowshoe is about an hour and forty-five minutes from here. Snowshoe is a great place, with a very resort-type feel and a lot of infrastructure -- but anyone thinking of going there should know that it is in the middle of nowhere with no highways anywhere near there, and the small mountain roads that service the area will be very tough to travel. Not much cell service until you get to the resort. We're looking for the storm to travel somewhere near central/northern PA for the best upslope snow. We should get a little help from the lakes, and if the storm travels close enough to give us the big moisture, but just far enough east and north of us to keep us in the cold, it could be epic. Right now, I'm more worried that the storm will come too close and bring enough warmth to change/mix to rain. Looks like a long upslope event after storm passes and we have a long term NW flow as the storm dies out and drifts away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Snowshoe is about an hour and forty-five minutes from here. Snowshoe is a great place, with a very resort-type feel and a lot of infrastructure -- but anyone thinking of going there should know that it is in the middle of nowhere with no highways anywhere near there, and the small mountain roads that service the area will be very tough to travel. Not much cell service until you get to the resort. We're looking for the storm to travel somewhere near central/northern PA for the best upslope snow. We should get a little help from the lakes, and if the storm travels close enough to give us the big moisture, but just far enough east and north of us to keep us in the cold, it could be epic. Right now, I'm more worried that the storm will come too close and bring enough warmth to change/mix to rain. Looks like a long upslope event after storm passes and we have a long term NW flow as the storm dies out and drifts away. Hi Forgot to ask you about internet there? I am concerned about exact track with the warmth, as well. I am on your website now - considering it - couldn't find the internet subject on there. Thanks again - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonjon Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Hi Forgot to ask you about internet there? I am concerned about exact track with the warmth, as well. I am on your website now - considering it - couldn't find the internet subject on there. Thanks again - Yep, we have wifi internet access both in the house and the man cave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biodhokie Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Speaking of west virginia, I keep noticing on the GFS snow depth runs where it's stating obscene amounts of snow (here around morgantown >20"), but NWS is calling for 1-3" of snow here. Are they taking into consideration the previous rain and ground being warm? Or are they just not willing to pull the trigger on WSW's until there is near certainty in Sandy's track? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Yep, we have wifi internet access both in the house and the man cave I have sent you a reservation notice - see the email notes on the reservation and let me know on the one or two questions in the form. Appreciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonjon Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Speaking of west virginia, I keep noticing on the GFS snow depth runs where it's stating obscene amounts of snow (here around morgantown >20"), but NWS is calling for 1-3" of snow here. Are they taking into consideration the previous rain and ground being warm? Or are they just not willing to pull the trigger on WSW's until there is near certainty in Sandy's track? NWS Pittsburgh is very conservative (notice how NWS Charleston issued Winter Storm Watches for their highland counties earlier this afternoon, whereas NWS Pit has issued a thing for their highland counties, including here). That's just the way they roll. Plus, Morgantown is just too low in elevation. There will be some snow there, but the amounts will be kept down by the boundary temps along with the warm ground. I think the GFS snow maps use a uniform ratio to calculate the snow depth, not taking into consideration the temps and elevation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxmeddler Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Looking at bufkit real quick from the 18z GFS there at Davis, your temp bottoms out at 23° with ~ 18" of snow with ratios ~12:1. Rates peak at 4.5"/3hr on Tuesday afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonjon Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Looking at bufkit real quick from the 18z GFS there at Davis, your temp bottoms out at 23° with ~ 18" of snow with ratios ~12:1. Rates peak at 4.5"/hr on Tuesday afternoon. That sounds fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biodhokie Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 NWS Pittsburgh is very conservative (notice how NWS Charleston issued Winter Storm Watches for their highland counties earlier this afternoon, whereas NWS Pit has issued a thing for their highland counties, including here). That's just the way they roll. Plus, Morgantown is just too low in elevation. There will be some snow there, but the amounts will be kept down by the boundary temps along with the warm ground. I think the GFS snow maps use a uniform ratio to calculate the snow depth, not taking into consideration the temps and elevation. Thank you! I've been itching to ask that question but didn't want to sound like a considering WV is like that mid-atlantic cousin you don't talk about. In this instance then, would that cause the bufkit data for kmgw to be skewed at well or would that be a better source than the quick graphic of the snow output? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Looking at bufkit real quick from the 18z GFS there at Davis, your temp bottoms out at 23° with ~ 18" of snow with ratios ~12:1. Rates peak at 4.5"/3hr on Tuesday afternoon. Which BUFKIT location are you using? Not seeing Davis on PSU - but I might be missing it for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CranberryWX Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Snowshoe Village, the highest you can get with out getting to the top of Spruce Knob which is the highest elevation but Im sure it would be closed with a few feet of snow on it. So snowshoe village would be your next bet with an elevation of approx. 4500 Feet. Here you may have shelter and easteries on the summit. You would need a Bombardier Snow Cat to get up the road to Spruce Knob if it snows. Last time I was there it was mostly a dirt road. Surprisingly, there are a few residences along the road so they must plow it at least to the houses. Snowshoe would be a neat place to be if you could spare a few days...very expensive though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jburns Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Okay, just checked with the boss (my wife) and she said I can put up snow chasers for this event for no charge (I would probably hope for some tips to cover her time to clean rooms). Just finished my man cave in the carriage house complete with pool table, air hockey/ping pong, 55" Flat Screen, wood burning stove and it catches the wifi from the house. If things go down as the models currently show, we may be throwing a Sandy Blizzacane party with our local friends and just enjoying the event. If you can handle that then you are welcome to come. Frankly, I will need some help trying to measure the snow in this kind of event. We're still a day or two from being in the confidence range that I would like to be in as far as the forecast that would make the trip be worth it, but if you are considering coming you may want to commit sooner than later as we only have 4 guest rooms. Those not familiar with our place/location see our website -- www.meyerhousebandb.com -- we are located in the highest incorporated Town in West Virginia (the house is almost exactly at 3100') -- most cell phone providers have great service here, and we are walking distance to a few restaurants/pubs (and a grocery store!). Getting here from the east won't be too bad -- they just opened another leg of the highway yesterday which basically takes you all the way to the base of the Alleghenies. Its about a 17 mile drive from where you climb the Allegheny front until you reach here -- that will be the only real tough stretch. From DC, its a basic I-66 to I-81 South (just 4 miles on I-81), then 55/48 basically straight here, with only a short stretch in VA not being highway (besides the last 17 miles or so atop the mountain as mentioned earlier). I hope this post doesn't jinx the forecast -- but we'd love to have some people out who would really love to enjoy the experience of this possible event. I'll be coming up from the south should I decide to chase and probably won't get quite that far north. I just wanted to say I looked at your website and your B&B is stunning. It's so nice to see some of the older structures so beautifully renewed and maintained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxmeddler Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Beau, NWS Sterling hosts its own bufkit webpage. The one for Davis is PIE. http://www.erh.noaa.gov/lwx/data/bufkit.php ~Snet form a deivce that cannot speel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Beau, NWS Sterling hosts its own bufkit webpage. The one for Davis is PIE. http://www.erh.noaa....data/bufkit.php ~Snet form a deivce that cannot speel. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffwx Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Looking forward to the pics from you guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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