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Upstate NY/North Country + adjacent ON, QC, VT: Middle of Winter


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THE BITTERLY COLD TEMPERATURES GRIPPING THE REGION WILL MODERATE

SLIGHTLY ON FRIDAY AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES TO OUR EAST

AND LOW-LEVEL WINDS BACK TO THE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST. THIS WILL ALSO

BRING AN END TO LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS FOR MOST OF THE AREA...EXCEPT

PERHAPS THE THOUSAND ISLANDS. RISING HEIGHTS SHOULD ALLOW FOR

TEMPERATURES TO REBOUND BACK INTO THE TEENS ON FRIDAY.

OUR ATTENTION FOR THE WEEKEND TURNS TO THE STRONGLY AMPLIFYING RIDGE

OVER THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA. THE SHARPLY TIGHTENING HEIGHT

GRADIENT BETWEEN THIS RIDGE WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A

POWERFUL JET STREAK THAT WILL COME DIVING ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST

FRIDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER DEEP LOW DROPS OUT OF THE CANADIAN

ARCTIC TO THE VICINITY OF JAMES BAY BY SATURDAY EVENING. A LOOK AT

THE 1.5 PVU SURFACES OF BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS IS UNNERVING AS

HEIGHTS DROP TO ANYWHERE FROM 650MB TO 725MB IN THE VICINITY OF

SOUTHERN ONTARIO WITH A 980ISH MB SURFACE LOW REACHING MAXIMUM

INTENSITY OVER THE OTTAWA VALLEY SATURDAY. WHILE THERE ARE

TIMING/POSITION DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODELS REGARDING THE FINER

DETAILS...THIS SCENARIO BEARS CLOSE WATCHING AS IT COULD BRING A

POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SNOWSTORM/WIND EVENT TO THE LOWER GREAT

LAKES THIS WEEKEND FOLLOWED BY YET ANOTHER ROUND OF VERY COLD

TEMPERATURES FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND WELL INTO NEXT WEEK

AS THE LONGWAVE TROUGH SETS UP ACROSS THE REGION. NEEDLESS TO SAY

THIS COULD ALSO RESULT IN POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT LAKE EFFECT

SNOWS...AT LEAST EAST OF LAKE ONTARIO...ALONG WITH POTENTIALLY

DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS. WINTER WILL BE HERE TO STAY FOR QUITE SOME

TIME.

:popcorn:

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By saying "above avg" i meant a 100"+ winter, last one we had was back in 2010.

 

Buffalos average is near 100 inches per year. So us being 15 inches above normal for the date sets us up for 100+ year easily. Lake Erie is usually 80%+ frozen by the end January so its a little ahead of schedule. After todays snowfall gets added to KBUF, we only need around 30 more inches for the entire season. Its certainly doable since we have 3 more months of potential snowfall.

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yes and LOL @ Sherman,i loved the part where Erin told him "“who was talking about you”? 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elatO5E8pGs

 

Haha! A rare LES event for metro Chicago!

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHTTONIGHT TO NOON CST TUESDAY...* TIMING...A BAND OF HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT  PORTIONS OF LAKE COUNTY LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE TO MEANDER  AROUND THE COUNTY TUESDAY MORNING BEFORE MOVING EAST INTO  PORTER COUNTY TUESDAY AFTERNOON.* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW IS LIKELY...MAINLY  OVER THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF LAKE COUNTY WHERE ISOLATED  TOTALS OVER A FOOT ARE POSSIBLE.* OTHER IMPACTS...WITHIN THE NARROW INTENSE HEAVY SNOW BAND  SNOWFALL RATES IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED  WITH VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO.

TotalSnow_Fcst.png

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Haha! A rare LES event for metro Chicago!

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHTTONIGHT TO NOON CST TUESDAY...* TIMING...A BAND OF HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT  PORTIONS OF LAKE COUNTY LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE TO MEANDER  AROUND THE COUNTY TUESDAY MORNING BEFORE MOVING EAST INTO  PORTER COUNTY TUESDAY AFTERNOON.* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW IS LIKELY...MAINLY  OVER THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF LAKE COUNTY WHERE ISOLATED  TOTALS OVER A FOOT ARE POSSIBLE.* OTHER IMPACTS...WITHIN THE NARROW INTENSE HEAVY SNOW BAND  SNOWFALL RATES IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED  WITH VISIBILITIES NEAR ZERO.

TotalSnow_Fcst.png

If i remember correctly, don't they need that rare NE'rly winds?

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Calling all Mets out there. Is this article/statement actually true?

 

The maximum total was 42” at Depew (7 miles east of Buffalo) over a 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. on December 3. West Seneca (about 7 miles southeast of downtown Buffalo) totaled 30” with 7” of this falling in just one 30 minute period between 3:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. on December 2nd according to local storm spotters. If true, this would be one of the, if not the, most intense point snowfall on record anywhere in the world.

 

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/lakeeffect-snowstorms-recent-and-historical

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Just a general question for upstaters. Why is Watertown often so bitterly cold, compared to places around it? Often it is even colder than Ottawa, a two hour drive north. As I type it is already fifteen below  in the city. Does the Watertown/Fort Drum/ Gouverneur area get a lot of radiational cooling due to its topography?

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Just a general question for upstaters. Why is Watertown often so bitterly cold, compared to places around it? Often it is even colder than Ottawa, a two hour drive north. As I type it is already fifteen below  in the city. Does the Watertown/Fort Drum/ Gouverneur area get a lot of radiational cooling due to its topography?

Pretty sure the cold readings we see in and around KART are caused by local topography being somewhat bowl-shaped, allowing cold air to drain into the area from the north, as well as the ADKs to the east.  

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Watertown now down to an incredible 20 below while Ottawa, to its north is at 6 below!

It's actually down to -15F @ the city, the kart airport is about 6 miles west from the city and it's away from any urban heating.. btw coldest reading in NY state goes to Old Forge which was -52F set back in Feb 18th 1979.

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Yeah, its an extremely rare occurrence. That entire fetch of lake Michigan gets into play. Going to be some INSANE rates within that band and its nearly twice as long as Lake Erie.

 

Defiitely very rare for it to be pure lake effect.  They get enhancement on that flow a few times a year, but nothing like this.  In fact, they had an equal or greater event just a few weeks ago. (I may have saved some screenshots... I'll check.)  It's been an incredible year so far for the Northeast and Great Lakes.  Nice radar loop btw!

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Pretty sure the cold readings we see in and around KART are caused by local topography being somewhat bowl-shaped, allowing cold air to drain into the area from the north, as well as the ADKs to the east.  

Another very important factor to remember is that Watertown often doesnt feel the effects of any of the great lakes under certain wind regimes.  Therefore, watertown pretty much has a clear line of sight to the North Pole, no upstream modification of the airmass. 

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Did anyone see the visibile satellite from this afternoon?  The amount of ice cover on the great lakes is staggering.  Quicks estimates put Superior at nearly 50 percent iced over, Huron around 40 percent iced up, and Erie around 85-90 percent.  Ontario and Michigan are still holding strong though.  

 

With the next two weeks pretty much locked into well below average temperatures we may witness the most ice cover on the great lakes in a very very long time.  Likely the most in my life.  Pretty awesome stuff

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Latest AFD out of BUF still suggests the potential for a significant wind/snow event for the Lower Great Lakes.

A PIECE OF THIS ENERGY IN THE FORM OF A POTENT SHORTWAVE
WILL DROP ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES FRIDAY NIGHT INTO
SATURDAY…SPAWNING A DEEP SURFACE LOW TRACKING FROM NORTHERN
ONTARIO ACROSS THE OTTAWA VALLEY AND INTO QUEBEC. MODEL CONSENSUS
SUGGESTS THAT THE LOWER GREAT LAKES WILL BE IN A FAVORABLE POSITION
WITH REGARDS TO THE SURFACE LOW AND UPPER LEVEL FEATURES FOR A
POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT WIND/SNOW EVENT TO UNFOLD FRIDAY NIGHT INTO
SATURDAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL BRING YET ANOTHER SHOT OF
BITTERLY COLD ARCTIC AIR INTO THE REGION. FOLLOWING THE COLD FRONTAL
PASSAGE SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT...DEEP CYCLONIC FLOW WITH VERY COLD
TEMPERATURES SETS UP ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL
TO LEAD TO AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANT LAKE SNOWS
EAST/SOUTHEAST OF LAKE ONTARIO STARTING SUNDAY AND POSSIBLY LASTING
INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE COMING WEEK...PARTICULARLY IF THE UPSTREAM
CONNECTIONS TO THE UPPER GREAT LAKES SUGGESTED BY CURRENT GUIDANCE
ARE REALIZED. ACTIVITY OFF LAKE ERIE WILL LIKELY BE SIGNIFICANTLY
HAMPERED BY THE ICE COVERAGE ON THE LAKE.

 

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Did anyone see the visibile satellite from this afternoon?  The amount of ice cover on the great lakes is staggering.  Quicks estimates put Superior at nearly 50 percent iced over, Huron around 40 percent iced up, and Erie around 85-90 percent.  Ontario and Michigan are still holding strong though.  

 

With the next two weeks pretty much locked into well below average temperatures we may witness the most ice cover on the great lakes in a very very long time.  Likely the most in my life.  Pretty awesome stuff

If this cold keeps up, we might get that rare 98-100% ice coverage out of lake erie.

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Calling all Mets out there. Is this article/statement actually true?

 

The maximum total was 42” at Depew (7 miles east of Buffalo) over a 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. on December 3. West Seneca (about 7 miles southeast of downtown Buffalo) totaled 30” with 7” of this falling in just one 30 minute period between 3:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. on December 2nd according to local storm spotters. If true, this would be one of the, if not the, most intense point snowfall on record anywhere in the world.

 

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/lakeeffect-snowstorms-recent-and-historical

No way...that band wasn't that intense.  That was just moderate band that hung out in the same area for a very long time.  The average rates in that south Buffalo band were in the 1.5-2"/hr. range.  

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It feels like I have spent the past 3 years smoking cirrus and being cold while NYC and the coast cash in on big snowstorms.

This past few winters SUCKS for central upstate NY.

Yeah, ever since I moved out of southern CT in 2001, they've been getting clocked. Blizzard warnings almost every winter (however bogus those turn out to be).  Couldn't buy a decent snowstorm down there for 2 decades with just a few exceptions, and most of them were winter of 95/96 or 1980s. Winter of 96-97 we had ZERO snow in SE CT after November...though it did sleet a few times. :axe:

 

Look on the bright side...Anyone north of I-84 down there is getting shafted with this storm. We are not them.  We had zero expectations...and we have met them! ;)

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No way...that band wasn't that intense.  That was just moderate band that hung out in the same area for a very long time.  The average rates in that south Buffalo band were in the 1.5-2"/hr. range.  

 

I thought so. The highest rates I can remember were back in the 2001 event. Weren't there some 4-6 inch per hour stuff during that?

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According to http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/ which has been quite accurate:

 

Erie 87.2%, Huron 37.2%, Superior 28.8%, Michigan 23.8%, Ontario 5.6%. And it projects Erie hitting 95% this weekend. That hasn't happened in a while, at least since I've been following it. And it stinks, next week had some good potential for SW/WSW Metro dumping. :(

 

Yeah, except this is normally the time of year in which Lake Erie freezes over. So it freezing over completely by this weekend is about a week ahead of schedule.

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