Itstrainingtime

For southern tier county peeps, this morning has that retro 70s look...filtered sunshine through high cirrus with mid level clouds to the south. Almost looks like there might be a southern snowstorm. I saw this sky all too frequently in the 70s and early 80s. Back then all I could do was to try and will it north...never worked out, lol

It is forced...though I can't remember the last time I posted a snow map. Hey, my daughter is the skier of my family and so I rely on her feedback, but she swears that Roundtop does grooming better than even some of the "big boys" in the Poconos.

Not sure if this is all of it, but Roundtop will make as much as 6"-8" of snow on a very good night. That means no wind or a slight breeze with a W-NW component. That snow is beat down incessantly by the cats running up and down the mountain overnight. That process continues night after night, conditions permitting so that it's essentially forming a glacier. To illustrate better - during a really good week of snowmaking when they can blow 24/7 they might make 50-60" of snow on select trails. When all is said and finished, that becomes a 15"-20" base. But that 15"-20" base is nothing like snow cover in our yards, it is packed and packed and packed until it's frozen solid. Then the groom puts nice veil of corduroy on top so the skier isn't sliding on ice. Also, Roundtop benefits from having the vast majority of the terrain face north - they don't lose much on a sunny, dry day. High temp/high dew/fog/rain is what kills their base. Barring that they can keep going even in the skimpiest years of falling snow.

Amazing to me the lack of snow in the Laurel Highlands and down into WV. Not often you take a trip west on the turnpike to Pittsburgh in February and see nothing but green.

Actually...yes. If some of the long range guidance is correct we're gonna get our perfect winter pattern...well into spring. BTW - I think you were the first in here to call for a crapfest winter when most of the rest of us were singing some good vibes right along with Chris Janson.

Seems like the very end of February/beginning of March offers at least some legitimate hope...

Yep - it's all about what you've become accustomed to. And sadly what we've become accustomed to this winter is mild days and and even milder nights. Normal cold suddenly feels extra-cold.

Thanks for digging that information up! In my mind I'm not going to remember this winter for the abnormally warm days, it's been the warm nights that will really stand out. Very few nights below 20 and none in the single digits. That speaks to how cloudy and damp it's been more than anything else. If we would have had a run of sunny warm days...then we'd be talking about historic instead of noteworthy.

Yep...though the Doctor hasn't made a house call on this one yet.

Parts of the Carolinas might get a decent snow later this week. Good for them!

Today is another over-performer for temps. Seems to happen very frequently.

Makes one wonder how long there was snow cover...

I guess, I've already been outvoted by both you and @daxx so I'll concede. My hangup on '82 was really about the temp and wind...21 degrees at noon in Lancaster on April 6th? 9' drifts? Regardless...good luck seeing either of those events happen again.

I was spending my lunch hour reading about 1982...many long-time mets consider that to be #1 for rare northeast blizzards. And it was a true blizzard meeting every criteria and then some. I know that March 2018 was incredible and historic but you really need to remember 1982 to appreciate it for what it was. My goodness, I was reading some articles and I was getting goosebumps...I think even I was underestimating how incredible the storm was! For any time! I was wrong about it being 25 at noon that Tuesday - a little digging and I discovered that Lancaster was 21 degrees at high noon... That storm was the first time that a Blizzard Warning was issued for NYC, I read. I remember being transported by snowmobile to my family doctor during the winter of 1972 but couldn't tell you when. I was 6 but remember all of our back roads being drifted shut, so my dad hailed our neighbor and off on his sled to the doctor in Columbia I went!

If so I have no recollection. Another crazy weather event was on 10/9/1979 when the first game of the World Series was snowed out at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. I remember this because I had tickets. For the record, I received 1" of snow that morning. Earliest measurable snow that I remember by a long shot.

100% correct buddy! Both storms were historic and one of a kind for sure - as an enthusiast and after some reflection I'd rate 1982 higher for one reason...how often is it 25 degrees midday on April 6th? The snow/wind/temp trio produced epic drifting for any month let alone April. I was a junior in high school and remember going outside in the middle of the day thinking to myself that it had the look of early January. It was incredible stuff! I often wonder which is more anomalous...and I'd love to get @MAG5035 thoughts on this - is getting 5.5" of snow in Lancaster a bigger deal on October 29th or getting 9" of snow on April 6th? I think about that kind of stuff a lot.

Talk about a rarity!

Best spring snowstorm? That's easy...4/6/1982. 9" of pure fluff with temps midday in the 20s and winds cranking over 40mph. We had a drift over 9' in our driveway. On April freaking 6th.

Just to add - the vast majority of us love snow. We love it in a special way, a way in which when we have winters like this one it has an affect on us. I freely admit that this season has frustrated me to the point where I need to coach myself to stay positive. It seems silly to allow the weather to have such a profound influence in one's life but I know that for many of us...there's at least some element of truth in that. With that said... ...As I stated on Saturday, I went back and reread every post going back 3.5 months. Given the level of futility in comparison to normal, this thread has remained remarkably positive throughout. Sure...frustration and disappointment have surfaced. We're human beings and this is place to come and feel safe sharing thoughts, opinions and the like with people that are "like us." But if others here are as disappointed by the turn of events as I've been; well, we've all done one heckuva job at keeping the ship afloat. As for having banter threads and other 'off topic" threads...I don't know that we have the volume of posters to support that. It might be a good idea...just don't know if we can logistically support it.

Even though I personally do not like long-range snow maps at all, (they are garbage) I respect you, your opinions and there's certainly nothing "wrong" with posting weather maps in a weather forum. Your optimism is unmatched in this forum. What I don't understand is why you continue to post about negative posters in this thread when you immediately follow up by saying that those posters aren't in this thread? If the negative posters are elsewhere, than that doesn't need to keep coming up in this thread. You have repeatedly stated this for the past week or two. (at least) MAG made a call out a week or so ago specifically stating that no one in this thread was being negative. It's not just a few of us saying that.

You had to open up that can or worms...

It's fine. I wouldn't say he was all gung ho...he just thinks we'll get something at some point.

I think (?) he moved to Virginia and was posting in the mid-Atlantic thread for a while.

@Bubbler86 not sure what the high will be at MDT, the 4pm reading was 34...

Yep. Easternuswx was his name. Before that I think he was "Mr. B"