mayjawintastawm

Never really got going here. 4.3" as of 7 AM. Still snowing lightly.

Lots of dryslotting this evening for most of the Metro area as band has set up just E. I think we have just about an inch. Hopefully this will fill in...

NOW we'll definitely get a foot.

BOU AFD says "NAM is generally discounted in these types of situations." Maybe it doesn't handle upslope well. We could use a FRM (Front Range Model) that assumes Boulder down to Genesee will always win, and go from there. Maybe the folks at NCAR could whip something up.

Interesting question. Haven't been to Fairbanks or Yakutsk (would be fun sometime), but have driven in -20 to -30 F a bunch. My sense is that it's a function of the friction the tires exert on the ice, which is why driving normally and turning, accelerating or decelerating slowly does not make you slide. When it's that cold, you can take more liberties than you can at, say, +20 F. Of course, jamming on the brakes at any temperature will make you slide, even if it's rubber on asphalt without ice in between. The other factor is temperature of your tires, which builds up as you drive and can make a microlayer of water melt even if the ice underneath is cold. Someone else can talk about rubber compounds for snow tires cause I don't know anything about that. Corollary to that is skiing in very cold temps- XC skiers need different waxes for different temps to achieve that perfect balance of grip vs glide. Wax for +20 when it's -20 and you won't slide much at all.

That's why it's the No Accumulation Model. Misses stuff so frequently outside of 36 hrs. Would love to hear an opinion from an actual met about why.

thanks. Yes, Flagstaff is Arizona, isn't it. I don't think Arizona weather is discussed much in the forum (nor is Utah, much) - good opportunity to start a thread, and maybe attract some other posters from AZ! Also, saw that you might be from Tamaqua. Super interesting weather around there with the rain/snow/ice line always nearby... we lived in Allentown and Bethlehem back in the early to mid 90s.

Front yard is bare (bring it on), back yard is a big mess of melting glacier that would be nice to get some air to before the next storm. Still, beggars can't be choosers.

Arizona has weather?

Bumping the winter thread up, last 2 weeks super boring in the Front Range Urban Corridor. Still some glacier left from late Dec. Totals so far: Dec 12.2", Jan 1.3", season to date 23.3". Nothing really on the horizon.

Feels like the Midwest... damp, foggy and 27 F. Colder than 0 and sunny.

I wonder how the NWS and organizations with more local expertise like CAIC coordinate- broad warnings are perhaps most useful to raise awareness and drive people to state or local avalanche info sites.

that does seem pretty lame- 6" in 12 hrs or 8" in 24 hrs doesn't seem likely anywhere in the metro area... no explanation in the BOU AFD.

Who knows about tomorrow, but the snow finally finished melting into my rain gauge, with a whopping 1.6" water from the Wed/Thurs event. No wonder my back hurts. Finished with almost 16" water this year, with more than 10% falling in that 8 hour period this week! Hard to tell exactly, since sublimation and blowing frequently underestimates SWE.

There you go. I was out of town a couple decades ago (1995?) when I lived in Eastern PA and they got a record-breaking 2+ foot storm. And roads were closed for days so I couldn't even get back to experience it after!

10.2" from this storm. Valpovike and Smokeybandit, what did you get? I was surprised it went on as long as it did.

Just over 4" here at 10 PM, and snowing probably an inch an hour. Super heavy, 10:1 or less.

Changed here about 7:30, now dumping heavy wet snow.

Light rain and low 40s this afternoon, rare for this time of year. Gloomy. Makes me glad I don't live in Chicago or the PNW. Models go nuts with QPF this evening, and our change to snow is almost always quicker than others. We will see! Putting the snow board out in the yard now.

A rancher friend of mine just north of Burlington CO observed a temp drop of 53 degrees (47 to -6) in 50 minutes yesterday afternoon on her home weather station. That struck me as a possible state record if it were official, but I can't find any CO state records like that. DEN broke the station record yesterday with a 42 degree 1-hour drop, and the national record is 58 degrees in Spearfish SD in 1943. Anyone have any info about what the CO state record is, or even if one exists? Would be cool to tell her that her place broke a record, even if unofficial.

We got 1.6" with a low of -14. Once the sun came out it was actually enjoyable with adequate clothing. My year-old Irish Wolfhound was enjoying it immensely. Somehow the cold doesn't bother her feet as much as with the other dogs.

Temp dropped 23 degrees in 60 seconds here at 4:22 PM. Now it's -1 and sand is falling from the sky.

Unfortunately, probably too much wind to see what that 50:1 looks like. A couple inches of windblown sand with drifts in the corners, most likely.

I'm thinking that if the current forecast temps verify, Thursday AM could be the coldest day in the Denver Metro since we moved here in August 2010, and if the winds verify, definitely the coldest with windchill. Anyone been here long enough/have the data to back that up, or not? EDIT: Nope, looks like it was -20 at DEN on 12/30/14. Still wonder about the windchill, don't know where to get data for that.

Hope there's snow with it if that happens. Tired of being freeze-dried. 0.4" total from the "storm" last night and today.