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Richmond Metro/ Hampton roads obs/disco winter thread


Midlo Snow Maker

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Well, here are snowstorms delivering 1.0" or more at RIC during the first 10 days of December since 1897. So, anything over 3" would be pretty significant for the time of the month.

3.0" December 10, 1904

1.2" December 8, 1922

1.0" December 9, 1931

3.2" December 10-11, 1934

2.2" December 5-6, 1954

2.1" December 4, 1957

2.8" December 7, 1968

1.7" December 8, 1976

1.8" December 9, 1988

5.9" December 8-9, 1989

1.5" December 7, 1995

5.0" December 4-5, 2002

4.4" December 5-6, 2005

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Well, here are snowstorms delivering 1.0" or more at RIC during the first 10 days of December since 1897. So, anything over 3" would be pretty significant for the time of the month.

3.0" December 10, 1904

1.2" December 8, 1922

1.0" December 9, 1931

3.2" December 10-11, 1934

2.2" December 5-6, 1954

2.1" December 4, 1957

2.8" December 7, 1968

1.7" December 8, 1976

1.8" December 9, 1988

5.9" December 8-9, 1989

1.5" December 7, 1995

5.0" December 4-5, 2002

4.4" December 5-6, 2005

Dec 89

post-4-0-40349800-1290356196.jpg

post-4-0-92882400-1290356150.jpg

post-4-0-49231300-1290356235.jpg

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December 8-9, 1989 was progged to deliver upwards of around a foot at RIC. It would've certainly broken records as the earliest 12 inch storm. Too bad after a few inches, IP and ZR took its toll. SBY, however, did manage to hit 10" from that storm.

There are some discrepancies on the official total for that storm. 3.9" fell on the 8th, but NCDC has 2.0" in some databases and 0.2" in others for 9th. When you look at the official NCDC daily snowfall record for 12/9, it's is 2.0" in 1989. This is even evident on AKQ's local climate page when you look at the RIC daily climate records. NCDC also has 11.7" monthly total, but it's 9.9" when you pull the data from AKQ's monthly top 10 snowfall totals for Richmond. However, when you look at CLIRIC for 12/9, it clearly has 2.0" (1989) as the daily snowfall record for that day. Also, looking at the hourly observations for 12/9, it's believable that 2.0" fell that day as there was a changeover back to snow during the evening of 12/8/89.

This is just one of several things that should be addressed between the NWS and NCDC given that the 1981-2010 normals, means and extremes are to be released. There is a lot of missing snowfall data (1995-2001) in NCDC's database due to ASOS installation at Richmond that the NWS should submit tickets to get filled in.

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All it takes is a good couple weeks of a great pattern to make or break the winter. (i.e. 1999-00),

That storm is a favorite of mine because it is the last time I can remember being truly surprised by a snowstorm.

I hope we get another December 5th event.

EDIT: 12z GFS is torture

gfs_pcp_348l.gif

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70* was the 2:00 observation at KRIC on the other side of town. I'm currently showing 71.3* out here in Short Pump. I'd expect the airport to be 72 or higher at the next obs in 8 minutes. I thought tomorrow was supposed to be the warmest day?

Records for KRIC are 74* today and 76* tomorrow. We might come up just short on both. Still, holy crap. Can summer end now?

KD

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My outlaws from MN are meeting us in Indianapolis on Thursday for Thanksgiving at Cracker Barrell. I heard they might be getting some bad weather on Wednesday, so I checked out their forecast. Get this:

Wednesday: Rain, snow and freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with sleet before 4pm, then freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with snow and sleet between 4pm and 5pm, then freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with snow after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 34. Breezy, with a southeast wind between 15 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

They must have some pretty serious forecasters up there to have Wednesday afternoon nailed down like that. :unsure:

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My outlaws from MN are meeting us in Indianapolis on Thursday for Thanksgiving at Cracker Barrell. I heard they might be getting some bad weather on Wednesday, so I check out their forecast. Get this:

Wednesday: Rain, snow and freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with sleet before 4pm, then freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with snow and sleet between 4pm and 5pm, then freezing rain likely, possibly mixed with snow after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 34. Breezy, with a southeast wind between 15 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

They must have some pretty serious forecasters up there to have Wednesday afternoon nailed down like that. :unsure:

It is the Midwest. What do you expect?

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That storm is a favorite of mine because it is the last time I can remember being truly surprised by a snowstorm.

I hope we get another December 5th event.

EDIT: 12z GFS is torture

Yes, January 2000 was a great storm probably my favorite of all time. Richmond had 5 consecutive hours of +SN BLSN. There was quite a bit of drifting, too and it was really hard to measure.

duncan to give his winter outlook at 11pm tonight

WTVR 6 will have there winter outlook on the news at 11pm on Tuesday Night

So what did these outlooks say?

It is the Midwest. What do you expect?

I wish I was where I used to live (Seattle) right now with 4" of snow on the ground and blowing snow and only 20°F.:snowman:

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That looks pretty serious. Glad I am moving this weekend, instead of then.

If that verified, it would be a hell of a snowstorm for Richmond given the time of the year. There have only been two instances since 1897 where Richmond recorded 6.0" or more prior to December 10th.

November 6-7, 1953 (7.3")

November 25-27, 1938 (9.2")**

**this measurement was taken at the old Chimborazo Park station as observations continued there until the 1950s. However, the airport recorded 4.4" for this storm.

Fluke events do take place, but you have to go with climo and climo tells me such a storm in early December won't happen.

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Yes, January 2000 was a great storm probably my favorite of all time. Richmond had 5 consecutive hours of +SN BLSN. There was quite a bit of drifting, too and it was really hard to measure.

That storm was CRAZY out in the Valley. I lived in Fishersville but still went to Staunton City Schools. Woke up, looked outside, snow was EVERYWHERE. City schools were delayed 2 hrs. I go back to sleep and when I wake up city schools were STILL only delayed 2 hours. I get dressed, etc. and call my mom because she worked for the city schools. WTF?!?!?

"Just go slow, once you make it out of the neighborhood you'll be fine."

So, I clean off the car and leave. It takes 10 minutes for me to get up the hill (driving east) out of my neighborhood in 6" of snow, +SN BLSN, etc. I get to US250 and turn west. Within 1.5 miles, I go from 6" to NOTHING. Not a single flake of snow had accumulated not much more than 1,500 to 2,000 feet from my house (as the crow flies) while I had 6" on the ground. I was speechless.

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That storm was CRAZY out in the Valley. I lived in Fishersville but still went to Staunton City Schools. Woke up, looked outside, snow was EVERYWHERE. City schools were delayed 2 hrs. I go back to sleep and when I wake up city schools were STILL only delayed 2 hours. I get dressed, etc. and call my mom because she worked for the city schools. WTF?!?!?

"Just go slow, once you make it out of the neighborhood you'll be fine."

So, I clean off the car and leave. It takes 10 minutes for me to get up the hill (driving east) out of my neighborhood in 6" of snow, +SN BLSN, etc. I get to US250 and turn west. Within 1.5 miles, I go from 6" to NOTHING. Not a single flake of snow had accumulated not much more than 1,500 to 2,000 feet from my house (as the crow flies) while I had 6" on the ground. I was speechless.

Yeah, Western VA, particularly once you got past US 15, the accumulations were under 10".

If you click here, you can view the radar imagery of that storm. As it goes into motion, take note of the really bright echos over C NC that were responsible for RDU's record 20.3". Places from Petersburg to South Hill to RDU got at least 18" and I was extremely jealous of that back then.:( Anyway, it was an awesome event....better than January 1996, IMO and afterwards, RIC reached -1°F with quite a few spots in C VA reaching -5°F to -10°F. Plus, the snow remained on the ground for 10 consecutive days officially.

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Yes, January 2000 was a great storm probably my favorite of all time. Richmond had 5 consecutive hours of +SN BLSN. There was quite a bit of drifting, too and it was really hard to measure.

So what did these outlooks say?

I wish I was where I used to live (Seattle) right now with 4" of snow on the ground and blowing snow and only 20°F.:snowman:

NBC 12 is calling for mild winter with more rain than snow with ice storm risks. They are calling for near normal or below normal snowfall 13.0 Inches or lower.

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