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January 31-February 2 MAJOR Winter Storm


Powerball

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DTX expresses higher than normal confidence. Very rare to see that in a big storm like this. Still nervous but getting excited!

LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

QUIET PERIOD FROM SUNDAY INTO MONDAY WILL BE BRIEF AS IT IS LOOKING

INCREASING LIKELY THAT A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT THE REGION

FROM THE LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY TIME FRAME. IN FACT...INITIAL

SHORTWAVE ENERGY SHEARING OUT IN ADVANCE OF THIS MAIN STORM SYSTEM

MAY VERY WELL BRING AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW AS EARLY AS LATE MONDAY

INTO MONDAY NIGHT. WITH DECENT MODEL AGREEMENT ON THIS...FEEL LIGHT

SNOW WILL BE LIKELY DURING THE MONDAY NIGHT PERIOD AND WILL INCLUDE

AN INCH OR TWO FOR ACCUMULATIONS.

THE MAIN STORM SYSTEM IN QUESTION IS WELL DEFINED ON WATER VAPOR

IMAGERY SPINNING INTO THE WEST COAST THIS AFTERNOON. THIS FEATURE

WILL DIG AROUND THE BASE OF A DEEPENING UPPER TROUGH OVER THE

WESTERN CONUS WITH THE TRACK ESSENTIALLY TAKING IT THROUGH THE FOUR

CORNERS REGION INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT.

DURING THIS TIME FRAME...A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE WILL SETTLE

SOUTH/SOUTHEAST FROM THE WESTERN CANADIAN PROVINCES INTO THE

NORTHERN ROCKIES/PLAINS. MODELS VARY ON HOW FAR SOUTH THIS SYSTEM

DIGS INTO THE CONUS...BUT ALL ARE SUFFICIENTLY AGGRESSIVE WITH IT TO

ALLOW FOR SIGNIFICANT AMPLIFICATION OF THE UPPER TROUGH...WHICH WILL

STEER THE SOUTHERN STREAM STORM SYSTEM NORTHEAST INTO THE OHIO

VALLEY/SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES WITH TIME...ONCE IT REORGANIZES EAST OF

THE ROCKIES AND BEGINS TO LIFT OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS.

AT THE RISK OF JINXING THE FORECAST...AS WINTER STORMS GO...THIS ONE

APPEARS TO BE REASONABLY STRAIGHTFORWARD AT THIS POINT. THE SOUTHERN

AND NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVES THAT WILL INTERACT...AND DETERMINE TO

A LARGE EXTENT THE TRACK OF THE MAIN STORM SYSTEM...ARE BOTH ALREADY

WELL DEFINED. SO...THE EVOLUTION OF THE DEEPENING WESTERN TROUGH

SHOULD BE RATHER CLEAN...AS WILL BE RESULTING STORM TRACK. BY FAR

THE TRICKIEST PART OF THE FORECAST WILL COME AS THIS STORM SYSTEM

TAKES AIM ON THE GREAT LAKES AND THE MEAN UPPER TROUGH THAT HAS

PERSISTED OVER EASTERN CANADA AND THE NORTHEASTERN CONUS MUCH OF

THIS WINTER WILL ACT TO STEER THIS SYSTEM EAST ONCE IT LIFTS INTO

THE REGION. THIS...ALONG WITH THE ASSOCIATED DOME OF POLAR/ARCTIC

HIGH PRESSURE DRAPED ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONUS/SOUTHERN CANADA WILL

PRODUCE A SHARP EDGE TO THE MODERATE/HEAVY PRECIPITATION FIELD. THE

NORTHERN EXTENT OF THE HEAVIER SNOW WILL LIKELY ALIGN ACROSS THE

MIDDLE OF LOWER MICHIGAN.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE FORECAST IS THAT THE PROBABILITY OF MODERATE

TO HEAVY SNOWFALL SEEMS RELATIVELY HIGH...EVEN BEING 3-4 DAYS OUT

FROM THE MAIN EVENT...ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. THIS AREA

WOULD EXTEND FROM SAY METRO DETROIT SOUTH TO THE OHIO BORDER WITH A

SLIGHTLY LESSER PROBABILITY FURTHER NORTHWEST. AS FOR THE 12Z MODEL

RUNS...CONSENSUS STRONGLY FAVORS SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS WELL

NORTH THROUGH MUCH...IF NOT ALL...OF THE CWA...WITH THE SHARP CUT

OFF TO LIGHTER ACCUMULATIONS SITUATED THROUGH/JUST NORTH OF THE

SAGINAW VALLEY.

WILL ADJUST THE FORECAST TOWARDS THIS GENERAL IDEA...GIVEN THE

HIGHER THAN NORMAL CONFIDENCE ATTM...BUT MAINTAIN THE LOWER CHANCES

OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN CWA AS ABOUT HALF THE

GLOBAL GEM ENSEMBLE MEMBERS AND A FEW OF THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS

STILL TRACK THE CENTER OF THE STORM SYSTEM FURTHER SOUTH AND JUST

BRUSH SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WITH THE BAND OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL WITHIN

THE DEFORMATION ZONE NORTH OF THE STORM TRACK. IF CONSENSUS TRACK

REMAINS SIMILAR TO TODAY ONCE THE SHORTWAVE IS ONSHORE AND SAMPLED

EVEN BETTER ON SUNDAY...THE NORTHERN EXTENT OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL CAN

LIKELY BE EXTENDED FURTHER NORTH INTO THE SAGINAW VALLEY AND

NORTHERN THUMB REGIONS.

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I think the NAM had one of its "toss it in the bin" runs in terms of the overall track since the northern stream interactions it has seem suspect. 18Z GFS is probably the one to take here--NAM just shows the potential for extreme deepening.

Comes up pretty close to the Euro, but gets there somewhat differently. Biggest difference is the handling of the northern stream, which the GFS has east of the Euro's position and is a little more aggressive with moving it.

It's relatively small, but still a shift north in the track. Past 3 runs have done exactly the same thing. Trend on the GFS is undeniable. I believe the SREFs (minus the ETA) are going to take this one to the bank. Even the NAM/ETA shows the explosive deepening potential, as you noted.

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Doesn't look like, keeps it around 995 into the eastern Lakes area.

Yeah not yet it looks like. GFS itself is insane--it does seem the GFS will likely trend stronger given the Euro/nonhydro guidance.

Comes up pretty close to the Euro, but gets there somewhat differently. Biggest difference is the handling of the northern stream, which the GFS has east of the Euro's position and is a little more aggressive with moving it.

It's relatively small, but still a shift north in the track. Past 3 runs have done exactly the same thing. Trend on the GFS is undeniable. I believe the SREFs (minus the ETA) are going to take this one to the bank. Even the NAM/ETA shows the explosive deepening potential, as you noted.

Agreed. GFS alone is wicked strong with the low level wind fields as that ridiculous baro zone is processed. I think if the Euro track were to verify and if the GFS keeps ticking a tad N, the SREF/NAM potential in terms of deepening are plain scary. This storm is looking more and more like a historic one.

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Yeah not yet it looks like. GFS itself is insane--it does seem the GFS will likely trend stronger given the Euro/nonhydro guidance.

Agreed. GFS alone is wicked strong with the low level wind fields as that ridiculous baro zone is processed. I think if the Euro track were to verify and if the GFS keeps ticking a tad N, the SREF/NAM potential in terms of deepening are plain scary. This storm is looking more and more like a historic one.

At this point I can't help but think there will be a bigger impact than '99 and could possibly come close to rivaling '78 in some areas. Only differences are that '78 was a more dazzling meteorological display and a bigger windmaker, but other than that???

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Pretty easy to see the slow, but steady shifts to the north every run.

Some folks complain about the GFS and claim its lack of value--but this is exactly why it is such a good and reliable global model. It typically makes small but verifiable and trackable changes in the height/dynamic fields that a forecaster can reliably make use of. Euro/GFS are the best global models for that very reason-IMO. Compare with the CMC--and the CMC looks like junk in comparison.

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Some folks complain about the GFS and claim its lack of value--but this is exactly why it is such a good and reliable global model. It typically makes small but verifiable and trackable changes in the height/dynamic fields that a forecaster can reliable make use of. Euro/GFS are the best global models for that very reason-IMO.

Didn't you in the past trash the GFS?

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Didn't you in the past trash the GFS?

Overall no. Perhaps in past events it had its ugly moments and I may have suggested "tossing" it or giving it less credence--but all guidance has those moments. I mean in an overall sense--a very solid global model. Buckeye said he thinks I am a "salesman" for the GFS. Not quite haha--but it is very good overall. In terms of specific storms sometimes it stinks it up--but the Euro does the same thing--as does every other model.

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