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January 31-February 2 MAJOR Winter Storm


Powerball

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HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AND IMPRESSIVE QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECASTS BEING INDICATED IN SEVERAL MODELS HEIGHTEN THE CONCERN FOR A MAJOR WINTER STORM AND HEAVY SNOWFALL EVENT. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE GIVEN COLD THERMAL PROFILES SUGGESTING LIQUID TO SNOW RATIOS POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 20 TO 1 NORTH AND 15 TO 1 SOUTH WITH OPTIMAL SNOW GROWTH. MODEL PRECIPITATION FORECASTS AT THIS TIME RANGE TEND TO BE OVERDONE BUT CONSENSUS SEEMS TO BE AN INCH OR MOREOF PRECIPITATION...WITH LATEST 12Z ECMWF CLOSER TO 2 INCHES OF QPF FOR ENTIRE EVENT. EVEN A VERY CONSERVATIVE APPROACH WITH THESETOTALS WILL YIELD A SIGNIFICANT SNOW BAND OF UPWARDS OF A FOOT WITHIN HEAVIEST AXIS. THE EXTREME END COULD YIELD UPWARDS OF 20 INCHES...A RARE EVENT OUTSIDE OF LAKE EFFECT FOR OUR AREA. COMPLICATING THE HEAVY SNOW THREAT WILL BE AN INCREASING PRESSUREGRADIENT BETWEEN 996MB LOW PRESSURE AND 1046MB SURFACE HIGH WHICH WILL CREATE SURFACE WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH. THESE WINDS COUPLED WITH THE DRIER SNOW WILL LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING WITH NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS POSSIBLE...EVEN WITH LESS SNOW AMOUNTS.

That is part of this evening's Area Forecast Discussion from the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana.

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Another key factor is that it nearly extends to the ground. So you can continue crystal growth almost to the surface. Conversely, as has been mentioned already, the winds will have a significant effect on breaking up the dendrites as they fall.

So the more wind the less the ratios are? Never paid attention to how the wind may affect ratios.

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My sister was living in Springfield when this event happened. It was chaos in the city as everything went down. They had to move down to Branson and live in a hotel for over a week for this.

yeah it was pretty bad and I hope nobody sees that kind of ice accumulation. The only catch is, seeing sleet kind of pisses you off since you know just a few degrees and it could be snow piling up.

Congrats on your internship. You have a real passion for meteorology.

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NAM through 36 hours--the upper height field has some small changes. One big change is the southern stream wave and a stronger mid-level wind max near the base of the overall PV max. What I think will happen is as the trough ejects over the plains that speed max will pivot to the eastward side of the PV max and will likely be stronger than the 18Z solution. We will see--this has potential to tick N-NW if that speed max can advect enough DPVA to speed up the wave into the plains ahead of the northern stream.

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