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Feb. 23-25th Winter Storm Potential


Chicago Storm

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Certainly a wide spread on the new guidance this evening. NAM looks the best given the strong baroclinicy in place. The GFS looks like it would be okay if it didn't suffer the usual feedback issues it's well known for. I'm not quite sure what's up with the GEM. It's hands down the outlier, but it's remained consistent with it's suppressed argument for the past few days. The NAM may not have the exact track and strength nailed quite yet, but I think it and the Euro are the closest to the reality of this storm.

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Despite my pessimism, I'm still watching this with some interest. We might end up being more rain than not but we're not gonna torch with these depictions unless the surface low shifts substantially farther north.

You have more faith than I do. Certainly feels like 36 and rain to me...pretty much like today. Hoping for a miracle though...

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Certainly a wide spread on the new guidance this evening. NAM looks the best given the strong baroclinicy in place. The GFS looks like it would be okay if it didn't suffer the usual feedback issues it's well known for. I'm not quite sure what's up with the GEM. It's hands down the outlier, but it's remained consistent with it's suppressed argument for the past few days. The NAM may not have the exact track and strength nailed quite yet, but I think it and the Euro are the closest to the reality of this storm.

As I mentioned above--the old GFS was famous for the QPF bombs. The GFS is a spectral wave model so its resolution changes a bit with latitude--but the old version was about 40 km. The "new" GFS which debuted in July I believe is down to 25 km and has a new convective scheme as well as a number of other improvements. I can say for a fact it has certainly improved in that department--and testing by NCEP also showed that. It is to be expected with an increase in resolution.

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Certainly a wide spread on the new guidance this evening. NAM looks the best given the strong baroclinicy in place. The GFS looks like it would be okay if it didn't suffer the usual feedback issues it's well known for. I'm not quite sure what's up with the GEM. It's hands down the outlier, but it's remained consistent with it's suppressed argument for the past few days. The NAM may not have the exact track and strength nailed quite yet, but I think it and the Euro are the closest to the reality of this storm.

Per the HPC disco, it also had feedback issues...

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This storm that just passed was a CO low of sorts. the Blizzard was a Texas low. Baro can probably explain better why it did not take the "typical" CO low track up into WI. In short it had to do with blocking in southern Canada etc. Thats the cheapened version.

Thanks for explaining and boy do I miss the lows cutting to Wisconsin unlike most of you. Is it a positive AO and NAO to get this Wisconsin cutter?

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Right track orientation, and probably not far from where I think it ends up, certainly falls in line with the Euro and NAM.

Don't really see much cold air to work with as of yet. With the northern stream already passed, you would think more colder air would filter into this thing. But it doesn't really deepen and its' bringing very moist gulf air north so who knows.

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Per the HPC disco, it also had feedback issues...

I can honestly say it looks more like the GGEM being an awful global model--especially with the way the upper wave "progresses" through the flow (I am referencing the 12Z). From 66-96 hrs it develops two odd looking separate upper waves from one. It doesn't even look realistic--and I have seen the GGEM do weird things like this before in non-convective events. One reason the model is the worst of the globals--well except the unknowns like the NOGAPS and JMA, etc.

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I can honestly say it looks more like the GGEM being an awful global model--especially with the way the upper wave "progresses" through the flow (I am referencing the 12Z). From 66-96 hrs it develops two odd looking separate upper waves from one. It doesn't even look realistic--and I have seen the GGEM do weird things like this before in non-convective events. One reason the model is the worst of the globals--well except the unknowns like the NOGAPS and JMA, etc.

Why do they have these 3 models if there so crappy? Are these 3 even really used at all.

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Why do they have these 3 models if there so crappy? Are these 3 even really used at all.

A long discussion. The GGEM is Canada's, the JMA is Japan's, and the NOGAPS is used by the Navy. All have various uses--and sometimes they are used for things besides simply weather modeling such as initializing other products such as oceanographic models, etc.

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Despite my pessimism, I'm still watching this with some interest. We might end up being more rain than not but we're not gonna torch with these depictions unless the surface low shifts substantially farther north.

Accuweather has 8-12" in LAF Thursday night... The big winner is AOH with 1-2' of snow that night.

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A long discussion. The GGEM is Canada's, the JMA is Japan's, and the NOGAPS is used by the Navy. All have various uses--and sometimes they are used for things besides simply weather modeling such as initializing other products such as oceanographic models, etc.

Thanks for clarifying.

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As I mentioned above--the old GFS was famous for the QPF bombs. The GFS is a spectral wave model so its resolution changes a bit with latitude--but the old version was about 40 km. The "new" GFS which debuted in July I believe is down to 25 km and has a new convective scheme as well as a number of other improvements. I can say for a fact it has certainly improved in that department--and testing by NCEP also showed that. It is to be expected with an increase in resolution.

I *think* we have not noticed it as much recently because of all the blocking etc that was had. Ever since the blocking gave way the models have gone back to their typical biases with storm tracks. Just not as extreme as they had once been except with the RGEM perhaps. Have not looked as closely at 500mb etc so not as sure how they have done with that.

Why again i keep very close tabs on the NAO/AO/EPO and such. Can usually get a good idea as how how the models are gonna trend ( or whatever you wish to call it ) via following that stuff. Ofcourse if the models end up wrong with the NAO/AO and they suddenly flip the other way this method can fail especially the farther out the system is.

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Certainly looks possible. Dare I say a potentially epic February for you guys. Enjoy!

Yeah as Josh noted in the main Feb thread.

That will be a challenge because our snowiest February is actually our snowiest all-time month as well. However we have an EXCELLENT shot at #2:

1.) 38.4" - Feb 1908

2.) 28.5" - Feb 1881

3.) 28.0" - Feb 1900

4.) 28.0" - Feb 1926

5.) 27.0" - Feb 2010

6.) 27.0" - Feb 2011 thru 7pm Feb 21st

ALSO.....we are within spitting distance of cracking the top 20 snowiest winters. At 54.2", DTW is currently tied at #24, just 2.5" more snow and we enter the top 20. If we do, it will be an amazing feat that 5 of the past 9 winters are in the top 20 snowiest winters, considering its a timespan of record of 130 years!

As you can see we are only 1.5" away from #2 and 11.4 from top and it looks like 13" from 40". Hell If we do 30" for the month that would be amazing.

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I *think* we have not noticed it as much recently because of all the blocking etc that was had. Ever since the blocking gave way the models have gone back to their typical biases with storm tracks. Just not as extreme as they had once been except with the RGEM perhaps. Have not looked as closely at 500mb etc so not as sure how they have done with that.

Why again i keep very close tabs on the NAO/AO/EPO and such. Can usually get a good idea as how how the models are gonna trend ( or whatever you wish to call it ) via following that stuff. Ofcourse if the models end up wrong with the NAO/AO and they suddenly flip the other way this method can fail especially the farther out the system is.

Well the discussion regarding the GFS was with the old "qpf bombs" the 40 km GFS had. In that regard--it is way better than previous. As for the storm--I do personally believe it will be farther N than the current GFS--my points through the nite have mainly been to debunk old myths which have long since passedsmile.gif Kinda like the old "Euro always leaves energy in the SW" bias that is brought up far too often. I don't deny teleconnection patterns, bias, or anything else as they are just another piece of the puzzle.

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Yeah as Josh noted in the main Feb thread.

As you can see we are only 1.5" away from #2 and 11.4 from top and it looks like 13" from 40". Hell If we do 30" for the month that would be amazing.

We have approximately 20" around here... currently 7th all time. 5.2" would make us #1 though, making it back to back top 5 snowiest February's ever.

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