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December 2011 General Disc/Obs


Ellinwood

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A couple of our mets today have been discussing the possible light snow/flurry situation for Fri night. The NAM just took a big jump with the precip to our south for that time period. Have no idea if it could bring it even further north, but anyway ...........

don't forget we're still talking about this winter (so far)

850 maps alone are gonna' fail us w/o a peak at the surface temps too

http://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/NCOMAGWEB/appcontroller?prevPage=Param&MainPage=indexℑ=&page=Param&cycle=12%2F14%2F2011+00UTC&rname=SFC-LAYER+PARMS&pname=10m_wnd_precip&pdesc=&model=NAM&area=NAMER&cat=MODEL+GUIDANCE&fcast=078&areaDesc=North+America+-+US+Canada+and+northern+Mexico&prevArea=NAMER&currKey=model&returnToModel=&imageSize=M

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I think that would be the top end possibility. Some pixie dust for someone. In a Nina these events usually get washed out and very little moisture makes it into the cold sector.

Agree, but this years precip events don't seem to be following a typical Nina. I guess it's that pumped up ridge, but it seems every precip event has been heavy and rolling right through here. It would make perfect sense though to finally get some cooperating temps only to see the precip squashed underneath us.

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A couple of our mets today have been discussing the possible light snow/flurry situation for Fri night. The NAM just took a big jump with the precip to our south for that time period. Have no idea if it could bring it even further north, but anyway ...........

This little wave is a double edged sword, the whole positioning of the front on Thursday when it lays itself down. The surface wave is going to go right south of that front. So if the front lays itself to the south then were cold and mostly cloudy. If it's north, you've temperature issues.

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don't forget we're still talking about this winter (so far)

850 maps alone are gonna' fail us w/o a peak at the surface temps too

http://mag.ncep.noaa...el=&imageSize=M

Yes, but that map would put me below freezing and you right at it. I would think that would yield snow. Maybe not accumulations, but at least snow. Probably a waste of time anyway, precip has a long way to go to get to us.

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Yes, but that map would put me below freezing and you right at it. I would think that would yield snow. Maybe not accumulations, but at least snow. Probably a waste of time anyway, precip has a long way to go to get to us.

meh, I hate playing the "doubter" role here (although I get to know how Wes feels!), but thicknesses are above 540 as well, sooooo

http://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/NCOMAGWEB/appcontroller?prevPage=Param&MainPage=indexℑ=&page=Param&cycle=12%2F14%2F2011+00UTC&rname=SFC-LAYER+PARMS&pname=1000_500_thick&pdesc=&model=NAM&area=NAMER&cat=MODEL+GUIDANCE&fcast=078&areaDesc=North+America+-+US+Canada+and+northern+Mexico&prevArea=NAMER&currKey=model&returnToModel=&imageSize=M

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This little wave is a double edged sword, the whole positioning of the front on Thursday when it lays itself down. The surface wave is going to go right south of that front. So if the front lays itself to the south then were cold and mostly cloudy. If it's north, you've temperature issues.

Couldn't a stronger wave also ride south of that front and also throw some precip further into the cold air?

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Couldn't a stronger wave also ride south of that front and also throw some precip further into the cold air?

Very hard to do in this situation, the upper level forcing to generate such lift it deeply imbedded in zonal flow between the SE ridge and the passing s/w in Ontario. If it did try to amplify it would simply be sheared apart.

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06z NAM says "mmmmmmmmaybe" for some snow showers Fri night/Sat morning, bringing the 540 line down to DC as precip rolls through. 06z GFS more suppressed to the south and a bit warmer.

The edge of the precip field goes from Richmond @ 00 to DC @ 06 which is a 100 mile jump. North trend anyone? Hard to get excited about the NAM though until it gets within 36 to 48 hours.

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0z Euro ensemble mean looks pretty good at Day 10. Big +PNA ridge, split flow and rising heights over the pole (but still probably a +AO). NAO is ragingly positive, but we can still get cold air with a +NAO. Having such a potent PNA ridge on a Day 10 ensemble mean is a pretty strong signal. 0z Euro Op is also advertising the +PNA, but has the AO and NAO more positive than the ensemble mean. 6z GFS ensemble mean looks a lot like the Euro ensemble mean at Day 10, but then the GFS breaks down the PNA ridge afterwards and restrengthens the AO.

Given the apparent signals that the AO should be weakening, we'll see if that becomes a persistent signal.

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12z GFS seems a bit more interesting... though through 63 lacking on precip. 850 line is south of DC toward the RIC area... precip field is a bit more expansive than the 12z NAM with measurable precip (i.e. .01") reaching the DC area... so perhaps a few flurries DC south. Most of the precip is down in N NC

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Oh GFS...you're such a little teasesleep.png

Pops a Nor'easter along the cold front overnight on the 23rd into the 24th...

http://raleighwx.americanwx.com/models/gfs/12zgfs850mbTSLPp12228.gif

http://raleighwx.americanwx.com/models/gfs/12zgfs850mbTSLPp12240.gif

But basically has no deformation zone, so no precip gets back to our area. This looks somewhat like some of those more exciting ensemble members from yesterday. Will be interesting to see if the Euro or ensembles support this at all. Boxing Day 2010 redux?

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12z GFS ensemble mean does it. Threads the needle with strength of the low and amount of confluence to bring the 0.1" precip contour up to roughly a IAD-BWI line.

http://raleighwx.americanwx.com/models/gfsensemble/12zgfsensemblep12072.gif

This is about as good as it's going to get with this set up, so let's lock it in, shall we?

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Gotcha...I thought she liked snow...

Anyway...most of the individual members are more amped with this storm and most get SOME precip to the Mason-Dixon. To my eye, only 2 of the members are weaker than the Op and 2 are quite similar to the Op. The rest throw more precip up our way. And yes...it's snow.

Interestingly, most of the individual members are also a bit more amped with precip for the 2nd vortmax to swing through on Sunday and give our area some more snow showers/flurries.

As for the storm next Wed/Thurs, seems like solutions are all over the map.

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Gotcha...I thought she liked snow...

Anyway...most of the individual members are more amped with this storm and most get SOME precip to the Mason-Dixon. To my eye, only 2 of the members are weaker than the Op and 2 are quite similar to the Op. The rest throw more precip up our way. And yes...it's snow.

Interestingly, most of the individual members are also a bit more amped with precip for the 2nd vortmax to swing through on Sunday and give our area some more snow showers/flurries.

As for the storm next Wed/Thurs, seems like solutions are all over the map.

The ensemble mean looks good... I will lock in an inch ;)

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Don't see much gfs chatter so I figured I toss out what I kinda like.

Weekend holds some slim hope. Got a decent thermal profile with no precip to speak of. Will the n trend that has been scewing us actually save us this time? Probably not but if enough precip does shift north at least the column looks good for snow (correct me if I'm wrong on this because I'm not sure)

Chilly Christmas still on tap after what appears to be a brush with some rain Christmas eve. Something to at least keep half an eyeball too. Shift the trough axis east a little and amp it up a little and the storm could bring a little light snow because 850's are cold enough. 500 vorticity from 216-240 looks interesting. Not great but worth watching.

End of the run FINALLY shows some real ridging over part of Greenland. Strong NAO forecast for a few days leading up to new years. Not an optimal ridge placement but good grief its been a while since I've seen a decent -nao forecast.

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12z GFS ensemble mean does it. Threads the needle with strength of the low and amount of confluence to bring the 0.1" precip contour up to roughly a IAD-BWI line.

http://raleighwx.ame...emblep12072.gif

This is about as good as it's going to get with this set up, so let's lock it in, shall we?

Ens. mean even looks to get some snow down to me this weekend.

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