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December 2011 General Disc/Obs


Ellinwood

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The Euro is pretty much a bummer...but I guess we knew that.....looks like a pretty good cold dump next weekend, but it probably is pretty modified by the time it gets here and the dry type that lags a brief ok pattern and leads another bad one....Maybe -5-10 departures for 2-3 days....does that excite anyone?.....probably highs around 40 for DCA with lows in the upper 20s for a day or 2 then probably back to upper 40s/low 50s after that....I don't think we torch, but I think the 1st 15 days of December to me if I was making a guess would be in the +2 to +3 range as an average...with no snow.....

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The Euro is pretty much a bummer...but I guess we knew that.....looks like a pretty good cold dump next weekend, but it probably is pretty modified by the time it gets here and the dry type that lags a brief ok pattern and leads another bad one....Maybe -5-10 departures for 2-3 days....does that excite anyone?.....probably highs around 40 for DCA with lows in the upper 20s for a day or 2 then probably back to upper 40s/low 50s after that....I don't think we torch, but I think the 1st 15 days of December to me if I was making a guess would be in the +2 to +3 range as an average...with no snow.....

That sounds about right to me. The sicouraging thing about the euro is how positive it has the nao and ao.

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That sounds about right to me. The sicouraging thing about the euro is how positive it has the nao and ao.

yes..the cold shot is pretty good but how cold can we get at our latitude/longitude with no high latitude blocking....it looks like mostly a southwest flow but we probably get a brief dome of high pressure that bleeds us some modified air....I don't mind crisp sunny air...I kind of like it...Will you play golf next weekend with a high of say 41 and breezy?

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yes..the cold shot is pretty good but how cold can we get at our latitude/longitude with no high latitude blocking....it looks like mostly a southwest flow but we probably get a brief dome of high pressure that bleeds us some modified air....I don't mind crisp sunny air...I kind of like it...Will you play golf next weekend with a high of say 41 and breezy?

I do play in weather that cold though I don't like breezy. Yesterday I played in a sweatshirt and was fine but got cold last night while reading. I must have lost more body heat than I thought while playing. I haven't looked real close at which days will be nest for golfing next week but probably will play at least once during the week prior to weekend.

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I do play in weather that cold though I don't like breezy. Yesterday I played in a sweatshirt and was fine but got cold last night while reading. I must have lost more body heat than I thought while playing. I haven't looked real close at which days will be nest for golfing next week but probably will play at least once during the week prior to weekend.

Here was the beginning of the dump of cold air in 2007 that started the pattern reversal..It looks like we have some blocking here..this led to single digit - departures....but then we got a block over Greenland and got massive double digit departures for 2 weeks....I guess depending on the level of blocking these dumps from a ridge near Alaska aren't that good for us..I am starting to see more why with a +AO/NAO/-PNA a -EPO doesn't really help us that much....

post-66-0-02140900-1322856069.gif

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The blocking is key. Without having some type of high pressure across the north, it's hard to bring the really cold low level air southward even behind a front as the winds turn so quickly to the southwest once the low goes by. If you do get a high, it's usually one that modifies as it comes eastward from the plains. I do see us getting a shot of cold air coming up but think it is transient. Note that therer are signs that the epo may go back positive. That and a positive nao would signal a big warm up down the road. That epo switch is still up in the air but would fit most likely tropical forcing. The bad think about the progs is they don't have to get the waves quite right and this pattern still blows as the thing they probably have the most skill with are the giant polar vortex . That both the gfs and euro continue to show it is pretty telling (I think)

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Down to 24 last night but I still have not burned a single log of wood yet this fall or winter. Just when it seems like it will be cold enough to fire up the stove we get another day in the mid 50's. I love the snow but this fall has been absolutely beautiful.

This is the latest since having my cabin in 2006 that I have not turned on my backup heat. I use the wood stove when I am there and the bath tile floor heat but yes it has been a nice season. Even with the low sun angle solar is keeping up, monthly bill (oct-nov) yesterday $5.10. that is pretty low considering the monthly connection fee is $5.00 LOL

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This is the latest since having my cabin in 2006 that I have not turned on my backup heat. I use the wood stove when I am there and the bath tile floor heat but yes it has been a nice season. Even with the low sun angle solar is keeping up, monthly bill (oct-nov) yesterday $5.10. that is pretty low considering the monthly connection fee is $5.00 LOL

Charleston recorded it's 5th warmest November on record.

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Wow...overnight model runs were cold. Euro and 0z and 6z GFS all advertising a significant to possibly severe cold outbreak next Sunday (11th). 6z GFS even has a beautiful 384hr fantasy SECS/MECS.

The 06Z GFS storm sure looks bogus, look at the ao on its ensemble mean, its again off the charts.

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Great pic, Kenny!

Thanks, Katie!

Had to rub it in didn't ya Kenny? I didn't even get home from work until 9:30 last night. I will be there next month when you set up or even this month if you go again. The only time I'm out of town for the next 2 months is the second half of xmas week through new years.

I've got several sessions in planning. It's tough to try to plan for the optimal viewing conditions (full moon is not good since it's too bright to view) "half/quarter" moon or even a crescent is better because it brings out the shadows on the craters. Jupiter should be good for a while still.

I guess you won't be able to make the December 30 one. Looking at the charts - January 28th (providing good weather) would be pretty optimal in terms of moon and Jupiter and some other deeper sky objects.

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With a strong +AO/+NAO?

The storm or the cold shot? The GFS shows a reasonable pattern for both. You don't need a -NAO or -AO to get cold/snow, it just makes the odds that much better. For the cold shot, the western ridge shoots way north into the Arctic Ocean and there's ridging over the Labrador Sea. In between, a piece of the PV gets shoved south and whammo...big cold shot. For the 384hr fantasy, there's some western ridging inland (which is typically a better spot for coastals) and then troughing north of Newfoundland and then ridging back toward Greenland. AO is still mega-positive, but the pattern otherwise looks conducive.

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I guess you won't be able to make the December 30 one. Looking at the charts - January 28th (providing good weather) would be pretty optimal in terms of moon and Jupiter and some other deeper sky objects.

Damn, looks that way. I had to tell my son a white lie last night. I told him you dropped the telescope and it's in the shop. lol

The good thing is that I'm pretty flexible and we live pretty close to each other. I can usually slide out at a moment's notice without problem. The worst part about having to work last night is that I own the darn company. It was an important meeting though or I would have blown it off in a second.

Did you see Jupiter or any deep space objects last night?

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Damn, looks that way. I had to tell my son a white lie last night. I told him you dropped the telescope and it's in the shop. lol

The good thing is that I'm pretty flexible and we live pretty close to each other. I can usually slide out at a moment's notice without problem. The worst part about having to work last night is that I own the darn company. It was an important meeting though or I would have blown it off in a second.

Did you see Jupiter or any deep space objects last night?

Yeah we got a good look at Jupiter and the moon. No issues with frost or dew on the scope so that was a relief. Providing good weather and low humidity for Jan 28th that day pretty much looks like a lock. Might even be better viewing conditions than last night - moon will be slightly less full.

Oh and I'm banking on having a solar filter by then so if you can make it out there even earlier - we might be able to score some good views of the surface of the sun! That'll be a first even for me.

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