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Central PA Thread - Met. Winter 11-12 Obs/Disco


PennMan

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One thing looks certain, after whatever happens next week, the following week is torch city. I don't know if you guys look at other subforums, but the medium range thread in the Philly forum and the one on the main forecasting forum are good to read. Lot of the talk there is quite warm last week of January, not sure how long that would last.

If it doesn't snow, might as well torch. Back home a torch meant you'd walk around in summer gear and might even have to use the AC. Here it'll just be nice crisp weather. This cold rain crap is the worst kind of weather, period.

The GFS looks decent for a few inches in C PA. N PA gets clobbered like you guys said, and W PA makes out well. Steep NW to SE gradient taken literally.

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Did a little digging and came across this:

rofthumb.gif

Seems that in this particular scenario with how this system develops, I would imagine that rules 3 and 4 would best apply. And they would favor western PA/NY given the model solutions thus far. GFS puts moves 500 low squarely over PA and NAM more over the western part of PA. Looks like a pretty handy little list of things to use if we ever get..you know.. a legit east coast snowstorm this year.

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Did a little digging and came across this:

rofthumb.gif

Seems that in this particular scenario with how this system develops, I would imagine that rules 3 and 4 would best apply. And they would favor western PA/NY given the model solutions thus far. GFS puts moves 500 low squarely over PA and NAM more over the western part of PA. Looks like a pretty handy little list of things to use if we ever get..you know.. a legit east coast snowstorm this year.

So what you thinking for the Pittsburgh area? I'm thinking a really quick, intense 2-4 inch thump in a a 3 hour period, then another 1-3 after with lingering snow showers and LES?

Could be wrong though?

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So what you thinking for the Pittsburgh area? I'm thinking a really quick, intense 2-4 inch thump in a a 3 hour period, then another 1-3 after with lingering snow showers and LES?

Could be wrong though?

Thats a pretty safe call at this point for at least the 2-4 part, with the LES being it's usual hit or miss. 0z GFS arguably might even have more snowfall than that since it seems to have a more established deform in western PA vs the NAM, which really doesn't go too crazy with one. Just checked NWS Pit's discussion and did see mention of them thinking a subadvisory event but would consider headlines due to the rapid freezeup potential. CTP also mentioned the term "high impact sub-advisory" in their AFD. So they both seem to be thinking likely a 1-3 inch type snowfall with the high impacts of rapid freezeup from the temp drops and a good bit of wind, potentially getting near advisory type criteria. I don't think folks further east should sell this event short if in fact some squalls associated with the front gets all the way to say, Harrisburg, Lancaster, etc. Sure it might only dump a coating to an inch but it may be enough to make things a mess.

In the end, I anticipate Pittsburgh will end up needing to put up advisories for most of their coverage area with CTP to at least include Cambria, Somerset, Clearfield, and on up into that NW part of their coverage. So I personally think a 2-3 inch type of event, is probably would Pittsburgh sees.. but there is the potential for more synoptically given the strength of this upper level low. Of course, there is the potential that there could be less if b-layer issues waste too much of the beginning as rain or if a heavier deform band doesn't establish. Gonna be a very interesting event to watch unfold. Euro should be fun tonight.

By the way, nice to see the 0z GFS says July cancel in the long term.. for now.

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Yea euro doesn't appear to have any mind blowing changes looking at the text, a few tenths for the ones that are the best candidates for seeing appreciable snowfall. Perhaps a tenth or so for HGR and MDT that might qualify as snow.

I am like 10 miles north of there. Wish they had a text data close to me. But if HGR is .10" then I might be like .15"

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Pretty solid AFD overnight update thus far from CTP.. synopsis

.SYNOPSIS...

A COMPLEX FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL LIFT NORTHWARD ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA

EARLY TODAY WITH STEADY RAINS TAPERING TO SCATTERED SHOWERS BY THE

AFTERNOON. MILD SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL HELP BOOST DAYTIME TEMPERATURES

SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL CLOSED LOW

AND ASSOCIATED ARCTIC FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING THROUGH THE OHIO

VALLEY INTO THE NORTHEAST STATES WILL BRING ACCUMULATING SNOWS TO

MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA LATER TONIGHT INTO

EARLY FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP RAPIDLY FROM WEST TO EAST BEHIND

STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN THE WAKE OF THE ARCTIC FRONTAL PASSAGE. LAKE

EFFECT AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL FOLLOW FOR THE END OF THE

WEEK AND LAST INTO THE WEEKEND...WITH ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATION

LIKELY. THE COLD AND BRISK WEATHER WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE

WEEKEND AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH GRIPS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.

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PAZ036-121730-

FRANKLIN-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHAMBERSBURG

1224 AM EST THU JAN 12 2012

.THURSDAY NIGHT...RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY. SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER

MIDNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH POSSIBLE. COOLER WITH LOWS

IN THE UPPER 20S. SOUTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH...INCREASING TO 15 TO

20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF

PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

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This would be my first guess... looks like majority of the precip will be rain for most of us. We'll see if 12z suggests anything different. The bigger story will be the fall in temperatures creating a big black ice problem for the Friday morning commute.

UNV: Dusting - 1"

IPT: Dusting - 1"

MDT: Flurries

JST: 2" - 4"

PIT: 2" - 4"

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This would be my first guess... looks like majority of the precip will be rain for most of us. We'll see if 12z suggests anything different. The bigger story will be the fall in temperatures creating a big black ice problem for the Friday morning commute.

UNV: Dusting - 1"

IPT: Dusting - 1"

MDT: Flurries

JST: 2" - 4"

PIT: 2" - 4"

For UNV it's the GFS vs. the NAM. The NAM is mostly rain, GFS has more snow.

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