Chinook Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 I got about 3 inches of snow. It seems to be letting up. It is quite windy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I'll call it 10 inches roughly. Was 9.5" till the snow board fell victim to construction of the year's only snow fort... a worthy sacrifice! Density somewhat more than typical, too... couldn't really measure but thinking around 12:1 based on shoveling effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandy Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Took advantage of the snowstorm to go on a hike. Here are a few pictures... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famartin Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Good stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardWx Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Another storm tomorrow night here, looking at 1-2 inches probably. Then things warm up some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famartin Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Vandy, at what elevation were your photos taken? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandy Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Thanks! It was enjoyable getting them. The first picture was at around 6200ft. The second and fourth were around 7300ft. The third was taken around 8400ft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 good bit o'vertical for a snowy hike! I tried to read the trail sign on pic #2 to identify where you were but couldn't quite make it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I think the recorded water equivalents at DEN and APA were not accurate on Sunday. DEN got only 0.25" (9" snow) and APA 0.12" (no snow measurement at airport but two readings of 10" within 5 miles) by the CF6 data, and I sure did not shovel 83:1 snow. Does wind/drifting keep it from getting into the can? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinook Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 They should do snow ratios by taking a cylinder of snow and melting it down. But they probably don't. When I was at the Fort Collins CSU weather station, we used a 4" plastic rain gauge and took a chunk of snow off the ground, and melted it by mixing it with hot water. We had to measure the hot water that was poured on it, and then measure the resulting water. We used the inner section of the rain gauge to measure accurately, but the outer section of the rain gauge to take the chunk. I forgot how it worked exactly. I think my area got 3.5" + on Sunday, and south Fort Collins got 4.5" to 6.5" It is now windy and I am seeing a few flakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famartin Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I think the recorded water equivalents at DEN and APA were not accurate on Sunday. DEN got only 0.25" (9" snow) and APA 0.12" (no snow measurement at airport but two readings of 10" within 5 miles) by the CF6 data, and I sure did not shovel 83:1 snow. Does wind/drifting keep it from getting into the can? There are two issues at work here. The first is the ASOS precipitation gauges. There are two precipitation gauges which have been fielded for ASOS. Many have the older-style Automated Heated Tipping Bucket (AHTB); it is atrocious with snow and particularly windy snow. APA may have one of those; I'm not sure. The newer gauge is called the All-Weather Precipitation Accumulation Gauge (AWPAG). They work better but still suffer from lower totals during wind-blown snow events. A lesser number of sites have the new gauge because it is more expensive to construct and maintain (and the FAA was not interested in funding the upgrade); however, I'm sure DEN is one of the sites that has an AWPAG. The second issue is that snowfall is not measured on-site for many locations; last I checked this was the case at DEN. Thus, the ASOS can in fact realistically report a lower precipitation amount if more snow actually accumulated at the location where they are now measuring. Realistically the snow measuring location should be within two miles of the ASOS, while legally I think the limit is 5 miles; however, I've heard of sites which break both rules, unfortunately. I could not speak as to why; you'd have to ask the local WFO about it. In any case, precipitation should also be measured at the snow measurement site and substituted for the ASOS measurement if things don't look realistic; obviously that was not done with DEN, at least not yet. It may be an error by the operational staff; usually someone is assigned specifically to be responsible for such things and correct mistakes, but they may not have been working during or after the event yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Very cool. Perhaps there are not as many geeks at the measuring stations as there are on this board. Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famartin Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 Very cool. Perhaps there are not as many geeks at the measuring stations as there are on this board. Thanks for the info! Of course, if you want to try this out yourself, you should join CoCoRaHS http://www.cocorahs.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 well, looks like there is a small hole in the COCORAHS network where I live though there are a couple stations about 5-6 miles away in either direction. I should look into this as far as requirements go and if my yard is suitable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinook Posted March 1, 2013 Author Share Posted March 1, 2013 Try meeting Nolan Doesken if you sign up for CoCoRAHS. I saw a funny cartoon on Jim Cantore's twitter feed. Jim Cantore finds the groundhog frozen in a snowbank! picture from Sunday: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PottercountyWXobserver Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Anybody from California here? or west coast in general? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO SciFan Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 So we enter into our make or break month for moisture in Colorado, any guesses on the chances for a wet snowy month along the CO Front Range? Living in Fort Collins, I am really hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's disastrous fire season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Pottercty: there were a couple about a year ago but have not heard much. SciFan: Looking at the powerpoint on the NWS BOU website, they are skeptical. Let's hope something unexpected materializes. Last spring/summer was not much fun. I am told by natives that weather in Denver used to be a lot different, with a reliably green spring. I am starting to wonder if we are in the dry phase of a multi-year cycle. But I don't know anything really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famartin Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Rose above 50 here in Elko today for the first time since December 11th! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinook Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 It rose above 50 here for the first time since February 17th. I guess the last two weeks really have been a cold period of time. The mountains are starting to look pretty brown again. The models and ensembles are showing a Four Corners low at 7 days and 8 days. I wonder if this will be the next weather maker for Denver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Yesterday's GFS showed a potential drought-buster in SE CO right where they need it on day 7-9. Today it changes and looks very meh for us with another OK/KS storm in about 6-7 days. At least the mountains are doing better with a lot of bits of fluff each day that add up. 62 here today, 5 degrees warmer than my relatives on the Central FL coast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blizzardmeiser Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Took advantage of the snowstorm to go on a hike. Here are a few pictures... Nice pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinook Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Yesterday's GFS showed a potential drought-buster in SE CO right where they need it on day 7-9. Today it changes and looks very meh for us with another OK/KS storm in about 6-7 days. At least the mountains are doing better with a lot of bits of fluff each day that add up. 62 here today, 5 degrees warmer than my relatives on the Central FL coast! Todays 12z ECMWF shows a pretty large area of precip on the Front Range next Saturday morning. (According to wunderground.com) Looks like 850mb is 0C and the thickness is around 5520m. So this could be a rain/snow event if it happens. One thing is for sure this winter: don't bet on tons of precipitation at 6-7 days. (At least if you are me!) Getting out of the drought will be a long process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinook Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Fort Collins has gotten about 1" of snow today. This is a surprise, since I thought it would be dry and windy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Few bits of snow here in Aurora as well. We have a visitor at work from PA who is very confused, having come yesterday when it was oce and warm... Looks like the 12Z GFS is back to something more substantial on Saturday, like the ECMWF was yesterday, now the ECMWF is less organized with something moving S-N into Nebraska which doesn't make much sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famartin Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Few bits of snow here in Aurora as well. We have a visitor at work from PA who is very confused, having come yesterday when it was oce and warm... Looks like the 12Z GFS is back to something more substantial on Saturday, like the ECMWF was yesterday, now the ECMWF is less organized with something moving S-N into Nebraska which doesn't make much sense to me. Must be someone who just isn't weather savvy, there can be odd twists in the weather there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinook Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 This looks fun. over 12" for Longmont. Over 1.0" of QPF for the Front Range and all nearby areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinook Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 We had around 1" with lighter winds, then it became sunny, with wind gusts of 20 to 40mph, and the snow melted and the roads dried out. The radar showed a very long west-east snow band at 21z when it was around Denver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowDeac Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Greetings from the rainy Southeast. After being snow-starved for 2 years (we did receive around 2.5 inches a few weeks ago), I'm heading out to Jackson Hole on Friday through next Wednesday. Anyone want to take a stab at what we might can expect in terms of snow? To my untrained eye, it looks like we might be hitting it at a good time, with some decent snow tonight through Thursday, and then the next storm coming in on Monday. A mix of blue sky and fresh powder is tough to beat. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayjawintastawm Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 HPC is bullish on the weekend storm with over 1" QPF, but 12Z GFS pulled back some with about 0.5". I can't find a good way to get ECMWF precip data and wunderground just confuses the heck out of me (and the ads make my computer hang) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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