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December 26th - 27th Winter Storm


Powerball

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In addition to the potential storms, there is a feature on the hemispheric maps that excites me substantially, if you look at the Euro, you'll notice a very powerful UL jet streak (possibly over 200 kts) associated with an abnormally tight pressure gradient that has been over Asia slowly moving eastward. In the 168-192 hours, you'll notice this feature (I've circled it) migrating eastward, things could get very hairy should this make it to the west coast...

nhhgt500mb168r.jpg

nhhgt500mb192.jpg

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In addition to the potential storms, there is a feature on the hemispheric maps that excites me substantially, if you look at the Euro, you'll notice a very powerful UL jet streak (possibly over 200 kts) associated with an abnormally tight pressure gradient that has been over Asia slowly moving eastward. In the 168-192 hours, you'll notice this feature (I've circled it) migrating eastward, things could get very hairy should this make it to the west coast...

nhhgt500mb168r.jpg

nhhgt500mb192.jpg

I'm interested in hearing more about this, such as what impacts a feature like that would have?

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I'm interested in hearing more about this, such as what impacts a feature like that would have?

Should it continue relatively unabated, it would have the potential to carve out a pretty impressive system, but this is far out so it's best just to wait for now.

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LMK getting excited...

A much more significant weather system will arrive on the 26th.

Both the 00z GFS/ECM and ensembles track a strong low pressure

system just to the west of the Appalachian spine which may set us up

for our first significant snow. If the low pressure system takes its

current forecast track, precipitation would enter the area Wed

morning with the bulk of precip occurring Wed during the day and

then exiting late Wed night or Thurs morning.

Although there is still much uncertainty in the track of this

weather system 6 days out, the possibility is there for significant

snow based on the low track and anticipated thermal profiles. BUFKIT

GFS showed 8 inches at SDF with a little more than 0.5 inch of qpf.

The soundings denote a classic heavy snow sounding with subzero and

deep isothermal layer super saturated. The synoptic features of

interest are a 110 kt jet max entering a the base of a deepening

trough.

For now will have 60% pops on the 26th with rain in the morning and

then snow in the afternoon and Wed night. Bing Crosby`s I`m dreaming

of a White Christmas may happen, just 24 hours later.

Stay tuned for upcoming forecast updates as this weather system may

put a kink in holiday travel plans.

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IND AFD

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN

330 AM EST FRI DEC 21 2012

.LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...

ISSUED AT 330 AM EST FRI DEC 20 2012

THERE ARE TWO SYSTEMS WHICH WILL AFFECT OUR WEATHER DURING THE

EXTENDED PERIOD. THE FIRST ONE IS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WHICH WILL

TRACK ACROSS OR SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF CENTRAL INDIANA AROUND MONDAY. THE

SECOND ONE IS A DEEPENING UPPER TROUGH WHICH SEVERAL MODELS

STRENGTHEN INTO A CLOSED UPPER LOW WHICH MOVES ACROSS TENNESSEE AND

EASTERN KENTUCKY AROUND WEDNESDAY.

LOW LEVEL THICKNESS WILL BE HIGH ENOUGH WITH THE FIRST SYSTEM FOR

PRECIPITATION TO BE PRIMARILY RAIN MONDAY. HOWEVER THERE MAY BE A

LITTLE SNOW MONDAY EVENING ACROSS NORTHERN BEFORE PRECIPITATION ENDS

AS THIS SYSTEM PULLS OUT.

MODELS HAVE TRENDED DRIER ON CHRISTMAS DAY AND AND ANY MENTION OF

PRECIP HAS BEEN REMOVED.

THERE IS STILL QUITE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MODELS ON THE

WEDNESDAY SYSTEM. THE GEM MODEL TRACKS THE SURFACE LOW FAR ENOUGH TO

THE SOUTHEAST TO ONLY GENERATE LOW CHANCES OF SNOW AROUND WEDNESDAY.

WHILE THE EURO AND GFS REMAIN MORE AGGRESSIVE IN BRINGING PRECIP

ACROSS OUR REGION WEDNESDAY. IF THE EUROPEAN IS CORRECT...THIS

COULD DEVELOP INTO A MAJOR SNOW STORM. ALL MODELS INDICATE LOW LEVEL

THICKNESS WILL BE COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW...SO THE QUESTION WILL BE

POPS AND EVENTUALLY HOW MUCH. GIVEN THAT THE EUROPEAN LOOKS PRETTY

POTENT AND THE GFS ALSO SUPPORTS LIKELY POPS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST

HALF OF OUR REGION...WILL NOT LOWER POPS ANYWHERE WEDNESDAY DESPITE

ALL BLEND AND CONSALL NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED A LITTLE.

ALL MODELS INDICATE ANY PRECIP SHOULD BE ABOUT OVER BY THURSDAY. FOR

NOW WILL ONLY MENTION 20 PERCENT POPS.

WENT NEAR ALL BLEND TEMPERATURES MONDAY AND TUESDAY AND SLIGHTLY

COLDER THAN ALL BLEND TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY GIVEN THE

EURO AND MOST OF THE OTHER MODELS HAVE TRENDED A LITTLE COLDER TOO.

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interesting 00z runs. GFS held serve. Euro kept with basic idea of storm yet weaker. BUT ggem, ukie, and nogaps all crushed the storm OTS. I thought it was odd to see three models suddenly come up with that solution together.

Not sure if that's a signal for a trend east or not. I still think most likely change to track would be further nw with more phasing showing up.

Just looking at the 6z nogaps, (yea I know), but it did bring back the app runner again.

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Interesting disco on next weeks storm. Goldilocks position of the front?

THE REASON WHY THE MODELS HAVE BEEN ALTERNATING BETWEEN A POWERFUL WINTER CYCLONE IN THE PLAINS AND A WEAK DISTURBANCE HAS BEEN DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE BAROCLINIC ZONE /OR COLD FRONT/ WHEN THE

DISTURBANCE REACHES THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. THE TREND IN MOST OF THE MODELS HAS BEEN TO MOVE THE FRONT/BAROCLINIC ZONE INTO SOUTH TEXAS. AS A RESULT THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRAVELS OVER TEXAS

WITHOUT STRENGTHENING BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS ARE WEAK SO FAR BEHIND THE FRONT. THE SYSTEM THUS DOES NOT INTENSIFY UNTIL IT REACHES THE NORTHERN GULF COAST WHERE A BAROCLINIC ZONE EXISTS.

THIS SCENARIO...WHICH WE ARE CURRENTLY FORECASTING...IS ONE THAT WOULD ONLY PRODUCE LIGHT AMOUNTS OF WINTER PRECIP. THIS IS BECAUSE THE SYSTEM WILL BE WEAK AND HAS NO ACCESS TO THE THERMAL GRADIENTS

IT NEEDS TO INTENSIFY. AN INTENSIFYING LOW WOULD BE ABLE AUGMENT THE WIND FIELDS AND THUS TAP INTO THE GULF FOR MOISTURE.

IN ORDER TO GET A SIGNIFICANT SNOW STORM HERE...WE WOULD NEED THE FRONT TO BE FARTHER NORTH THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST...BUT NOT SO FAR NORTH THAT THE SYSTEM BEGINS ITS POLEWARD TURN AND STAYS NORTH OF

THE REGION ALTOGETHER. WE NEED A GOLDILOCKS POSITION OF THIS FRONT. AGAIN...KNOWING THE PRECISE LOCATION OF A FRONT BEYOND 5 DAYS IS THE DIFFICULTY WITH THIS FORECAST. THANKFULLY THE LEAD SHORTWAVE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOCATION OF THIS FRONT WILL BE ONSHORE IN CALIFORNIA SATURDAY AND WILL BE SAMPLED BY THE BALLOON

NETWORK. IN ADDITION...WE WILL BE IN RANGE OF THE NAM BY TOMORROW FOR HAVING ANOTHER OPINION ON THIS FRONT/S STRENGTH AND LOCATION MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...EVEN IF WE DONT GET AN EXPLICIT DEC 25TH FORECAST FROM THE NAM UNTIL SATURDAY.

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Interesting disco on next weeks storm. Goldilocks position of the front?

THE REASON WHY THE MODELS HAVE BEEN ALTERNATING BETWEEN A POWERFUL WINTER CYCLONE IN THE PLAINS AND A WEAK DISTURBANCE HAS BEEN DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE BAROCLINIC ZONE /OR COLD FRONT/ WHEN THE

DISTURBANCE REACHES THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. THE TREND IN MOST OF THE MODELS HAS BEEN TO MOVE THE FRONT/BAROCLINIC ZONE INTO SOUTH TEXAS. AS A RESULT THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRAVELS OVER TEXAS

WITHOUT STRENGTHENING BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS ARE WEAK SO FAR BEHIND THE FRONT. THE SYSTEM THUS DOES NOT INTENSIFY UNTIL IT REACHES THE NORTHERN GULF COAST WHERE A BAROCLINIC ZONE EXISTS.

THIS SCENARIO...WHICH WE ARE CURRENTLY FORECASTING...IS ONE THAT WOULD ONLY PRODUCE LIGHT AMOUNTS OF WINTER PRECIP. THIS IS BECAUSE THE SYSTEM WILL BE WEAK AND HAS NO ACCESS TO THE THERMAL GRADIENTS

IT NEEDS TO INTENSIFY. AN INTENSIFYING LOW WOULD BE ABLE AUGMENT THE WIND FIELDS AND THUS TAP INTO THE GULF FOR MOISTURE.

IN ORDER TO GET A SIGNIFICANT SNOW STORM HERE...WE WOULD NEED THE FRONT TO BE FARTHER NORTH THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST...BUT NOT SO FAR NORTH THAT THE SYSTEM BEGINS ITS POLEWARD TURN AND STAYS NORTH OF

THE REGION ALTOGETHER. WE NEED A GOLDILOCKS POSITION OF THIS FRONT. AGAIN...KNOWING THE PRECISE LOCATION OF A FRONT BEYOND 5 DAYS IS THE DIFFICULTY WITH THIS FORECAST. THANKFULLY THE LEAD SHORTWAVE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOCATION OF THIS FRONT WILL BE ONSHORE IN CALIFORNIA SATURDAY AND WILL BE SAMPLED BY THE BALLOON

NETWORK. IN ADDITION...WE WILL BE IN RANGE OF THE NAM BY TOMORROW FOR HAVING ANOTHER OPINION ON THIS FRONT/S STRENGTH AND LOCATION MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...EVEN IF WE DONT GET AN EXPLICIT DEC 25TH FORECAST FROM THE NAM UNTIL SATURDAY.

12z nogaps loses the storm completely. The little xmas eve frontrunner flattens heights out ahead and the Dec 26th 'storm' is basically a front heading off the southeast coast.

I looked at the gfs and thought I might have to worry about a nw warm shift.....then the nogaps crushes it into oblivion.... this only 4-5 days out now too...lol

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wanna up that by about 3-4 on your ranges and your about right. The GFS is a pretty close match to Evansville's last big snowstorm, the December 23-24, 2004 storm that dumped 21" on Evansville

Thanks for the heads up, I was trying to view the images on my phone at work. I'm going to be happy with any snow I see falling while I'm there next week.

I remember that storm well... it was the first christmas I spent with my in-laws. They were impressed that I volunteered to go out every 30 minutes or so to shovel the driveway.

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