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January Pattern and Storm Discussion


Cold Rain

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Turrible. Turrible. At a glance, that looks like what most of December looked like. Seems that's our default, go-to pattern this winter.

At first glance it's not so great. I think it does look better than the first of Dec since there is ridging over Alaska. Also the 500mb pattern looks a little warm but surface temps are not a torch. Looks like after a below normal this week we warm up next week. Jb says its a 5-10 warmup, trough goes out west then comes east. We will see, at least it has the ridging over Alaska, unlike last year where there was a vortex.

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Until we get the PNA, NAO, and AO to work together it will be warm(ish). All we really need is two of them to come together(this time of year) and we could get something. I would ignore the individual long range model runs until we see real change (PNA, NAO, AO). I see nothing but a possible neutral look in all in the long range (PNA actually goes negative).

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/daily_ao_index/teleconnections.shtml

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At first glance it's not so great. I think it does look better than the first of Dec since there is ridging over Alaska. Also the 500mb pattern looks a little warm but surface temps are not a torch. Looks like after a below normal this week we warm up next week. Jb says its a 5-10 warmup, trough goes out west then comes east. We will see, at least it has the ridging over Alaska, unlike last year where there was a vortex.

Yeah, it doesn't look to torch, so I guess that's good. Hopefully, it won't take a whole month to realign troughs and ridges into a more favorable configuration for us. This step-down-into-winter process that everyone keeps harping on this year is going to end up taking longer that it seemed, it seems.

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Latest CFS says winter returns Dec 20th, hopefully the Euro weeklies agree tonight.

wk3.wk4_20121230.z500.gif

That would make since. **I read something years back (actually I think from JB) that in a warm pattern winter there ussually is at least one cold period. This runs opposite of a January thaw. Something to the effect that the (warm) pattern has to reset itself. During that period is when we can get our cold.

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Chiming in...winter so far has seemed pretty normal. December was warm, it's cooled off and we've had lows into the 20's a few times. Nothing to get down on IMO; pretty typical Disappointed though to hear that we're going to have to punt to January 20 ish. That's the heart of winter really. Come that time, I believe we'll only have about 3 weeks left before the cherries start blooming. Cutting it real close, assuming we do get a flipped switch in a few weeks.

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This won't be popular but I feel like it needs to be said. There are way too many emotions running around in this thread, and too many attacks on forecasters who are approaching this from a forecaster's mentality vs. just living and dying on every model run. Regardless of what models or "DT" or NWS says, this pattern had/has the potential to produce some wintry weather across the southeast, especially NC where cold air is a little closer. You have to understand that all of the outlets I mentioned have agendas - "DT" wants to be the first to call the storm, regardless of how risky it is, and the NWS is going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum and play it overly conservative until the event is within 72 hours at least.

With this particular event, the only part of the upper air pattern that I didn't like and still don't is the stubborn Atlantic ridge, but as the models showed us a few days ago there is still a way to squeeze out some frozen precipitation. With so much northern stream energy influencing this event, no one knows how this is going to evolve yet! You simply cannot discount a significant change in the modeling until the northern stream energy gets better sampled! I urge those who doubt me on this to go back and study the 12/26/2010 event. The northern stream energy didn't start getting sampled until 12z on 12/24, which is when the models finally started coming back around to the phased solution because it slowed down the energy and allowed it to phase behind the southern stream shortwave. Before that, they were advertising a weak surface low that was primarily rain for 12/26. Sound familiar?

With all of that said, it is going to take a lot for this to go right for us, and of course odds are against it. But all the negative comments directed towards those who are recognizing the pattern seem unwarranted, unfair, and frankly baseless.

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This won't be popular but I feel like it needs to be said. There are way too many emotions running around in this thread, and too many attacks on forecasters who are approaching this from a forecaster's mentality vs. just living and dying on every model run. Regardless of what models or "DT" or NWS says, this pattern had/has the potential to produce some wintry weather across the southeast, especially NC where cold air is a little closer. You have to understand that all of the outlets I mentioned have agendas - "DT" wants to be the first to call the storm, regardless of how risky it is, and the NWS is going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum and play it overly conservative until the event is within 72 hours at least.

With this particular event, the only part of the upper air pattern that I didn't like and still don't is the stubborn Atlantic ridge, but as the models showed us a few days ago there is still a way to squeeze out some frozen precipitation. With so much northern stream energy influencing this event, no one knows how this is going to evolve yet! You simply cannot discount a significant change in the modeling until the northern stream energy gets better sampled! I urge those who doubt me on this to go back and study the 12/26/2010 event. The northern stream energy didn't start getting sampled until 12z on 12/24, which is when the models finally started coming back around to the phased solution because it slowed down the energy and allowed it to phase behind the southern stream shortwave. Before that, they were advertising a weak surface low that was primarily rain for 12/26. Sound familiar?

With all of that said, it is going to take a lot for this to go right for us, and of course odds are against it. But all the negative comments directed towards those who are recognizing the pattern seem unwarranted, unfair, and frankly baseless.

Thanks. I honestly don't get the cheap shots directed at certain folks for simply saying what they see. I did have one question. Don't we need that southern energy to move further east and not loose steam as the models are showing? Or I guess the question is, without the kicker does the northern energy have to make a more south west direction so it can phase with the southern energy? Just curious in a good timing situation what we need to look for with the southern and northern branches.

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With all of that said, it is going to take a lot for this to go right for us, and of course odds are against it. But all the negative comments directed towards those who are recognizing the pattern seem unwarranted, unfair, and frankly baseless.

So does "right" mean a wintry scenario?

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Thanks. I honestly don't get the cheap shots directed at certain folks for simply saying what they see. I did have one question. Don't we need that southern energy to move further east and not loose steam as the models are showing? Or I guess the question is, without the kicker does the northern energy have to make a more south west direction so it can phase with the southern energy? Just curious in a good timing situation what we need to look for with the southern and northern branches.

Yes, we need the southern stream energy to at least get to a neutral tilt (as Cold Rain and others have said) and it could potentially do that if the northern stream energy didn't squash it first - but again, this could change if the northern stream energy isn't being modeled correctly.

So does "right" mean a wintry scenario?

Absolutely. Again, it would require some significant changes, but I think it's a bit premature to discount it 100% at this point.

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This won't be popular but I feel like it needs to be said. There are way too many emotions running around in this thread, and too many attacks on forecasters who are approaching this from a forecaster's mentality vs. just living and dying on every model run. Regardless of what models or "DT" or NWS says, this pattern had/has the potential to produce some wintry weather across the southeast, especially NC where cold air is a little closer. You have to understand that all of the outlets I mentioned have agendas - "DT" wants to be the first to call the storm, regardless of how risky it is, and the NWS is going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum and play it overly conservative until the event is within 72 hours at least.

With this particular event, the only part of the upper air pattern that I didn't like and still don't is the stubborn Atlantic ridge, but as the models showed us a few days ago there is still a way to squeeze out some frozen precipitation. With so much northern stream energy influencing this event, no one knows how this is going to evolve yet! You simply cannot discount a significant change in the modeling until the northern stream energy gets better sampled! I urge those who doubt me on this to go back and study the 12/26/2010 event. The northern stream energy didn't start getting sampled until 12z on 12/24, which is when the models finally started coming back around to the phased solution because it slowed down the energy and allowed it to phase behind the southern stream shortwave. Before that, they were advertising a weak surface low that was primarily rain for 12/26. Sound familiar?

With all of that said, it is going to take a lot for this to go right for us, and of course odds are against it. But all the negative comments directed towards those who are recognizing the pattern seem unwarranted, unfair, and frankly baseless.

Spot on! Weenie highs are to high & lows to low. People who are in the business tend to stay even keeled & look at the facts. The X-mas storm threads are such a great example. No one Mets, Models, or weenies know what is going to happen yet with this set up. Try not to live and die with every model run. Who knows what is around the corner.

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Yes, we need the southern stream energy to at least get to a neutral tilt (as Cold Rain and others have said) and it could potentially do that if the northern stream energy didn't squash it first - but again, this could change if the northern stream energy isn't being modeled correctly.

Absolutely. Again, it would require some significant changes, but I think it's a bit premature to discount it 100% at this point.

Yeah I think it's safe to say confidence is low wrt to a wintry outcome as has been the case with all the systems in that timeframe this year.

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Yeah I think it's safe to say confidence is low wrt to a wintry outcome as has been the case with all the systems in that timeframe this year.

No doubt confidence is low with how models have trended, however when we have a true cold air source just to the north, a split flow out west with complex interactions between northern and southern streams, and a previously modeled threat, I just don't think it can be ruled out 96+ hours out - yet!

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Where are all these negative comments I keep reading about? I keep searching this thread for them and can't find them. I see people pointing out the obvious -- we haven't really even had a close call this far this winter, there is virtually no model support for an event later this week and the pattern goes to hell for at least the first half of January.

With all respect, this sounds like a straw man to me. But maybe I'm missing the same thing with the negativity that I'm missing with this winter so far.

This won't be popular but I feel like it needs to be said. There are way too many emotions running around in this thread, and too many attacks on forecasters who are approaching this from a forecaster's mentality vs. just living and dying on every model run. Regardless of what models or "DT" or NWS says, this pattern had/has the potential to produce some wintry weather across the southeast, especially NC where cold air is a little closer. You have to understand that all of the outlets I mentioned have agendas - "DT" wants to be the first to call the storm, regardless of how risky it is, and the NWS is going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum and play it overly conservative until the event is within 72 hours at least.

With this particular event, the only part of the upper air pattern that I didn't like and still don't is the stubborn Atlantic ridge, but as the models showed us a few days ago there is still a way to squeeze out some frozen precipitation. With so much northern stream energy influencing this event, no one knows how this is going to evolve yet! You simply cannot discount a significant change in the modeling until the northern stream energy gets better sampled! I urge those who doubt me on this to go back and study the 12/26/2010 event. The northern stream energy didn't start getting sampled until 12z on 12/24, which is when the models finally started coming back around to the phased solution because it slowed down the energy and allowed it to phase behind the southern stream shortwave. Before that, they were advertising a weak surface low that was primarily rain for 12/26. Sound familiar?

With all of that said, it is going to take a lot for this to go right for us, and of course odds are against it. But all the negative comments directed towards those who are recognizing the pattern seem unwarranted, unfair, and frankly baseless.

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No doubt confidence is low with how models have trended, however when we have a true cold air source just to the north, a split flow out west with complex interactions between northern and southern streams, and a previously modeled threat, I just don't think it can be ruled out 96+ hours out - yet!

Who has ruled it out?

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12z GFS actually worse than 6z run -- southern disturbance is even weaker. The only thing this storm is "this close" to, is disappearing altogether.

Where are all these negative comments I keep reading about? I keep searching this thread for them and can't find them. I see people pointing out the obvious -- we haven't really even had a close call this far this winter, there is virtually no model support for an event later this week and the pattern goes to hell for at least the first half of January.

With all respect, this sounds like a straw man to me. But maybe I'm missing the same thing with the negativity that I'm missing with this winter so far.

It may not have been your intent but the above I've put in bold came off really passive aggressive. It didn't hurt my feelings but just feels a bit attackish.

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Well, you and I have spent a lot of time together on this board, so I'm going to reserve comment other than to say, if a comment like that is deemed "negative" it doesn't say much for the level of tolerance of discourse on this board.

It may not have been your intent but the above I've put in bold came off really passive aggressive. It didn't hurt my feelings but just feels a bit attackish.

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