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12/26-12/28 Potential Snow Threat


CooL

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This storm looks like a classic front end thump type scenario with the strongest vertical velocities occurring in the initial 3-6 hour period of the event. Given the cold air dammning via a 1028-30mb sfc high in Canada, a NELY ageostropic flow will be in place for the first several hours down to the coast. It's a bit too early to start talking specifics, but this could be interesting particularly for NNJ, Hudson Valley, and CT folks.

Note the strong vv's arrive by 18z Wed-21z Wed when the 00z GFS has most of the region sub 0c 850's.

18z Wed:

2eyj76f.jpg

By 00z Wed we're already beginning to dry-slot on the GFS:

2l94enk.jpg

Thereafter precip probably becomes lighter in intensity for the remainder of the storm. This has the look of a 6-8 hour burst of snow for the interior NW zones and potentially some accum down to the coast as well.

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I would like to see the soundings for Plainfield, NJ, or somewhere between KTEB and KSMQ. I would figure a few inches of snow would show up there.

Even MMU is all rain too though. It makes me think that either KSMQ is a glitch, or the slight elevation in Somerset County gives it a slight advantage.

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Even MMU is all rain too though. It makes me think that either KSMQ is a glitch, or the slight elevation in Somerset County gives it a slight advantage.

It is surprising.

KMMU at the same frame:

48 12/27 00Z 34 34 60 20 0.68 0.00 546 554 -1.5 -15.6 1008.0 100 RA

KSMQ at the same frame

48 12/27 00Z 35 34 54 20 0.76 0.00 547 553 -0.5 -15.8 1006.4 100 SN

Colder at the surface and lower thickness, yet KMMU rains and KSMQ snows? Probably not what will happpen.

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0z ECM has the 850 line passing through Southern Westchester at 54 hours, whereas the 0z GFS had the 0C isotherm all the way up to KPOU at 54 hours. Still much colder than the 0z GFS and gives a larger front-end dump. Maybe a tick warmer than 12z. Surface temps are in the mid 30s for NYC at 48 hours when it starts, but the City probably changes over at 51 hours due to warm BL and rising 850s. Their 850s are exactly 0C at 51 hours.

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I guess there is your answer.

Looks like 1-2" followed by rain in NYC, 2-4" in southern Westchester and Rockland changing to rain, and further north in Orange/Putnam Counties a good chance at 4-8" with sleet/ice looking at the 0z Euro. Poconos/Catskills could be very icy following a moderate snowfall. This run had the 0C 850mb line a good 75 miles south of the 0z GFS, so definitely a nice hold on the part of the Euro.

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Looks like 1-2" followed by rain in NYC, 2-4" in southern Westchester and Rockland changing to rain, and further north in Orange/Putnam Counties a good chance at 4-8" with sleet/ice looking at the 0z Euro. Poconos/Catskills could be very icy following a moderate snowfall. This run had the 0C 850mb line a good 75 miles south of the 0z GFS, so definitely a nice hold on the part of the Euro.

Now that we're close enough I looked at wind directions the NAM/GFS are forecasting. They show 060-090 for LGA/JFK/EWR as the event starts. Usually 060 is the direction where you begin to have problems for NYC metro, central and eastern LI usually you're easily done with that sort of direction. Its definitely possible to get front end shots of snow with those directions, it happened in March 93 and January 87 but the precip rates were very heavy both of those times. The biggest issue I see is the lack of sufficient wet bulbing room. The NAM would show dewpoints low enough to get evaporational cooling but the GFS has DPs already in the upper 30s by mid-afternoon Wednesday. Is it right? Maybe not, both models were showing dewpoints in the mid 30s earlier tonight 2 days back and they busted by 10 or more degrees.

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Now that we're close enough I looked at wind directions the NAM/GFS are forecasting. They show 060-090 for LGA/JFK/EWR as the event starts. Usually 060 is the direction where you begin to have problems for NYC metro, central and eastern LI usually you're easily done with that sort of direction. Its definitely possible to get front end shots of snow with those directions, it happened in March 93 and January 87 but the precip rates were very heavy both of those times. The biggest issue I see is the lack of sufficient wet bulbing room. The NAM would show dewpoints low enough to get evaporational cooling but the GFS has DPs already in the upper 30s by mid-afternoon Wednesday. Is it right? Maybe not, both models were showing dewpoints in the mid 30s earlier tonight 2 days back and they busted by 10 or more degrees.

I totally agree about the wind direction being unfavorable...there's a sharp gradient that develops between the coast and interior in surface temperatures due to the easterly flow. For example, at 48 hours on the 0z Euro, it's pushing 40F at KNYC/Central Park while Central Westchester is around 33-34F. 850mb temperatures don't go above freezing for HPN until after 54 hours, so it's possible that Westchester continues to rip snow through hour 54 while the City is all rain by 48 hours out. One thing I've noticed is that precipitation can be very heavy ahead of a mix line in these strong SW flow events running into a high pressure, so there could be impressive rates involved allowing for more wetbulbing. But I'm sure there's going to be a powerful gradient where Central Park gets a coating to an inch, southern Westchester sees 2-4", and elevated areas of Putnam County see 4-8" with icing.

Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

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Not sure if we should be using the NAM but it continues with its warm and snowless solution despite no support

The NAM butchered this storm to death over the southern Plains and TN Valley and did not catch on til pretty much 24 hours out and was still playing catch up all day..I would not trust it at all downstream now considering everything else disagrees.....this was from the Tulsa AFD tonight....

LATEST TRENDS SUGGEST THAT THE STORM SYSTEM THAT WILL AFFECT

THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WILL TRACK FURTHER SOUTH THAN

PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. IT APPEARS THAT THE UKMET WILL END UP BEING

THE BIG MODEL WINNER ON THIS ONE...WITH THE ECMWF RUNNING A CLOSE

SECOND. THE NAM WILL END UP WITH A FAILING GRADE ON THIS STORM.

There could be some epic busts out that way, Tulsa based on some latest short range models may see nothing, OKC may see close to nothing too and some of those blizzard watches in parts of MO and other states may bust.

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The NAM butchered this storm to death over the southern Plains and TN Valley and did not catch on til pretty much 24 hours out and was still playing catch up all day..I would not trust it at all downstream now considering everything else disagrees.....this was from the Tulsa AFD tonight....

LATEST TRENDS SUGGEST THAT THE STORM SYSTEM THAT WILL AFFECT

THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WILL TRACK FURTHER SOUTH THAN

PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. IT APPEARS THAT THE UKMET WILL END UP BEING

THE BIG MODEL WINNER ON THIS ONE...WITH THE ECMWF RUNNING A CLOSE

SECOND. THE NAM WILL END UP WITH A FAILING GRADE ON THIS STORM.

There could be some epic busts out that way, Tulsa based on some latest short range models may see nothing, OKC may see close to nothing too and some of those blizzard watches in parts of MO and other states may bust.

Interesting. I guess the nam should not be used then until it falls in line with the other models who are all in good agreement.

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