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Jan 25th Winter Weather Discussion Thread


Marion_NC_WX

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GFS continues the idea of OK QPF across southern TN and far north AL/GA while going poof in the carolinas.  The 12z NAM is north of most other guidance as far as location of highest QPF.  At this point think the NAM does not have a good handle on this and prefer the GFS or canadian.

 

12z GFS

 

So I haven't quite yet discovered why the precip goes "poof" in the Carolina's.  Any meteorological musings?

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I have a feeling that tomorrow morning's commute will not be fun. We should warm above freezing pretty quickly by mid day, but it really won't take more than a few hundredths of an inch of ZR to cause bridge problems.

If only it was just the bridges...So many people here turn crazy when frozen precip falls...I will probably be telecommuting tomorrow.

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So I haven't quite yet discovered why the precip goes "poof" in the Carolina's.  Any meteorological musings?

 

I'm not completely sure, but it would seem to have a direct relationship between this systems track and the lack of a low or southwest incoming moisture in it's company.  Growing up, I just coined the phrase "High Elevation Sponging" where the qpf seems to be absorbed as it traverses the southern vertebra of the Apps spine.

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I always assumed it was simply orographic lift that squeezes all the moisture out of the storm.  That's why everything coming from the west/northwest over the mountains dries out and the piedmont gets nada.  I've expected nothing less from this days ago.  My only hope was this low would really dig and tap a bit of gulf moisture that would make it come from the south west under the mountains.  It hasn't done that thus the POOF for the piedmont on the models. 

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So I haven't quite yet discovered why the precip goes "poof" in the Carolina's.  Any meteorological musings?

 

I personally don't like the flow out of the WNW which can supress QPF the further east and south the system moves.  Not real sure why the GFS poof but it does look a tad weaker with the 500mb vorticies and since this already a weak system and amount of extra weakness could make the difference.

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The "sponging" in the Carolinas likely due to a loss of just about everything needed to produce decent precip.    a bit of downslope, what precipitation there is having to saturate what promises to be a very dry lower level column, transference of energy to the coast, possibly the absolute worse trajectory for energy traversing along a backdoor arctic boundary which never really finds a good "tap" or moisture source.  Everything about everything is just plain wrong for a higher impact event. 

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Yeah, this isn't going to be a major winter event by any means but an event nonetheless. I've seen clippers under (most often) and over perform. Ratios will only matter where it stays snow and this looks to be confined to the northern half of NC. 

 

On a side note, the cold air is really working into the region on very brisk winds. Temps have been steadily dropping from the mid 30s to the lower 30s. Too bad we don't have the moisture we had with the last storms  :violin:

^^^ This, the two rarely team up and play ball like they should, and even when they do it's the event you don't see coming. That said we are kinda overdue for some action but this may not be the one. I'm looking forward to February.

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I always assumed it was simply orographic lift that squeezes all the moisture out of the storm.  That's why everything coming from the west/northwest over the mountains dries out and the piedmont gets nada.  I've expected nothing less from this days ago.  My only hope was this low would really dig and tap a bit of gulf moisture that would make it come from the south west under the mountains.  It hasn't done that thus the POOF for the piedmont on the models. 

 

Usually that's the only way a disturbance zipping in from the WNW would produce any appreciable qpf here.  I think we both knew - probably because of experience more than any guidance - how this would pan.

 

The "sponging" in the Carolinas likely due to a loss of just about everything needed to produce decent precip.    a bit of downslope, what precipitation there is having to saturate what promises to be a very dry lower level column, transference of energy to the coast, possibly the absolute worse trajectory for energy traversing along a backdoor arctic boundary which never really finds a good "tap" or moisture source.  Everything about everything is just plain wrong for a higher impact event. 

 

Great way of explaining it. 

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Jason... timing is my main concern here. The amounts are not huge but it doesn't take much to screw things up as long as we can get some before we go above freezing.

 

Agreed.  Especially for your area and the ATL area.  It's seems like the consensus is to keep the early precip way north and in YBY well after sunrise.

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UK is a shadow of its mid-week QPF self. Now barely gets anyone over .2.

 

And the streak rolls on ....

Yep...goes poof in the carolinas like the GFS.  Southern TN to far SW NC and far north AL and GA are looking like the best QPF and thus highest impact locations.

 

12z UKIE images below

post-347-0-21246200-1359046291_thumb.gif

post-347-0-72899200-1359046298_thumb.gif

post-347-0-94815300-1359046313_thumb.gif

post-347-0-19708200-1359046323_thumb.gif

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I know the QPF continues to shrink like a frightened turtle, but GSP updated for my area continue to paint the top end of .2" of ice. Now, I assume .2" would not fall but if .2" did it would get messy given the surface temps.

 

 

UK is a shadow of its mid-week QPF self. Now barely gets anyone over .2.

 

And the streak rolls on ....

 

Would give anything to have todays 850 temp last week !!

 

PfGNi3l.gif

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Well, Washington DC reported .4 inches of snow from .03 inches of liquid.  Lots of posters in the MA thread are reporting totals over an inch.  The clipper seemed to over-perform due to high ratios rather than more qpf.  Tomorrow will be interesting at least.  Might be a virga storm or an inch of snow.  My prediction is a half inch of dry snow tomorrow followed by some frizzle?

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Yep...goes poof in the carolinas like the GFS.  Southern TN to far SW NC and far north AL and GA are looking like the best QPF and thus highest impact locations.

 

12z UKIE images below

attachicon.gifP1_GZ_D5_PN_024_0000.gif

attachicon.gifP1_GZ_D5_PN_030_0000.gif

attachicon.gifP1_GZ_D5_PN_036_0000.gif

attachicon.gifP1_GZ_D5_PN_042_0000.gif

I could take the 36 and 42 hour map. That would put us back in the evening and well below freezing... all is not lost quite yet. I do think that due to the minor nature of the QPF, some people will be surprised one way or the other. 

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