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February 25-26 Winter Storm


wisconsinwx

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Nice to see the 18z GFS continue to trend cooler. I think QPF might be overdone a bit as models tend to hold on to mid level RH too long after the actual front has pushed through, especially when the upper low is to the west. Looks like a slushy 3-6" of snow could fall on Toronto Tuesday evening/night, least near Lk Ontario most north.

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IWX mentioned that the CIPS analogs had low scores for this event. I saw someone else mention (maybe baro in C/W) that the system is a bit atypical as well so maybe this one has a trick or two up its sleeve.

 

Cherry picking here, but #1 analog using the 12z NAM at 48 hours (Great Plains sector) is March 8, 1998.

 

http://www.eas.slu.edu/CIPS/ANALOG/event.php?reg=GP&fhr=F048&model=NAM212&dt=1998030806

 

12z GFS analogs at 60 hours and beyond aren't as fun. ;)

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March 9, 1998 at MDW...in case some were wondering. :D

 

METAR KMDW 091053Z 01017G33KT 1/2SM TSSN FG OVC008 01/00 A2941 RMK AO2 PK WND 02036/1011 TSB48 SLP969 R04R/3500V5000FT OCNL LTGIC OHD TS OHD SNINCR 1/1 P0003 T00060000 $

 

SPECI KMDW 091125Z 36019G31KT 1/2SM TSSN FG BKN004 OVC008 01/00 A2942 RMK AO2 PK WND 01031/1102 TSE16B25 R04R/2200V3000FT OCNL LTGIC OHD TS OHD P0001 $

 

METAR KMDW 091353Z COR 01023G38KT M1/4SM +SN FZFG VV001 M01/M01 A2948 RMK AO2 PK WND 01038/1349 SLP992 SNINCR 2/4 R31C/1200FT P0001 T10061006 $

 

METAR KMDW 091553Z 35019G28KT 1/4SM +SN FZFG VV002 M02/M02 A2956 RMK AO2 PK WND 01030/1455 PRESRR SLP021 SNINCR 3/7 R31C/2400FT P0000 T10221022 $

 

METAR KMDW 091753Z 35019G24KT 1/4SM +SN FZFG VV003 M03/M04 A2967 RMK AO2 PK WND 33030/1656 PRESRR SLP059 SNINCR 2/10 R31C/2600FT 4/010 P0000 60003 T10331039 10000 21033 51057 $

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The interaction between the Strong Southern Vort and the Northern Stream is going to play havoc on the track, temps, among things.

 

Without the Northern Stream's help this would definitely not be trending as far North as it has.

 

But that it is what it is.

 

 

At least it's not that far out there.

 

Regardless of how it is ends up I can say I am pretty confident the H5 low will make it into East Central TX/NE Texas/SW AK/SE OK before it pulls North.

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we had 0.75" of qpf with 1" being snow. 

 

Ouch.

 

Snow totals from NE IL for that one, per Storm Data.

 

12" - Peotone

11" - Crete, MDW

9" - LOT, Park Forest

8" - Kankakee, Manhattan, Plainfield, Winfield

7" - Wheaton

6" - Aurora, Downers Grove, Geneva, ORD 

 

LAF had 4" or so.

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From the DVN past events page regarding the '98 storm...

lol.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/dvn/

events/0308snow_aftermath.gif

The Rock River screw storm, yeah no thanks.

Best approach on the coming system is just sit and watch til sunday afternoon or evening, if things look good then... Start getting excited. Hard for me and some colleagues to buy anything right now after getting burned again. And boy did we get the riot act after the last bust.

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DTX acknowledges the marginal thermal profiles and THEN COMMITS WEENIE SUICIDE.  Just kidding.  They go on to explain that outstanding deformation and moisture quality will lend itself to intense precipitation rates that will not only favor snow, but likely for longer than models suggest.  And personally, the fact that the GFS is the outlier (warmest model) is great news since the GFS sucks.  If the ECMWF was the warm outlier, I might be worried.  Bring on the snow for southeast Michigan!

 

THE WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS AN AMPLIFYING MID LEVEL TROUGH OVER THEGREAT BASIN AND STRONG SUBTROPICAL JET TRAVERSING MEXICO AND LIFTINGINTO THE SERN US...KEY FEATURES IN THE POTENTIAL WINTER STORM. THE00Z GFS/UKMET/CANADIAN/ECMWF APPEAR WELL INITIALIZED WITH THEUPSTREAM HEIGHT AND UPPER WIND FIELDS AND ARE IN REASONABLY GOODAGREEMENT IN SHOWING A POWERFUL UPPER LOW TRACKING INTO ARKANSAS MONNIGHT. THIS WILL OCCUR AS THE MID LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUES TO AMPLIFYAS IT DIVES INTO TEXAS BY MONDAY...WHERE SOME PHASING WITH THESUBTROPICAL JET WILL OCCUR. THIS SYSTEM WILL THEN TAKE ON A NEGATIVETILT AS IT ROTATES ACROSS THE SRN MS VALLEY MON NIGHT. THE MOISTURECHANNEL ALREADY SHOWS A PLUME OF TROPICAL MOISTURE LIFTING ACROSSTHE NRN GOMEX. SO THE DEVELOPING WARM CONVEYOR BELT WILL FEED PLENTYOF MOISTURE INTO THIS STORM SYSTEM.MODEL SOLUTIONS REMAIN FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN MAINTAINING A COMPACTUPPER LOW AS THIS SYSTEM ROTATES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY ON TUES. THESYSTEM WILL HAVE FULLY MATURED BY THIS TIME AND WILL BE UNDERGOINGTHE OCCLUSION PROCESS. THE WARM CONVEYOR WILL ALSO BE SHUNTED WELLEAST TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD. WHILE THESE FACTORS WOULD TYPICALLYSUGGEST THAT PRECIP WOULD BE ON THE WANE TO THE NORTH OF THE UPPERLOW...MODEL SOLUTIONS SHOW A WELL DEFINED COLD CONVEYOR TRANSPORTINGATLANTIC MOISTURE INTO THE NORTH SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM. MIDTROPOSPHERIC DEFORMATION ALONG THE NORTHERN FLANK OF THE UPPER LOWIS FORECAST TO BE OUTSTANDING WITHIN HIGHLY DIFFLUENT UPPER FLOW.THE STRONG DYNAMIC SUPPORT IS EXPECTED TO LIFT ACROSS SE MI ON TUESAND CONTINUE AT LEAST INTO TUES NIGHT.ALL MODEL SOLUTIONS INDICATE THE ATLANTIC MOISTURE TRANSPORT WILLLEAD TO EXCELLENT MOISTURE QUALITY WITHIN THE DEFORMATION REGION.MODEL CROSS SECTIONS SHOW SPECIFIC HUMIDITY OF 4-5 G/KG WITHIN THE900-700MB LAYER. THIS COUPLED WITH DECREASING STABILITY ALOFT/ESPECIALLY TUES NIGHT AS TEMPS ALOFT DECREASE/ WILL POSE THE RISKOF HEAVY PRECIP ALONG THE NORTHERN FLANK OF THE UPPERLOW...IMPACTING SE MI TUES AND TUES NIGHT. THE ONSET OF PRECIP WILLLIKELY BE ALL SNOW AS RESIDUAL DRY AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEPARTINGLOW LEVEL ANTICYCLONE WILL LOWER WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS. MODELSOUNDINGS DO HOWEVER SHOW WARMING IN BOTH THE BOUNDARY LAYER ANDALOFT WHICH COULD CHANGE SNOW OVER TO SLEET AND/OR RAIN ATTIMES...ESPECIALLY ALONG/SOUTH OF I-94. WHILE MODEL SOUNDINGS/PARTICULARLY THE GFS/ SHOW THE WARM LAYER TO BE FAIRLY DEEP ATTIMES...THE WARMEST TEMPS ARE SHOWN TO ONLY REACH +2C. COOLING DUETO MELTING WITH INTENSE PRECIP RATES MAY BE ABLE TO KEEP THE COLUMNCOLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT HEAVY SNOW LONGER THAN MODEL SOUNDINGSSUGGEST. GIVEN THE ABOVE FACTORS AND CONSIDERING THE MODELAGREEMENT...THERE IS GROWING CONFIDENCE THAT THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVETHE CAPABILITY OF DROPPING 6 OR MORE INCHES OF HEAVY-WET SNOW ACROSSPORTIONS OF SE MI TUES AND TUES NIGHT. WILL THEREFORE HEIGHTEN THEPOTENTIAL FOR A WINTER STORM IN THE HWO A LITTLE HARDER.MODEL SPREAD WITH THIS SYSTEM BEGINS TO INCREASE TUES NIGHT INTOWEDNESDAY. WHILE THERE IS GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT THE UPPER LOW WILLLIFT NORTH AS A SECONDARY MID LEVEL IMPULSE TRACKS ACROSS THECENTRAL PLAINS...THERE ARE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT THE TRACKOF THE REMNANT UPPER LOW ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES. WHILE THEMODELS DO MAINTAIN A FAIRLY COMPACT WAVE...THE GFS AND CANADIANSUGGEST THE DEFORMATION WILL BECOME MORE FRACTURED WITH A BETTERPUNCH OF MID LEVEL DRY AIR INTO SE MI. THE GFS ALSO SUGGESTS SOMEFAIRLY MILD BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPS LIFTING INTO THE AREA WITH THEASSOCIATED SFC LOW. THESE FACTORS SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FORADDITIONAL ACCUMS WANING LATE TUES NIGHT INTO WED. THE ECMWF ON THEOTHER HAND TAKES THE REMNANT UPPER ACROSS LAKE ERIE ON WED /FARTHEREAST THAN THE OTHER MODELS/ AND MAINTAINS SOME SEMBLANCE OF MIDLEVEL DEFORMATION AND DEEP MOISTURE OVER SE MI THROUGHWED...SUGGESTING SOME PERSISTENCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL INTO THEDAY WED AND SOMETHING TO MONITOR IN LATER FORECAST CYCLES.
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DTX acknowledges the marginal thermal profiles and THEN COMMITS WEENIE SUICIDE.  Just kidding.  They go on to explain that outstanding deformation and moisture quality will lend itself to intense precipitation rates that will not only favor snow, but likely for longer than models suggest.  And personally, the fact that the GFS is the outlier (warmest model) is great news since the GFS sucks.  The ECMWF was the warm outlier, I might be worried.  Bring on the snow for southeast Michigan!

Even the GFS has a good amount of snow with the Cobb method, which might be the way to go with this storm. 

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This system doesn't have classic geometry of features, so CIPS fails to capture anything relevant about it.  It's better for us this way anyway since synoptic scale geometry really has very little to do with who ends up getting the highest snow amounts (that's why CIPS fails on a regular basis, unless you count vague similarities in overall pattern as being useful).

IWX mentioned that the CIPS analogs had low scores for this event. I saw someone else mention (maybe baro in C/W) that the system is a bit atypical as well so maybe this one has a trick or two up its sleeve.

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