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February 25-27 Winter Storm Part 2


Chicago Storm

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Hopefully this pulls a March 1998 for NE IL/NW IN. That was one of the biggest forecast busts I can ever recall.

Yep, experienced it northwest of here. General forecasts were for around an inch or perhaps a tad more. I knew pretty much nothing back then other than how to look at a radar but I'll never forget it. I went to bed expecting to wake up to a surprise...meanwhile, 12" of paste later...

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DTX

 

 

LONG TERM  TUESDAY THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY    THE DYNAMIC UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER CENTRAL TEXAS   BOTTOMED INTO THE SUBTROPICAL JET AXIS THIS AFTERNOON. SATELLITE   IMAGERY ALONG WITH MODEL DATA SUPPORTS LIFTING THIS ANOMALY   NORTHEASTWARD DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS BEFORE STALLING OUT OVER   PORTIONS OF PA/NY/NJ WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE STORM TERM PORTION OF   THE DISCUSSION CENTERS ON THE POTENTIAL WINTER STORM SET TO AFFECT   SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY   MORNING.    TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A LEAD SPIRAL OF 500MB CYCLONIC VORTICITY IS   SHOWN TO LIFT INTO PORTIONS OF FAR SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN PRIOR TO   18Z TUESDAY. THIS IS A GOOD INDICATOR THAT OPAQUE MID CLOUD WILL BE   BLANKETING A GOOD PORTION OF THE CWA BY THE AFTERNOON. IMPORTANT AS   IT SHOULD LIMIT THE DIURNAL TEMPERATURE HEATING RESPONSE UNDER THE   CANOPY AS MAXT OCCUR AHEAD OF THE MIDCLOUDS. THIS IS NON-TRIVIAL   WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURES TODAY PUSHING 40 DEGREES. THE MAIN BAND OF   PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO LIFT ACROSS THE OH/MI STATELINE   AT/AROUND 21Z TUESDAY. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL BE FORCED ON THE   MIDLEVEL OCCLUDED FRONT LIFTING NORTHWARD AWAY FROM THE   MAIN/CONSOLIDATED PV ANOMALY OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN IN/KY (00Z   WEDNESDAY). VIRTUALLY ALL MODEL SOUNDINGS SUPPORT MEANINGFUL   PRECIPITATION AS SNOW FROM THE START. ANY WARM LAYER CENTERED OFF   THE DECK BETWEEN 900-800MB SHOULD RAPIDLY WET BULB DOWN TO THE   FREEZING MARK. VARIOUS ALGORITHM TYPE PARAMETERS...INCLUDING MOS AND   SOME OTHERS ARE REALLY STRUGGLING WITH PTYPE DUE TO WARM SFC   TEMPS...33-35 DEGREES F. THESE TOOLS SEEM TO BE KEYING OFF SOME   INNOCUOUS WARM LAYERS ALL OF WHICH WILL BE COOLER THAN 3C. LOOKING   THROUGH THE MODELS IT IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO GET A HANDLE WHERE THE   MID 30 DEGREES SURFACE TEMPS ARE COMING FROM AFTER THE START OF   PRECIPITATION. DEWPOINTS THIS AFTERNOON FROM WV/PA THROUGH OHIO AND   ONTARIO ARE ALL IN THE TEENS TO 20S...A POSITIVE FOR THE ALL SNOW   PTYPE. THE BAND WILL LIFT NORTHWARD...DETROIT SOUTHWARD AFTER 2PM   EST...NORTHERN BURBS...AFTER 4PM EST...FLINT AND THE TRI CITIES   AFTER 6PM.      THE MAIN POTENTIAL VORTICITY ANOMALY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SYSTEM   WILL HAVE CLOSED OFF INTO A BOWLING BALL OVER ARKANSAS BY 12   TUESDAY. OUTSIDE OF A LOBE/OR PV FILAMENT ROTATING AROUND THE   NORTHEAST PERIMETER OF THE ANOMALY BETWEEN 12-15Z...THE SYSTEM  WILL BE IN A FILLING MODE. THE AFOREMENTIONED OCCLUSION EMANATING  NORTHEASTWARD WILL BRING GOOD PRECIPITATION RATES IN DURING THE  LATE AFTERNOON. GIVEN THE SYSTEM IN A MATURE STATE...MOISTURE  DEPTH ALONG THIS MAIN BAND WILL BE OUTSTANDING...UPWARDS OF 30 KFT  AGL...WITH LOW STATIC STABILITY ABOVE 700MB. SYSTEM RELATIVE  ISENTROPIC ASCENT WILL BE CENTERED AT ROUGHLY THE 285K SURFACE  DURING THE AFTERNOON BEFORE LOWERING DOWN TO AROUND 300K DURING  THE EVENING. SPECIFIC HUMIDITIES MOISTURE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 4  G/KG SHOWN THROUGHOUT THE COLUMN. PROGGED UVVS ARE SHOWN TO BE  HIGH AND WITH EVERYTHING CONSIDERED...1 INCH PER HOUR TYPE SNOW  RATES ARE EXPECTED AT THE ONSET. THE REAL QUESTION AND  UNCERTAINTY WILL BE WHAT SORT OF SNOW ACCUMULATING EFFICIENCY  WILL BE EXPERIENCED WITH THE SNOWFALL RATES DURING THE LATE  AFTERNOON/EVENING. OVERALL DURATION FOR ANY ONE AREA WILL BE  ROUGHLY 3 TO 4 HOURS. THE CURRENT THINKING IS THAT 1 INCH PER HOUR  RATES WILL ALLOW THE SNOW TO ACCUMULATE ON THE ROADS. SNOWFALL  ACCUMULATIONS DURING THE EVENING WITHIN THE BAND ARE EXPECTED TO  BE IN THE 2 TO 4 INCH RANGE.    ANOTHER MAIN QUESTION MARK MOVING FORWARD IS WHAT SORT OF  SECONDARY TROWAL/ISENTROPIC LIFT RESPONSE OCCURS AS THE CLOSED LOW  CIRCULATION LIFTS UP AND BRUSHES FAR WESTERN LAKE ERIE 06-12Z  WEDNESDAY. THIS IS INTERESTING AS FRONTAL AND UVV FORCING FROM A  CONCEPTUAL MODEL STANDPOINT SHOULD AGAIN BECOME MAXIMIZED. THE NWP  IS REALLY STRUGGLING WITH THIS. HOWEVER...THERE ARE SIGNS THAT  THIS FORCING COULD CAUSE A CONSIDERABLE ATMOSPHERIC RESPONSE. FOR  EXAMPLE..MODEL SOLUTIONS ARE SHOWING THE DRY SLOT THAT WILL FOLLOW  THE OCCLUDED FRONT TO BEGIN FILLING IN WITH SATURATION.  ADDITIONALLY...ECMWF AND NAM ARE BOTH SHOWING QPF BULLSEYES LATE  (ECMWF OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN OHIO AND THE NAM OVER PORTIONS OF  THE FAR EASTERN CWA OVER ST CLAIR COUNTY/LAKE ST CLAIR).  CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW AT THIS TIME...REGARDING THIS SECONDARY  RESPONSE...BUT IF IT WERE TO OCCUR IT WOULD AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE  FAR EASTERN CWA. THIS ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES COULD PUSH AMOUNTS  OVER 6 INCHES. THEREFORE...THE WINTER STORM WATCH WILL BE ALLOWED  TO CONTINUE FOR THE POTENTIAL OF GREATER THAN 6 INCH AMOUNTS.  FARTHER NORTH OVER THE SAGINAW VALLEY...PRECIPITATION OCCURRENCE OUTSIDE  OF EVENING COMMUTE AND AMOUNTS IN THE 3 TO 5 INCH RANGE FELT  PRUDENT TO UPGRADE TO ADVISORY.  
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Yep, experienced it northwest of here. General forecasts were for around an inch or perhaps a tad more. I knew pretty much nothing back then other than how to look at a radar but I'll never forget it. I went to bed expecting to wake up to a surprise...meanwhile, 12" of paste later...

 

Pretty sure they weren't calling for much snow at all for IKK. 8" later... 

 

December 11, 2000 was my second favorite bust, for IKK. 

 

Shame they tend not to work out like that much anymore. Technology FTW I guess.

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Pretty sure they weren't calling for much snow at all for IKK. 8" later...

December 11, 2000 was my second favorite bust, for IKK.

Shame they tend not to work out like that much anymore. Technology FTW I guess.

Yeah, the deck is stacked against extreme last minute swerves even compared to 10-15 years ago I'm sure. With all of the models nowadays, at least we can often see what the higher end possibilities are even if it's not the most likely solution.

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Was just talking to an off duty WFO Toronto meteorologist over Facebook. He said he was a bit surprised not to see a winter storm watch issued for at least areas N/W of Toronto. 

 

For EC the last 4-5 years, confidence level for a watch = confidence level for a warning.

 

Anyway, I think the consistency of the EURO is good enough for me. QPF is probably a bit high but outside of a bit of rain near Lake Ontario right at the beginning, think virtually all the pcpn will be snow.

 

btw...18z NAM BUFKIT is 11" of cement for YYZ. It can run cold with 2m temps, but it nailed today when the GEM and GFS MOS were too high.

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For my friends down in Hamilton, I ran BUFKIT on the 18z NAM for YHM. A little more of a mixed bag, at least initially. A couple of hours of rain initially and a bit of ZR as well before a switch to +SN by late evening. Looks like about 8".

Whats 18z GFS bufkit like for YYZ. Based on looking at the snow map I would guess it's around the NAMs 11'' 

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For my friends down in Hamilton, I ran BUFKIT on the 18z NAM for YHM. A little more of a mixed bag, at least initially. A couple of hours of rain initially and a bit of ZR as well before a switch to +SN by late evening. Looks like about 8".

Thanks SSC...will be sure to report what is happening down here tomorrow evening. 

 

EDIT: Not sure how much you guys like the GFS with this event...but take this for what its worth. 18z GFS snow depth through 12z Thursday

 

GFS_3_2013022518_F66_SNOWIN_SURFACE.png

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18z NAM text for LAF with the temporary flip to snow (totaling 2.5"). 0.1% chance of happening, but I need to dream.

 

 

21 02/26 15Z   32     31      61      21    0.30  0.00    547    549    3.5 -16.5 1002 100 RA    007OVC319    0.0    1.024 02/26 18Z   33     32      76      16    0.28  0.00    543    542   -0.8 -18.7  999 100 -SN   008OVC273    2.5    7.627 02/26 21Z   34     33      74      14    0.04  0.00    541    538    0.6 -22.7  996 100 -RA   008OVC149    0.0    7.3
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18z NAM text for LAF with the temporary flip to snow (totaling 2.5"). 0.1% chance of happening, but I need to dream.

 

 

21 02/26 15Z   32     31      61      21    0.30  0.00    547    549    3.5 -16.5 1002 100 RA    007OVC319    0.0    1.024 02/26 18Z   33     32      76      16    0.28  0.00    543    542   -0.8 -18.7  999 100 -SN   008OVC273    2.5    7.627 02/26 21Z   34     33      74      14    0.04  0.00    541    538    0.6 -22.7  996 100 -RA   008OVC149    0.0    7.3

 

Incremental steps. Looked hopeless yesterday for you guys.

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This event has a very "make or break" feeling for me. If we are able to overcome BL temp issues and accumulate some appreciable snow, it will by no means make up for this god awful winter, but it will make the sting of a ****ty Dec and Jan a bit less. If this thing busts, and there is an above average chance that it will, bring on spring/Morch. That way I can leave the worst winter I can remember in the dust.

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This event has a very "make or break" feeling for me. If we are able to overcome BL temp issues and accumulate some appreciable snow, it will by no means make up for this god awful winter, but it will make the sting of a ****ty Dec and Jan a bit less. If this thing busts, and there is an above average chance that it will, bring on spring/Morch. That way I can leave the worst winter I can remember in the dust.

 

Hopefully it will be like the 2/7 storm, but just a bit further south over you! :)

 

Please, no Morch again!

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