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First Week of March Nor'Easter


Capt. Adam

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The initial band, in the morning with the 700mb frontogen, will peak before it arrives to most of us. It is barely rain because of it from I-95 points SE. But as low level convergence increases around 21z, banding reforms and switches everyone over to snow. Solid 6-12" shot for most of the area.

If the initial band were to hold on longer, we wouldn't switch to rain and the low levels wouldn't warm but the NAM/GFS continue to suggest this happens. Good news is that it happens during the daylight hours anyway. Precip isn't impressive anyway after the first surge and before the second one at 21z.

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awesome analysis HM, thanks for sharing this. What is your take on the gefs? I know they are starting to get maybe out of there usefulness. Do you believe the means accum qpf or could it be a fact of the lower resolution not picking up on the cycling you were talking about earlier?

At this stage, I find the ensembles usually are lockstep with the operational unless something is really off. Their crappier resolution makes the GEFS useless in terms of banding, yes.

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According to the SREF ptype probs. Starts as snow in NE Md, N Del and roughly I95 N+W. R/S line advances NW to far northern suburbs or even beyond by 1 PM. Then shifts SE to I95 by 7PM and continues to shore in evening. 

 

This is just a broad brush and would vary depending on precip intenisty. As HM pointed out second wave would generate good snows.

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SREF/NAM are so close in the morning. There are decent probabilities for snow in NE MD / N DE / SE PA early morning on the SREF.

A faster, more in tact, arrival of the h7 fronto band would mean more snow for everyone. Then we wait for round 2.

Going to be an interesting GFS run!

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SREF/NAM are so close in the morning. There are decent probabilities for snow in NE MD / N DE / SE PA early morning on the SREF.

A faster, more in tact, arrival of the h7 fronto band would mean more snow for everyone. Then we wait for round 2.

Going to be an interesting GFS run!

HM what causes the cycling and how can it be sped up so the shaft that appears on the gfs fills in. Does it have to do with the occlusion of the low?

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HM what causes the cycling and how can it be sped up so the shaft that appears on the gfs fills in. Does it have to do with the occlusion of the low?

You need something to sustain banding, just like thunderstorms, and the lift during the maturing/occluding low process can offset the secondary circulation. Once the system becomes vertically stacked, these features that sustain lift are no longer increasing in intensity and either gradually slacken off or weaken altogether. In this case, other features of the storm will begin to focus bands because there is still tremendous lift going on and it will be a gradual process.

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Quick post here; I'll try to get back a little later...

The ECMWF is slower than the GFS with the arrival of the 500mb low. But it isn't just that, it is also very slow as it wraps up, occludes and becomes vertically stacked. The aggregate here in deceleration allows the upstream northern s/w to become more of an influence. This added momentum + the blocking nudges this south off the Mid Atlantic Coast before resuming a NE motion.

IF this is incorrect (it is likely overboard and the GFS is likely not enough), it is quite possible the comma head associated with the seaward ECMWF will adjust, once again, NW tonight. These subtle little changes in speed will make a huge difference in comma head placement.

The process of vertically stacking is not something we see a whole lot near the VA/NC border, interacting with the warm Gulf Stream etc. It is very possible the models are not properly indicating the banding potential in our area. Any small timing differences in the V.S. process, mid-level low's arrival and next incoming northern stream s/w will make a huge difference for a tiny area.

See y'all later

 

I'm not sure if this is what played out in November, but the qpf output in that system was very poorly predicted, particularly the overnight stuff which just kept on going and going. All the models had the storm occluding fairly early and gave the appearance that the dynamics/precip would start dying out by late afternoon/evening...13" later in freehold NJ...

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Seems like they are meeting in the middle...still has 1" qpf for phl-nyc

 

However, what HM is alluding to with the best lift shifting south of the area on the 00z gfs is a big deal due to the marginal temps. doesnt meen no snow, but we really need the big time lift to make this a meaningful accumulating snow

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Yes, this is the GFS doing it finally (look closely at the pivoting/pendulum swing vort on southern end that whips the low into a wobble) but I think the ECMWF was still too extreme with it.

They are meeting nicely...

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Not sure I follow... still showing solid QPF into the area, and if it's a little further east, won't it in fact be a bit colder? Do you think this a first sign of the GFS capitulating to the Euro?

I didn't mean to sound so gloom/doom but yes. See my original post about the euro's wobble. I said the GFS wasn't doing it enough and the ECMWF was likely too much.

They will likely meet tonight reasonably.

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I didn't mean to sound so gloom/doom but yes. See my original post about the euro's wobble. I said the GFS wasn't doing it enough and the ECMWF was likely too much.

They will likely meet tonight reasonably.

Gotcha. Well, the Euro will be pretty fun to see roll in. Let's look at the trend though..we went from getting nothing a day or so ago to seeing the NAM and GFS hit us hard with 1"+ QPF and upward in spots. Great trend, and fun to have a legit threat to track this close to the event.

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I'm not sure if this is what played out in November, but the qpf output in that system was very poorly predicted, particularly the overnight stuff which just kept on going and going. All the models had the storm occluding fairly early and gave the appearance that the dynamics/precip would start dying out by late afternoon/evening...13" later in freehold NJ...

I recall that the best precip was more east than what the models showed, back in November.  Placement of the CCB seemed to be in error.  I verified in TTN only because they were squarely on the opposite side of the axis, :lol:

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I recall that the best precip was more east than what the models showed, back in November.  Placement of the CCB seemed to be in error.  I verified in TTN only because they were squarely on the opposite side of the axis, :lol:

Yes true that was a big factor that I forgot about...but I also do recall the precip shield was much more expansive and longer lasting than the qpf forecasts would have led on. Outside of the 13" localized blow up in freehold..it was a pretty uniform 4-6" right up through where I am in Stamford CT on up to Worcester, MA

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I haven't really dived into the GFS, but it really kills the morning shot out this way. The QPF distribution is hilarious BTW. Between that and then the further east coastal track, snow amounts are not even half of the NAM.

Oh well... lol

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