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March 4-6 Winter Storm pt 2


Harry

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Snow picking up here. Won't amount to anything, but bonus window dressing.

Zone forecasts are interesting for those of us in the Warning in central Indiana. Can't really argue with it.

Snow/sleet total accumulations, going from west to east.

Warren: 2-5"

Tippecanoe: 2-6"

Clinton: 3-6"

Carroll: 5-7"

Howard: 6"

Tipton: 6"

Hamilton: 3-6"

Madison: 3-7"

Delaware: 6-7"

Henry: 3-6"

Randolph: 5-7"

Noticed that they dropped the freezing rain mention overnight even though they are forecasting a low of 31. Precip type is tricky for sure...the warm layer may not quite get warm enough for full melting but it'll be pretty close. Wouldn't be surprised to see a mushy coating/glazing of ice.

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Noticed that they dropped the freezing rain mention overnight even though they are forecasting a low of 31. Precip type is tricky for sure...the warm layer may not quite get warm enough for full melting but it'll be pretty close. Wouldn't be surprised to see a mushy coating/glazing of ice.

 

Mushy sleet.

 

It's going to be tough waiting for the changeover for here.  

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WGN Weather Center Blog Update:

 

The Chicago area is bracing for what looks to be the most widespread snowstorm  of the season and it will likely be the heaviest for the city proper and the southern and Indiana suburbs, areas that have escaped the major snowfalls this season.

 

Area-wide totals are expected to fall in the 6-12 inch range with local areas getting even more.  The snow is expected to develop tonight, starting lightly at first but building steadily after 4-5 am. While travel conditions should be deteriorating during the morning commute, the onset of the heaviest snow should occur in the 10am-10pm window when the bulk of the accumulation should occur. The heavy snow will fall at the rate of 1 to 2 inches an hour reducing the visibility to 1/4 mile or less with white-out conditions possible in open areas. Northeast winds will steadily increase gusting in excess of 30 mph causing the snow to blow and drift.

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lol @ massive 12" jackpot zone over the heart of the city.

Good thing the driveway is clear, the blower is gassed up, and the shovels are all standing by. 

 

Still can't believe that much is possible.... perhaps I am jaded. 

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Since 10" is at least within the realm of possibility for Chicago, here are the 10"+ storms to occur in the month of March. It has been 43 years since the last one but as always these are just the totals for whatever the official site was at the time.

March 23-24, 1897: 10.0 inches

March 30-31, 1926: 12.6 inches

March 25-26, 1930: 19.2 inches

March 7-8, 1931: 16.2 inches

March 2-3, 1954: 11.8 inches

March 25-26, 1970: 14.3 inches

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AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
319 PM CST MON MAR 4 2013

DISCUSSION

315 PM CST

SHORT RANGE...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...

HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE REST OF MY
COUNTIES FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING.

NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED FROM THE PREVIOUS THINKING. THE LATEST WATER
VAPOR IMAGERY PLACES THE CENTER OF THIS SYSTEM ACROSS THE DAKOTAS
THIS AFTERNOON. WARM AIR ADVECTION/ISENTROPIC ASCENT AHEAD OF THIS
FEATURE HAS LEAD TO A WEAK BAND OF MAINLY LIGHT SNOW AND FLURRIES
ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS HAS NOT AMOUNTED TO MUCH AND
LIKELY WILL NOT THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE MAIN SHOW WILL GET GOING
LATE TONIGHT AND ON TUESDAY. THE GUIDANCE HAS DISAGREEMENTS ON THE
EXACT TIMING OF THE ONSET OF PRECIP...WITH THE ECMWF AND NAM
SUGGESTING THAT THE SNOW MAY HOLD OFF UNTIL DAYBREAK. I DID BACK
OFF ON POPS A BIT TONIGHT TO ACCOUNT FOR A LATER ONSET...BUT STILL
MENTION LIKELY POPS TOWARDS DAYBREAK.

ONCE THINGS GET GOING TUESDAY MORNING...IT APPEARS THE SNOW INCREASE
IN INTENSITY THROUGH THE LATE MORNING AND DURING THE AFTERNOON.
IMPRESSIVE FORCING FOR ASCENT IS PROGGED TO SET UP IN THE DENDRITIC
GROWTH ZONE DURING THE AFTERNOON AS ISENTROPIC ASCENT INCREASES
AHEAD THE APPROACHING MID LEVEL SYSTEM. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT A TROWAL
LIKE STRUCTURE WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE AFTERNOON
AS THE 700 MB LOW TRACKS SOUTHEASTWARD FROM EASTERN IOWA AND ACROSS
CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THIS WILL LIKELY LEAD TO A DECENT BAND OF MID
LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS FROM NORTH-NORTHWEST TO SOUTH-SOUTHEAST RIGHT
ACROSS THE CWA. AS IT TYPICAL WITH THIS TYPE OF SETUP...LOW STATIC
STABILITY SETS UP IN THE MID LEVELS DUE TO STEEP LAPSE RATES. LOOKS
TO SET UP THE INGREDIENTS FOR PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW ACROSS THE AREA
DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH SNOW RATES OF 1 TO 1.5 INCHES AT TIMES.

I STILL DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS FOR PRECIPITATION TYPES ACROSS MY
SOUTHERN COUNTIES INITIALLY TUESDAY MORNING. GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO
SUGGEST THAT ENOUGH WARM AIR MAY BE SQUEEZED NORTHWARD ACROSS
CENTRAL ILLINOIS TO RESULT IN SOME RAIN OR SLEET AND SNOW MIX
THROUGH MID TO LATE MORNING. THEREAFTER...STRONG DYNAMIC COOLING
ASSOCIATED WITH MID LEVEL HEIGHT FALLS AND STRONG ASCENT...SHOULD
LEAD TO ALL SNOW DURING THE AFTERNOON. ALTHOUGH SNOW TO LIQUID
RATIOS MAY ONLY BE 10:1 FOR A PERIOD FAR SOUTH...IT APPEARS THAT
HEAVY SNOW COULD STILL RESULT IN 6 OR MORE INCHES ACROSS THESE
AREAS...AND THEREFORE HAVE INCLUDED THEM IN THE WARNING. 

 

SOME OF THE GUIDANCE HAS SHIFTED THE HEAVIEST PRECIP AXIS JUST A TAD
SOUTH. HOWEVER...WITH LAKE ENHANCEMENT LIKELY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW STILL APPEARS TO BE A GOOD BET
ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS.

WINDS WILL INCREASE OUT OF THE NORTH-NORTHEAST LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON
AND NIGHT AS THE LOW DEEPENS ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. THESE WINDS
COULD GUST UP TO 30-35 MPH...RESULTING IN SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING
SNOW. I ADDED BLOWING SNOW AREA-WIDE BY TUESDAY EVENING TO ACCOUNT
FOR THIS.

SNOW SHOULD BEGIN TO TAPPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA
DURING THE EVENING ON TUESDAY. HOWEVER...SOME MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW
MAY CONTINUE INTO THE LATER EVENING HOURS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS
EASTERN ILLINOIS AND INTO INDIANA. HOWEVER...SNOWFALL RATES SHOULD
DROP OFF SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER 06 UTC ON WEDNESDAY...WITH ONLY SOME
LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUING INTO WEDNESDAY
 

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