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March 25th Storm: Debacle or Climo Defier? Discussion and Obs II


stormtracker

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Mark pointed it out on twitter but the snow part of the storm actually had pretty good ratios. All that cold aloft and good rates must have helped.

Mar 6 could have been different it just sucked when it needed to be good.

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Picked up around 5" today, so this was definitely the best spring snowstorm that I've ever seen. While it came late, I finally got my warning criteria storm. It was an incredible scene this morning, especially early on, before the nearly-April sun did the inevitable, but honestly I cant complain at all, and we still have a few inches left at the moment. I can't really tell what my seasonal total this year was, but with this storm in the mix, I don't think it was all that terrible.

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Mark pointed it out on twitter but the snow part of the storm actually had pretty good ratios. All that cold aloft and good rates must have helped.

Mar 6 could have been different it just sucked when it needed to be good.

Its always a question with what you can catch in a 4" gauge, but I measured about 11:1 with the overnight activity.  Had even better ratios from the heated tipping bucket, but that's to be expected.

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Here's a nice shot from a local friend and photographer, Mark East-- this is a hiking trail near Riverside Park in LYH-- these train trestles  are COMMON crossing places for college kids and every couple years a couple get stuck when a train comes. Not good results-- post-111-0-44916800-1364259559_thumb.jpg

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Kevin said he was on the mall from 630-830. His pics definitely have less snow than we had. Can see grass etc and not as caked on trees. I'm going to prob side with DCA on this one.

Are his pics in the light? Sun comes up at 7am. If his pics are from 7:30 or 8 there would have been compaction and melting. As soon as the heavy snow stopped melting ensued.

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Are his pics in the light? Sun comes up at 7am. If his pics are from 7:30 or 8 there would have been compaction and melting. As soon as the heavy snow stopped melting ensued.

this one is probably predawn with the lighting.. just a long exposure so it looks bright:

 

post-1615-0-95385900-1364260754_thumb.jp

 

guessing this is about sunrise or so:

 

post-1615-0-35798900-1364260748_thumb.jp

 

both of those from kevin ambrose.

 

==

 

I think it's possible they got that much less than you. There can be some solid variability over short distances with snow... Old Town has less heat island impact I bet as well. Definitely not the same scene I had up here.

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Hey snownut, I was one of those hardly any other skiers! Had a great time. Ninth trip to Canaan Valley this season. Poured snow all day!

 

I was also one of those hardly any other skiers.  First tracks at 8am and spent most of the day skiing the glades skier's right of Off the Wall in knee deep powder.  Amazing conditions for March.

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this one is probably predawn with the lighting.. just a long exposure so it looks bright:

 

attachicon.gif882950_4656810507301_984078012_o.jpg

 

guessing this is about sunrise or so:

 

attachicon.gif886564_4658869518775_1702072286_o.jpg

 

both of those from kevin ambrose.

 

==

 

I think it's possible they got that much less than you. There can be some solid variability over short distances with snow... Old Town has less heat island impact I bet as well. Definitely not the same scene I had up here.

 

 

maybe...I am dubious that these things happen so often....Capitol and my house are equidistant from DCA at the same elevation...I have the river....they may have more heat island..

 

My problem with DCA is less about them sucking as a place to measure...we all know that.....my issue has always been that regardless of where they are located they don't measure properly.....I was hoping for more snow this winter of course, but I thought this was going to be a good experiment given I am a few miles south right on the water at the same elevation

 

Here are the measurable events this winter MBY/DCA

 

12/26 - 0.25"/0.2"

1/23-24 - 1.0"/0.4"

1/25 - 0.5"/0.4"

1/28 - T/0.1"

2/1 - 0.5"/0.2"

2/2 - 0.25"/0.2"

3/6 - 0.25"/0.2"

3/25 - 2.25"/1.4"

 

Total - 5.0"/3.1"

 

Now maybe I overmeasured slightly but not by 2"..they even had one more event than me! ;)

 

Most of the discrepancy came in the 2 "big" events....I have no earthly idea how DCA only got 0.4" in a cold clipper that fell at night....and then there is today.....

 

maybe it is UHI...but it seems like every winter has at least one fishy measurement that doesn't fit in....if it is because they don't sweep and they just stick a ruler in every  6 hours then that would make sense

 

I have a few sources over the years who have issues with how they measure....you may know about some of this

 

where they measure and whether it is in a legit spot wrt to the buildings.....whether they ever use the roof as backup....and whether the FAA observers care about getting it right....I have it on good authority that it isn't that important to them to get it "exact" and they arent into inconveniencing themselves to do so....

 

I'll be back in DC next winter so this was a one year experiment, but I know in Jan 96 and Dec 09 in particular my Mom destroyed the DCA total....

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I tend agree there is something larger there going on. I don't know a ton but as mentioned I got an interesting lead that I've sorta looked at here and there but haven't really had snow or the time when there is snow to do any personal investigation.  I guess I just don't know if it's all DCA being DCA or other issues as well.

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I tend agree there is something larger there going on. I don't know a ton but as mentioned I got an interesting lead that I've sorta looked at here and there but haven't really had snow or the time when there is snow to do any personal investigation.  I guess I just don't know if it's all DCA being DCA or other issues as well.

 

i totally should have gone there this morning and measured 

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