Guest Pamela Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 One other thing to note...the actual KU Book (or 2 volume set) has much, much better (both more accurate and more detailed) snow maps then those large blue & white ones that are on the website. The blue & white ones also tend to underreport actual snowfall that the book maps make sure to incorporate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoSki14 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I know they have 5 levels, but when I think of a KU storm, I don't think of a widespread 6" storm or less with locally higher amounts. Pretty much everyone is going to be impacted in some way when they get a few inches, but are those moderate events really noteworthy? Will people honestly remember the snows of this past December where it was generally 4-6". I could say the same about these past two storms in January but they were tied in with unusually cold weather, which likely gives them more memorability than they would otherwise get. This past storm, in particular, had a huge affect on the general public because many were stuck for hours in traffic during rush hour and it was the second significant storm this month where temps were generally in the teens. As someone who loves watching and learning about the weather, I'll definitely remember the storms we've had but many will probably forget. There are a few storms that people remember, and there are many high rated storms (3+) that people don't remember, but there are plenty of more minor or moderate events that are perceived as being more typical by the public and not really KU worthy. It's just my perception of what I think a KU really means and of course not every storm will be Jan 1996, Feb 2003, or Boxing Day. A KU storm, in my opinion is that rare event that we don't normally see which is why Jan 1996 stands out so much. Things have definitely changed though with all of these storms, the amount of intense storms themselves has definitely contributed to the amount of KU's we've had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pamela Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I know they have 5 levels, but when I think of a KU storm, I don't think of a widespread 6" storm or less with locally higher amounts. Pretty much everyone is going to be impacted in some way when they get a few inches, but are those moderate events really noteworthy? Will people honestly remember the snows of this past December where it was generally 4-6". Well not to argue the merits but with the Jan 2 storm I think I mentioned 19 towns in Massachusetts reported more than 15 inches...and many towns in the OKX area were in the vicinity of a foot...so that's a good deal more than just a widespread 6 inch snowstorm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormlover74 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I know they have 5 levels, but when I think of a KU storm, I don't think of a widespread 6" storm or less with locally higher amounts. Pretty much everyone is going to be impacted in some way when they get a few inches, but are those moderate events really noteworthy? Will people honestly remember the snows of this past December where it was generally 4-6". I could say the same about these past two storms in January but they were tied in with unusually cold weather, which likely gives them more memorability than they would otherwise get. This past storm, in particular, had a huge affect on the general public because many were stuck for hours in traffic during rush hour and it was the second significant storm this month where temps were generally in the teens. As someone who loves watching and learning about the weather, I'll definitely remember the storms we've had but many will probably forget. There are a few storms that people remember, and there are many high rated storms (3+) that people don't remember, but there are plenty of more minor or moderate events that are perceived as being more typical by the public and not really KU worthy. It's just my perception of what I think a KU really means and of course not every storm will be Jan 1996, Feb 2003, or Boxing Day. A KU storm, in my opinion is that rare event that we don't normally see which is why Jan 1996 stands out so much. Things have definitely changed though with all of these storms, the amount of intense storms themselves has definitely contributed to the amount of KU's we've had. That's why there's so few 4s and 5s..reserved for the truly great ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absolute Humidity Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 I know they have 5 levels, but when I think of a KU storm, I don't think of a widespread 6" storm or less with locally higher amounts. Pretty much everyone is going to be impacted in some way when they get a few inches, but are those moderate events really noteworthy? Will people honestly remember the snows of this past December where it was generally 4-6". I could say the same about these past two storms in January but they were tied in with unusually cold weather, which likely gives them more memorability than they would otherwise get. This past storm, in particular, had a huge affect on the general public because many were stuck for hours in traffic during rush hour and it was the second significant storm this month where temps were generally in the teens. As someone who loves watching and learning about the weather, I'll definitely remember the storms we've had but many will probably forget. There are a few storms that people remember, and there are many high rated storms (3+) that people don't remember, but there are plenty of more minor or moderate events that are perceived as being more typical by the public and not really KU worthy. It's just my perception of what I think a KU really means and of course not every storm will be Jan 1996, Feb 2003, or Boxing Day. A KU storm, in my opinion is that rare event that we don't normally see which is why Jan 1996 stands out so much. Things have definitely changed though with all of these storms, the amount of intense storms themselves has definitely contributed to the amount of KU's we've had. Hence why we reserve the acronym HECS and the fabled BECS for those such events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoSki14 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Well not to argue the merits but with the Jan 2 storm I think I mentioned 19 towns in Massachusetts reported more than 15 inches...and many towns in the OKX area were in the vicinity of a foot...so that's a good deal more than just a widespread 6 inch snowstorm... I was speaking more in general terms of the lower ranking storms. I thought the Jan 2 storm was pretty impressive and quite disruptive due to the low temperatures associated with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoSki14 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Hence why we reserve the acronym HECS and the fabled BECS for those such events. What even defines a true HECS though, is it widespread 12-18" amounts, is it more localized 24"+ amounts, or is it large, populated areas of 18-24"+? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absolute Humidity Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 There's no clear definition that I know of. I hear 16" + widespread - some say 18+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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