Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Looks like Markham and northeast Scarborough have the deepest snowpacks in the GTA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloWeather Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Pretty incredible time lapse. http://science.time.com/2014/02/23/great-lakes-frozen-time-lapse-video/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoaster Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 For those of you who complain about EC Ontario: If you haven't heard, it's snowing in Vancouver. GEM had 10-12" for the region starting Saturday ending Sunday night. GFS had rain. Euro had 4-6" but last minute joined the GEM solution. What does EC Vancouver do? "Rain mixed with snow, local amounts of 2-4 cm over higher terrain" (in Vancouver you need widespread 5cm for a warning). No warning issued. That was on Thursday. Friday they change the 2-4 to 5-10 but don't issue a warning because it is localized to higher hills. Saturday it starts snowing and they change the forecast to 5-15 cm for higher hills but since it was slushy at sea level and relatively light amounts, no warning issued. Saturday night it is snowing everywhere. Snowfall warning is issued in the middle of the night after most areas report 5-15 cm (even at sea level). Not much of a warning if it comes when it's already happened. Anyway... EC says addition 2-4 cm to be expected on Sunday and cancel snowfall warning Sunday morning. Sunday continues and it's still snowing. Many areas have 10-20cm on the ground by the afternoon. EC reinstates snowfall warning and calls for addition 5-10 cm. Sunday evening approaches and it never switched over to rain as forecast. EC cancels snowfall warning and says addition 2-5 cm overnight. Monday morning comes. It snowed the entire night. Most areas have 15-30 cm on the ground depending on elevation. EC reinstates snowfall warning for local amounts of 5-10cm in the morning. EC has updated snowfall warning about twice since Monday morning and has changed it to addition 5-15cm because it's STILL snowing. Never changed to rain. Most areas have 20-35 cm. As a previous west coaster, this is a VERY common occurrence: super conservative with snowfall because Vancouver is quite borderline with snow and we also can't handle it, so they try not to alarm. The real question I have: is there less funding out west? I mean, EC out here in Ontario ride the GEM like no tomorrow, but the GEM had a snowy solution for days and they refused to budge on the rain-snow mix changing to rain idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowstormcanuck Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Downtown Toronto at 122.1cm/48.1". Officially above normal for the whole season (by 0.6cm/0.2"). They have nothing recorded for the 20th which I suspect will be adjust to a few cms at a later date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Looks like yet another example of places all around Toronto getting snow while we get nothing. 6z GFS was gold, 12z is a dud. It is really hard for Toronto to get an ideal track for heavy snows, which is why I find it so bemusing that so many people in this city are sick of the snow this year. In reality, there hasn't been that much compared to places to our west (Detroit, Chicago), east (the Maritimes), south (Philly, NYC) and north (the snow belts). It's just that what has fallen has largely stayed and accumulated. Still, this storm is still a week away. Plenty of model runs to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowstorms Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Looks like yet another example of places all around Toronto getting snow while we get nothing. 6z GFS was gold, 12z is a dud. It is really hard for Toronto to get an ideal track for heavy snows, which is why I find it so bemusing that so many people in this city are sick of the snow this year. In reality, there hasn't been that much compared to places to our west (Detroit, Chicago), east (the Maritimes), south (Philly, NYC) and north (the snow belts). It's just that what has fallen has largely stayed and accumulated. Still, this storm is still a week away. Plenty of model runs to go. Its so localized that reasons for the snow drought in recent years has no meteorological explanation, other than strong blocking, etc. Unless we get another 30cm, I refuse to give this Winter a grade higher than B. You may have a different opinion about this, but you and I cannot disagree about the lack of snow and not just this Winter, but every Winter in the past few years. When you compare the GTA to surrounding cities its like, "wtf happened here". For a Winter lover, this is really frustrating. Spring climatology will begin taking over by Mid-late March so time is running out. Though I cant for summer, haha! Beach time!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrisale Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Its so localized that reasons for the snow drought in recent years has no meteorological explanation, other than strong blocking, etc. Unless we get another 30cm, I refuse to give this Winter a grade higher than B. You may have a different opinion about this, but you and I cannot disagree about the lack of snow and not just this Winter, but every Winter in the past few years. When you compare the GTA to surrounding cities its like, "wtf happened here". For a Winter lover, this is really frustrating. Spring climatology will begin taking over by Mid-late March so time is running out. Though I cant for summer, haha! Beach time!! Lack of snow? We're above average. So you wouldn't give any winter above a B unless we get a foot of snow above normal? Some high expectations in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torchageddon Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 For those of you who complain about EC Ontario: What a debacle, that might be common but TWN should do a full story on that, about how many times the warning was re-issued after being canceled. To my surprise, lake effect snow has returned starting Sunday night and I've had snowfall on and off since then. The streamers were far more organized than I thought they would be and quite powerful at times. The ice is broken up a bit but its like there was total open water based on the radar results. A full 2 inches or 5 cm has fallen since IMBY so that's neat. TWN forecast has also come around to the reality that the next 3 days will be very frigid. At first it was just around -9ºC to -12ºC for that period but now its -14ºC, -15ºC, and -14ºC for the next 3 days as our highs. Wind was uncomfortable today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
on_wx Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 For those of you who complain about EC Ontario: This is one of my favourite EC Ontario moments SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 4:52 PM EDT SUNDAY 1 AUGUST 2010. --------------------------------------------------------------------- SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR: =NEW= WINDSOR - LEAMINGTON - ESSEX COUNTY. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ==DISCUSSION== A FUNNEL CLOUD HAS BEEN REPORTED IN CENTRAL ESSEX COUNTY. THERE IS THE RISK THAT THIS FUNNEL COULD REACH THE GROUND AND CAUSE LOCALIZED WIND DAMAGE. THIS IS A WARNING THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. REMEMBER SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE TORNADOES..LISTEN FOR UPDATED WARNINGS. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ONTARIO RECOMMENDS TAKING COVER IMMEDIATELY WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. NOTE..A SUMMARY OF ALL WARNINGS AND WATCHES FOR SOUTHERN ONTARIO IS AVAILABLE IN THE WWCN11 CWTO BULLETIN ISSUED IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS BULLETIN. END/.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Lack of snow? We're above average. So you wouldn't give any winter above a B unless we get a foot of snow above normal? Some high expectations in this thread. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 The fact of the matter is that we in Ontario wouldn't be comparing our winter to everyone else's if not for the internet. If we'd had a winter like this 20-25 years ago and then heard that we had above average snowfall, the coldest winter in 20 years, potentially the coldest February in 35 years on top of an ice storm, it would without a doubt be remembered as a stand-out winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mississaugasnow Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Looks like yet another example of places all around Toronto getting snow while we get nothing. 6z GFS was gold, 12z is a dud. It is really hard for Toronto to get an ideal track for heavy snows, which is why I find it so bemusing that so many people in this city are sick of the snow this year. In reality, there hasn't been that much compared to places to our west (Detroit, Chicago), east (the Maritimes), south (Philly, NYC) and north (the snow belts). It's just that what has fallen has largely stayed and accumulated. Still, this storm is still a week away. Plenty of model runs to go. It sucks that we have been missed, but there have been no absolute monsters that I am really upset about. We have just missed a couple run of the mill 6-10 inch storms, and even then we haven't really missed we have just received 2-4 inches. Since its March in a few days missing snowstorms now doesn't even really bother me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toronto4 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 The fact of the matter is that we in Ontario wouldn't be comparing our winter to everyone else's if not for the internet. If we'd had a winter like this 20-25 years ago and then heard that we had above average snowfall, the coldest winter in 20 years, potentially the coldest February in 35 years on top of an ice storm, it would without a doubt be remembered as a stand-out winter. Great post and I totally agree. Growing up during the harsh winters of 1992-93 and 1993-94, I had no idea of what other places (eg.Chicago, Detroit) nearby were getting with respect to seasonal snowfall. Local media outlets were focused on Toronto only. No internet and social media. Just local TV/radio news and newspapers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toronto4 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Downtown Toronto at 122.1cm/48.1". Officially above normal for the whole season (by 0.6cm/0.2"). They have nothing recorded for the 20th which I suspect will be adjust to a few cms at a later date. On the whole, measurements at the downtown station have been pretty decent this season. However, in recent years, they seem to struggle with snow to rain events at times, though they got the Feb 1st event right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Great post and I totally agree. Growing up during the harsh winters of 1992-93 and 1993-94, I had no idea of what other places (eg.Chicago, Detroit) nearby were getting with respect to seasonal snowfall. Local media outlets were focused on Toronto only. No internet and social media. Just local TV/radio news and newspapers. Those are the two harshest winters of my childhood as well. I was in Grade 7 and 8 respectively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowstormcanuck Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 It sucks that we have been missed, but there have been no absolute monsters that I am really upset about. We have just missed a couple run of the mill 6-10 inch storms, and even then we haven't really missed we have just received 2-4 inches. Since its March in a few days missing snowstorms now doesn't even really bother me. The reason this winter isn't rivaling 2008-09 or a 2002-03 in terms of snowfall is because of missing the brunt of two storms within a 5 day period. Jan 1 and Jan 5. That's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toronto4 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Those are the two harshest winters of my childhood as well. I was in Grade 7 and 8 respectively. I was in grade 8 and 9 at that time. If we can manage to snag another decent (4-6") snowfall or two, I will rank this winter ahead of 92-93 and 93-94. Right now, it's a three-way tie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowstormcanuck Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 The lag in getting the real cold air in here is going to cost us any shot of beating 93-94 in terms of cold. At -6.8c this winter has slid back to 11th place, but with the deep freeze on the way for the last 3 days we should finish out around 9th place. A top 10 cold winter is nothing to scoff at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blizzardof96 Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Quick burst of +SN en route. Well picked up by the HRRR/NAM WRF since this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowstormcanuck Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Quick burst of +SN en route. Well picked up by the HRRR/NAM WRF since this morning. Hopefully the escarpment doesn't shred it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torchageddon Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Get ready guys, its almost at your doorstep. I had it and it was great...haven't seen conditions like that for weeks and weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowstorms Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 The lag in getting the real cold air in here is going to cost us any shot of beating 93-94 in terms of cold. At -6.8c this winter has slid back to 11th place, but with the deep freeze on the way for the last 3 days we should finish out around 9th place. A top 10 cold winter is nothing to scoff at. One thing that does stand out is that once this month is over, it'll be the 4th straight month with below normal temperatures. If we can make a run at March, it'll be 5. Its been a while as far as I can remember since we've seen consistent below normal temperatures in the GTA. If you factor in everything, a B grade is good enough for this Winter. Most of the snowfall has been nickle and dime events and when you consider what we've missed out on, its an understandable grade. Anything higher and you have some really low standards. However, it seems like we'll break the snow cover record for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowstormcanuck Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 One thing that does stand out is that once this month is over, it'll be the 4th straight month with below normal temperatures. If we can make a run at March, it'll be 5. Its been a while as far as I can remember since we've seen consistent below normal temperatures in the GTA. If you factor in everything, a B grade is good enough for this Winter. Most of the snowfall has been nickle and dime events and when you consider what we've missed out on, its an understandable grade. Anything higher and you have some really low standards. However, it seems like we'll break the snow cover record for sure. The grading stuff is getting a bit out of hand. Let's wait for the winter to actually finish before assigning grades. And again, grades are subjective. A cold lover like OB is going to grade this winter in the "A"s because that's what he values. Snow lovers like you and I are going to be more reticent. But it doesn't mean OB has "low standards", he just has different standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 The lag in getting the real cold air in here is going to cost us any shot of beating 93-94 in terms of cold. At -6.8c this winter has slid back to 11th place, but with the deep freeze on the way for the last 3 days we should finish out around 9th place. A top 10 cold winter is nothing to scoff at. Are we still going to finish up the coldest in 20 years at Pearson? Have we maintained our lead against 95-96, despite the brief warm-up? We might finish up with the coldest February since 1979. It's going to be very close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 The grading stuff is getting a bit out of hand. Let's wait for the winter to actually finish before assigning grades. And again, grades are subjective. A cold lover like OB is going to grade this winter in the "A"s because that's what he values. Snow lovers like you and I are going to be more reticent. But it doesn't mean OB has "low standards", he just has different standards. Thanks man. Just for the record though, I like snow too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 Get ready guys, its almost at your doorstep. I had it and it was great...haven't seen conditions like that for weeks and weeks. Is this snow associated with the cold front? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowstorms Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 The grading stuff is getting a bit out of hand. Let's wait for the winter to actually finish before assigning grades. And again, grades are subjective. A cold lover like OB is going to grade this winter in the "A"s because that's what he values. Snow lovers like you and I are going to be more reticent. But it doesn't mean OB has "low standards", he just has different standards. True, I can't disagree. I'm not so keen on extreme cold as I am on blizzards or snowstorms. We still have till early April to make an impact on our seasonal total. Were ahead of last year at YYZ and only 3cm away from the 1981-2010 average and 10cm from the 1971-2000 average. If next weeks storm pans out, that should put us closer to 2010-11 in the snow department. Are we still going to finish up the coldest in 20 years at Pearson? Have we maintained our lead against 95-96, despite the brief warm-up? We might finish up with the coldest February since 1979. It's going to be very close. Maybe, I'd say 80% it will. As of yesterday this month has a mean temperature of -7.7C. Feb 2007 had a mean temperature of -8.4C.The next three days need to be as cold or colder than what is modeled right now if we want a shot at 1979. And Feb 94 had a mean temperature of -8.3C btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottawa Blizzard Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 True, I can't disagree. I'm not so keen on extreme cold as I am on blizzards or snowstorms. We still have till early April to make an impact on our seasonal total. Were ahead of last year at YYZ and only 3cm away from the 1981-2010 average and 10cm from the 1971-2000 average. If next weeks storm pans out, that should put us closer to 2010-11 in the snow department. Maybe, I'd say 80% it will. As of yesterday this month has a mean temperature of -7.7C. Feb 2007 had a mean temperature of -8.4C.The next three days need to be as cold or colder than what is modeled right now if we want a shot at 1979. And Feb 94 had a mean temperature of -8.3C btw. I think there's a chance we could tie 2007. I've checked the data and apparently Ottawa has had the coldest meteorological winter in 20 years as well - pretty incredible when you consider how cold that city's climate is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torchageddon Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Is this snow associated with the cold front? I guess so if that is what was modeled. I don't know if a new blast was suppose to come in tonight but this fits. What I don't get is why everyone is talking about grading the winter when there is heavy snow just hitting Toronto and all surrounding right now; look outside from the windows! Mine stopped sadly but the winds were pretty high at times. It had some minor white-outs in town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowstorms Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Set-up for the storm early next week looks similar to the Jan 1st storm. The strength and positioning of the PV and SE Ridge is key with this event. Cold air and moisture don't look to be a problem IMO. Its the track that I'm worried about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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