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March 3-5 Event


windvane

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FWIW, 3z RAP came north, bringing .5" line up to PHL. Interestingly, it showed a 35-40 dbz band over N VA, but current radar shows that band roughly 25-30 miles north, over WV and N MD. Just grasping at straws here, and Ray you're probably right, but I don't want to give up just yet

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A lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here, as if it should've been easy to predict 1-2" for NYC and 3-4" for Philly 2 days ago or even yesterday. Sure, there was a trend south, but extrapolating to where it looks like we're going to end up would've been an unusual and risky call. Assuming things play out as currently expected now (I won't say it's over till it's over), I don't think there was a professional meteorologist out there, with real forecast responsibilities, who was predicting less than 4-6" for NYC or less than 6-8" for Philly more than 24 hours ago (or even 12 hours ago) and certainly not 48 hours ago. That, to me, says that while, on the surface, this is a bust, if it was so obvious, how come it took so long for all of the pros to lower their forecast accumulations, especially in the last 12 hours? Was there some sort of weird groupthink going on?

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A lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here, as if it should've been easy to predict 1-2" for NYC and 3-4" for Philly 2 days ago or even yesterday. Sure, there was a trend south, but extrapolating to where it looks like we're going to end up would've been an unusual and risky call. Assuming things play out as currently expected now (I won't say it's over till it's over), I don't think there was a professional meteorologist out there, with real forecast responsibilities, who was predicting less than 4-6" for NYC or less than 6-8" for Philly more than 24 hours ago (or even 12 hours ago) and certainly not 48 hours ago. That, to me, says that while, on the surface, this is a bust, if it was so obvious, how come it took so long for all of the pros to lower their forecast accumulations, especially in the last 12 hours? Was there some sort of weird groupthink going on?

Well I suppose in any job of public service you have to protect against any real, worst-risk scenario. I think they were exercising their role in protecting the public, even if so to their determinant. 

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A lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here, as if it should've been easy to predict 1-2" for NYC and 3-4" for Philly 2 days ago or even yesterday. Sure, there was a trend south, but extrapolating to where it looks like we're going to end up would've been an unusual and risky call. Assuming things play out as currently expected now (I won't say it's over till it's over), I don't think there was a professional meteorologist out there, with real forecast responsibilities, who was predicting less than 4-6" for NYC or less than 6-8" for Philly more than 24 hours ago (or even 12 hours ago) and certainly not 48 hours ago. That, to me, says that while, on the surface, this is a bust, if it was so obvious, how come it took so long for all of the pros to lower their forecast accumulations, especially in the last 12 hours? Was there some sort of weird groupthink going on?

 

It probably had a lot to do with model instability (i.e., flip flopping) that was going on.  Hard to trust them enough to make changes when there were a lot of fluctuations, though the overall trend was definitely obvious on Saturday. 

 

Also, no one wants to flip flop their forecast like the models do... you don't want to go 6-10, then drop to 3-6, then go back up to 4-8 or 5-9.  You lose trust for that, and it also makes us feel stupid.

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FWIW, 3z RAP came north, bringing .5" line up to PHL. Interestingly, it showed a 35-40 dbz band over N VA, but current radar shows that band roughly 25-30 miles north, over WV and N MD. Just grasping at straws here, and Ray you're probably right, but I don't want to give up just yet

That northern high reflectivity band is bright-banding.

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I actually like those HRRR accumulations maps. Haven't really had much time to dig into the models too much tonight but from a couple quick glances it did seem like the hi res models were ticking a tad (and I mean a TAD) northward this evening. Told the fam and friends 3-6" for delco after checking the 12Zs today, which is still looking like a reasonable call, though prob in the lower half of the range

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A lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here, as if it should've been easy to predict 1-2" for NYC and 3-4" for Philly 2 days ago or even yesterday. Sure, there was a trend south, but extrapolating to where it looks like we're going to end up would've been an unusual and risky call. Assuming things play out as currently expected now (I won't say it's over till it's over), I don't think there was a professional meteorologist out there, with real forecast responsibilities, who was predicting less than 4-6" for NYC or less than 6-8" for Philly more than 24 hours ago (or even 12 hours ago) and certainly not 48 hours ago. That, to me, says that while, on the surface, this is a bust, if it was so obvious, how come it took so long for all of the pros to lower their forecast accumulations, especially in the last 12 hours? Was there some sort of weird groupthink going on?

 

The southward trend started on my last midnight shift on Friday. But, its tough enough to forecast conditions as is, then to start forecasting where the models will trend to 24 to 48 hours from now and base your forecast on what you think they will show. This is especially true before the 00z run Sunday when the last short wave was still offshore. This one was the opposite of most this winter where there was the perpetual northwest trend. Its nice to have stability, but the truth is most winters are not 2009-10 and most of the time the busts in March have to do with unfavorable accumulation parameters which knock ratios down, not being in so deep in the cold air. As Ray posted I am personally loathe to whipsawing a forecast downward until there is over 90% certainty that there is no way a mistake has been made.  This first week of March has had its share of busts over the last 10 to 15 years, not the same causes, but seems to be a tough time of year to get it close.

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For a bit of comic relief....find the video on Fox 29 with Steve Keely nearly getting killed by a plow. This guy is a real clown.

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/video?&clipId=9904292&autostart=true

 

 

I heard Preston and Steve talking about it this morning and had to see it.  It did not disappoint.  

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2FpSbWoVUQ

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