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March 2-3 Obs Thread


Herb@MAWS

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One of our employees just reported 9 inches of snow in Manassas.

Jackpot

 

Climatological stars for tonight... If the overnight low temperature reaches 5 degrees at BWI it will tie the all time March record low. That record is 141 years old!

Might have been a weak storm in the snow department, but the temps surely are verifying nicely.

 

3.8 officially at Reagan. Just recently received the report

Does that bring their total to like 18" on the year?

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So, I just did a snow core reading.  Total snow ratios in the lower 8s.  So, we were probably 7:1 for much of it, and then made up some ground with the better stuff at the end.  I think everyone was so transfixed by the surface temps that we all kind of ignored the warm-ish upper levels.  0.57" in the core, so the models weren't too bad about the QPF after the flip.

very interesting and not surprising...we all kind of bit on 12-13:1 ratios even blended without really questioning or analyzing it

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lol. Ratios, rates, and thundersnow are grossly overestimated in each of our storms. 

 

So, I just did a snow core reading.  Total snow ratios in the lower 8s.  So, we were probably 7:1 for much of it, and then made up some ground with the better stuff at the end.  I think everyone was so transfixed by the surface temps that we all kind of ignored the warm-ish upper levels.  0.57" in the core, so the models weren't too bad about the QPF after the flip.

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I'm in central PWC. I went out and measured my sidewalk just before it started dumping big snow clumps, and then again after it stopped, so I know that during the last two hours of the storm I got 2 and 3/4 inches added to my sidewalk.

 

I took a total of 45 measurements around my property. There's an average of about 6 inches on hard places (sidewalk, top of trash can, etc) and an average of 8 inches on the (rather tall) grass in my front yard, which should have had one more cut last fall ( I live in the woods, so it looks fine...)

 

So anyway, I was surprised by the wide variations in my measurements and came up with possible explanations for such a big difference between grass and hard places. One is that grass blades provide a lot support to the snowflakes, and help prevent compaction. Another possible explanation is that the grass blades take up space and just make it look like more snow is there. Or maybe the sidewalk was warmer than the grass...

 

No one else around me is reporting 8 inches, so I guess the grass is probably just taking up space and inflating my measurements... as well as making my snow look even more impressive  :thumbsup:  

 

Long story short:

6 inches hard places

8 inches on tall grass

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I'm in central PWC. I went out and measured my sidewalk just before it started dumping big snow clumps, and then again after it stopped, so I know that during the last two hours of the storm I got 2 and 3/4 inches added to my sidewalk.

 

I took a total of 45 measurements around my property. There's an average of about 6 inches on hard places (sidewalk, top of trash can, etc) and an average of 8 inches on the (rather tall) grass in my front yard, which should have had one more cut last fall ( I live in the woods, so it looks fine...)

 

So anyway, I was surprised by the wide variations in my measurements and came up with possible explanations for such a big difference between grass and hard places. One is that grass blades provide a lot support to the snowflakes, and help prevent compaction. Another possible explanation is that the grass blades take up space and just make it look like more snow is there. Or maybe the sidewalk was warmer than the grass...

 

No one else around me is reporting 8 inches, so I guess the grass is probably just taking up space and inflating my measurements... as well as making my snow look even more impressive  :thumbsup:  

 

Long story short:

6 inches hard places

8 inches on tall grass

45 measurements? A lil ocd, no?

Most are exagerating when they claim 8 inches anyway....6-7 much more common.

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RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
430 PM EST MON MAR 03 2014

...RECORD DAILY MAXIMUM SNOWFALL SET AT WASHINGTON DULLES DC...

A RECORD SNOWFALL OF 4.9 INCHES WAS SET AT WASHINGTON DULLES DC
TODAY. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 4.9 SET IN 1978.
 

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they seem high to me...but there was quite a bit of compaction and they may have swept....also some parts of the city did better

 

It was pretty hard to get an accurate measurement with a lot of blowing around.. I measured a couple of 4.5"s above Rock Creek in Gtown and close to a 5er near Dupont.. 

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Just got home and shoveled/broomed. 5.2" here... gorgeous snow, even if it did undeperform based on modeled/forecasted amounts. Worst part is I had to teach a class all day, so other than breaks and at lunch, I feel like i missed it lol. Oh well. Nice event and impressive cold for March. 

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I was measuring 4.5-5 in several spots on wood deck right after the heavy band around 1:30.  If I had swept I think I would have definitely gotten 5.  

 

What was your total and what is your total for the winter?...curious since most of my records are from Mt Pleasant

 

I think sticking a ruler in the ground at the end of the event is a fine way to measure...I am not sure the goal of a snow measurement is always to maximize totals "within the law"...This was a one phase event...I think sticking a ruler in the ground and taking some honest measurements is a fine way to record a total..

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What was your total and what is your total for the winter?...curious since most of my records are from Mt Pleasant

 

I think sticking a ruler in the ground at the end of the event is a fine way to measure...I am not sure the goal of a snow measurement is always to maximize totals "within the law"...This was a one phase event...I think sticking a ruler in the ground and taking some honest measurements is a fine way to record a total.

 

I'm not sure what my total is for the winter I haven't been keeping tabs on every event.  I measured 2/13 and got 10 inches, 1/21 was 5 inches, and today was ~5 inches.  So I'm definitely over 20.

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Is it wrong of me to feel this was a letdown?

It's a letdown if you expected the high end of the projected totals. Putting it in perspective it was a serious storm with temps in the teens, 4-8 inch general swath, rush hour impacts followed by brutally cold. Pretty extreme for a Middle Atlantic March day.

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<rant>

I really hate the snow totals from public sometimes. I live in the middle of Bel Air, and someone reported 5 inches??

I watched the entire storm, from changeover to early morning fizzle. I shoveled the driveway, back porch and even grass out back for dog to pee. I never bothered to get out a ruler but it was 2" max but that's rounding up! How someone in the immediate zip code measured 5" is cray. I know there were dramatic cutoffs but if anything, I live on the southern side of town.

</rant>

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