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Pittsburgh/ Western PA Part III


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Well, I wish I would have been wrong on this one, but like I said, these things almost always trend warmer as we get closer. Warmer air just seems to eventually win out. The infamous WTOD doesn't get stopped too often. Looks like another slopfest for us. Even initially, it was looking like at least some slop for us folks south of Pittsburgh. Now, it looks like complete slop. Like Digger mentioned, even when temps get above freezing, the air on the ground can still be colder. I've seen mornings, well above freezing, where pavement is still ice for a while. So, travel may be tricky anyway.

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Yeah, this has become a non-event down here.  As of now it may be a while before we even get another snow chance.  At least we had one week of winter, eh?

Yeah, I think that makes this sting a bit worse. We've had maybe a 2 week period of wintry weather, and now after this storm the rest of the week is seasonal, but probably dry unless something sneaks up on us. Then, we go into what will likely be a 3-5 day above normal temperature regime and that is assuming the models are getting the pattern change back to colder right.

 

Closing in on 40 degrees in a lot of areas now.

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I really don't know which way to lean on this storm. Any amount of zr is enough to cause serious issues so even if we only get say an hour or so of it conditions could be quite dangerous until the surface warms or is treated. I'd proceed with caution, but I fully expect we will probably be plain rain by rush hour but the damage may already be done.

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mcd0032.gif

 

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0032
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0750 PM CST SUN JAN 11 2015

AREAS AFFECTED...PORTIONS OF WV...CNTRL/NRN VA...WRN MD...AND FAR
SRN PA

CONCERNING...FREEZING RAIN

VALID 120150Z - 120745Z

SUMMARY...LIGHT RAIN WILL TRANSITION TO FREEZING RAIN ACROSS THE
DISCUSSION AREA THROUGH 03Z...AND SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY
MONDAY MORNING. PRECIPITATION RATES MAY APPROACH .02 IN/HR.

DISCUSSION...CURRENT SFC OBS AS OF 01Z SHOW VERY DRY AIR REMAINS IN
PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF WV...CNTRL/NRN VA...WRN MD...AND FAR SRN PA.
00Z SOUNDINGS FROM RNK AND IAD ALSO DEPICT A DRY LAYER OF AIR
BETWEEN THE SFC AND 850 MB ASSOCIATED WITH A REMNANT SFC HIGH
PRESSURE/WEDGE NOW RETREATING EWD OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST. A LARGE
AREA OF LIGHT RAIN OCCURRING ACROSS WV AND CNTRL/NRN VA IS
ASSOCIATED WITH LARGE-SCALE LIFTING ATTENDANT TO A LOW-AMPLITUDE
SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE W. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL
CONTINUE TO MOISTEN THE DRY NEAR-SURFACE LAYER. WITH TEMPERATURES
GENERALLY IN THE LOW TO MID 30S...AND DEW POINTS IN THE TEENS TO
LOWER 20S...SFC WET BULB TEMPERATURES ARE...AND SHOULD REMAIN BELOW
32 DEGREES THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING.

RECENT REPORTS ACROSS THE DISCUSSION AREA SUGGEST THAT EVEN WITH AIR
TEMPERATURES STILL ABOVE FREEZING AS OF 01Z...PRECIPITATION IS
BEGINNING TO FREEZE...WHICH IS LIKELY DUE TO COLD GROUND
TEMPERATURES. WITH THE LOSS OF DIURNAL HEATING AND AS THE LIGHT RAIN
CONTINUES OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS...THE AIR TEMPERATURE SHOULD
CONTINUE TO COOL TO THE WET BULB TEMPERATURE...WHICH IS BELOW
FREEZING. FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATIONS MAY INITIALLY BE LIGHT/SHOWERY
AS THE RESIDUAL DRY LOW-LEVEL AIR REMAINS IN PLACE. HOWEVER...AS
ADDITIONAL LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE SPREADS IN FROM THE S/SW AND THE
COLUMN SATURATES...FREEZING RAIN RATES SHOULD EVENTUALLY
INCREASE...AND MAY APPROACH .02 IN/HR FOR A FEW HOURS OVERNIGHT.

..GLEASON/PETERS.. 01/12/2015

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I've had light freezing rain from the start here. I don't think it has snowed at all and don't expect it to tonight. This is following the same pattern as so many of these types of storms before it. I went outside and there was a thin layer of ice on my sidewalk and in our parking lot. Morning commute may be tricky. Remember, a lot of surfaces will be colder than air temperature from the extended frigid temps we recently had. It's 34 here with the icy sidewalk and parking lot. So, watch for icy conditions in the morning in spots. North of Pittsburgh will obviously be worse than south of the city.

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Pittsburgh has been reporting light freezing rain and snow the past few hours. That's the airport. I don't know what it's doing in the city itself. I'd be happy if this is all plain rain by the morning commute to make it less of a headache. If the snow is going to miss us again, may as well be rain instead of ice. I just talked to someone in Butler and they said the roads are bad there right now. Just depends on where you're at as always. Pittsburgh is usually the dividing line with these systems.

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34.5 Here. 

There was a layer of ice on my walk and driveway but it is mostly melting off as slush now. No problems.

Latest Hrrr says we change to light snow around noon and pick up to an inch by late afternoon in some locations.

Then it gets quiet for a while.

I think we have had more freezing rain than snow so far this year.

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Pittsburgh has been reporting light freezing rain and snow the past few hours. That's the airport. I don't know what it's doing in the city itself. I'd be happy if this is all plain rain by the morning commute to make it less of a headache. If the snow is going to miss us again, may as well be rain instead of ice. I just talked to someone in Butler and they said the roads are bad there right now. Just depends on where you're at as always. Pittsburgh is usually the dividing line with these systems.

I was looking at KAGC which hadn't reported Snow since 11PM last night

 

http://w1.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KAGC.html

 

Latrobe reported snow at midnight and has been rain since.

 

http://w1.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KLBE.html

 

Made it to Pittsburgh and roads weren't bad at all. North of 422 is reported to be pretty bad.

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