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Central PA & the fringes - January 2015 Part III


WmsptWx

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Does anyone else hate how this new "upgraded" GFS downlopes some areas unrealistically? Look at the 12"+ spots in NEPA and then the >6" spots right next to it.

 

HN0oG9s.png

yeah, I don't know about the "elevation" thing on the gfs.  seems to way over exaggerate differences in snow amounts based on topography.

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Does anyone else hate how this new "upgraded" GFS downlopes some areas unrealistically? Look at the 12"+ spots in NEPA and then the 6>" spots right next to it.

HN0oG9s.png

Yeah I've noticed that it tends to give the mountains east of State College like double the snowfall, and shadows the west branch valley way more than reality.

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Gut feel, we all get more snow than the models show and someone ends up with a fairly bad ice event. The CAD is usually relatively under estimated in NC and even Mid to lower Susq. valley.

 

I really don't think we will see a significant ice event over any kind of widespread area (warning criteria).. or significant rainfall for that matter for folks that end up with plain rain in the end. The farther north the low tracks, the farther north the primary precip shield sets up. This isn't say.. your standard low coming up out of the Gulf region that cuts west of PA and yanks an intense southerly push aloft on top of a strong CAD setup at the surface, this is more of a gradient type storm track that runs largely latitudinal (West to East). The best forcing and best precip will be north of the surface low. If the surface low runs into PA, the southern half to 2/3s of the state where ice might occur is probably not going to get the best QPF.. probably getting primarily frozen on the front end before tapering as the low approaches. 

 

This ordeal is likely not going to be any kind of resolved until go time, as just a minor shift back towards the PA/MD border in the northern guidance would solidify I-80 north into the axis of heaviest snow. The central counties between the turnpike and 80 usually fight the good fight better than modeled with these imminent snow->mix scenarios, and if the heavier precip is there for the Susquehanna Valley early on.. they will get a good front thump. There's also the question of how fast the low transfers and where. Always a ridiculously complicated scenario for us. I don't know if I've seen a worse winter for short term forecasting. 

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