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Feb 16th/17th/18th Winter Wx


burgertime

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I don't buy a lot of back end snow. I can count on one hand the times I've ever seen any meaningful back end snow.

I've only seen it once, in February 96. Coincided w/ my favorite storm ever still to this day. Inch of zr followed by 3 inches of snow and several days of bitter cold. Link below is a quick view of the pattern. It's honestly not too dissimilar to the pattern over the next week.

 

http://mp1.met.psu.edu/~fxg1/NARR/1996/us0203.php

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It's not really backend like you're used to thinking. It looks like regular backside snow enhanced by the second wave.

Good point. I'm not used to a one-two punch where you get a good hit with both, either. Usually one is big and the other is negligible. This one seems to be trending to a one punch deal, lately.

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I've only seen it once, in February 96. Coincided w/ my favorite storm ever still to this day. Inch of zr followed by 3 inches of snow and several days of bitter cold. Link below is a quick view of the pattern. It's honestly not too dissimilar to the pattern over the next week.

 

http://mp1.met.psu.edu/~fxg1/NARR/1996/us0203.php

 

Indeed, quite similar.  May even match the high in the teens we had following that one.

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It's not really backend like you're used to thinking. It looks like regular backside snow enhanced by the second wave.

 

Widre!  Where you been mann?  The big thing we have going on around RDU is the 850 wobble.  Could go 50 miles north or stay 25-50 miles south during the duration. 

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I've only seen it once, in February 96. Coincided w/ my favorite storm ever still to this day. Inch of zr followed by 3 inches of snow and several days of bitter cold. Link below is a quick view of the pattern. It's honestly not too dissimilar to the pattern over the next week.

http://mp1.met.psu.edu/~fxg1/NARR/1996/us0203.php

I don't remember that one at all. If we get a significant winter storm, given the temps after, this one will probably rival that one.

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SREF plumes are out... they look better than ever.  It looks like some members would have some snow past the end of the run, as well.

 

GSO: 6.34"

RDU:  4.86"

CLT: 4.87"

GSP: 4.12"

 

Quite a long duration event with the precip getting in there so quickly.

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SREF plumes are out... they look better than ever.  It looks like some members would have some snow past the end of the run, as well.

 

GSO: 6.34"

RDU:  4.86"

CLT: 4.87"

GSP: 4.12"

 

Also, the precip type probability type favors snow almost the entire run for most of these locations.  Earlier runs the probability of IP/ZR was higher than for snow.

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Also, the precip type probability type favors snow almost the entire run for most of these locations.  Earlier runs the probability of IP/ZR was higher than for snow.

 

Indeed.  Rain probabilities shoot up just east of Raleigh.  Last run, it was east of I-85.

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Does the SREF assume 10:1 ratios?

 

Mean for MTV is 7.32. Frosty is a tick higher, James a tick lower (which is surprising)

 

 

Also, how far off was the EPS from the Op?

 

Not sure about the SREF ratios...but the Euro EPS looked very similar to the Op as far as I could tell.

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gsp disco

Short term /Sunday night through Tuesday night/...

as of 240 PM...as cyclogenesis develops over the arklatex region in

response to central Continental U.S. Height falls late Sunday...a band of

frontogenesis will become established across the southeast Sunday

night. There remains discrepancy among the operational models

regarding the timing of this precipitation into the western Carolinas on

Monday...with the NAM remaining as the most aggressive model in

developing precipitation over the southwest NC mountains by 12z Monday.

Interestingly...the NAM has a great deal of support from the

sref...as most ensemble members produce measurable precipitation across far

southwest NC by 12z. With that in mind...probability of precipitation were increased to

likely in those areas by that time. However...probability of precipitation will drop off

considerably south and east from there toward the Piedmont...if for

no other reason that it will take longer for the very dry near-

surface air mass to saturate over the lower elevations. Probability of precipitation will

increase throughout Monday...with likely probability of precipitation reserved for the

western upstate/northeast Georgia and southwest NC. There is little doubt

that wherever precipitation falls across the forecast area on

Monday...the p-type will be snow...the only question being quantitative precipitation forecast/

accums.

Confidence is rather high that 3-6 inches will fall across the

southwest NC mountains by the end of Monday...but quantitative precipitation forecast is more uncertain

southeast of there...but based upon a consensus NAM/GFS forecast

through that time...the western upstate and northeast Georgia could see

significant accums by the end of the day. Confidence is high enough

to issue a Winter Storm Watch on this shift for our far western

areas...from roughly Carnesville to Clayton Georgia...to Sylva to

Waynesville...to Mars Hill in NC.

The forecast is still Rife with uncertainty Monday night into Tuesday...as

two model camps appear to be emerging...the more southern/somewhat

drier/colder low track (gfs/canadian)...and the more northern/

somewhat warmer/much wetter European model (ecmwf)/NAM Camp (although it should be

said that the NAM is an outlier among all models as it is much much

slower than any of the models). The sref and gefs composite guidance

is somewhere between the two. Meanwhile...it was interesting that

the the operational NAM was on the upper end of the sref quantitative precipitation forecast

envelope...while the GFS was on the low end of the gefs envelope.

With that in mind...a blend of the GFS/NAM seemed to be a reasonable

path of least regret in terms of timing/qpf...with a bit of a nod

toward the GFS considering its similarity to the timing consensus.

The upshot is that snow is expected to begin to change to sleet and

rain or freezing rain across the lower SC/Georgia Piedmont Monday evening...

with this transition zone shifting gradually north through the

night...with the snow/rain or freezing rain line shifting to near the NC

border by Tuesday afternoon. Of perhaps utmost interest will be how much

(and where) freezing rain falls on Tuesday. While there will be a

decent surface high to our northeast...it is not especially strong

and not in an ideal position such that maintenance of cold air...especially

in the southern half of the forecast area...where the transition to

liquid is most likely. Therefore...while there will likely be some

ice across the upstate and southern NC Piedmont Monday night/Tue...how

much is still highly uncertain.

The moral of the story is...there remains the potential for a

significant winter storm across the entire region Monday through Tuesday...but

confidence remains below watch issuance criteria (50 percent) except

for the aforementioned areas

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You mean more of I-95 east?

With the models jumping on the front end theme, the sfc temps will be colder due to more in-situ CAD. So i don't think rain is a big concern anymore in Raleigh. I think sleet is the biggest issue b/n a major storm and a run of the mill winterstorm. FYI, during the height of the snow, the sfc temp at RDU is 22 Monday night on the EURO.

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