Jump to content
  • Member Statistics

    17,606
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    ArlyDude
    Newest Member
    ArlyDude
    Joined

February 16-17th Storm II


stormtracker

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 561
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Looks like about .37 for you and .47 here.  Of course, it's the nam, but the point is that any shift of 25 miles pushes our qpf up another .10.  We'll get there.  Not as much as Chill-land, but we'll be good.

 

Half inch of liquid is nothing to sneeze at in an airmass like this. Looks good and with another bump up or 2 it will become a great storm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep. That is typically because of a better thermal profile in the max lift zone north of where the heavier QPF may fall. You're right, we see that time and time again, it'll be interesting if the sim reflectivity data per the HRRR and the RAP pick up on this.

I'm usually in the max and then it ends up in northern Maryland. Howevver, this time the max is way south of me so I'm not sure what to think. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you'll make it up on ratios some how, I'm sure   lol

 

No one is going to have to worry about ratios with this one. Thats what makes this storm awesome. Its just so damn cold. .43 at OKV is fine in my book. Thats probably at least 6 inches. And its not going anywhere for a couple of weeks if the models are right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WSW Warning just posted.

 

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
953 PM EST SUN FEB 15 2015

VAZ040-051>053-055>057-501-502-506-161100-
/O.UPG.KLWX.WS.A.0003.150216T2300Z-150217T1700Z/
/O.NEW.KLWX.WS.W.0005.150216T2100Z-150217T1700Z/
/O.CON.KLWX.WC.Y.0008.000000T0000Z-150216T1500Z/
RAPPAHANNOCK-CULPEPER-PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK-
FAIRFAX-STAFFORD-SPOTSYLVANIA-KING GEORGE-NORTHERN FAUQUIER-
SOUTHERN FAUQUIER-EASTERN LOUDOUN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WASHINGTON...CULPEPER...MANASSAS...
MANASSAS PARK...FAIRFAX...FREDERICKSBURG...WARRENTON...LEESBURG...
ASHBURN
953 PM EST SUN FEB 15 2015

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST MONDAY...
...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM MONDAY TO NOON EST
TUESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS
ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM
MONDAY TO NOON EST TUESDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS...4 TO 8 INCHES.

* TIMING...SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND
CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED
MONDAY NIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING.

* WIND CHILL...5 TO 10 BELOW ZERO TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING.

* TEMPERATURES...SINGLE DIGITS TONIGHT. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 20S
MONDAY. TEMPERATURES IN THE TEENS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY
MORNING.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST TO 10 TO 15 MPH OVERNIGHT. WINDS BECOMING
SOUTHEAST 5 TO 10 MPH MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND COLD TEMPERATURES
WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS THAT CAN QUICKLY
CAUSE HYPOTHERMIA AND FROST BITE THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.
BEGINNING LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON...ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW
COVERED AND SLIPPERY WITH VISIBILITIES BEING REDUCED TO ONE HALF
MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. THE COMBINATION OF SNOW COVERED ROADS AND
LOW VISIBILITY WILL MAKE TRAVELLING DANGEROUS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW
ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN
EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS...MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND
GLOVES.

&&

$

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hres nam has pretty much everyone in the mid-upper teens through the event. Some low-mid 20's far se in s md. Snowstorms in the teens in the MA are not common. Especially the closer burbs. This is a special one.

.

Bob--better ratios? Might have been covered 1000x earlier? Apologies if so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Half inch of liquid is nothing to sneeze at in an airmass like this. Looks good and with another bump up or 2 it will become a great storm.

 

Question about the ratios:

 

Would the 15:1 ratios be region-wide.... or only in the areas with the best lift and banding, where snow growth would be ideal?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hres nam has pretty much everyone in the mid-upper teens through the event. Some low-mid 20's far se in s md. Snowstorms in the teens in the MA are not common. Especially the closer burbs. This is a special one. 

Have to think that if the clouds come in earlier enough forecasted highs tomorrow may bust  by several degrees. Even the metros will struggle to get out of the teens during the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazing this storm is coming with such a ridiculous air mass in place. Coldest storm since the start of pd2(2003)?

 

Not sure about DC, but we were 16F for 1/30/10, and that was during the day.  We'll be a little warmer than that tomorrow, but forecast of 12F tomorrow night.  One of the storms last year was very cold too, but I can't remember which one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reading the NWS discussion, they're waiting for another tick north.  The fact that we don't have advisories and still a watch is good.

Yeah, good point. I dread nothing more than being downgraded from watch to advisory. Although I am only like a mile and a half from the warning area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Question about the ratios:

 

Would the 15:1 ratios be region-wide.... or only in the areas with the best lift and banding, where snow growth would be ideal?

 

 

JB always says look for the areas around -8. In this case everyone is that or colder so I have no idea.

-10F to -15F in the snow growth zone is ideal for dendrite growth.  NAM had a "warm" layer of -5F from about 800mb-700mb, but in that ideal temp range above that. I think we'll have nice crystal growth.  I think 15:1 is probably a touch too high for an area-wide average (maybe more 13-14:1, although maybe I'm splitting hairs), but I think some of the jackpot zones will end up with ratios of 15-17:1. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reading the NWS discussion, they're waiting for another tick north.  The fact that we don't have advisories and still a watch is good.

 

I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll all be in the warning come tomorrow, and maybe a bump to 6-10" for DC if the rest of the guidance looks like the NAM. Glad they're playing it safe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RGEM is still a pretty crappy solution north of Baltimore,  Its a good hit DC south.  Very tight gradient on good qpf, very light 1-2" snows get well into PA but more then that is Baltimore South.  RGEM has been pretty good lately I wish the NAM was south and the RGEM was the one trending north. 

like the rest of the models, it can be jumpy

on a relative basis to the globe, that jump isn't much

Link to comment
Share on other sites

like the rest of the models, it can be jumpy

on a relative basis to the globe, that jump isn't much

yea I think its becoming clear that the northern edge of the heavy snow banding will probably set up somewhere in our area.  I think DC is safe.  North of York is probably out of it for more then a couple inches.  Somewhere in between is where the fringe of the significant snows will set up.  I have no idea where that will be, and history suggests it usually ends up north of where models put it 24 hours out, but I am still nervous as usual. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As of now, I'm thinking this is a 3-5" snowfall M/D line south to Baltimore, with 6" south of the city. Maybe some 8" jackpots in the DC area.

 

I'm holding out hope that the whole CWA gets warning criteria snow.

since I'll be doing the measuring for mby, I suspect mby will be the jackpot for the area...just a hunch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm usually in the max and then it ends up in northern Maryland. Howevver, this time the max is way south of me so I'm not sure what to think.

Wes -- Not a perfect match but the Jan 30 2010 event may not be a bad analog (prior to snowmaggedon). Best QPF across central/southern VA, where snow amounts in the 6-12" range were observed. However a good swath of 6-8" of fluff extended well north into the DC metro area, without as much QPF. I wouldn't be surprised if we again see 2 max w-e axes, one farther south where the QPF is higher but perhaps the snow crystals are not as optimal, and maybe another one farther north (typically around I-70 as we often joke about) where the QPF isn't as high but the dendritic growth is optimal. That initial northern "finger" band if you will. It would appear to me however, given the thermal profiles aloft, that even the northern band will be farther south (compared to climo) this go around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...