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NNE Winter: just can't compete with Maple Hollow.


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Great pictures PF.   This type of event probably happens on higher mountains often.  Mountains like Mount Rainer at 14400.  It is in the clear at the top with heavy snow down below.  I bet the top of the  highest Himalayas get very little snow.  Anyhow its neat to see it in New England.  I grew up skiing at Loon. Never see things like this.   Seems like the Greens get so many more "interesting" cloud and squalls than the Whites since you have the moist flow from the west and rob most the good stuff before it gets to the Whites.   

 

PS  How much fell in the snow band below?

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Great pictures PF.   This type of event probably happens on higher mountains often.  Mountains like Mount Rainer at 14400.  It is in the clear at the top with heavy snow down below.  I bet the top of the  highest Himalayas get very little snow.  Anyhow its neat to see it in New England.  I grew up skiing at Loon. Never see things like this.   Seems like the Greens get so many more "interesting" cloud and squalls than the Whites since you have the moist flow from the west and rob most the good stuff before it gets to the Whites.   

 

PS  How much fell in the snow band below?

 

Yeah, I was figuring that happens quite a bit at some spots out west...particularly the west coast where you go from sea level to 10-14,000ft.  I know I saw a study once of what I think was Mt Shasta in California, saying the heaviest annual snowfall is upper mid-slope elevations...like 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the way up the hill.  I've also seen it mentioned in the Wasatch in Utah by the USFS Avalanche Forecasters.  When the inversion is low but CAA coming over the Great Salt Lake causes lake effect and orographic snows, they can actually get hammered at the base of the mountain slopes (like the SLC benches), while Alta and Snowbird remain mostly above it.  Of course it doesn't happen often but I've read about it and their Avalanche forecasts will often say what elevation they think the heaviest snow will fall.

 

As far as accums, not much.  Half inch, maybe 0.75" at 2,600ft.  I would love to see that type of set-up produce like 4" at mid-mountain and 0" at the summit, lol.  Would be fun to report on those observations.

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Yeah, I was figuring that happens quite a bit at some spots out west...particularly the west coast where you go from sea level to 10-14,000ft.  I know I saw a study once of what I think was Mt Shasta in California, saying the heaviest annual snowfall is upper mid-slope elevations...like 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the way up the hill.  I've also seen it mentioned in the Wasatch in Utah by the USFS Avalanche Forecasters.  When the inversion is low but CAA coming over the Great Salt Lake causes lake effect and orographic snows, they can actually get hammered at the base of the mountain slopes (like the SLC benches), while Alta and Snowbird remain mostly above it.  Of course it doesn't happen often but I've read about it and their Avalanche forecasts will often say what elevation they think the heaviest snow will fall.

 

As far as accums, not much.  Half inch, maybe 0.75" at 2,600ft.  I would love to see that type of set-up produce like 4" at mid-mountain and 0" at the summit, lol.  Would be fun to report on those observations.

Yeah you figure its gotta happen all the time at places like Mt Everest at 29,000 feet.  Changing the subject slightly as you know I bought my brother a Nest Cam for his house which is at 8500 feet and overlooks Aspen and Aspen Mt.  I know little of Rockie weather but by looking at his cam several times a day over the past year I have learned a lot.  Aspen is just to the NE of Aspen Mountain and a range of mountains over 12,000.  Snow squalls come over that range and seem to dump snow on Aspen Mountain.  Then the downslope into the town of Aspen keeps them in the clear.  I posted a sick snow squall hitting the range last week.  It has also been interesting this fall to watch the snow level.  Its about 5000 vertical looking at that range from his cam so earlier this fall you would see the snow line higher up. With each storm and melting cycle it would go up and down.   Now everything is just white. I have also noticed from the snow on his deck and being at a more southern latitude that snow melts and sublimates very quickly.  That Aspen powder has very little water content similar to the Stowe upslope events I guess.  Here at my house in Central NH the snow has staying power. (If it ever snows again).  Anyhow enough of my musings.....

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Spend more time in Franconia notch.

Yeah...driving through there every weekend back and forth to LSC was interesting to say the least.

The mid mountain snow isn't totally unheard of around here either. I can remember some events where Pinkham was getting pounded and MWN was mostly sunny with an undercast and flurries/-SN occuring at the summit from below.

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Yeah...driving through there every weekend back and forth to LSC was interesting to say the least.

The mid mountain snow isn't totally unheard of around here either. I can remember some events where Pinkham was getting pounded and MWN was mostly sunny with an undercast and flurries/-SN occuring at the summit from below.

There was a major upslope event in early March 2006 (I think) where the MWN web cam was sunny during the second half of the storm with thick undercast, and the Greens picked up feet of fluff. I think Bretton Woods had 18" or something on the north slope of the Whites.

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Yeah...driving through there every weekend back and forth to LSC was interesting to say the least.

The mid mountain snow isn't totally unheard of around here either. I can remember some events where Pinkham was getting pounded and MWN was mostly sunny with an undercast and flurries/-SN occuring at the summit from below.

I'd like to rent powderfreak and his camera for 3 winters and send him to canon mountain, crawford notch, and then wildcat. It's sad that all our cool weather just goes undocumented.

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Yeah...driving through there every weekend back and forth to LSC was interesting to say the least.

The mid mountain snow isn't totally unheard of around here either. I can remember some events where Pinkham was getting pounded and MWN was mostly sunny with an undercast and flurries/-SN occuring at the summit from below.

Holy hell, I had some white knuckle drives through the notch...I remember one drive, I literally thought I was going to die. The skies were clear north and south of the Notch, but it was an absolute white- out blizzard in the notch...I had my flashers on and I couldn't drive faster than 8mph. I was so scared anyone coming up behind me would crash into me. All of a sudden a person appears in the road way waving their arms...apparently a higher profile pickup with a high cap gone blown over on its side and was completely blocking the right lane just before it merged down to one lane. I asked the guy if he was OK, and he was but I as I drove on I was worried that another car was going to either hit the guy or run into the truck. I pulled off on the shoulder and dug a flare out of my emergency kit and walked back to give it to guy standing in the road. What a wild night that was...once I got past Cannon Mtn the snow let up, and once out of the notch the stars were back out.

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Holy hell, I had some white knuckle drives through the notch...I remember one drive, I literally thought I was going to die. The skies were clear north and south of the Notch, but it was an absolute white- out blizzard in the notch...I had my flashers on and I couldn't drive faster than 8mph. I was so scared anyone coming up behind me would crash into me. All of a sudden a person appears in the road way waving their arms...apparently a higher profile pickup with a high cap gone blown over on its side and was completely blocking the right lane just before it merged down to one lane. I asked the guy if he was OK, and he was but I as I drove on I was worried that another car was going to either hit the guy or run into the truck. I pulled off on the shoulder and dug a flare out of my emergency kit and walked back to give it to guy standing in the road. What a wild night that was...once I got past Cannon Mtn the snow let up, and once out of the notch the stars were back out.

When I was little, my dad and I would go on random trips through the notch.  We left here in sunshine and would drive into the snow just as you described many times.  It always fascinated me how localized it was.  Sometimes I wished my dad had bought Parkers Motel instead.

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Holy hell, I had some white knuckle drives through the notch...I remember one drive, I literally thought I was going to die. The skies were clear north and south of the Notch, but it was an absolute white- out blizzard in the notch...I had my flashers on and I couldn't drive faster than 8mph. I was so scared anyone coming up behind me would crash into me. All of a sudden a person appears in the road way waving their arms...apparently a higher profile pickup with a high cap gone blown over on its side and was completely blocking the right lane just before it merged down to one lane. I asked the guy if he was OK, and he was but I as I drove on I was worried that another car was going to either hit the guy or run into the truck. I pulled off on the shoulder and dug a flare out of my emergency kit and walked back to give it to guy standing in the road. What a wild night that was...once I got past Cannon Mtn the snow let up, and once out of the notch the stars were back out.

Good deed......thats a Notch in your belt. Bawa
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Holy hell, I had some white knuckle drives through the notch...I remember one drive, I literally thought I was going to die. The skies were clear north and south of the Notch, but it was an absolute white- out blizzard in the notch...I had my flashers on and I couldn't drive faster than 8mph. I was so scared anyone coming up behind me would crash into me. All of a sudden a person appears in the road way waving their arms...apparently a higher profile pickup with a high cap gone blown over on its side and was completely blocking the right lane just before it merged down to one lane. I asked the guy if he was OK, and he was but I as I drove on I was worried that another car was going to either hit the guy or run into the truck. I pulled off on the shoulder and dug a flare out of my emergency kit and walked back to give it to guy standing in the road. What a wild night that was...once I got past Cannon Mtn the snow let up, and once out of the notch the stars were back out.

Yup...so many drives like that going from clear to +SN to clear. Scariest one was with my alternator failing through the notch in mid Dec.. Somehow I got to LSC, but the car was dead after that. My dad and I drove up during the ice storm in Jan to get it to the garage. You may remember that POS white Cavalier.

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Yup...so many drives like that going from clear to +SN to clear. Scariest one was with my alternator failing through the notch in mid Dec.. Somehow I got to LSC, but the car was dead after that. My dad and I drove up during the ice storm in Jan to get it to the garage. You may remember that POS white Cavalier.

Omg, now that you mention it, I do remember your white car...blast from the past!

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When I was little, my dad and I would go on random trips through the notch.  We left here in sunshine and would drive into the snow just as you described many times.  It always fascinated me how localized it was.  Sometimes I wished my dad had bought Parkers Motel instead.

 

You guys all sound like you are describing driving past J.Spin's house on I-89 through the Spine, lol. 

 

Localized to the point that each mile nets you 10 more inches of seasonal snowfall.

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Love these little meso-scale mountain discussions from BTV...pin-pointing any snow shower activity to above 1,500ft and on the northwest side of mountains.

 

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
AS OF 639 AM EST SUNDAY...CHANGES WITH THIS UPDATE TO THE FORECAST
MAINLY INCLUDE INCREASING TO A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SOME OROGRAPHIC
SNOW TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING. 700MB FLOW REMAINS NORTHWEST AND AS
THE MOISTURE INCREASES OVERNIGHT SOME LIGHT OROGRAPHIC SNOW COULD
DEVELOP. NOTHING OF ANY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT BUT ESPECIALLY GIVEN
THE BLOCKED FLOW AND A SATURATED LAYER BETWEEN 950MB AND 850MB IS
POSSIBLE FOR SNOW TO FALL ON THE WESTERN SLOPES OF BOTH THE
ADIRONDACKS AND THE GREENS BETWEEN 00-06Z THIS EVENING. SNOW...IF
IT DOES FALL WOULD ONLY BE LIKELY ABOVE 1500 FT AND REALLY ONLY ON
THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS. THE REST OF THE FORECAST
REMAINS LARGELY UNCHANGED AS CURRENT OBSERVATIONAL TRENDS ARE
HOLDING CONSISTENT WITH THE FORECAST.

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That mid or lower mountain snow is happening right now on Aspen Mt.  Just looked at my brothers webcam.  Tall 12,000 footers are in the clear but it looks like it is snowing pretty good down on the lower parts of the mountains.

 

Speaking of Franconia Notch I would guess they get the best snow of all the Notches.  There is also one area on Rt 93 just as you come out of the notch on the north side that gets crazy wind.  Do they keep snow totals at the base elevations like Echo lake?   I bet there are some crazy long term snow gradients mile by mile through the Notch.  On squall days I have even done snow chases and driven up there since its only about 35 minutes from my house.

post-268-0-80090600-1448815459_thumb.jpg

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You guys all sound like you are describing driving past J.Spin's house on I-89 through the Spine, lol.

 

Localized to the point that each mile nets you 10 more inches of seasonal snowfall.

 

Well, on that note, I just looked outside and saw that it’s snowing here at the house.

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Seeing the snow falling prompted me to check the radar, and there is something on there pushing in from the north:

 

29NOV15A.gif

 

It may be what the BTV NWS is talking about in their discussion:

 

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT

1243 PM EST SUN NOV 29 2015

 

.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING/...

AS OF 1229 PM EST SUNDAY...CLOUDS CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN VERMONT AS WELL AS PARTS OF NORTHERN NEW YORK ALONG A SECONDARY COLD FRONT. HAVE NOTED A FEW LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS BEING REPORTED UPSTREAM IN MONTREAL AND NOW NEWPORT VT. SO I HAVE BUMPED POPS UP SLIGHTLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND WILL MENTION A FEW FLURRIES OR A PERIOD OF VERY LIGHT SNOW THIS AFTERNOON. NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED...GIVEN THE LACK OF DEEP LAYER MOISTURE. TEMPERATURES WILL HOLD STEADY WITH THE CLOUDS AND DEVELOPING COLD AIR ADVECTION OVER NORTHERN NY INTO CENTRAL VT...WITH SOME ADDITIONAL WARMING IN THE SUNSHINE OVER SOUTHERN VT. HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER 20S MOUNTAINS TO NEAR 40F VSF. ALL COVERED WELL IN FORECAST.

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We didn’t really get much snow from when the cold front itself came by, and yesterday’s low-level snow never broke the 0.1” barrier, but today’s somewhat unannounced event is delivering larger flakes and has already put down 0.2” on the board.  It’s really just starting to push into the area now, so we’ll see how persistent the flakes are:

 

29NOV15B.gif

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