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Capital Weather Gang - 2015-16 Winter Outlook


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Nice work as usual, Matt.  I think your snow numbers are reasonable with the low confidence caveat.  Could be a great year for Jonjon.  I agree with your December and January temp forecasts (and the seasonal number), but I'm wondering (hoping?) that February and bn maybe March are both slightly below normal with maybe a couple respectable cold shots.  I see above you had some thoughts of a  BN February also. 

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hmmmm....DJF wasn't that much of a blowtorch for DC...+0.2 based on 81-2010 norms so probably like a +2 to +3 once I filter it through my super duper DCA translator (plus you can look at max/min anomalies and get a sense)...Kind of curious if the new sensor at DCA will cool things down a bit this winter...I kind of doubt it...

 

That's interesting, I hadn't checked DCA but you're right.
 
Departure from avg:
Dec: +2.1
Jan: -2.5
Feb: +0.8
Mar: +2.6
 
BWI was warmer than DCA each month for DJF too:
Dec: DCA 41.8, BWI 43.8
Jan: DCA 33.5, BWI 34.9
Feb: DCA 39.8, BWI 40.4
Mar: DCA 49.4, BWI 49.2
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Nicely done, and a good write-up.  Of course, I hope it's a bit colder overall and at least somewhat snowier in the end.  But you cover the reasons and caveats very well, and clearly state it's a low confidence forecast and why.  I'm sure at first glance a lot of snow weenies will head for the cliffs and cancel winter, but reading between the lines, it's not all that awful to be honest.  It's a very reasonable forecast and hedges "somewhat low" for this area...which in my opinion is quite fair at this point.  I think a lot of people are generally calling for somewhat warmer than normal but no blowtorch (except, perhaps, for December?).  The wild card is snow, which is almost always the case.  Interesting in the forecasts I've seen/read, there's an overall tendency to go warmer (not too much) but snowier for this winter.  To be honest, I don't expect a 1997-98 style disaster or a 2011-12 style torch, but won't be surprised if things are "meh" to average overall.  I also won't be surprised if we get hammered with a blockbuster kind of storm, either.  I guess the only thing anyone is truly confident about is that it will be wetter and stormier than usual!

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FWIW, this is lower confidence than my usual low confidence ;)

 

We have never seen region 4 this warm.  Given the absurd PDO and the fact that forcing might be closer to 160-180, perhaps the NPAC won't be completely hostile...Get us a block in February and let's see what happens...

 

LOL!!  Lower than the usual lower confidence!  All humor aside, I think anyone forecasting for this winter should feel that way to be honest.

 

Yeah, there's definitely some uncharted territory this year with the Nino as it is.  As you say, maybe...just maybe we can get a bit lucky in terms of the PDO and thus the Pac won't be as hostile.  It surely won't be as great for us as it was the past two years (which made those two winters!), but if we can avoid the "small galaxy" of a low in the Gulf of AK (hat tip to ORH Wx in the other winter thread!) maybe we'll have a fighting chance.  That, and if the NAO/blocking cooperates at some point, of course.

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LOL!!  Lower than the usual lower confidence!  All humor aside, I think anyone forecasting for this winter should feel that way to be honest.

 

Yeah, there's definitely some uncharted territory this year with the Nino as it is.  As you say, maybe...just maybe we can get a bit lucky in terms of the PDO and thus the Pac won't be as hostile.  It surely won't be as great for us as it was the past two years (which made those two winters!), but if we can avoid the "small galaxy" of a low in the Gulf of AK (hat tip to ORH Wx in the other winter thread!) maybe we'll have a fighting chance.  That, and if the NAO/blocking cooperates at some point, of course.

yes..the key is getting a PAC that isn't a complete non starter...Even in February I doubt the PAC will be that great...good perhaps...We will need blocking...our periods of +NAO/AO this winter won't cut it 

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I also could not immediately find a snow total for the mid-Atlantic region in 1877-78.  However, I found a mention of 8.1 inches that season for New York City.  

the 8.1" looks like it was one storm on January 31st-February 1st, 1878...it could have been 8" with another dusting in January...either way it was a one storm winter and mild for its time...

http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/wint77_78.html

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I'm gonna go with some rain/some snow, some cold/some warm, plenty of useless model runs/storm teases, and several posters off the deep end from time to time.

This forecast is almost certain to verify quite nicely.

You are to long-range forecasts what your boy from Stephens City is to a beautifully warm fall day.

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Just a snapshot ;)

 

Mt. Parkton

Dec Temp: Warm, but colder than everyone

Jan Temp: Less warm, and still colder than everyone

Feb Temp: Cold, and yes, colder than everyone

 

Season total: More than everyone but Jonjon

Total (not T) events: 1.5x the next highest

Greatest snowfall: 15.5" (Feb)

 

 

Most accurate forecast all season. 

 

:lol: love it thanks. But you know the Westminster/Manchester crowd always does a bit better than me. So lets put me third below JonJon and the hills of Carroll County

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Just a snapshot ;)

 

Mt. Parkton

Dec Temp: Warm, but colder than everyone

Jan Temp: Less warm, and still colder than everyone

Feb Temp: Cold, and yes, colder than everyone

 

Season total: More than everyone but Jonjon

Total (not T) events: 1.5x the next highest

Greatest snowfall: 15.5" (Feb)

 

 

Most accurate forecast all season. 

Winchester will come in 2nd.

 

:popcorn:

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I thought Wes writes these.  Did something change?  

 

Wes doesn't do seasonal forecasting...I think he would do a great job....But he focuses on the mid and short range....

 

I do ask him for feedback and he has made some really good suggestions over the years, and sometimes I have incorporated them...

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Good job Matt. I liked the way you tied in the risks regarding snowfall. Specifics like big snow storms (which are statistically uncommon in any given year) and how they can affect the outcome is duly noted. If we beat climo again it won't likely be achieved the same way as last year with an unusually high # of events. 

 

Agree with this. Climo will only be beat this year with big storms. That makes the possibility of a crappy winter very real. But like I said at the end of last winter. 3 above climos in a row would be shocking IMO. 

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Good write-up. The small sample size of very strong El Nino events makes this year a very difficult one to analog. We're in uncharted waters when one combines the various index states currently present [super, basin wide ENSO, +QBO, +PDO, etc.].

 

thanks yes...I didn't weigh analogs much at all...I think we'll get a more serviceable PAC (at least in 2nd half)....I am still very very dubious of a -AO/-NAO....I'd lean against it in the means, so we will need a little luck down here....hopefully we get a decent period...

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