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December 25-29th Storm Disco


Chicago Storm

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^ Those images are extremely misleading as a large majority of that is sleet.  Weatherbell and some of the others have written terrible algorithms when it comes to displaying snowfall.  Come to think of it, maybe that's why they wrote them that way to get more dramatic looking colorful map forecasts that will be shared/spread around the internetz like wildfire.  More clickz.

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^ Those images are extremely misleading as a large majority of that is sleet.  Weatherbell and some of the others have written terrible algorithms when it comes to displaying snowfall.  Come to think of it, maybe that's why they wrote them that way to get more dramatic looking colorful map forecasts that will be shared/spread around the internetz like wildfire.  More clickz.

 

I don't believe anything past 15" about. I seems like PW isn't as extreme as TT or Weatherbell. I do believe the Weatherbell maps are a marketing ploy.

 

GEFS tracks are in a tight band in NE IL/NW IN. Basically right over Hoosier.

 

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The WPC perfers the UKMET and Euro on this system...:

 

...DEEP CLOSED LOW OVER THE FOUR CORNERS/SOUTHERN PLAINS...
...ENERGY/SURFACE LOW LIFTING NORTHEAST THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES BY
TUES...
...SYSTEM SHEARING ACROSS THE NORTHEAST BY WED...

PREFERENCE: BLEND OF THE 00Z UKMET AND THE 12Z/00Z ECMWF RUNS
CONFIDENCE: AVERAGE

THE GUIDANCE SHOWS VERY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A STRONG CLOSED LOW
CENTER EJECTING OUT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS ON SUN AND
INTERACTING WITH A VERY STRONG FRONTAL ZONE SITUATED OVER THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS AND LOWER MS VALLEY. THE HEIGHT FALLS/JET ENERGY
IS ALREADY FOSTERING A DEEPENING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE RIO
GRANDE VALLEY AND THIS WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS THE RED RIVER
VALLEY BY EARLY MON AND THEN NORTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION
BY TUES. THE MID LEVEL LOW CENTER WILL WEAKEN THOUGH RATHER
RAPIDLY AS IT REACHES THE GREAT LAKES AND ENCOUNTERS A STRONG
MID/UPPER LEVEL CONFLUENCE ZONE OVER SOUTHEAST CANADA AND NEW
ENGLAND. BY EARLY WED...A MUCH WEAKER SURFACE LOW WILL EXIT INTO
THE ST LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY...WITH SECONDARY LOW DEVELOPMENT
EXPECTED IN THE GULF OF MAINE NEAR NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE 00Z
NAM AGAIN IS GENERALLY TOO SLOW WITH THE PROGRESSION OF THE SYSTEM
AND APPEARS TO BE TOO STRONG WITH ITS ENERGY TRAVERSING THE GREAT
LAKES AND NORTHEAST TUES AND WED. THE 00Z GFS REMAINS SOMEWHAT
FASTER THAN THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS...BUT THE 00Z UKMET AND 00Z
CMC HAVE ACTUALLY TRENDED A LITTLE MORE PROGRESSIVE TOWARD IT. THE
00Z ECMWF IS OVERALL SLOWER THAN THE OTHER NON-NCEP GUIDANCE...BUT
IS FASTER THAN THE NAM. WILL PREFER TO INCORPORATE THE 00Z UKMET
ALONG WITH THE LAST TWO RUNS OF THE ECMWF...SO THE 12Z/00Z ECMWF
RUNS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE PREFERENCE WHICH WILL ALSO BE
CLOSE TO THE 12Z ECENS MEAN.

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GRR's CWA is getting a nice surprise, they haven't sent it yet but it's in there product list on the AFD:

 

.SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY)
ISSUED AT 328 AM EST SUN DEC 27 2015

FORECAST CONCERNS DEAL WITH THE IMPENDING WINTER STORM. CONFIDENCE
CONTINUES TO INCREASE THAT WE/LL SEE A SIGNIFICANT ICING EVENT OCCUR
FROM LATE MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE CWA.

THERE HASN'T BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF CHANGE TO NWP DURING THE LAST
SEVERAL MODEL RUNS. THE ECMWF/NAM/CMC MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE
MAJOR WINTER STORM MOVING FROM TEXAS NEWD TOWARD WISCONSIN BY 12Z
TUESDAY. SW MICHIGAN REMAINS IN THE COLDER OCCLUDED PORTION OF THE
STORM COMPARED TO THE SLIGHTLY WARMER GFS. HOWEVER...EVEN THE GFS
PRODUCES QUITE A BIT OF ICE.

THIS STORM LOOKS LIKE THE CLASSIC ICE STORM FOR SW LOWER MICHIGAN.
IT HAS A LOT OF THINGS GOING FOR IT...A STRONG FEED OF MOISTURE NWD
FROM THE GULF, A DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...AND A STRONG HIGH
OVER QUEBEC FEEDING COLD DRY AIR IN FROM THE ENE. THERE/S ALSO SOME
INSTABILITY LATE MONDAY THAT COULD ADD TO THE PCPN RATES.

IT/S WORTH NOTING THAT GFS MOS GUIDANCE SHOWS SUSTAINED WINDS OF
30KTS MONDAY AFTERNOON AT GRR. THE 00Z GUIDANCE WAS A SLIGHT
INCREASE FROM THE 18Z GUIDANCE. THE NAM GUIDANCE SHOWED SUSTAINED
WINDS IN THE MID 20S. ALL OF THAT SUGGESTS WIND GUSTS IN THE 45 TO
50 MPH RANGE MONDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. JUST THE WIND WILL BE ENOUGH
TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES. BUT THAT'S ONLY PART OF THE
ISSUE.

FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW THE CLASSING WARM WEDGE OF AIR DEVELOPING
MONDAY AFTERNOON AS THE WARMER AIR FROM THE GULF OVERRIDES THE
COLDER AIR COMING IN FROM THE EAST. THIS OVERRUNNING WILL PRODUCE
RAIN IN THE CLOUDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA FROM SOUTH TO NORTH
MONDAY. GIVEN SFC TEMPS IN THE 20S FOR MOST OF THE DAY...FREEZING
RAIN IS WHAT WE/LL SEE ON THE SFC. AS THE PCPN MOVES NORTH THROUGH
THE LATE AFTERNOON SLEET WILL LIKELY DEVELOP NORTH OF M-46 BEFORE IT
MIXES WITH THE FREEZING RAIN. THERE IS SOME NEGATIVE EPV THAT
DEVELOPS OVER THE SOUTHERN CWA TOWARD 00Z. THIS CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL
COULD RESULT IN HIGHER PCPN RATES AND THUS ICE ACCRETION. IT LOOKS
CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD SEE A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH OF ICE
MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE WARMER AIR ARRIVES AND THE PCPN
CHANGES TO RAIN. GIVEN THE STRONG WINDS ALSO EXPECTED...THIS
COMBINATION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE SIGNIFCANT INTERRUPTIONS IN
POWER WITH DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES...NOT TO MENTION THE TRAVEL
HAZARDS OF THE ICE ON ROADWAYS AND SIDEWALKS.

CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE MONDAY NIGHT AS WARMER AIR WORKS INTO THE
CWA FROM THE SOUTH. THAT SAID...THE NRN CWA MAY SEE MIXED
SNOW/SLEET/FREEZING RAIN FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. PCPN WILL CHANGE TO
MIXED RAIN AND SNOW TUESDAY AS THE LOW MOVES TO QUEBEC.

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Rainfall has been downright incredible down here. Lambert recorded 4.87" of rain for Saturday and I got a similar amount here at the house. It has been rumbling thunder here regularly ALL DAY. The big rivers are rising at 2-3"/hr now, which is scary fast. Worrying to think that this is going to ride most of the day here tomorrow and then follow up with another big encore on Monday. We're going to be breaching some '93 flood levels along and south of STL if this keeps up.

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GRR's CWA is getting a nice surprise, they haven't sent it yet but it's in there product list on the AFD:

 

.SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY)

ISSUED AT 328 AM EST SUN DEC 27 2015

FORECAST CONCERNS DEAL WITH THE IMPENDING WINTER STORM. CONFIDENCE

CONTINUES TO INCREASE THAT WE/LL SEE A SIGNIFICANT ICING EVENT OCCUR

FROM LATE MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE CWA.

THERE HASN'T BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF CHANGE TO NWP DURING THE LAST

SEVERAL MODEL RUNS. THE ECMWF/NAM/CMC MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE

MAJOR WINTER STORM MOVING FROM TEXAS NEWD TOWARD WISCONSIN BY 12Z

TUESDAY. SW MICHIGAN REMAINS IN THE COLDER OCCLUDED PORTION OF THE

STORM COMPARED TO THE SLIGHTLY WARMER GFS. HOWEVER...EVEN THE GFS

PRODUCES QUITE A BIT OF ICE.

THIS STORM LOOKS LIKE THE CLASSIC ICE STORM FOR SW LOWER MICHIGAN.

IT HAS A LOT OF THINGS GOING FOR IT...A STRONG FEED OF MOISTURE NWD

FROM THE GULF, A DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...AND A STRONG HIGH

OVER QUEBEC FEEDING COLD DRY AIR IN FROM THE ENE. THERE/S ALSO SOME

INSTABILITY LATE MONDAY THAT COULD ADD TO THE PCPN RATES.

IT/S WORTH NOTING THAT GFS MOS GUIDANCE SHOWS SUSTAINED WINDS OF

30KTS MONDAY AFTERNOON AT GRR. THE 00Z GUIDANCE WAS A SLIGHT

INCREASE FROM THE 18Z GUIDANCE. THE NAM GUIDANCE SHOWED SUSTAINED

WINDS IN THE MID 20S. ALL OF THAT SUGGESTS WIND GUSTS IN THE 45 TO

50 MPH RANGE MONDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. JUST THE WIND WILL BE ENOUGH

TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES. BUT THAT'S ONLY PART OF THE

ISSUE.

FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW THE CLASSING WARM WEDGE OF AIR DEVELOPING

MONDAY AFTERNOON AS THE WARMER AIR FROM THE GULF OVERRIDES THE

COLDER AIR COMING IN FROM THE EAST. THIS OVERRUNNING WILL PRODUCE

RAIN IN THE CLOUDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA FROM SOUTH TO NORTH

MONDAY. GIVEN SFC TEMPS IN THE 20S FOR MOST OF THE DAY...FREEZING

RAIN IS WHAT WE/LL SEE ON THE SFC. AS THE PCPN MOVES NORTH THROUGH

THE LATE AFTERNOON SLEET WILL LIKELY DEVELOP NORTH OF M-46 BEFORE IT

MIXES WITH THE FREEZING RAIN. THERE IS SOME NEGATIVE EPV THAT

DEVELOPS OVER THE SOUTHERN CWA TOWARD 00Z. THIS CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL

COULD RESULT IN HIGHER PCPN RATES AND THUS ICE ACCRETION. IT LOOKS

CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD SEE A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH OF ICE

MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE WARMER AIR ARRIVES AND THE PCPN

CHANGES TO RAIN. GIVEN THE STRONG WINDS ALSO EXPECTED...THIS

COMBINATION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE SIGNIFCANT INTERRUPTIONS IN

POWER WITH DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES...NOT TO MENTION THE TRAVEL

HAZARDS OF THE ICE ON ROADWAYS AND SIDEWALKS.

CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE MONDAY NIGHT AS WARMER AIR WORKS INTO THE

CWA FROM THE SOUTH. THAT SAID...THE NRN CWA MAY SEE MIXED

SNOW/SLEET/FREEZING RAIN FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. PCPN WILL CHANGE TO

MIXED RAIN AND SNOW TUESDAY AS THE LOW MOVES TO QUEBEC.

 

 

 

Yeah we have a winter storm watch for the whole area for a quarter to half inch of ice..

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They issued it:

 

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
342 AM EST SUN DEC 27 2015

MIZ037>040-043>046-050>052-056>059-064>067-071>074-271645-
/O.NEW.KGRR.WS.A.0005.151228T1700Z-151229T1200Z/
MASON-LAKE-OSCEOLA-CLARE-OCEANA-NEWAYGO-MECOSTA-ISABELLA-MUSKEGON-
MONTCALM-GRATIOT-OTTAWA-KENT-IONIA-CLINTON-ALLEGAN-BARRY-EATON-
INGHAM-VAN BUREN-KALAMAZOO-CALHOUN-JACKSON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LUDINGTON...BALDWIN...REED CITY...
CLARE...HART...FREMONT...BIG RAPIDS...MOUNT PLEASANT...MUSKEGON...
GREENVILLE...ALMA...JENISON...GRAND RAPIDS...IONIA...ST. JOHNS...
HOLLAND...HASTINGS...CHARLOTTE...LANSING...SOUTH HAVEN...
KALAMAZOO...BATTLE CREEK...JACKSON
342 AM EST SUN DEC 27 2015

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER...

* FREEZING RAIN WILL DEVELOP MONDAY AND CONTINUE MONDAY EVENING.

* THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A QUARTER TO HALF INCH OF ICE
ACCUMULATION.

* STRONG EAST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 TO 50 MPH
POSSIBLE.

IMPACTS...

* SIGNIFICANT ICING ON TREES AND POWER LINES.

* STRONG WINDS AND ICING MAY LEAD TO WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES.

* DRIVING ON ROADS AND WALKING ON SIDEWALKS MAY BECOME VERY
HAZARDOUS LEADING TO A MULTITUDE OF ACCIDENTS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

* NOW IS THE TIME TO ENSURE YOU HAVE GAS FOR BACKUP GENERATORS
AND DEICING MATERIAL FOR YOU SIDEWALKS AND DRIVEWAY.

* WEATHER PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON LINE AT
WWW.READY.GOV/WINTER AND HTTP://GO.USA.GOV/5OG.

 

Makes sense: Not a lot of ice, but really strong winds is a recipe for disaster, a 4-5 on the SPIA scale due to wind.

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If LOT follows this, then they may go with similar amounts to what GRR did, at least for part of the area.

 

 

attachicon.gifday2_pice_gt_25.gif

 

Since, rule of thumb is that's usually going off what the offices have issued for, seeing how the cut off the counties in DTX that didn't get a watch IWX may go for one in Southern MI, Northern IN

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IWX ain't buying it. No Watch. I really don't get there reasoning, the level of ice with the winds should definitely support some heads up headlines. 

Possibly a WWA which wouldn't be issued until later on, I don't think they will be in warning criteria for winter storm warning due to low level warming after the precipitation arrives, so I buy their lack of a watch.

 

Just as a sidebar, you have been asked to explain posts instead of just making blanket sweeps like "I don't buy this or that" without any bit of reasoning. Either state why you don't or don't just throw the post out there without backing. Almost everyone else here posts and gives reasoning to their posts.

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NAM looks a touch colder through 15 at 850. Otherwise, not much change.

 

It is interesting to note that the models were too far north with the heavy rain axis wrt to the lead system. Might be a sign that they're not fully capturing the magnitude of the cold air associated with the 1040mb+ high pressure cell over northern Ontario.

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NAM looks a touch colder through 15 at 850. Otherwise, not much change.

 

It is interesting to note that the models were too far north with the heavy rain axis wrt to the lead system. Might be a sign that they're not fully capturing the magnitude of the cold air associated with the 1040mb+ high pressure cell over northern Ontario.

 

That's possible, but it's still going to be hard getting to prevent the surface low from stacking, given how deep the closed upper level low is. 

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That's possible, but it's still going to be hard getting to prevent the surface low from stacking, given how deep the closed upper level low is. 

 

Yeah, the main part of the narrative of this storm is written in stone. Up here though, it's a question of one degree of cooling to get 5-10" of snow vs. 1-2" of mixed wintry crap. That's still doable. You guys to the SW have more work cut out for you. 

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Yeah, the main part of the narrative of this storm is written in stone. Up here though, it's a question of one degree of cooling to get 5-10" of snow vs. 1-2" of mixed wintry crap. That's still doable. You guys to the SW have more work cut out for you. 

 

Between 06z and 18z Monday, you can see from the pressure fields where the 12z NAM tries to go much further SE with the surface low track, but because the closed low is so deep, the center stills ends up stacking well to the NW.

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Between 06z and 18z Monday, you can see from the pressure fields where the 12z NAM tries to go much further SE with the surface low track, but because the closed low is so deep, the center stills ends up stacking well to the NW.

 

 

Earlier maturation/occluding of the storm might help with cutting off the low-level WAA. That's good, if ice storms are your thing.

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Earlier maturation/occluding of the storm might help with cutting off the low-level WAA. That's good, if ice storms are your thing.

 

That's our only hope here, which is still a solution that's on the table.

 

The NAM only gets the 850mb temps to about 2*C max when the heavier thumping of QPF comes through (whereas the temps were pushing 5*C celsius last night). So it's a big step in the right direction.

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Earlier maturation/occluding of the storm might help with cutting off the low-level WAA. That's good, if ice storms are your thing.

The 6z RGEM looks pretty interesting. It has ~0.7" of PL/SN mix by the end of the run... and it doesn't look like the WAA has won yet at 48. 925/850's well below zero but the battle is near H7. BTW, nice to hear from you!

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The 6z RGEM looks pretty interesting. It has ~0.7" of PL/SN mix by the end of the run... and it doesn't look like the WAA has won yet at 48. 925/850's well below zero at the end of the run. BTW, nice to hear from you!

 

Thanks. Not as much of a winter weather weenie as I was even 2-3 years ago but I'll still drop by for a good snowstorm. :)

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