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Ocean Effect Snow and its impact on Cape Cod, MA and Islands


USCAPEWEATHERAF

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This OES potential has a much higher chance of occurring now then previous events, GFS shows over .25" of QPF within OES event, shows a strong signal for this event.  850mb temps around -10C to -12C throughout the event, with 10-12C SSTs northeast of Cape Cod and delta Ts near 22-24C, equals intense instability, leading to thundersnow potential and high snowfall rates, something like we have seen with Lake Effect events in the past.  Also convergence in the lower 5,000 feet along with high inversion heights above 850mb and SBCAPE near 300j/kg+ or Ocean induced Cape values about 400j/kg leads to higher snowfall rates.  Low level convergence with 850mb winds out of the NNW or N and throughout the bottom 5,000 feet if wind aligns leads to singular intense snow band, rather than three or four less intense sheared bands of snow.  Still models including the GFS and EURO show big Northerly wind event.

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GFS would produce delta ts near 24-26C which is extreme instability, actually the threshold for OES events is 22C for extreme instability we have that, we also have 70-100% humidity through 850mb which means the inversion heights are higher than 850mb, which equates to 5,000+ feet of equilibrium heights.  SECAPE will be greater than 300j/kg for a good event more likely 500j/kg maybe even higher.  Also winds might be a significant factor which is the reason we don't get a lot of snow in any one location, because they are always variable we won't get a ton of snow over any one location like the Tug Hill Plateau.  However this event could be the difference, the one that produces more than a few inches of snow, we just need the winds to come out of the north for like 24 hours, just that and we are golden for a WSW.

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Storm for day 7 progs Euro (1.5% chance for a nor'easter) GFS (0.5% chance for a nor'easter), pattern is displaced to the southeast, favored by a strong +PNA presence collocated with -AO polar vortex on this side of the northern hemisphere.  Ridge axis is far enough west to preclude any out to sea solution, however location of polar vortex troughing leads to crashing heights off the East Coast.  This leads to little to none shortwave or long wave ridging ahead of any shortwave trough that wants to amplify on the East Coast.  So any positively tilted shortwave troughs that look promising over northern Ontario, Canada that dive into the OH Valley show little to no promise given crashing heights off the East Coast east of the shortwave where ridging would be preferred.  Euro shows more promising shortwave in tact, but little to none ridging east of the shortwave leads me to believe the models believe the pattern will be suppressed and too far east as trough axis is on the eastern seaboard compared to OH Valley location which is favorable for east coast nor'easters.  Also baroclinic zone will be displaced to the east, so no wealth of moisture will be present precluding the options the low pressure and shortwave has to get moisture flowing into the cold air dome.  One thing is certain, we will get very cold from January 1st through the 6th.  Below normal temps likely on MOnday the 4th through the 6th with 850mb temps around -15C regionwide, with -12 to -15C along the coastal plain and -15 to -18C central New England and -20C to -25C across Northern New England.  Such a pattern displaced to the southeast leads me to believe so is the storm track and it is out to sea, best bet for snow will be over Cape Cod Bay or Cape Cod depending upon the location of strongest wind core and direction of the wind flow from 850mb to the surface.  Let's pray for Cape Codders to get their snowfall in this pattern from OES, I think OES events are the coolest.  Especially on radar.

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Cloud streets are forming over the Cape Cod Bay and north of Provincetown MA extending southward over the Outer Cape including Harwich, Chatham, Brewster, Orleans, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown.  These locations could see OES flurries or snow showers this morning as one ventures out around 8am.  Short range models favor at least snow shower activity over the Cape this morning as rush of 850mb temps of -12C reach this region within northerly wind environment.  However the potentially biggest event of the last 15-20 years is possible day 7, I know it is too far out for definitive, so I will try to keep my excitement down as the 00z EURO has turned the winds northwesterly instead of northerly the 12z EURO had yesterday.  I can't wait for the short range NAM to get a whiff of this event.  00z GFS was still bullish on the event.  So let's discuss these two events please, it is important for Cape Codders to know what is coming down the chute.

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How can you forecast a 20-yr OES event 7 days out? That's an eternity on computer models. Like I posted on the storm thread, 7 days ago it looked like the coming SW flow event would be huge warning snows from BGM-ORH-BOS...Now, those areas are barely going to get 1-3", maybe not even that.

OES is a very mesoscale phenomenon involving delta Ts (difference between water temperature and air temperature), temps at 850mb and higher for flake production, and wind direction. Since Cape Cod is small, it takes a very particular fetch to generate OES, and a N-NNE fetch is not a favored wind direction, making this a rare event. That's why it would be folly to say "biggest OES in 20 years" so far out.

As you say, EC has NW flow so no go. It looks like we get a cold front from N Stream activity rather than a big high or PV feature, so more likely winds are WNW. Also, it's not close to NAM range and NAM sucks.

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I said, it could be as high as a 20 year event, or it could be nothing as the EURO has NW flow.  I mention this is a mesoscale event, but I want to talk about the event possibility now, because this is when the discussion counts.  Models will change as features move around about the region, if that shortwave becomes more pronounced in the coming days it will back the flow towards more northerly and nnerly instead of westerly.  Right now models are at day 7 and GFS forecasts -16C 850mb temps with 8.5 to 9.5C SSTs equates to 24-26C delta ts, which is higher than the expected 22C for extreme instability, GFS already shows convective precip for this time frame at day 7, while this is a day seven, models were more in line at 12z December 27th than 00z December 28th.  Still a while to go.

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nzucker, did I not post both ends of the possible spectrum?  I mentioned that this could be a 20 year event, or it could be just like the EURO showed and miss the Cape all together and favor the fishes underneath 2"/hour rates and thundersnow.  That is purely the physics of the potential event with delta ts near 24-26C that is insane.

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Scott, what if we get a good long fetch of northerly winds, Cape Cod is a prime spot with NNW to NNE winds.

The problem is that those setups don't happen often and are transient. You may squeeze an inch or two out of them, but that's it. The only setup that could work would be a NORLUN trough.

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