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Memory Lane


Rjay
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Noticed a few of you have seen my YouTube page :)  Thanks for the compliments.

With everything going on, I forgot that today is the 25th anniversary of the greatest snowstorm of my childhood. If you'd like to relive it with me, I put all the TV footage I recorded then on YouTube: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-9RwNUuaYM&list=PLsKEUOGm0GB4tDPkhigFpNa8pdH0BiZyg

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Man it made my day to relive 96 a bit. Although the 15' blizzard performed better for me accumulation wise 96 is still my favorite. Its not often you see S+ snow and 50 mph winds at 7F. I did that Sunday night. Those old Weather Channel graphics brought back some good memories.

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After reading the January discussion/observation thread, I generally need a pick me up so memory lane is generally the best bet. I received this photo today and recalled that I attended my first pro baseball game ever at Ebbets Field over 60 years ago. It was Pee Wee Reese night. I remember his daughter having to pick a set of keys out of a fish bowl for one of 5 cars. There was an Imperial and a Chevy at the value extremes. I remember my father saying to my Uncle. Heaven help that kid if she picks the Chevy and sure enough........ I also attended Roy Campanella night. On one of those nights the fans were asked that if they didn’t have a candle or flashlight to instead lift up a lit book of matches, when a multi candle birthday cake was rolled out. 30,000 plus, packed into a small stadium, did so. Safety regs were a bit looser then. Unc did you ever get to go to Ebbets Field? Many more kid friendly day games at that time. Well back to the real world, sadly, in the January thread. As always ...

44F82EF1-264A-4DBF-98CA-C358455DBDFC.jpeg

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On 12/30/2020 at 10:00 PM, Wentzadelphia said:

Since 12/30/00 is being discussed. Famartin has an incredible archive. His YouTube page has tons of nostalgic vids. From 12/30/00

What’s really strange is I vividly remember the weather channels miss Cleo infomercials in the late 90s early 2000s lmao. I actually recall watching this clip live. Once again, no clue why but I remember every detail of this storm well

I'm real late to the party here, but I remember tracking this storm, begging the r/s line to stay away, and taking screenshots of the radar from the accuweather site.  I took about 20 of these.  Here's how dang close it got to me in SE Nassau:

image.png.f5f2c2e66e1f3c627621a08cfab2c489.png

 

 

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On 1/9/2021 at 1:39 PM, coastalplainsnowman said:

 

I'm real late to the party here, but I remember tracking this storm, begging the r/s line to stay away, and taking screenshots of the radar from the accuweather site.  I took about 20 of these.  Here's how dang close it got to me in SE Nassau:

image.png.f5f2c2e66e1f3c627621a08cfab2c489.png

 

 

I wish it was always like that with a storm that takes that track lol

 

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On 1/9/2021 at 1:39 PM, coastalplainsnowman said:

 

I'm real late to the party here, but I remember tracking this storm, begging the r/s line to stay away, and taking screenshots of the radar from the accuweather site.  I took about 20 of these.  Here's how dang close it got to me in SE Nassau:

image.png.f5f2c2e66e1f3c627621a08cfab2c489.png

 

 

Those radar charts take me back lol 

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Also late to the Party... Blizzard of 96 remains my all-time favorite. Had just returned to C'Ville from winter break... did so early knowing storm was coming. No school yet, nothing to do. 23" that fell was more impactful than storms I've experienced since in Boston and NYC because they couldn't keep up with plowing of course!

 

 

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Also late to the party re: 12/30/00, but I suspect that one inflicted some trauma on @wdrag. That remains the greatest bust of my lifetime in Boston metro. If I recall, NWS had to walk back the WSW from 8-14" (may have been 10-16") down to 4-8... 3-6... and in the city we wound up with - I swear - wet pavement. Nada after an hour of wet snow it both changed over and we got dry slotted. Incredible. Outside of 128 I think it was a 10" storm, but inside it was a total bust and the gradient reached 0 in the city.

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34 minutes ago, hooralph said:

Also late to the party re: 12/30/00, but I suspect that one inflicted some trauma on @wdrag. That remains the greatest bust of my lifetime in Boston metro. If I recall, NWS had to walk back the WSW from 8-14" (may have been 10-16") down to 4-8... 3-6... and in the city we wound up with - I swear - wet pavement. Nada after an hour of wet snow it both changed over and we got dry slotted. Incredible. Outside of 128 I think it was a 10" storm, but inside it was a total bust and the gradient reached 0 in the city.

Thanks for the plug.  Trauma processed, but I can't even remember that bust. Sorry.  I just had to move on and try to improve.  I think the chances of those busts have lessened quite bit with our past 20 years of improved forecast tools-processes (ensembles, positive snow depth changes, BUFKIT-Tsection analysis, snow ratio's, snow physics understandings, collaboration with the parent center=WPC). I hope you agree.  Regards,  Walt

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2 hours ago, wdrag said:

Thanks for the plug.  Trauma processed, but I can't even remember that bust. Sorry.  I just had to move on and try to improve.  I think the chances of those busts have lessened quite bit with our past 20 years of improved forecast tools-processes (ensembles, positive snow depth changes, BUFKIT-Tsection analysis, snow ratio's, snow physics understandings, collaboration with the parent center=WPC). I hope you agree.  Regards,  Walt

W, a few old sayings I remember from work “one “oh ####” is worth a thousand “ attaboys” and “What have you done for me lately” WELL you WD have done a lot, as I’m sure many of us will agree, for us lately. For that I personally Thank You for your competence, use of personal time and your demeanor. As always ....

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3 hours ago, hooralph said:

Also late to the Party... Blizzard of 96 remains my all-time favorite. Had just returned to C'Ville from winter break... did so early knowing storm was coming. No school yet, nothing to do. 23" that fell was more impactful than storms I've experienced since in Boston and NYC because they couldn't keep up with plowing of course!

 

 

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296904037_d8f9d2ed5e_h.jpg

I spent much of the blizzard on a bus headed back to school in state college pissed that I was going to miss it. We still got 18" but nothing like back east

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57 minutes ago, rclab said:

W, a few old sayings I remember from work “one “oh ####” is worth a thousand “ attaboys” and “What have you done for me lately” WELL you WD have done a lot, as I’m sure many of us will agree, for us lately. For that I personally Thank You for your competence, use of personal time and your demeanor. As always ....

Thank you very much!  Still trying to learn, remain relevant, push the envelope but maybe with a little less urgency than when at work. I don't miss the routine...just sooo many grids and trying to make the interoffice collaborative process work with unexpected differing gridded word outcomes, and of course meshing (ruffling feathers sometimes and not always correctly) differing forecaster approaches to various situations including HWO, WWA announcements. I do miss the people, the learning,  challenges. Soon back to a pt retired county job... and then much less forum, and eventually in a few years possibly little forecaster forum when the models become even better, leaving less room for event outcome discussion.

The forum has been a good addition to my daily life in this quieter necessarily restricted living of the past year. Thank you American Weather! Walt

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3 minutes ago, bluewave said:

Coming up in the 5th anniversary of one of the greatest snowstorms of all time.

 

Folks close together, full faces showing, joyful fun in the snow. It seems as from another distant time and era. Someday, perhaps again ...... As always ....

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17 hours ago, hooralph said:

Also late to the party re: 12/30/00, but I suspect that one inflicted some trauma on @wdrag. That remains the greatest bust of my lifetime in Boston metro. If I recall, NWS had to walk back the WSW from 8-14" (may have been 10-16") down to 4-8... 3-6... and in the city we wound up with - I swear - wet pavement. Nada after an hour of wet snow it both changed over and we got dry slotted. Incredible. Outside of 128 I think it was a 10" storm, but inside it was a total bust and the gradient reached 0 in the city.

You made up for it in March 2001 lol.

The big busts down here were April 1997 (8-16 predicted, got 1-3), March 2001 (2 - 3 ft predicted and got 3-5 inches on the back end), January 2008 (last heavy snow warning event, it mostly rained with a few flakes mixed in) and some also consider January 2015 a bust since 2-3 feet were predicted and except for eastern LI, the rest of us were a foot or less.

 

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13 minutes ago, Stormlover74 said:

Very fluffy snow. Not even .25" liquid 30 to 1 ratios,  back when clippers were a thing

 

This was the first "real" snow event I encountered after moving back East after 31 years in CA.

http://www.raymondcmartinjr.com/weather/2004/15-Jan-04.html

I landed in EWR a day after the December 2003 storm.  

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1 hour ago, Stormlover74 said:

Very fluffy snow. Not even .25" liquid 30 to 1 ratios,  back when clippers were a thing

 

I think LGA had like 80:1 ratios while the rest of the area was around 40:1 ratios.  I think that was the "sunrise snowstorm" I remember with the snow looking pink as it fell in front of the rising sun.  And then in winter 2009-10 in February we had the "sunset snowstorm" where pink snow fell at sunset!

 

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4 hours ago, LibertyBell said:

I think LGA had like 80:1 ratios while the rest of the area was around 40:1 ratios.  I think that was the "sunrise snowstorm" I remember with the snow looking pink as it fell in front of the rising sun.  And then in winter 2009-10 in February we had the "sunset snowstorm" where pink snow fell at sunset!

 

I'd call that an "asos ratio" since that was back when all ASOS was even worse at snow:liquid ratios than it is now... back when all they had was tipping buckets.  Now some (including all that measure snow) have weighing gauges.

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2 hours ago, famartin said:

I'd call that an "asos ratio" since that was back when all ASOS was even worse at snow:liquid ratios than it is now... back when all they had was tipping buckets.  Now some (including all that measure snow) have weighing gauges.

I remember back then you did some investigating and concluded that the LGA ASOS especially was out of whack.  And that the 40:1 ratios of the other stations were more reasonable but still probably off and the true ratio was probably more like 25:1  Does that sound about right, Ray?  It was like a storm the midwest might see- surprised we didn't get a blizzard warning here, but I guess the winds weren't high enough for long enough.

 

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3 hours ago, LibertyBell said:

I remember back then you did some investigating and concluded that the LGA ASOS especially was out of whack.  And that the 40:1 ratios of the other stations were more reasonable but still probably off and the true ratio was probably more like 25:1  Does that sound about right, Ray?  It was like a storm the midwest might see- surprised we didn't get a blizzard warning here, but I guess the winds weren't high enough for long enough.

 

That sounds vaguely familiar but honestly my memory isn't all that clear from back then anymore.

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On 1/13/2021 at 8:24 AM, wdrag said:

Thanks for the plug.  Trauma processed, but I can't even remember that bust. Sorry.  I just had to move on and try to improve.  I think the chances of those busts have lessened quite bit with our past 20 years of improved forecast tools-processes (ensembles, positive snow depth changes, BUFKIT-Tsection analysis, snow ratio's, snow physics understandings, collaboration with the parent center=WPC). I hope you agree.  Regards,  Walt

It may have stuck more in my mind as we were coming off several pretty bleak winters and it was my first chance for a big storm in 5 years (I moved back to Boston in April 97 two weeks after the blizzard).

Walt, your AFD's were always a riveting reading! I always learned a lot and your passion always came through. In the days long before most pro mets would dare to tread in the waters of these boards, your AFD's felt like they were written for us weenies! As the March 2001 storm approached I was emailed you directly in my delirium to ask questions and couldn't believe you took the time to respond.

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