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Central PA Feb/March 2019 Disco: More Snow In Our Future?


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The long 6z HRRR looks pretty good for everyone in terms of precip shield and strength but it's been pretty insistent on a rain p-type to open up the first few hours of the storm in the Sus Valley.  Otherwise, accums would be pretty robust across our whole subforum as depicted by that model. Def at least a 4-6" type snowfall for most if the rain conditional wasn't affecting numbers on the front end in the Sus Valley. Would it actually rain at the start? I don't think.. but the reason the model is likely showing such things is because the skin surface temps are above freezing and I'm sure intensity the first few hours isn't high.

Timing for the start seems to be the mid afternoon in the Sus Valley (1-2pm) so these above freezing surface temps could materialize at the start. Something to keep an eye on but I think everyone starts as snow (and stays snow the whole storm) and solar insolation would tail off quickly after about 3-4pm if lighter rates weren't doing much on the ground at the start. If this were a late March storm I'd be more concerned about solar issues eating light snowfall but we're at the beginning of the month. 

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Here is the CTP Winter Storm Warning for the eastern LSV 

Winter Storm Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service State College PA
430 AM EST Sun Mar 3 2019

PAZ057>059-065-066-032130-
/O.UPG.KCTP.WS.A.0004.190303T1700Z-190304T1200Z/
/O.NEW.KCTP.WS.W.0004.190303T1800Z-190304T0800Z/
Dauphin-Schuylkill-Lebanon-York-Lancaster-
Including the cities of Harrisburg, Hershey, Pottsville, Lebanon,
York, and Lancaster
430 AM EST Sun Mar 3 2019

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
3 AM EST MONDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total accumulations of 5 to 7
  inches are expected.

* WHERE...Dauphin, Schuylkill, Lebanon, York and Lancaster
  Counties.

* WHEN...Snow will develop early this afternoon and will taper
  off after midnight. The heaviest snow will fall this evening.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on difficult travel conditions.

 

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Here is the Warning for the western LSV

Winter Storm Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service State College PA
430 AM EST Sun Mar 3 2019

PAZ036-056-063-064-032130-
/O.UPG.KCTP.WS.A.0004.190303T1500Z-190304T1200Z/
/O.NEW.KCTP.WS.W.0004.190303T1800Z-190304T0800Z/
Franklin-Perry-Cumberland-Adams-
Including the cities of Chambersburg, Newport, Carlisle,
and Gettysburg
430 AM EST Sun Mar 3 2019

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
3 AM EST MONDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total accumulations of around 6
  inches are expected.

* WHERE...Franklin, Perry, Cumberland and Adams Counties.

* WHEN...Snow will develop early this afternoon and will taper off
  after midnight. The heaviest snow will fall this evening.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on difficult travel conditions.
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I'm struggling with this one, to be honest. While many of the high-res & global models show us going straight to snow, the HRRR and the RPM (our in-house model) shows some rain to start with torched BL conditions. Is the HRRR overplaying the warmth? Probably. BUT it is initializing the closest with current obs, as we are a couple to a few degrees milder than the NAM/GFS/EURO...those models have us in the upper 20s right now. 

Yeah, we'll likely thump later today with temps cooling, but still slightly above freezing in the best thumping. In that case we'll still see accumulations. I'm wondering if the dyanamic elements producing better than 10:1 ratios helps overcome the burning of QPF on a warm BL. 

 

Anywho, we're going 3-7 for most of the region, especially the LSV, with lower amounts farther north. 

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2 minutes ago, AllWeather said:

I'm struggling with this one, to be honest. While many of the high-res & global models show us going straight to snow, the HRRR and the RPM (our in-house model) shows some rain to start with torched BL conditions. Is the HRRR overplaying the warmth? Probably. BUT it is initializing the closest with current obs, as we are a couple to a few degrees milder than the NAM/GFS/EURO...those models have us in the upper 20s right now. 

Yeah, we'll likely thump later today with temps cooling, but still slightly above freezing in the best thumping. In that case we'll still see accumulations. I'm wondering if the dyanamic elements producing better than 10:1 ratios helps overcome the burning of QPF on a warm BL. 

 

Anywho, we're going 3-7 for most of the region, especially the LSV, with lower amounts farther north. 

I'm glad you posted that...I wanted to say that I was concerned about the temperature and dewpoint but figured it was a weenie worry. Yesterday I did mention my concern about a lack of radiation cooling last night and that is exactly what happened. 

I provide weather updates for work and told senior management last night that I didn't know what to say...I'm concerned about losing QPF to rain and non-accumulating snow. I'm going to go with 2" - 5" with my morning update. I just don't feel good going any higher.

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4 minutes ago, Itstrainingtime said:

I'm glad you posted that...I wanted to say that I was concerned about the temperature and dewpoint but figured it was a weenie worry. Yesterday I did mention my concern about a lack of radiation cooling last night and that is exactly what happened. 

I provide weather updates for work and told senior management last night that I didn't know what to say...I'm concerned about losing QPF to rain and non-accumulating snow. I'm going to go with 2" - 5" with my morning update. I just don't feel good going any higher.

Yeah I feel dirty going with 7" in our range, but again if we're thumping with 1-2" per hour rates in some spots, it won't take much to pile it on. 

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