Richmond Metro/Hampton Roads Area Discussion

[RIC Airport]

Just shy of 3.5" measured as of 4am. 

[RIC Airport]

0.29" of QPF at RIC through 4 a.m. at 28°F is easily 3 to 3.5" of snow from this event. Maybe it'll come in a PNS statement later this morning; otherwise, we will have to wait until the CLI is sent around 5:30 p.m. to know the storm total. 

[Prestige Worldwide]

Congrats on some good snow!  Enjoy it!

[wasnow215]

About 3.5" here in Moseley, Va! 

[mikeeng92]

Measured 2.4” in Tuckahoe and 3” in Highland Springs. 

[Stormpc]

Under an inch...Probably. 5 to .8 before it flipped it to freezing rain during that second batch. Never got above 32. Still at freezing right now. The trees are glazed. Otherwise whatever snow fell is matted own into a sloppy coating. About what I expected. Hoped for 1.5, got half. But for a living right on the shore of the Currituck the temperature was not the problem.  Warming aloft did us in and everyone across the south side and away from the peninsula and further north. Still looked really nice for about an hour when everything was covered including the streets.

In the end all the ideas of the heaviest snows being south and east of Richmond was correct. Fun little event.

[JB Fins]

1 hour ago, mikeeng92 said:

Measured 2.4” in Tuckahoe and 3” in Highland Springs. 

Same here in Tuckahoe.  So just shy of 6” so far this winter.  Next shot MLK day?

[wasnow215]

8" so far this season in 23120! It's a win vs the last few years!

[Siberian-Snowcover-Myth]

Ended with 4.2” in Varina. (5 miles SE of RIC)

7.2” so far to date, (almost at climo).

[RIC Airport]

Sorry, I had to catch some Zs, these overnight storms are the worst. Real weenies don't sleep when it snows, you push through. 

@Conway7305, @wasnow215, we are NOT done. Maybe RIC has the potential to hit 20" this season. We are due. 

I'm also sorry for Hampton Roads, but rooting for a better event next time, @SnowBeach, @EverythingisEverything, @VARTV, @chris624wx, @Stormpc, et.al.

[EverythingisEverything]

2 minutes ago, RIC Airport said:

Sorry, I had to catch some Zs, these overnight storms are the worst. Real weenies don't sleep when it snows, you push through. 

@Conway7305, @wasnow215, we are NOT done. Maybe RIC has the potential to hit 20" this season. We are due. 

I'm also sorry for Hampton Roads, but rooting for a better event next time, @SnowBeach, @EverythingisEverything, @VARTV, @chris624wx, @Stormpc, et.al.

Looks very interesting!   Thanks though, yeah this storm here, I think Atlanta did better than Hampton Roads lol.  

[wasnow215]

3 minutes ago, RIC Airport said:

Sorry, I had to catch some Zs, these overnight storms are the worst. Real weenies don't sleep when it snows, you push through. 

@Conway7305, @wasnow215, we are NOT done. Maybe RIC has the potential to hit 20" this season. We are due. 

I'm also sorry for Hampton Roads, but rooting for a better event next time, @SnowBeach, @EverythingisEverything, @VARTV, @chris624wx, @Stormpc, et.al.

Let's all get our rest the next six or seven days lol we're gonna need it!

[Siberian-Snowcover-Myth]

Definitely several chances at winter weather from Jan 20-31st. 

[chris624wx]

12z GFS is wave after wave of chances so hopefully we get another go at it soon!

[Stormpc]

31 minutes ago, chris624wx said:

12z GFS is wave after wave of chances so hopefully we get another go at it soon!

The chase is more fun than the actual result I think. It lasts a lot longer.

[ldub23]

34 minutes ago, Stormpc said:

The chase is more fun than the actual result I think. It lasts a lot longer.

I was amazed at how  fast  it changed to rain in Newport news near the James River Bridge. 

[Conway7305]

2 hours ago, RIC Airport said:

Sorry, I had to catch some Zs, these overnight storms are the worst. Real weenies don't sleep when it snows, you push through. 

@Conway7305, @wasnow215, we are NOT done. Maybe RIC has the potential to hit 20" this season. We are due. 

I'm also sorry for Hampton Roads, but rooting for a better event next time, @SnowBeach, @EverythingisEverything, @VARTV, @chris624wx, @Stormpc, et.al.

12z EPS looks good as well

 

[RIC Airport]

51 minutes ago, Conway7305 said:

12z EPS looks good as well

Definitely see the signals. ORF actually has more hits. 
 

 

[Conway7305]

21 minutes ago, RIC Airport said:

Definitely see the signals. ORF actually has more hits. 
 

 

Some nice hits!  Will take e46 and drive to ORF. 

[DownS.EasternVa]

That's just the way things go in Hampton Roads sometimes, it is always great to see it come down. With that said HR usually never score big on the 1st snow of the season, just an observation from being here my whole life. It is encouraging to get snow early on though, and we usually pull a rabbit or 2 out the hat when it's especially cold on the east coast. Overrunning system are always tricky around here too, the warm nose is always on the table with those set ups, even when it's 28 degrees unfortunately. We never get good snow if both Richmond and NOVA are receiving anything (sorry not sorry) even 1 in amounts. Another observation for HR peeps on overrunning events, always look to Raleigh, 10 out of 10 if Raleigh is have mixing issues we're having mixing issues. Storms got to be way south, Wilmington,Charleston area for good overrunning event around here.

With that said 12z guidance is pretty intriguing for HR,  pressing artic cold and Miller A's are our wheelhouse. 

[chris624wx]

That's just the way things go in Hampton Roads sometimes, it is always great to see it come down. With that said HR usually never score big on the 1st snow of the season, just an observation from being here my whole life. It is encouraging to get snow early on though, and we usually pull a rabbit or 2 out the hat when it's especially cold on the east coast. Overrunning system are always tricky around here too, the warm nose is always on the table with those set ups, even when it's 28 degrees unfortunately. We never get good snow if both Richmond and NOVA are receiving anything (sorry not sorry) even 1 in amounts. Another observation for HR peeps on overrunning events, always look to Raleigh, 10 out of 10 if Raleigh is have mixing issues we're having mixing issues. Storms got to be way south, Wilmington,Charleston area for good overrunning event around here.
With that said 12z guidance is pretty intriguing for HR,  pressing artic cold and Miller A's are our wheelhouse. 

Thanks for your perspective! It's nice to learn these things from people who have been here a long time. I moved here in early 2020 so I've only experienced a few events, and I've learned I got really spoiled with the two back to back storms in January 2022.

I had a bit of foreboding when I was seeing Raleigh having mixing issues last night but I was hoping that wouldn't matter haha now I know!

[wasnow215]

Look like 12z EURO a snow hit for 1/20

[ldub23]

1 hour ago, chris624wx said:

Thanks for your perspective! It's nice to learn these things from people who have been here a long time. I moved here in early 2020 so I've only experienced a few events, and I've learned I got really spoiled with the two back to back storms in January 2022.

I had a bit of foreboding when I was seeing Raleigh having mixing issues last night but I was hoping that wouldn't matter haha now I know!

Another thing to look at  is wind direction. When i woke  up at  2am last  night and saw the  wind was south at6mph at Patrick Henry i knew we were going straight to rain within minutes. 99.9% of our all snow events  occur with a NNE wind. Anymore east and  its a guarantee the rain will come.

[Stormpc]

3 hours ago, ldub23 said:

I was amazed at how  fast  it changed to rain in Newport news near the James River Bridge. 

Yes I was long asleep by then. The South Winds really did nothing to the surface temperatures since they were down to 32 or 33 all the way near Wilmington but it got warm up top pretty fast. Once we lost the rates that was it. With all the waterways there's so many microclimates around here. It's a very challenging place in all seasons. I do believe there are better days ahead with at least one or two more legitimate shots.

[benjammin]

That was a disappointment for Lynchburg getting two inches as well. Better than nothing but we need a real storm now.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

[RIC Airport]

2 hours ago, chris624wx said:

Thanks for your perspective! It's nice to learn these things from people who have been here a long time. I moved here in early 2020 so I've only experienced a few events, and I've learned I got really spoiled with the two back to back storms in January 2022.

I had a bit of foreboding when I was seeing Raleigh having mixing issues last night but I was hoping that wouldn't matter haha now I know!

This is a valid point. I mentioned this in another chat as it was happening. RDU mixing almost out of the gate should have foreshadowed the precip type issues at ORF. There is a strong correlation, even more so than RIC, with ORF snowfall patterns to that of RDU. There are numerous examples where the RDU to ORF corridor had big snows that largely or completely missed RIC. @DownS.EasternVa also rightfully mentioned that it's unusual for ORF, RIC, and DCA to score big simultaneously. 2/7/1936 and 2/11/1899 are two notable exceptions.

[RIC Airport]

1 hour ago, ldub23 said:

Another thing to look at  is wind direction. When i woke  up at  2am last  night and saw the  wind was south at6mph at Patrick Henry i knew we were going straight to rain within minutes. 99.9% of our all snow events  occur with a NNE wind. Anymore east and  its a guarantee the rain will come.

1 hour ago, Stormpc said:

Yes I was long asleep by then. The South Winds really did nothing to the surface temperatures since they were down to 32 or 33 all the way near Wilmington but it got warm up top pretty fast. Once we lost the rates that was it. With all the waterways there's so many microclimates around here. It's a very challenging place in all seasons. I do believe there are better days ahead with at least one or two more legitimate shots.

I believe warmer oceans make us more prone to mixing than we used to be in past decades, especially at our latitude. And this snow/mix line that tends to set up in each storm seems to be creeping farther north and west. That's why it's imperative we have a strong high pressure over the NE US during our winter storms. Confluence is no substitute for a bona fide high pressure in the right spot.

[seether]

Happy with my 4.5 in Chester near Thomas Dale.

[ldub23]

4 hours ago, RIC Airport said:

I believe warmer oceans make us more prone to mixing than we used to be in past decades, especially at our latitude. And this snow/mix line that tends to set up in each storm seems to be creeping farther north and west. That's why it's imperative we have a strong high pressure over the NE US during our winter storms. Confluence is no substitute for a bona fide high pressure in the right spot.

Another thing that  never happens any longer are MillerA's where  most  of  my snow came from. I can remember  many times the  local weatherman talking about a storm forming  in the  NE GOM that was going to intensify off GA and  it was  common to have gale and even storm warnings along the  coast 3 or  4 times a winter. They never  happen now. One  of  my best  memories was  of a storm back around the  late  60's. I was  coming home from 7th grade  on the  bus and  it started as rain and quickly went  tosleet then snow and  we got  3 inches  before the rain. Overnight the wind was howling at 50+ and around  3 am the wind switched to NNE. I was watching the kitchen window for the sleet to start hitting the window. Soon it was pouring huge snowflakes and we got another  3 inches. Those type storms were common, now they never  happen.

[Conway7305]

6z GFS pumping out some storm opportunities in LR