Weather Thread

[American Patriot]

Here comes the front....

Command Post has issued Weather Warning 02-009: forecast of strong surface winds, forecasted value of 35 knots has been issued for XXXX.


It is Valid from 1400 hours until 1900 hours.

[Ryan Ruck]

SREF Mean is up to just over 10" and we're only a few hours away from this event starting.

A little different of a trend from last time as it rose and then dropped off as we got closer to the last storm.

[Ryan Ruck]

Something is going to start falling from the sky shortly and I still don't fully know what to expect.

ILN is still calling for 3-5" snow with a little icing but locations west of me are reporting less liquid and more snow than what they were originally thinking, with very heavy snowfall rates. So I've seen predictions of 3" on the low end to up to 10-12" on the high end.

This is really going to be a "nowcast" event. Guess I'll be hitting the sack soon and just seeing what I have when I wake up.

[Malsua]

It should be full involved now for you since I've read it's in SW PA already.

[Ryan Ruck]

Yeah, when you posted that Mal, the dog woke me up to go out and it was coming down pretty heavily. Everything was a little blurry but visibility was definitely very low.

At some point between then and now, it dry slotted though and looks to have "helped" cut totals.

We're currently at 35 according to my weather station outside but it is still coming down as light snow.

Two things with current radar: 1) The returns showing as rain in my area right now are not. 2) We should be looking at a smaller 2nd wave in, I'm guessing, an hour or two.

As things sit my eyeball tells me we've got at least 5" going on 6". Assuming that 2nd wave verifies I think another inch or two isn't out of the question.

If that dry slot that showed up hadn't, we'd definitely have seen the totals SREF and other maps were showing. Still, a very nice storm so far!

[Phil Fiord]

The great lakes are actually well covered with ice and cooler than anticipated.

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/compare_years/

[Ryan Ruck]

A little bit ago we were getting a light not-quite-sleet/not-quite-snow precip. Now it's good sized flakes at a pretty heavy rate. This should be wave 2.

Radar still showing rain but it definitely isn't.

[Ryan Ruck]

Alternating between moderate-big and fat flakes. Got a pic of the fat ones.



Visibility is much reduced. Road in front of my house which had been cleared is starting to get covered up again.

[Ryan Ruck]

Might have to up my prediction of an additional inch or two if these rates keep up.

[Ryan Ruck]

Coming up on the end of the event and it's just fine flakes falling at the moment. Probably less than 30 minutes of precip left in it. I never got above 35, a bit cooler than was forecast.

Looking like there could be a system come next weekend too. With temps not getting above freezing (and some nights into the single and negative digits) the whole week with minimal sun, most of what we've got now will likely still be on the ground for it.

[Ryan Ruck]

Surprisingly, we've still got snow falling. Moderate flakes at that. Looks like the storm has taken a slightly more northerly track.

[Ryan Ruck]

It's starting to get dark and the snow is just finally moving out. This really did end up being an all day event!

These last 2 storms have really gone toward making up for the lack of Winter previously. Would have been way better to have these around Christmas to help set the holiday mood instead of post Valentine's Day.

[Ryan Ruck]

Based on measurements a local news channel meteorologist just showed north and south of where I am, I'm estimating about 7-7.5" storm total.

I suspect that this heavier, wetter snow has compacted the lighter stuff that fell in the last storm. So while we may have gotten about 5" last storm and 7" this, there definitely isn't 12" depth (at least not for the most part, maybe some drifted spots). I'd say there's closer to 8-9" and maybe 10" depth for the most part.

From what he's saying, this pattern isn't going to change any time soon. It is definitely going to be cold this next week, especially Monday. Be interesting to see what's in store for the last days of Winter.

[Malsua]

I look to have about 4 inches on the ground...going to go plow shortly.

[Ryan Ruck]

[American Patriot]

I measured my snow fall yesterday early and it was 7.5" inches. Last measurement last night after the snow stopped was close to 10".

The area as a whole got 8". I live on a hill and I usually get anywhere from .5-2" more snow than the surrounding area (unofficial of course, not an airport).

The snow drifted in places and it was up to my knees in some places this morning trying to clear the truck and jeep off.

Son drove yesterday and said the roads were bad, but the drivers were worse. I can attest to that - I wish the Californians would leave the fucking country and stop thinking they can drive (let alone drive in the snow), bunch of fucking passive-aggressives assholes.

I posted some pics on facebook, but didn't really get time to get on here (was writing all day).

[American Patriot]

So our snow that was deep mostly melted.... but a lot of it turned to slush. Which then flash froze.

The roads are terrible mess.

Then the temps dropped more. (It was 6 this morning when I left, and negative wind chills).

Last night it was so cold the snow came down as a dry, fine powder. Sorry, no one could use their snow blowers even in the heavy shit the other day because of how it fell (slowly). The one guy up the street couldn't use his at all. (I think he had problems). My boss dug his out. Wouldn't start, hasn't been run he said in almost 12 years. (LOL) Said he can't figure out why he bought it.

The snow that fell last night has been packed into the already glaring ice on the road making the road even worse.

We had a 2hr delay (I don't delay I come in at my normal time). And it's a mess in the parking lot, cars are stuck, there's ice everywhere, the snow plow pushed snow up against some cars that were here over night, and they have the parking lot so fucked up no one is parking correctly.

This has been a horribly messy week.

[Malsua]

So what you're saying is that snow removal in Colorado is amateur hour?

[American Patriot]

Ummm... no, I'm saying that there is almost snow removal. I don't know if they are amateurs or just incompetent.

What pisses me off most, is when the 10" fell the other day, the roads were a horrible mess all day. I had to run to the dentist and not ONE plow had come through on one of the largest, most used roads in the area (Powers Blvd). People were wrecked up and down the road, spun off the main road into ditches and center median.

There was not ONE speck of that gravel shit they use to break everyone's windows.

They were claiming they were putting out a melting agent (some kind of soapy crap that makes people crash too! LOL) And yet, because the snow fell heavy and began melting immediately, they paused to wait and see.

Which is dangerous.

The worst thing about all this is, being from Michigan I was used to heave, wet snow falling and sticking and then packing on the ground. We had plows operating the minute snow started to fall (In Detroit) and the roads, while they might have packed snow, were PASSABLE and people didn't have stupid accidents falling into ditches.

I honestly am beginning to think that Colorado Springs has a snow conspiracy with the city, the cops and the car repair places to get the most money possible out of the people. The cops give tickets you have to pay (if you crash your car), the city gets the money, and the car places get to do the repairs. And everything gets taxed- at a rate that is now approaching 8% (7.8% if I remember what I heard the other day).

[Malsua]

So part of the problem is that half the people run bologna skins so that any amount of snow causes wrecks? The first storm of the winter around here weeds out the weak...they either get the right tires or they stay home the next time.

The other part of the problem is that your city isn't on the ball about snow removal...because it sublimates quickly most of the time?