Hey all,
Long time lurker here. Haven't posted in quite some time. With this storm potential, figured I'd try to post in here a bit more!
Quick update on my whereabouts. Just graduated last spring from Penn State with a degree in meteorology and currently working on my masters at SUNY Albany. Loved being in school so much that I wanted to stay for a couple more years!
Anyways, the European is almost unbelievably good for our area. Looking at the ensembles further solidifies the likelihood of big snows in northern OH. Recent GFS runs aren't half bad either, easily giving a foot + for all of us here. Furthermore, the lake effect behind this will also be something to write home about.
And yes, those monstrous QPFs are all snow in the north central and western parts of the state. Temps at the surface will be in the mid 20s for most of the heaviest snow, crashing into the teens near the back portion. This should lead to decent ratios. Will be fun to look at model soundings as we get closer in time to the event.
The energy associated with our pesky Thursday evening/night clipper is just off the West Coast right now. Once that gets fully sampled tomorrow, we should have a higher degree of certainty in the weekend system. Rooting for a weaker clipper.