Itstrainingtime

So is there any way to know if we're setting a record for most Flood Watches in a single year?

We do rain really well. 

42 minutes ago, Wmsptwx said:

My parents laughed at total Williamsport Airport gave on Blizzard of 93 something like 17 inches....said it was impossible to drive for two days and even in protected areas 27 or 30 inches of snow were common.

Yeah, that's ridiculous. I had about 18" down here and that was with about a 6 hour period of driving sleet. I think just about everyone north and west of the Piedmont was 2' or more. (Syracuse approached 4' if my memory is correct) 

4 hours ago, Itstrainingtime said:

That snowfall map above looks somewhat similar to what the NAM was spitting out for January 2016. We all laughed. And then it almost verified perfectly. (Particularly in the I-81 corridor) 

57 minutes ago, canderson said:

I only trust these crazy maps when the NAM spits it out.

January 2016 or bust. Greatest. Storm. Ever.

Yep! (Though I agree with Superstorm regarding 1993)

That snowfall map above looks somewhat similar to what the NAM was spitting out for January 2016. We all laughed. And then it almost verified perfectly. (Particularly in the I-81 corridor) 

2 hours ago, Cashtown_Coop said:

I’m still around, just waiting for something to track.   At this point I might as well pad my rain stats for the year.  At the house I’m at 72.45” and the golf course I’m at 81.35”.    Just a crazy year.    I had 15.96” of rain during September at the course which was recognized as the max precip amount for the state through the state climatologist report.   I guess that meant I had the wettest golf course as well ☔️

The Mount Joy/Manheim area is above 80" YTD as well. I wish I knew exactly how much but I don't know if there's an "official" station or another way to verify where they're at. 

Are your stats strictly rainfall or is that total QPF? 

9 minutes ago, pasnownut said:

Wow.  Some of us have WAY different ideas of "worse".  That is quite a bold statement alright, and one that by December standards, is not true (assuming you like cold/winter type weather).  

I for one, love winter, and feel this December has been far more tolerable that many.  

Totally agree with you. 

I believe the calls of a historic winter plus having a significant snowfall so early in the season have raised a lot of unrealistic expectations. Sure...it's a disappointing stretch snow-wise right now but we've been below normal temps for the 1st half of the month. You and I both know it could be WAY worse...

4 hours ago, pasnownut said:

lol.  I may have made progress on the belly and the grey a bit, but I've got a lot of work to do. 

Mind you this was merely for fun, and to just cast a bit of "its gonna be ok" into the warmish period coming up, as it looks to be transient and a "no need for toasters" kinda warmup. 

You guys talking about 2015 made me start to twitch/tick all over again.  Hope i never relive a Christmas like that in PA.  It's just not right.

 

Not only isn't it right, it's just not fair. I mean...we don't get 40 degree days in July. 

5 minutes ago, canderson said:

Remember mowing your lawn Christmas Eve a few years ago? That blew. 

I remember turning on my air conditioning on Christmas Eve that year.

5 minutes ago, sauss06 said:

14 days puts us on Christmas. i'll take another 2002 please and thank you sir. 

What memories! Some of the most incredible snowfall rates during the mid to late morning hours, and my only Christmas ever spent in the dark. We went nearly 14 hours without power that day.

27 minutes ago, Wmsptwx said:

Lol I'll take it if it whitens ground a little.

I like the new positive you. 

I'm ready to close the shades for a bit and see what things look like in 10-14 days. Hopefully things turn around when we get ready to flip the calendar.

6 hours ago, canderson said:

We might have a repeat this weekend - we stay too warm and the SE cool enough for another round. 

It seems like the incredible pattern for late December and beyond is now somewhat up in the air. Horst today said he thinks the entire last half of the month is above normal temps. 

Some bitterness over the missed opportunity for snow around the different subforums the last 24 hours. As a self-proclaimed weenie I get it...though I believe a lot of us have developed a sense of entitlement. Growing up in this area during the 70s meant going through a lot of heartache. Other than the February 1983 storm we had a lot of lean years in the 70s and 80s watching our snows either flip over to rain OR watching a fair number of "southern sliders" as they are called today.

I don't have data on how often it happened but memory recalls enough misses south that would send a lot a weenies running for therapy today.

20 minutes ago, Roger Smith said:

Just reading the comments about any similar cutoff, I wonder if anyone there can either remember or look up what happened with a big snowstorm that hit southeast VA on Feb 29 to Mar 1 1980, I remember it was very heavy snowfalls around Norfolk area (15-20") but don't recall what happened further north. I was working in the Accu-weather office that winter on a business project and probably sitting next to JB when this storm happened (he got so excited even then). Maybe there was a similar cutoff with that storm as I don't think it snowed in State College PA. 

I remember that storm painfully well. It didn't snow down here near the Mason/Dixon line either. I was 14 at the time and thought I'd be traumatized for life. 

My wife just saw Jim Cantore...and never said a word to him. She said that "weather weenies" were lining up for pics with him. One thing that is pretty cool...she said she watched Jim help push stranded cars in Boone earlier today. 

Just under 20" down there. I guess they might get several more inches tonight when the upper level energy dives through. 

Finished with about 22" in Boone. Wife is out on a Jeb walk right now.

My wife, mom, and kids just arrived in Boone minutes ago. So jealous of them and all of you...up here in Central PA it's clear, dry, and cold. No snow in sight here for at least 10 days. Enjoy everyone! 

2 minutes ago, AirNelson39 said:

Very light snow has finally begun in Boone!

If you can, try and keep some updates coming. My wife and kids are en route from PA. They're staying at the Comfort Suites but are still a few hours away.   

Wife is leaving at 4pm for Boone, NC. Expecting up to 2' there. Hoping she beats the worst of it...

Edit: She arrived safely around 12:15am this morning, and as of right now they are closing in on 15" and counting. 

2 hours ago, Blizzard of 93 said:

He is one of the best with east coast storms. He has great knowledge of the history of east coast storms & the weather patterns that produced them over the decades. Sometimes he holds on to ideas for too long, but he does not change his forecast with each run of the models.

I love you and your optimism, and quite frankly I loved JB back in the 80s. But come on...he has tarnished his reputation over the years from hyping seemingly every storm to the max. It's really hard to take him seriously these days...

I agree about one thing, he doesn't give up. He will go down with his ship! 

12 hours ago, anotherman said:

Cape May is awesome!  Have fun in the snow.  Also, you changed your username and I was confused.

Had a great day...even put a shoe in the big pond.  

How did you make out at the PSU game with parking? 

12 hours ago, Itstrainingtime said:

Visiting Cape May today for Christmas. Hit snow as soon as we hit Jersey. Expecting some accumulations along the coast.

Ended up with 5" today in Ocean and Cape May counties. Gorgeous! 

Visiting Cape May today for Christmas. Hit snow as soon as we hit Jersey. Expecting some accumulations along the coast.

A whole lot of variability and moving parts. Could be a mostly clear Sunday/Monday, a major snowstorm, or anything in between. I'm liking some of the big daddy solutions starting to surface on the ensembles...

25 minutes ago, sauss06 said:

One thing for certain, your enthusiasm always keeps me hopeful.

With setups like this, i always think we have a chance. Didn't someone once say, systems like this always move north? whats 50-100 miles among friends right?   

He's a great asset to our forum. His enthusiasm is genuine and i for one appreciate how many times he's lifted my spirits. 

As I said last night I'd be surprised if we don't get something out of this. My wife's trip to NC is likely going to get cancelled because regardless of what happens here the high country of NC is looking primed for a pummeling. So with that, we might as well join in on the fun as well. 

It seems like the cold is taking it's time moving in. Still didn't make it below freezing last night. 

59 minutes ago, strongwxnc said:

421 should be okay as you travel off I77. However, depending not he depth of this storm, the counties 421 runs through might have a time keeping up with the totals that "could" fall. The sooner she gets down the better on Saturday. 

26 minutes ago, BMulkey said:

I would want to arrive before sunset Saturday, though an hour or two after sunset would probably be ok. Timing isn't nailed down yet, but the heavier stuff seems to start Saturday night through Sunday and possibly the first half of Monday. There are bridges and significant elevation gain between Wilkesboro and Boone (the last 45 minutes of the drive).

Thanks a lot! Good luck down there.  

Good morning everyone. My wife and daughters will be driving from Central PA to Boone this weekend. They'll be coming down I-77 and then I think it's 421 from there all the way into Boone. What is 421 like in winter events? Is this a route that is usually kept pretty clear? Also...as of right now, what does the timing look like for onset of the steadiest snow? 

I'm trying to figure out if and when it would be best for her to travel. It's just about 500 miles from up here and i'm hoping to maximize her mileage in good weather. 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out with advice. I appreciate it!