18z long range HRRR that shows the whole storm I would guess should look better than 12z. The last few hourly runs have trended up through hour 18.
Edit: it’s keeping hope alive for a high end advisory event.
HRRR puts down a solid 5”, with some areas of the county exceeding 6” in places that see the lake enhanced bands in NW flow (which the NWS admits may be overdone).
So let’s say it’s 4”. Will it survive the sun angle of a mostly cloudy mid-March day with temperatures in the low 20s, or will it be gone before sunset?
Not convinced we’re getting 4 either but it is what it is. On to thunderstorm season, then months of it being 88 and miserably humid while Syracuse gets to 95.
I think his comments make sense. If we get 2-4” we finish the winter with a total in the 30s, while if we get nothing we can still finish the winter with a total in the 20s which gives him more of an avenue to complain about how horrible this winter was.
It’s not the watch that is perplexing. It’s more the fact that the forecast snow map actually increased from 5.3” to 6.4” in Pittsburgh despite the fact that the models seem to have gone the other way in the time between the issuances of those two maps.
NWS official forecast is up to 5.3” but that will surely go down if the models, especially the NAM, are onto something. The 6z was a complete disaster (if you can actually reasonably apply words like “disaster” to not getting much snow).
NAM with a tick SE. Too close for comfort but still a big hit, and a monster storm to our south and east.
RGEM looks a lot like the NAM with where the heavy stuff lines up but gives us more breathing room on the western fringe.
18z GFS held serve. Also gives an idea of just how cold we could get Sunday morning (7) if we can manage at least partial clearing with a snowpack. Haven’t been into the single digits so late in March since 1993.
GEFS ensemble mean keeps going up too. 6.6” with 81% of members showing a 4” snowfall.