GFS has been fairly consistent the last 3 or 4 runs with its depiction of a brutally cold period in that timeframe and the ensembles are showing a notably strong signal for cold considering how far out it is.
This. Would you be motivated on a NWS met’s salary to do the regular parts of your job AND write a several-paragraphs-long summary of your reasoning that (and I think I’m being generous with this estimate) like 5% of the population reads?
Now at 329 days without a 2 inch daily snowfall at PIT. If this storm doesn’t produce 2 inches on either Thursday or Friday (not combined), we move into the top 5. Record is 369 from 1/21/1978 through 1/24/1979.
I just looked at some numbers and there have been 8 times this century alone where MDT had less snow through today’s date than the 1.1” so far this year.