Voyager

Umm...was it supposed to snow tonight? As I hit the sack, light/moderate snow here with about a quarter inch on non-paved surfaces, and streets and sidewalks starting to cave 

Gotta post in this here thread so I can more easily find it...lol

On a weather note, the weather today in PA (Harrisburg in particular) was nearly identical to that in Phoenix AZ. It was 51 and rainy in Phoenix and 50 and rainy in Harrisburg.

What's with CTP snow hole this year so far? 

3 hours ago, pasnownut said:

 

btw, Voyager can look all he wants for travel update here.  Noone can blame him for that.  I think he now understands that saying he hopes it doesnt happen because of his job is a kick in the kahunas to snow hounds.  Of course we wish him safe travels.

Thanks for the kind words, and yes, I do realize it's a kick in the kahunas to wish the snow away. I think more than wishing it away, though, is trying that I'm trying to emphasize why I don't always like it.

Now if we could just train mother nature and old man winter to only let it snow on my days off... 

8 hours ago, pasnownut said:

No one wants you to leave... Including me. if you got that message then I’m not sure how. Thanks for understanding that it’s a weather board. That’s the only point I’ve ever tried to make both past and present.

By and large we largely are here to discuss weather. 
Like stated, you have a unique geography that puts you in a spot that many can’t understand or appreciate. You also have knowledge and it shows when you want it to.

I hope you continue to share it. 

Thanks. It was one sentence that got me, and I kind of felt bad about it. In my defense, however, I'm one who prefers hitting climo with 4 to 6 crippling storms, not the one to two inch salt messes.

8 hours ago, Wmsptwx said:

Favorite storms? Know you're a Miller A man haha.

Oh, for sure I am. I can get screwed pretty good on the MIller B's.

2 hours ago, Wmsptwx said:

Glad you made it safe my friend! Those squalls are something that make me cringe each time they develop....nothing you can do in a whiteout.

No there isn't, but what I do is keep an eye to the sky and look well ahead and watch for "haze" on the mountains. When I see that, I anticipate that a squall can pop at any moment and am prepared to slow or find a ramp to pull off onto until it passes.

I know I beat on the "I hate snow because I have to drive in it" drum, and I'm sure it gets old for some. I'll just have to reign in those kinds of posts I suppose.

Thanks for the kind words all!

Voyager out. I guess I'll stick to lurking and just post obs and keep my opinions to myself.

47 minutes ago, pasnownut said:

This is the not so cool part of winter.  Hope it wasnt as bad as it sounds (injury wise).

 

I've been fortunate the past few years to not be out in the really bad storms or squalls, but what happened on I-80 today is why, due to my career, I dislike winter and snow as much as I do.

1 hour ago, Itstrainingtime said:

It's always snowing in Tamaqua! 

Only if I shake a snow globe...lol

Light snow in Tamaqua as well...

13 minutes ago, Itstrainingtime said:

 I will argue until I'm blue in the face that there are times when...okay, maybe a better word than feel is... past experience? Understanding of local climate? Call it what you want, but what I saw coming for my area this past Monday was little to no snow. And I felt that way even when most if not all models supported accumulating snow in our area. To me, the trajectory of the low (I mentioned this before the storm) was off for us to be under the best rates (lift, forcing) and my sense was given that, what was heading our way was going to dry out. 

I need to do a better job going forward at vetting that out so it doesn't come across as nothing more than being a deb or making wild guesses with absolutely nothing behind it.@daxx

Ok, I can't delete the @daxx, so it's going to show here, but I selected this part of your post to make a point.

I do believe that the best forecasters go not only by the science of meteorology, but from local experience with microclimates, terrain, and most everything else you mentioned. I don't think you can have one without the other. Case in point, my Debbie Downing summer severe events in my backyard. I know my climo and my terrain, and I know that 90% of the time, the last ridge (that I-81 rides) will eat up a line of storms. Many times, after dropping off said ridge, they reform and nail the Pocs and the Lehigh Valley. I can post with relative certainty, that storms won't be as severe here as in other locations.

Even Sandy can be taken as a case in point for what is the Tamaqua terrain and microclimate. In that storm, we were one of the few areas that DID NOT lose power or have significant wind damage. It was "relatively" calm and benign compared to places just a few miles away. Most of that night, we had some moderate gusts, but all the while, the mountains that surround the town proper were roaring like a lion. I could hear the extreme wind, but not really feel it.

Don't be afraid to post what YOU feel when it comes to YOUR location. Some will take offense, but to me, I think it makes for good discussion. Not everything has to be cut and dry technical.

38 minutes ago, Itstrainingtime said:

That's pretty crazy. I didn't bother getting an exact measurement when I left for work at 5am but eyeballing the gauge was around 1.25". The Susquehanna in Marietta has come up 5' since last evening. 

Looks like MDT was significantly less than my location as well. 

This is the 7:00am estimates from the NWS.

2 hours ago, Itstrainingtime said:

It's still raining and there's water everywhere. 

With so much focus on the snow prospects from round 1 and how much frozen we might get from round 2, I completely ignored the QPF projections overall. This was a very wet storm.

For some perhaps, but over this way, I only got 0.18" from both rounds.

Ice on trees, wires, cars, and anything else not blacktop or concrete. Strange ice event. My sidewalks and street are just wet with no treatment having been applied, neither before or current...

It started as snow here in Tamaqua and lasted about 15 minutes before it flipped to freezing rain...

Going to the winter weather pages of the various office is a lesson in futility. It appears that none of the offices discussed, nor coordinated, with each other before putting out their probabilistic maps.

For me (being 5 miles from both the BGM and PHL zones):

CTP: 1-2

PHL: 3-4 extrapolated west

BGM: 4-6 extrapolated  south

If I were a betting man, I'd go with CTP's numbers, but the ice potential is all over the place as well with less than a tenth (CTP), but .10 to .25 (PHL) extrapolated.

Waiting for the snow/sleet mess to start. I'm off tomorrow, so I don't care what it does. I'll just sit in my living room and watch it out the window.

Side note, I really hope my group has a ticket for me for Sunday, as I scored a charter to the Eagles/Cowboys game and the weather in Philly will be nice!

Quote

 

Sunday

Partly sunny, with a high near 44

 

Surprised the advisories kind of wrap around Schuylkill County. Lehigh, Carbon, and even Luzerne have 'em, but we don't. Wonder if at some point overnight, one gets issued.

For this weekend's rainer, I'm kind of liking the NAM's dryslot idea. In my world, the idea of an all day, moderate soaker, while I drive into, out of, and sit for 8 hours in NYC, is not a particularly pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon/evening.

Had about a quarter inch in Tamaqua, a dusting in Hazleton, and about the same until I got past Hamburg on 61, then about a quarter to half inch the rest of the way to Lancaster. Sitting at Sight & Sound Theater right now, and the sun is eliminating whatever had accumulated here.

Being a pro driver, one of the things I hate about winter is salt spray on the roads. Nothing worse than a 1-2 inch minor event that brings every Penndot truck out. It's needed and welcomed as I'd rather drive on a wet road vs an icy one, but the dirty salt spray and having to hit the washers every 5 minutes gets annoying when you spend 6+ hours behind the wheel each day...

That being said, I'd gladly take a pass on the post front slop tomorrow and hope for a warning event for next week.

1 hour ago, Bubbler86 said:

The 12Z Euro suggests you will be getting your favored Florida weather, in PA, next weekend.  

But back to reality on Monday...lol

39 minutes ago, Itstrainingtime said:

That, and we're all resting up for our 100" winter. 

Closest I've ever come to a 100" winter was this one. Another one of these would make most in this sub-forum quite happy...

I can always tell when the models aren't showing anything good. The forum goes silent...