RDM

Sounds like my wife. After 23 years we long passed the point of me trying to explain anything about the variables. Now I just tell her what coat to wear when she goes out. Straight to the basics. Yet, she continues to tolerate my unceasing hope for something that resembles winter, no matter how dire the outlook.

Based on current NWS Radar it looks like Garrett Co MD is getting nailed right now. Radar is confirmed by traffic cams on WeatherBug. Impressive fetch of SN is all the way from the UP in Michigan. Seven Springs, PA picked up 3" overnight. Current cams there look look great with SN or SN+.

Interesting topography plot. Looks like they used a FDM machine (Fluid Deposition Machine used for rapid prototyping). Would be interesting to compare the COand/or CA relief plot to the Swiss Alps. When you go down in the valleys in CO you're still at 5000+ ft in altitude. In the alps, the altitude at the bottom of the valleys is measured in hundreds of feet - the elevation difference is much more stark. Likewise, the amount of vertical is more compared to CO and CA's major resorts. Max vertical in N. America is either Jackson Hole or Whistler Blackcomb, BC at around 4000' (both vie for the most vertical). In Zermatt, Switzerland you can ski 8500' of vertical in one continuous run. Not sure if that's the max vertical in the Alps - Chamonix, France may have more.

ROTFLMAO - Yup, no matter how much shellack you put on a turd, it still stinks to high heaven. Speaking of bacon, if you've never been to Vienna, Austria it's interesting to note they have a particular affinity for bacon. Way back when the Suleiman laid siege to Vienna the Austrians developed a slick way of testing for internal spies. At every planning meeting they had everyone eat some bacon as a test. To this day, Vienna strongly resents what the Ottomans did on multiple occasions (they were especially brutal sieges) and bacon is a relished delicacy with very special meaning.

Noted sarcasm on target. Dunno what happened in the main thread the last few days. The sad outlook for sn hardly justifies filling it it up with what's akin to banter. The banter of repeated postings of percentage maps and other "stuff" such as ski trips as a thin attempt to put lipstick on a pig overshadows the occasional learning opportunity from the posts that are worthwhile. Realize the outlook is bleak, but if there's nothing to report, we gotta preserve at least some minimal standards... When you see there's 30+ unread posts in the medium range and get hope there may be something new worthwhile, it's a real letdown when you read through them only to discover the majority of the posts should be here... Give the mods a break please.

Is that a slight neg tilt developing in the isobars? 540 right through DC

So wrt the 3000 mile reference, so you're saying there still a chance!!! (I am joking!). Was looking at the same but didn't want to clog the main MR thread with my gibberish. Although, at this stage seeking out some humor in all of this may be the only alternative we have. The other comment about the frustration in this year's models constantly teasing us in the med to LR to just go poof a few days later pretty much sums up this entire season dating back to Oct. There were hints of an early start mid-Nov only to go poof, indications Dec would start off well - same - poof - then hints of a white Christmas, ditto... Then we were looking at a rocking Jan, only to.... SSDD (Same Sh*t Different Day). Getting excited about last night's downpour about 4am pretty much sums up how dismal this year has been.

PSU - we've talked about this before and I for one would be one of the first to sign up if you ever go for it with your own site. That said, don't belittle yourself by referring to JB in any context (tic). You are WAY above anything he could ever bring to the table relative to JBs constant "hype and recant" for profit model. Amongst those here who also respect and appreciate what you bring to the forum, you'd have quite a following in no time. IMHO, you may under appreciate the potential...

Woke up at 4:00am to a torrent outside. Ended up with 1.62" overnight. Just perfect to turn the yard into a swamp and the east coast ski resorts up through PA into slush piles. If only it were 20 degrees colder. A "mere" 20 degrees....

Now,,,, IF we can get through about 20 runs and all the models show a similar setup, then I'll get excited. Until then, one run of one suite with so many things that CAN go wrong. Sigh...

Jeb if only that were true. We'd all synchronize a mass Jeb Walk in your honor. If sheer willpower could make it happen, we'd have a BECS inbound. Can't even believe I'm up past 2:30 watching the radar fill in from the SW, even though much of it is likely not reaching the ground. If we get anything more than a dusting in NOVA that will be success... Those guys ivo Parr's ridge stand a far better shot at something at least conversational. Currently 25F/20dp just N of Vienna

25/17 - pretty chilly out there... Radar returns in SW VA seem to be aligning with the sliver in eastern OH as projected on the NAM...

Yup - sort of like Herschel Walker, but bigger. I ran 4.5's in high school - as a 136 lb track and cross-country runner. Adding 100+lbs to that is surreal. I'm 270 now and could not run a 10 second 40 if I fell off the roof of a high-rise.

Henry just doesn't look like he's THAT fast until you see him break something free and leave linebackers in the dust. He looks like he's just plodding along and then, wow - he's had a 20+ yd gain. Very deceptive.

Another interception.... Ravens are lucky it is only 28-6.

Well said sir. As a retired Fed who managed a lot of people in my career in some very stressful circumstances all over the world there's a few things I used to share with employees and especially new managers to help them stay on track in their careers... And these things apply to just about everything not just forums about the weather (although I occasionally find myself not following them the way I should with the LR showing sn flips on a dime!). The first is to always assume noble intent. If you convey the same towards others it will invariably be returned in kind to you when you slip up and need a little "help". The second is when you get the urge to "just tell someone how you feel" go ahead and draft it if you must, but don't send it. Instead, sleep on it and first thing the next morning read it again and delete it. Chances are, after you reflect on it after a night's sleep you'll read what you wrote the day before very differently. The third thing was to remember it's ok to be passionate about whatever you do. Just keep in mind no matter how hard you work, no matter what you do in life, nor what you accomplish, the thing people will remember most about you is how you made them feel. In that regard, it's often not what we say to each other it's how we say it.

Transition to sn nearly complete here just N of Vienna. Down to 35F from 38 an hour ago. DP dropped from 34 to 33...

My vote is for 4 5's... And as a matter of principle, I am NOT putting the blades on my Kubota until there is something plowable on the driveway tomorrow. No way I'm gonna jinx this...

Precip is blossoming over central KY and TN.

Down to 33 & 21dp - Just outside the Tysons HI. Took the trash out - the still air has "that feeling"...

Been wondering the same thing. Many of the recent events since early Dec that went N of us did so in a way we were 2-300 miles from the action. (which is a world away, I know). Realize from I-81 N and W there's another entire climate at play, especially from mid-PA N in latitude. But in some cases one could see if the setup of the ridges and troughs over the Pac and CONUS was shifted some we could be closer to at least in the game (assuming also the WAR stays out of play). Perhaps wishful thinking here, but the boundary has often been in eastern Ohio diagonally down through western KY and SRN MO. My relatives in SW Ohio have already had multiple 4"+ events, which is a bit rare for them this early.

Couldn't agree more. Give us something tangible that represents winter - anything... snow, ice, sleet, FZR, wind, sub-0F, anything...

Oh my. I have the same Ortovox - someplace - with the strength meter option. It's a must for backcountry. Same for the shovels. Mine were relegated to vehicle duty long ago too. As they say, you measure how much your friends like YOU by the size of THEIR shovels. Used Ramer ski poles with self-arrest grips that can be converted into probe poles. Fortunately never had to use them for probing, but the self arrest feature saved me a couple times. One of the many things I like about the Alps is you don't have to worry about some curmudgeon ski patrol threatening to punch your ticket for skiing off-piste. You can ski just about anyplace you want other than a few off limits forests that are safe zones for avalanche protection. Lots of off-piste options from hut to hut etc. That said, if you get hurt off piste in Europe it is extremely expensive to be rescued. So ski insurance is a good thing. Lots of good memories.

Your reference to back-country caught my eye. What gear did you use for back-country? Do/did you tele-mark or use randonnee gear, or some other setup. I learned to ski on the bumps in Ohio (a whopping 350 feet of vertical), but really got my legs in the Alps during my first tour in Germany in the late 80's. Saved no money but skied my arsh off. Converted to telemark gear in 90 and have never been back on alpine gear since. Lots more tele skiing in the Alps my second tour in Germany in the early/mid 2000's, plus a fair bit of tele skiing in Japan w/backcountry in the most amazing snow I've ever encountered (and they get a LOT of it). Last place I skied in Japan was a decent of Mt. Fuji on tele skis - a memorable experience on an incredible day with unlimited visibility. Haven't skied for 10 plus years, so the tele experience now would be ugly at best now. Only skied Squall Valley out west. As a former Olympic venue I had much higher expectations - it was a big letdown. Good snow quality, but very disappointing terrain. Have heard Jackson is one of the best out west. However, for a relative comparison you can ski more than 2x the vertical of Jackson in Zermatt, Switzerland (over 8500 feet of vertical in one run). If you've never had a chance to ski the Alps, it is highly recommended. Pick the right times to go off season though to avoid the lines. If you go during ski break in the springtime the congestion can be crazy. In general, much more vertical in the Alps than about anyplace out west, but better snow out west.

ROTFLMAO!!! Hysterical. And I thought this was a weather forum. It's actually a comedy site in disguise, albeit a thin disguise at best. You nailed it CAPE!