RDM

There's something odd going on with his account too. Did you guys notice that his post counter never indexes forward? He's posted way more than 20 posts (unfortunately), yet the post counter on his avatar is stuck on 20 (or something like that). He may be using a VPN and dialing in from somewhere untowardly. Some VPNs and/or onion routers can impact counters. Perhaps a mod can access his IP and run a trace. And if he reads this, fine. Perhaps let it serve as some forewarning.

Ditto - it appears he doesn't even take time to read the other posts on the same topic/threat. Needs to post less and read more.

Will that 1040 HP over NE stay in place long enough to allow the second L in the GOM to ride up the front and give us a double whammy? Probably wishful thinking, but the 540 line appears to show the cold flow down from the GL. And at the risk of being greedy, any chance of a phase? Seem to recall we often get scenarios when the first wave loads things up for the second wave to bomb out. Not saying that's gonna happen in this case, but some of the variables appear to be there (edit - STJ with fetch over Mexico, deepening trough over the Mississippi).

haha - like clockwork between you and Ji Let's just hope it's still there when we wake up.

Indeed - it's beyond postcard stunning and I miss it. If you are fortunate enough to own property, taking care of one's land is not just a responsibility, it's a civic duty we can't fully relate to here. If you don't uphold the social expectations, there will be a social beat down with significant repercussions. There's other elements to living there that may surprise some... Mandatory military service, rules out the ying yang, and a hidden protocol for about everything. I'm not knocking it, because I really love Germany, Switzerland and the people (forget France - they are not included here). Those who live in the Alps especially are as proud and hardy as they come. However, there's a facade that most visitors see and then another side that's not readily visible nor accessible unless you have an inside angle to it. And this applies to one degree or another to Switzerland, Germany and Austria, although each country mades fun of the other two (it's really funny to listen to their banter about each other). Had many a deep philosophical discussion about a multitude of topics with my Swiss and German friends about life there that opened my eyes in countless ways. Many of those discussions also helped me realize and appreciate just how free and lucky we are here in the USA in ways most Americans take for granted.

Thank you. I'm humbled and appreciate it. Don't post that much as evidenced by this being post #508. But as an avid/voracious reader here and on Eastern before since the late 90's, I've learned a lot from you and the other leaders. If my occasional story helps entertain, I'm happy to oblige. Been very lucky in my career to live in and travel to many places abroad and experience some of the best mother nature can muster. From the aforementioned events in the Alps, to incredible heat (53C) and monsoons in India, to torrents of rain in Thailand, blizzards in New Zealand, and 60'+ snowfalls in Japan, it's been a heck of a ride. Edit: (forgot to mention) Speaking of snow... the snow quality and quantity on the western shore of Honshu in Japan (the main/biggest island) may be the best anyplace on earth. Not only do they get a ton of it. The type of snow is heavenly for alpine sports. It's light, but not too light with just the right fluff and roll factor an avid skier dreams about.

Thank you and you're very welcome. Happy to help with some ideas on where to go, where to avoid, etc when the time comes. Either here for the benefit of all or offline, whichever you'd like. One thing for sure, CH is $$$. They've still not joined the EU and have retained the Swiss Franc. Very forward leaning in some ways, but can be extremely conservative too. They have some practices that would boggle the mind. For instance, many municipalities still require mandatory attendance at the annual town meeting to vote on municipal issues - either by hand or verbally. Everyone gets to see how everyone else votes. An interesting concept... I hit many resorts in CH, D, A, F and I (digraphs) with the Fkt Intl Ski Club, but also took the insider's track with friends, including German and Swiss locals with the scoop on where to go and not go. My Swiss sister (the exchange student) grew up and lived right in the thick of the southern Swiss Alps. Her dad is a retired train engineer on the Glacier Express, which is one of the most famous railways in the world. I used to sit in his engine with him to ride from Tasch, CH to Zermatt. Have to leave your car in Tasch as there's not automobiles allowed in Zermatt other than the ambulance to minimize pollution. Even the trash trucks in Zermatt are battery operated. Here's some background for starters on Zermatt, which is near the top of my list of most beautiful places in the world and I've seen many having lived in 5 different countries... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zermatt The view of the Matterhorn is breathtaking the first time and never gets old. About the only more memorable place I've skied is the top of Mt. Fuji in Japan on a crystal clear day (with telemark skis). I prefer to avoid the mainstream tourist places, although Zermatt is one of them. Where possible, I looked for ways to get off the beaten path and hook up with the locals. That can be a challenge, but very rewarding when you "get there".

Ahhh - the memories. Lived in Germany nearly 7 years at 3 different times - am Germanic my heritage and speak enough to get by. Skied somewhere in the Alps nearly every weekend each winter my first stint 88-91. Had an exchange student from Switzerland when I was growing up in Ohio and through her I met a lot of folks in Switzerland. Skied all over CH (digraph for Switzerland), Austria, France and to a lesser amount into Italy. Used to be a die hard tele-mark skier and did a lot of backcountry. Hopefully that establishes some bona-fides. In general the snow in the Alps CAN be good. It can also vary a lot during one snow and can change dramatically with altitude and quickly in a short period of time. I've never skied much out west in the US - just one time at Squaw Valley and have to say it was disappointing compared to many resorts in the alps - smallish by comparison and not very challenging. The snow was good quality though. From what I've gathered talking to a lot of skiers who have the experience to compare, the snow in the USA west is nominally better quality than the Alps if you like the light fluffy stuff, which many skiers do. That said, the Alps win hands down on terrain, vertical and the freedom to go where you want (with caveats). In the Alps the quality of the snow is often driven by the far greater amount of vertical compared to the US. That can bring with it an amazing difference in temperatures and snow conditions. By most accounts, the max vertical in N. America is Jackson Hole or Whistler BC at around 4000'. In Zermatt, Switzerland you can ski 8500 feet of vertical in one run from the Klein Matterhorn down to town. That's 8500 feet of vertical in one run. Do that 2x in one day and you've done something. Mt. Blanc in Chamonix, France has a similar amount of vertical. That 8500 feet of vertical can bring with it an amazing temp difference along with a multitude of different snow conditions. At altitude the snow can be so light it's almost like depth hoar (with temps sub 0F) while at the same time the snow near the bottom is thick as concrete with temps in the 40's. That's especially true in Mar/April with sun angle depending on which direction the slope faces you are on. Been in Zermatt before when they got 3+ meters in 3 days just above town - in town had "only" about 2 meters. Had a similar experience in the next valley to the east where Saas Fee is. 3+ meters in 3 days. It was too much snow to ski in if you can imagine the concept. Took 4+ hours to make down one relatively short run. The snow was so deep and light the snow cats couldn't groom. With a slight crust on top people would break through and literally disappear into the depths of white. Those without powder straps were in a dire situation and many skis were lost. Being on telemark skis was a big plus because they don't release. Many skiers had to take off their skis, lay on them and try to swim down the slope to the lift station to ride down. What was funny at first eventually became a serious recovery mission for the ski patrol. Some skiers at higher elevations were evacuated by helicopter. Was a stark lesson on the reality of having too much snow, at least for skiing. If you have a chance to ski the Alps, and have good snow, you'll not be disappointed. The vertical and length of runs and on piste dining options are amazing. Cheers.

Ahhhhh - so THAT'S what a unicorn looks like? The image outlined in the shadow is perhaps even more striking...

At the risk of saying the obvious... If a curve ball didn't break, airplanes wouldn't fly. Same principles at play. Instead of the shape of the wing's cross section creating "lift" (actually creating pressure differences) the friction of the spinning baseball creates the pressure differences. Used to be a great video of Gaylord Perry talking about the physics of his spitball, which befuddled hitters back in the 60's and 70's.

PSU - Well said, right down to the relative percentages and thresholds. You get my vote for being the conscious of the MA sub. Hats off, sincerely.

This is pretty amazing and says a lot, much of which would generate commentary not suitable for younger readers. The absence of any appreciable precip anywhere in CONUS is pathetic. There's a few very light showers in the SE and a smattering of flurries here and there in the Rockies. Otherwise, nada. https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/national/weather-radar

Wow - came back after a couple hour break and had a popup indicating 81+ replies in this thread alone (2-1/2 pages worth). For a fleeting moment I thought "at last, that must mean something good" only to read through the thread and get the flood of desperation. Sigh... That video from AM with the big Hudson Bay LP just sitting and spinning is interesting. It's feeding a train of LPs up through Greenland. If we could just get that to drift towards 50/50 and bring the Nrn Jet S a few hundred miles... a big if. Wonder if the current state of extremes in various factors is just too much for the models to handle given the large variance run to run.

1.08" for the day... sigh. So tired of rain, especially when the temps are within 10F or so of promoting white stuff. The ground is so saturated the water gushes up around your feet as you walk. Pretty darn foggy out there. Was outside about 2 hours ago when the rain was trailing off. Had a slight touch of wind and then you could feel the warmer temps and humidity roll in over just a couple of minutes. Transitioned quickly from fairly good visibility post rain to dense fog in just a few minutes. Rather surreal to be out as the conditions changed so fast.

Thanks for the link Ralph - Well I'll be.... Pics of their products do look pretty tasty. Eat too many of them and you may need a prune or two to fracture things up a bit. Will keep them in mind if the opportunity presents itself.

Laughing out loud here and I don't even have a clue why other than to conjure a guess the reference to "the Fractured Prune" is not about donuts? Gddamit, can't stop laughing...

Moved this to banter for what may amount to some controversy, although not the intent. Had some Duck Donuts (DDs) a couple months ago at my work. No intent to offend any of the worshipers of Ducks, of which there are many, but the experience was a big let down. Heard folks rave about DDs for some time and really expected more. Found the taste rather bland actually. I'm not a huge Crispy Cream fan myself, but would take Crispy Creams over Duck any day. Still don't see them giving Dunkin a real run for their money. When Dunkin's are fresh they are hard to beat.

Merry Christmas, peace and tranquillity to all!

Glad you and your family are ok NPZ. It was fortunate that you "bumped" into them in the chaos. A prolonged separation may have added to the angst for you and them. Having lived overseas for the majority of my career, I've witnessed first hand human stampedes and they are incredibly dangerous events. Hope your kids in particular are ok.

And did you ever notice that once you get inside, how difficult it is to find the exit? They do that on purpose to keep you there - just one more spin, one more hand, one more roll. The psychological and neurological elements at play in the design of a casino are more complex than the win percentage of the DC snow hole.

Yup - and with few exceptions most folks here are not trying to sell advertising space on their web site with a motive to have the dramatic incite interest/followers and thus raise revenue. Thus the more followers, the more dramatic the drama becomes - a self feeding frenzy. Still think if someone actually put together the right team with the focus on weather in the right way, they could put TWC out of business. Heck, there's probably about a dozen or so of the mainstream posters here who could do that very thing.

Ok - regret the confusion on my part. I thought the east coast got the trailing end of the mid-west storm. The mid-west storm had one one the lowest pressures ever recorded over conus. I think it was 3rd if not mistaken. Didn't realize the east coast had its own storm in Feb. Guess with the setup that spawned the Jan blizzard in the mid-west, it would be practical to have had another shortly thereafter along the east coast wrt patterns and how one phased event often generates another on its heels.

Was outside about 45 mins ago getting the trash can. Was talking to our neighbor and had a lightening strike about 100 yds away - hit a tree. That really got out attention! Can't help but to instantly duck, as if that's going to do any good after the fact.

You should have been in the mid-west in '78, which was ground zero for that blizzard. Was a truly magnificent display of what mother nature can muster. Was a teenager in HS and will never forget it. The flash freeze from 40's to teens in a few hours, the wind and white out conditions stick out the most. Oh my that wind. Remember waking up for school and thinking to myself what the heck is that noise? Our mom told us what was going on and that all the first responders were assembling at the firehouse (that's where people go in a small mid-west town of 5500 when stuff happens). My dad helped deliver multiple babies in that 48 hours in very challenging conditions (he was one of the first paramedics in Ohio). Massive power outages, drifts that closed roads for weeks until the snowblowers from Dayton Aiport and WPAFB came out to do their thing. National guard deployed to help evacuate people and assist in getting food to stranded livestock. Grocery stores running out of food. It was epic and within only a couple of days from being cataclysmic when the food ran out. They got the roads open just in time. People start to do dire things when they are hungry. Never forget it...

PSU can take immense pride in being a highly valued, eloquent, and easy to understand contributor to the forum. Key there is being "easy to understand" hint hint. On the other hand... At the other end of the spectrum in the "what does that mean?" category... is... ahem. I think someone in Male is looking for your assistance. How about going to check out their forum, and staying there.