Yea, I think ultimately we needed a fresh Canadian hp, not an antecedent airmass, at least for this particular setup. This was a useful trial run, though.
It’s pretty wintry out there right now. Snow is sticking to everything here. Millvillewx mentioned the valley here can do a good job holding the cold in and that’s exactly what’s happening so far.
Snuck a trip in to Beans and Bagels. Just a sleet mix here. 30F on my car gauge. It is cold…maybe the heavier stuff will consist of that elusive white stuff.
I went to Winchester a couple years ago...definitely a nice, little walkable downtown. If I remember correctly, everything was kinda consolidated into one long strip of shops and eats.
If you were to show me this 500mb map and nothing else, I would assume a rainstorm: https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/?model=namconus®ion=us&pkg=z500_vort&runtime=2024010606&fh=8
We almost need an arctic airmass in place to overcome this type of mess at the upper levels. Winds near the surface are straight out of the southwest: https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/?model=namconus®ion=us&pkg=mslp_pwat&runtime=2024010606&fh=7
I'm going to be content if I see an hour of snow out of this.
I think it’s ultimately a product of not having sustained blocking. I wonder if this is the type of setup where the Catoctins help keep Hagerstown on the cold side…almost like a reverse cad lol. Maybe to a lesser degree the rolling hills southeast of Frederick help keep temps at bay. The latter might be wishful thinking.
The main idea all week has been for the high we’re seeing today to slide right off the coast and a return flow ahead of the next lp. There is the other high building over Canada, but that seems disconnected from the cold we’re seeing today (and too far north). Maybe the higher elevations can still win on cad, though.
This is yet another quick hitting cold snap. If it wasn't for this storm, we'd probably be heading into the 40s tomorrow. The h5 pattern is just too far north...really need a stout high to offset that. I certainly don't mind being in Frederick for this one, but it almost seems like Hagerstown is the spot to be.