Hoth

Wet Saturday incoming.

Yeah, I've been feeling a little lost without it. Even with the political distractions, it was much easier to find useful info than wandering around the various news sites and Twitter.

Stuff starting to pop on that sea breeze boundary up around Meriden now.

Clouds going up on that sea breeze boundary are starting to look interesting. Perhaps we can pop something along it?

That's a sore subject. My earliest memory of a weather forecast disappointing.

And if it's anything like the last two winters, I'll need a hundred inches of blow.

No question about it. We owed France a great deal, but it took American victory at Saratoga before France was willing to fully commit to our cause.

A beautiful morning as we reflect on a momentous anniversary in world history. It's amazing to think that thirteen little colonies had the nerve to break with the greatest super power of the age, that the men tasked with the job had the stones to sign the Declaration knowing full well they could be drawn and quartered for it. To then take on that country's military with a ragtag band of patriot farmers, suffering unconscionable privation and years of setbacks and reversals of fortune, only to emerge the shocking victors, is miraculous. Not content to rest on their laurels and savor the fruits of victory, the Founders soon thereafter recognized the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, and came together to birth the remarkable document that underpins and vouchsafes our republic to this very day, guaranteeing the rule of law over the arbitrary power of fickle men, codifying the rights of the individual and expressly denying powers to government for the first time in history. George Washington, setting the precedent for all executives to follow, voluntarily gave up power to return to private life after his second term, an unimaginable act in those days, underscoring his deep belief in the need for civic virtue in the new republic. Omnia reliquit servare republicam. The Society of the Cincinnati, founded by Washington's officers, and carried on today by a small band of direct descendants, seeks to preserve and sustain the spirit of fellowship and principles of the Revolution, defend those rights dearly won, and preserve the continuing union of the states. To that end, I would remind you all this morning that, whatever political banner you may wave, we are all part of a unique fellowship. I would stand shoulder to shoulder with any of you against those who would seek to deprive us of our way of life. It took but two centuries to rise from nothing to the greatest power in world history. Now, as ever, in good times and especially in bad, we must remember the sacrifice of our forebears and the principles for which they were willing to give their life. God save the American States!

Pouring with distant rumbles.

That hole is a treasure. Between the ocean and the pit, it's also claimed more balls than all the others combined. Course looks to be in good shape. Not nearly as burnt out as I would've guessed given the dry conditions recently.

Wow.

I think the Saharan dust plume is more interesting at the moment. What a beast.

Given the way 2020 has gone so far, '38 redux is my baseline case at this point.

Looks like the meso is on the ground. Where's Wiz!?

Wickham Park?

I cannot believe I'm seeing snow mid-afternoon on May 9, with the sun out. This is surreal against a backdrop of tropical green grass, flowers and leafed out trees. Not even mangled flakes. Almost fluffy.

Best of luck.

Looking forward to being back here. This winter blows. Bring on the Masters.

What did you get in Jan '11? Would've thought you'd crack 20 there easy.

Yeah, I remember well thinking the same thing, then waking up one morning to posts about the Euro burying us. Then the NAM crushed, and by afternoon almost all guidance was on board. That was a fun couple days.

I'm pretty sure you were in a bad way at the end of Jan '13. I could be wrong, but 2012 into '13 was a rough stretch for both of us.

Since we're getting to the bitter end of the '10s, it seems fitting to reflect upon what has been a great decade for NE winter storm lovers. No reversion to the mean this decade. Strictly from an IMBY perspective (Hamden, CT/Boston, MA), the '10s have crowded my greatest hits list. We had the two greatest months of winter of my life to date: Feb '15 and Jan '11. If one includes the dying week of Jan in with Feb '15, it was the greatest winter period I'll ever experience: bitter cold, ferocious storms of all stripes (Manitoba Maulers, mid-level magic, SWFE on roids, super long duration), seemingly endless light ocean effect and 90" give or take that ground the Boston area to a virtual halt. Jan '11 was likewise very special, and had Boxing Day '10 not been a fiasco in southern CT, could have been up there with '15. But let's not quibble, for that month featured my first true NORLUN, a fluffy 9", followed hard upon by the 27" of the great Blizzard of '11, topped off by 15" of epic rates and thundersnow on the 27th. 2011 marked my first experience with roof rakes, ice dams, frozen pipes and a blown out furnace. Anyway, here's a tabulation of the best events I remember. The decade was so productive on the whole, there may well be events that have fallen through the cracks. Boxing Day '10. A disappointment in the accumulation department, but the miraculous turnaround in the modeling on Christmas Day (including the NWS' initial rejection of some of the data) makes this one memorable. The wind was ferocious. Jan '11 NORLUN. Worked its way through southern CT and dumped as much as 15" in a few hillier towns. If memory serves, a 9" fluff job in Hamden. Jan '11 Blizzard. 27" in roughly 13 hours. North Haven put up a 30 spot, Berkshires and southern VT destroyed with 40". Jan 27, 2011. A two part hit with a few inches of light wet snow in the morning, followed by a blitzkrieg at night. 4-5"/hr rates, thunder, 15". Capped off a great month. October '11: Dud in Cambridge, but obviously warrants inclusion for sheer exotic rarity and disastrous impact in much of SNE. March '12: Not a storm, but an epic epic torch, which was welcome after the horror show that was that winter. I recall the trees budding over Paul Revere's grave and choosing to walk home a few days in caressing 70s and low 80s. Girls in summer dresses on the Common. Feb '13: Epic in its own right, perhaps made more so for the catharsis it brought after a wretched, tortured '12 and early '13 season. Scott melted hard in the lead up (a good contra indicator) and Kevin initially tossed the Euro's blizzard depiction hard and far. Perhaps the only time I have ever received a 2 foot snow storm, but felt gipped because back home pulled a 40 spot of man snow. March '13. The Fire hose storm. Wild system, which gave me fits professionally. I was tasked with giving an investor day presentation atop 60 State as the snow was dumping all around, and it was mightily distracting. Who, I ask you, can cogently conduct business while a long Atlantic fetch of moisture dumps gorgeous parachutes outside the floor to ceiling windows at 2"/hr? It was one of those late season storms where the difference between downtown and the suburbs was striking. Maybe 8-10" of slush downtown, tack on another 5" at home across the Charles, and 30" in the Blue Hills. RI with an epic screwgy. Winter of '14. I know there were some great events in here, including several blizz warnings, but dates and amounts elude me for whatever reason. At any rate, I recall snow storms with near zero temps and a great December. Jan '15 Manitoba Mauler. Another cathartic event as many here, self included, were preparing to cheer for the futility record. Ushered in most epic winter period of my life, as already tabulated above. 30" amounts widespread across eastern CT, RI, MA, NH. '15 Superbowl SWFE. Pats win and another foot plus in the bag. What more needs to be said? '15 long duration storm. Felt like it snowed for days, tacked on another 2 feet. Scott pulled close to 3 with the ocean enhancement. '15 mid-level magic. Models struggled, Ginx and Clinch were all over it. Epic rates, magical fluff and thunder pushed me to a lifetime record depth (see pic) '16 Generally a dud winter, but we did manage to catch the northern fringe of the epic Mid-Atlantic blizzard. 8" or so. Still basking in the afterglow of '15, so wasn't much bothered by the crap season. VT struggled mightily. '17. Back in CT. Awesome quick hitter in Jan (?) to the tune of 14 or 15", Miller A in March that had a lot of promise but got too tucked and wound up flipping after a quick 9" or so. Epic hit for the Albany region. '18. Jan "super-bomb". One of the coldest weeks in NE history preceded this beast of a nor'easter. It was a beginning to occlude by the time we felt its effects, but it was still a solid foot+ locally, with some areas over 20. Bottomed out around 950mb. March '18. 4 impressive nor'easters, two horrible busts IMBY and one paste bomb with fantastic thundersnow (thanks to 4 Seasons for reminding me). If only we'd had seasonable thermals for the first event (apologies to Ray) '19. A generally abysmal season, but bookended by a few nice events. Mid Novie traffic nightmare storm and the quick hitting foot in March. Damaging ice storm in January worth throwing in the mix too. Think there was a great squall somewhere in there. Had more inches of rain than snow at the end of February. December '19. No go for the early December interior HECS, squeezed out a few inches here and there. Had a fun squall and a solid ice event with close to .5 accretion. Likely quiet through Christmas, but may get active again as we enter the '20s. All in all, I grade this decade an A. Below, a pic from Hampshire St in Cambridge the morning of ML Magic '15. The second, morning after Feb '13 at my parents' in Hamden.

I stayed up all night for that one. Still remember watching the radar in NJ explode and knowing we were gonna get smoked. We caught the edge of the dry slot for an hour and still picked up 27". Great, great storm.

Awesome footage. And I believe the week before the blizzard was one of the coldest in NE history, too.

The January storm was a lot of fun, if only for the exotic intensity of the storm itself. I think that thing bottomed at like 950mb, give or take. Was initially modeled off shore, but kept gradually ticking further and further west up until go time.