bristolri_wx

Dippin dots incoming here, 45.

On the WS4000 forum there are a couple posts about the radar being down - it has to do with NWS getting rid of their old radar graphics system. It broke in mid December. I'm not a coder so I don't think I could handle a custom fix for it, but it sounds like they are going to try and update the app to use radar info from the University of Iowa. It sounds like Bill, the primary developer, is having a tough time in his personal life so he's not updating the app as much as he would like. I'm still playing around with it. It was a nice late Feb/COVID geek project!

Not sure if this belongs in the banter thread or not. @dendrite posted a screenshot from a WS4000 simulator used to reproduce the Weather Channel local forecast graphics decks from the 1990's on the Feb 22 thread. Did some research based on that screen shot - had some fun setting this up that I'm sure many on the forum would appreciate. Hopefully the link continues to work - had some issues with takedown's due to the background music I picked out (I really wanted to make it authentic based on memory of some of the music my cable company used to inject into the Local Forecast breaks): https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=345618743325108&ref=watch_permalink This was done purely for fun and nostalgia - enjoy!

Thanks for posting this so I could look up what the WS4000 simulator was! 39 and rain in Newport. 37 and rain in Bristol. Not seeing any mixing at either location...

Only a few inches on the ground but definitely been an interesting storm. I agree with Kevin these types of storms are better in December…

Can you convert that map from metric to imperial?

I work in IT so 75% all my posting is done from a 13” MacBook Pro docked to a nice high res display - but that’s only because I’m in front of it 8-12 hours a day. However posting from a mobile device isn’t nearly as bad as it used to be thanks to the forum upgrades. Even the model sites really aren’t to bad on a large phone display. And you have RadarScope as well. In 2021 you can have the best of both worlds and not be too handicapped using one or the other…

On the drive down to Newport it got as high as 57 at the crest of the Mt Hope Bridge... 49 in Newport...

50 here. We had a couple of inches left on the ground last night, it’s almost all gone now… back to bare ground.

Would like to have been in that heavy band for a little longer than an hour. Around 5” on the ground here... at least there was no mixing today.

Getting back into the good bands here now. Hopefully it stays for a while. The good ole snow hole made a visit for a few hours LOL...

Less because of the bay and more because we are stuck between two bands that aren’t moving much, but sucks none the less...

BOX cut back a little...

"The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is an independent intergovernmental organization supported by most of the nations of Europe" -Wikipedia. Yes, not a branch of the EU. But we can still do better. We know how the ebbs and flows of politics have affected NOAA the last 10-20 years... but you are 100% correct in your response. The reason why humans interpret models and predict weather is because models aren't perfect, even as they improve and gain resolution.

The GFS outputs for the entire globe. Why does NCEP care that much about a margin of error of 50 miles on a storm in such a small geographic area? Not making excuses here, it's just that New England snowfall accuracy in the coastal plain is just one of millions of chaotic events going on at any given time that the models need to predict. That being said, if the US put the same resources into weather modeling like the ECMWF does, we would be better for it. We used to be the best at this, and we no longer are.

I would still trust the 3K Nam more than the extended range HRRR, though it's getting better.

Ugh - yup my bad! I looked at 2/7 date but didn't look at the time. (00:00 UTC is right now lol). Grrr... but my comment still applies to the "snow depth" model maps overall. I've never found them to be as accurate as the forecasted snowfall maps when you compare them side by side. I know the depth models try to compensate for compression and melting if applicable...

These modeled depth maps don't seem to reflect the weather... weather.us has them for a number of models as well and they don't often correlate with the actual snowfall conditions. Then they 'update' themselves after a storm and they make more sense.

This has been 14 pages of pure entertainment for a storm that may not materialize.

Looks like the dry slot is moving into RI and SE MA, but it may not last long, looks like one more band trying to regenerate and arc towards the NW...

Still snowing here. Solid 4" of mashed potatoes here in Bristol. Came down pretty good for a couple of hours after a brief mix with rain. Quite surprised I'm still seeing flakes. Winds are picking up again too...

I don't think it was ball busting as much as you throwing in the towel pretty early on. Yes, the outcome eventually was a bust. But you admit yourself that three miles west of you the forecast is much closer to what was expected. Conditions could have easily changed where the snow piled up a little more east of the bay. It's not like North Kingstown is a bastion of high snowfall totals in the winter time like NW RI. The Weather Channel and Ch. 10 did end up with a better forecast for eastern parts of RI...

Don't feel bad, only about an inch here! You doubled up from my house. Looks like it's more of an east/west thing this time around than a north/south.

It's been a while since I've seen the radar look so good and the result be so terrible lol... not a 'melt' just an observation. Par for the course down here near the bay.