eekuasepinniW Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 The tail end of that squall doesn't look impressive on radar but it has the feel of a summer storm out there. Wind starting to roar and deep gray sky. Steady at 25mph and gusting to 36. Hoping for a 50mph gust today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eekuasepinniW Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Arrgh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Event totals: 0.5” Snow/0.11” L.E. The morning started out fairly dry here, but precipitation came in during the 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. period while we were at mass in town. It actually started out as some rain down here in the valley elevations, but pretty quickly it changed over to snow. It came down with moderate intensity at times, and there was that Pacific Northwest feel as we were getting pelted with dense, wet snow in the lower elevations. Back at the house, the most notable event was a quick, intense burst of precipitation. My older son came upstairs to tell me that sleet or something was coming down, and after a quick check outside, I let him know that it was graupel. A good discussion about the differences between hail, sleet, and graupel then ensued. The graupel storm was very intense, with graupel balls (in some cases shaped like “Hershey’s Kisses”) a third of an inch or even a bit more in diameter at times. It dropped a quick half inch of accumulation in the span of what seemed like only a few minutes. Watching on the radar, I saw some 45-50 db echoes explode right over us as the event was unfolding. You can see it in the radar loop below, right in the middle frames of the series where the mass of red forms right at the intersection of I-89 and the Chittenden/Washington County (just to the left of the I-89 icon): Anyway, I’m not sure how much liquid fell before that event, but I pulled 0.11” out of the core (slushy and quite dense) on the board, and the rain gauge held a fairly similar 0.10” when it was melted down. Now the sun is back out – we’ve been back and forth between sun and snow as these bands come through. There’s been another tenth of an inch of accumulation since the noontime observations, and it looks like there will be more of the on and off precipitation based on the radar: Details from the 12:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 0.5 inches New Liquid: 0.11 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 4.5 Snow Density: 22% H2O Temperature: 35.6 F Sky: Partly Cloudy Snow at the stake: 4.5 inches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I went up to Bolton Valley yesterday for a quick tour on the backcountry network, so I can pass along some observations. The depths I found for unconsolidated/powder snow atop the old base were in the 3-4” range at the 2,100’ level in the Village, and 4-6” range up around 2,700’. Measuring right outside the Bryant Cabin in the clearing at the 2,700’ elevation revealed that the powder was at 6”. Fluff in the 4-6” range isn’t quite enough to get you floating on anything too steep, but it was enough for some great turns on lower angle terrain, especially with the aid of fat skis, so bring those powder boards and have some fun. Since we’ve picked up a bit of snow here at the house, and Stowe has had at least a couple of inches, I suspect Bolton in between has picked up some as well. I’ve added a couple of pictures below, and there are some more in the full report is at our website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 We ended up with 1" at the base and 2" on the upper mountain today. That wind was incredible though. People huddling on the ground for shelter, kids getting knocked over, whole racks of skis getting flipped over. Only lasted a short time at the extreme level, but better than any summertime squall I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 We ended up with 1" at the base and 2" on the upper mountain today. That wind was incredible though. People huddling on the ground for shelter, kids getting knocked over, whole racks of skis getting flipped over. Only lasted a short time at the extreme level, but better than any summertime squall I've seen. Near hurricane force? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Near hurricane force? Oh we were sustained at like 50mph with several 70-80mph gusts up high. Gusts to 60mph in the parking lot. During one extreme moment when folks were hitting the ground, a lift tower reported a 100mph gust (on hold at the time) but once you're getting up over 50-60mph with snowfall, the accuracy will go way down. I really want to know what the station on the summit ridge hit, as the public one has been offline I think. NWS has another one up there so I want to know what they hit up top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eekuasepinniW Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm getting sick of wind events that underperform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm getting sick of wind events that underperform. Want to come clean up my yard, haha? I've got 5 evergreens that got absolutely shredded today...there's debris all over the yard. Also looks like we lost power for a time based on the times flashing on the clocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 That squal around 9ish this morning was impressive. I got plastered walking into the lodge. Dropped an inch plus of wet snow. Bonded really well to the trails. Made the groomers ski nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MainePhotog Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Nice to see Winter Storm Watches flying for coastal counties in Maine. Hoping for some fluff if things work out right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Here are a couple visibility comparisons I made. I love these types of weather events. I remember they always used to under-perform growing up in Albany, NY, but up here in the mountains, they are always quite impressive for someone who grew up in the Hudson Valley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eekuasepinniW Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Want to come clean up my yard, haha? I've got 5 evergreens that got absolutely shredded today...there's debris all over the yard. Also looks like we lost power for a time based on the times flashing on the clocks. You're gonna make me rage. I did manage one single 40 mph gust and I guess that will have to do. I happened to be outside at the time, so that was nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 You're gonna make me rage. I did manage one single 40 mph gust and I guess that will have to do. I happened to be outside at the time, so that was nice Its going to be a torch summer. Just look forward to that. 100/72 for days and days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Today's wind gusts locally... 84mph at the summit and 62mph at the base. Wind gusts at the Spruce Peak base area... lots of 50mph type gusts with a few over 60mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klw Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Here's a scene from the afternoon squall. We lost power for about an hour with the first line this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Torch rolled through Rutland. They had a few inches of snow when I went into class at 9:00 it was gone at 12:00 when I went out for lunch. Much colder back here at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardinalWinds Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Nice little band just set up in the I-89 corridor between Burlington and Montpelier. Not sure how long it lasts, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Nice little band just set up in the I-89 corridor between Burlington and Montpelier. Not sure how long it lasts, of course. Thanks for the heads up – I’d looked outside just 10-15 minutes before that and there was nothing going on. Flakes are fairly small, but there’s light to moderate snow with a couple of tenths of an inch down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardinalWinds Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks for the heads up – I’d looked outside just 10-15 minutes before that and there was nothing going on. Flakes are fairly small, but there’s light to moderate snow with a couple of tenths of an inch down. Aye, glad of it too. I already have much more on the ground the last hour than with either frontal passage today. Driveway is completely covered again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlantStick Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Wind is ripping out there! Very soothing to listen to calm the nerves.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eekuasepinniW Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Step 1: Stop paying attention to the wind. Step 2: Promptly miss the best period of wind, maxed out at 47 mph. Step 3: Resume brooding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks for the heads up – I’d looked outside just 10-15 minutes before that and there was nothing going on. Flakes are fairly small, but there’s light to moderate snow with a couple of tenths of an inch down. Thanks for posting that radar, J.Spin. I had 1/4" of arctic dust on my car this morning, and there's a fresh 0.5-0.7" at 1,500ft overnight. Went in the books as a dusting to 1" last night, as I've been around long enough to know if there's over half an inch down here, there's probably at least an inch a couple thousand feet overhead. Really dry but dense stuff. Like the snow that falls in horrific snow growth arctic cold. Needles and other very tiny flakes. I love the BTV mesonet page for Mansfield... I've already seen if that Froude number is 1.0 or higher, this side and down into town will do nicely as the precip is able to make it over. If its like 0.7-1.0" we are probably on the eastern edge of the precipitation... and under 0.7 we really don't stand a chance as that's all west slope and eastern Champlain Valley. Pretty cool stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allenson Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Well, the squalls came through here yesterday as well--dropped a wet half-inch and it got windy as all hell. We lost power for several hours early yesterday afternoon. Down to -2 this morning. Looks like a heart of winter week ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 6f clear. Looks like a beautiful day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hvysnow79 Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Looks like a heart of winter week ahead. Just in time for the Ice Trail to open on Lake Morey and more importantly for the Pond Hockey Championship this upcoming weekend!! You can watch the crews getting the ice ready for the tournament here: http://www.lakemoreyresort.com/webcam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Event totals: 1.2” Snow/0.13” L.E. We picked up a final 0.6” for this event before that band moved northward yesterday evening: As one can see from the last few frames of the radar animation, when the snowfall moved north of here it was hitting the spine right in the Bolton Valley/Stowe area. I didn’t grab any later images of the radar, but it sat there for a while so I was surprised that those resorts weren’t reporting more than the 3” indicated in their snow reports this morning. There weren’t a lot of those brighter pixels in the echoes as the band sat to the north though, so presumably the snow was pretty light. For those Vermont ski areas that provide their 7-day snow totals on their websites, I’ve added them below in the usual north to south listing. The larger totals have certainly been up in the northern part of the state, with Jay Peak near the international border doing the best, but some of the southern resorts are also showing some decent accumulations: Jay Peak: 17” Burke: 10” Stowe: 11” Bolton Valley: 8” Pico: 4” Killington: 4” Stratton: 6” Mount Snow: 7” Details from the 7:00 A.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 0.6 inches New Liquid: 0.02 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 30.0 Snow Density: 3.3% H2O Temperature: 2.1 F Sky: Mostly Clear Snow at the stake: 4.5 inches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamarack Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Two days of flurries, forecasts for 1-3" a couple times, total was 0.2" in the downslope haven of the foothills - great for CAD, poor for squalls. We only need another 2.4" this month to avoid being the least snowy of 15 Januarys (2004 had 7.7", was also my coldest month here), and the current models appear to make it close. Temp into the lower singles this morning. Chilly week in store, but I'm thinking "typical bottom of winter" rather than anything truly noteworthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 As one can see from the last few frames of the radar animation, when the snowfall moved north of here it was hitting the spine right in the Bolton Valley/Stowe area. I didn’t grab any later images of the radar, but it sat there for a while so I was surprised that those resorts weren’t reporting more than the 3” indicated in their snow reports this morning. There weren’t a lot of those brighter pixels in the echoes as the band sat to the north though, so presumably the snow was pretty light. 1.5" overnight at 3,000ft and higher... 24 hour total is around 3.5" but with settling and wind, 3" is more representative for the general public. Skiing is quite nice though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toller65 Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Was at Sugarloaf yesterday on the SuperQuad lift when the squall came through - sounded like a freight train coming from W-E across the mountain. We were hit with a 50-60 mph gust and whiteout conditions for 15-20 seconds, and the majority of lifts were shut down within 15 minutes. Highly variable weather yesterday - sunshine and 30s to whiteouts with graupel, the whole kitchen sink. Anybody want to hazard a guess on the probability of hitting warning criteria in Coastal Cumberloand County tomorrow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.