Mid May cold snap

[ORH_wxman]

Record low at BDL...third latest freeze there on record.

[tamarack]

Another frosty upper 20s morning, though a degree or two less cool than yesterday's 26. Looks like the ash leaves and apple blossoms made it thru safely.

Edit: "how does that even happen, he is 15 degrees warmer? Wow"

Happened fairly frequently when we lived in the back settlement in Ft. Kent, though I can't remember it in May. Many winter mornings I'd see -5 to -15 on my thermometer, and when I made the turn toward the north and saw the "smoke stratus" from the sawmills' cone burners across the St.John, I knew it would be 10-15F (or more) colder at the office (550' elev) than at my place at 970'.

[Baroclinic Zone]

So when I question someone's temp the other day I get all kinds of whining and crap for it. But then I post my temp and 5 people troll and question it then its ok? See how this works.. My low was 43.7.

 

Probably been answered before but where is your temp sensor sited?  Could just be a function of the terrain and how it radiates there.

[Damage In Tolland]

For the record I wasn't trying to troll - I believe your temp. It's because you are on a hilltop and not near a 1,000' surrounded by hills. On the other side, just about everyone around you had a frost/freeze so it does stand out.

oh no I didn't mean you. Just the usual suspects. I live in a very unique little microclimate. I just don't get frost.. I get the cooler daytime temps which in winter is fine with me. Interesting little nuances over a small geographic area . Makes it fun

[Ginx snewx]

Record low at BDL...third latest freeze there on record.

sweet

[Damage In Tolland]

Probably been answered before but where is your temp sensor sited? Could just be a function of the terrain and how it radiates there.

i have 2. One on the deck digital and my Davis2 out in the side yard. In an open area. Both are always within a degree of each other

[Ginx snewx]

I was surprised that no frost freeze advisory statements were up last night. IJD was 31 this AM.

[wxmanmitch]

27° F here this morning. Heavy frost everywhere. Latest freeze here since 2002.

[Baroclinic Zone]

I was surprised that no frost freeze advisory statements were up last night. IJD was 31 this AM.

 

Wonder what the criteria is?  Perhaps it was not met to issue?

[CoastalWx]

Saturday Night could be real chilly too.

[Ginx snewx]

Wonder what the criteria is?  Perhaps it was not met to issue?

There was one for Tuesday??? Pretty widespread in the valleys its seems. I am happy BDL set the record, as one of the majors, it will be noted officially.

[CapturedNature]

Wonder what the criteria is?  Perhaps it was not met to issue?

 

I'm curious too.  Maybe one of our NWS friends could chime in on this.  It was interesting that ALB had one last night and BOX had one the previous night.  In hearing people talk, they were kind of surprised that last night was colder than Monday morning, but that's just the public.

[dendrite]

I did not troll just asked how it could happen. I was frost free at 525 feet and 34, just down he hill from me frost everywhere and people were scrapping windshields as we drove by. I was just amazed there was a 15 degree difference.

As Scoot said, this has never happened in winter when the inversions over snowpack are even stronger. Not doubting the temp but season to season consistency would be nice.

[CoastalWx]

I mentioned yesterday that last night could be chilly with clear skies and light winds. Have low dews and light winds-->radiate like mad.

[N. OF PIKE]

Saturday Night could be real chilly too.

excellent news, this spring is on of my favs. 34 in wakefield last nite

[CapturedNature]

There was one for Tuesday??? Pretty widespread in the valleys its seems. I am happy BDL set the record, as one of the majors, it will be noted officially.

 

The previous 34° record was ready for being broken.  I tied my record low for the date.

[CoastalWx]

As Scoot said, this has never happened in winter when the inversions over snowpack are even stronger. Not doubting the temp but season to season consistency would be nice.

 

We'll just go by Conventry's numbers...he seems consistent.

[N. OF PIKE]

When you say chilly sat nite scott, is this caa or radiational cooling, and are we talking upper 30s in cool spots for this

[CoastalWx]

When you say chilly sat nite scott, is this caa or radiational cooling, and are we talking upper 30s in cool spots for this

 

With a high overhead and probably low dews, it will be the radiators that are chilly it seems. That's most especially on the euro...but either way, it could be rather cool. I'm not saying widespread frost...but signs point to a cool night for sure.

[ORH_wxman]

NWS missed it on this one...I would have missed it too. I thought only isolated pockets of frost were likely, but it was widespread. Some people even came close to a hard freeze last night too. ORE got down to 29F, CEF got to 28F (!!!).

 

Freeze warnings would have been useful for part of the area, nevermind just frost advisory. This airmass overperformed...perhaps the very cold readings down in the mid-atlantic on the southwest flank of this airmass 24 hours earlier should have been a red flag...since we were kind of in their boat early this morning. But it was hard to think MOS would bust by like 4-6F in the rad spots. Usually that is reserved for optimal conditions with fresh snow cover.

[tamarack]

I'm curious too.  Maybe one of our NWS friends could chime in on this.  It was interesting that ALB had one last night and BOX had one the previous night.  In hearing people talk, they were kind of surprised that last night was colder than Monday morning, but that's just the public.

 

Oceanstwx's post yesterday from the NNE thread:

It's based somewhat on climo, but mostly it's a cluster. At GYX we go by 5/10 on the coast, 5/20 outside of the mountains, and 5/30 for the rest. So any frost/freeze after those dates would get a headline. CAR apparently started the interior almost to Millinocket last week, which to me seems awfully early that far north.

 

I'd guess that most WSOs in frost country do something similar.

 

[CapturedNature]

NWS missed it on this one...I would have missed it too. I thought only isolated pockets of frost were likely, but it was widespread. Some people even came close to a hard freeze last night too. ORE got down to 29F, CEF got to 28F (!!!).

 

Freeze warnings would have been useful for part of the area, nevermind just frost advisory. This airmass overperformed...perhaps the very cold readings down in the mid-atlantic on the southwest flank of this airmass 24 hours earlier should have been a red flag...since we were kind of in their boat early this morning. But it was hard to think MOS would bust by like 4-6F in the rad spots. Usually that is reserved for optimal conditions with fresh snow cover.

 

That place can really radiate well sometimes.  I call a pair of -20° readings there back in the 90s and I think BDLwas like 10° warmer (at least way warmer).  Not too long ago they had the national low too.

[dendrite]

NWS missed it on this one...I would have missed it too. I thought only isolated pockets of frost were likely, but it was widespread. Some people even came close to a hard freeze last night too. ORE got down to 29F, CEF got to 28F (!!!).

Freeze warnings would have been useful for part of the area, nevermind just frost advisory. This airmass overperformed...perhaps the very cold readings down in the mid-atlantic on the southwest flank of this airmass 24 hours earlier should have been a red flag...since we were kind of in their boat early this morning. But it was hard to think MOS would bust by like 4-6F in the rad spots. Usually that is reserved for optimal conditions with fresh snow cover.

Lots of overperforming cold across NAMER this Spring. Persistence would probably be to lean cool whenever those chilly highs settle in.

[ORH_wxman]

That place can really radiate well sometimes.  I call a pair of -20° readings there back in the 90s and I think BDLwas like 10° warmer (at least way warmer).  Not too long ago they had the national low too.

 

 

Pretty sure it was the Jan 1994 outbreak (well one of them...there were multiple, lol) where they had the -20F readings. That was back when I was just first starting to understand how they would be so cold sometimes in the morning but then torch in the afternoon compared to ORH. I used to see them so cold on the hourly roundup on TWC in the morning and then when I would get home from school, they would be one of the warmest while ORH was usually the coldest.

 

But I distinctly recall -20F readings in January 1994 for them.

[CapturedNature]

Pretty sure it was the Jan 1994 outbreak (well one of them...there were multiple, lol) where they had the -20F readings. That was back when I was just first starting to understand how they would be so cold sometimes in the morning but then torch in the afternoon compared to ORH. I used to see them so cold on the hourly roundup on TWC in the morning and then when I would get home from school, they would be one of the warmest while ORH was usually the coldest.

 

But I distinctly recall -20F readings in January 1994 for them.

 

I think that's right - I was -16 & -17 on those two days.  You're right about them baking during the day.  It's probably one of the flattest, most open areas in SNE:

 

https://maps.google.com/?ll=42.188211,-72.532597&spn=0.072117,0.110378&t=h&z=13

[tamarack]

Pretty sure it was the Jan 1994 outbreak (well one of them...there were multiple, lol) where they had the -20F readings. That was back when I was just first starting to understand how they would be so cold sometimes in the morning but then torch in the afternoon compared to ORH. I used to see them so cold on the hourly roundup on TWC in the morning and then when I would get home from school, they would be one of the warmest while ORH was usually the coldest.

 

But I distinctly recall -20F readings in January 1994 for them.

 

Best example of that might be the former COOP at Chester, MA.  IIRC, it set both the state's hottest and coldest readings, less than 6 years apart: 107 on 8/2/75 (tied with New Bedford, same day) and -35 on 1/12/81.

[radarman]

UMass got down to 32.2 last night.  Pretty impressive considering the usual UHI effect. 

 

 

 

That place can really radiate well sometimes.  I call a pair of -20° readings there back in the 90s and I think BDLwas like 10° warmer (at least way warmer).  Not too long ago they had the national low too.

 

 

I've always wondered if CEF doesn't run a couple degrees cold, but otherwise I agree.  Maybe 2 or 3 winters ago I think they were like -18 or something. 

 

-edit  It was early morning Jan 24, 2011 and it actually reached -20

[CoastalWx]

Best example of that might be the former COOP at Chester, MA.  IIRC, it set both the state's hottest and coldest readings, less than 6 years apart: 107 on 8/2/75 (tied with New Bedford, same day) and -35 on 1/12/81.

 

That place is a pit too. Must have been on the river valley....although the 107 seems a little high.

[ORH_wxman]

UMass got down to 32.2 last night.  Pretty impressive considering the usual UHI effect. 

 

 

 

 

 

I've always wondered if CEF doesn't run a couple degrees cold, but otherwise I agree.  Maybe 2 or 3 winters ago I think they were like -18 or something.  -edit I believe it was early morning Jan 24, 2011

 

 

If CEF ran cold, it would show up in the daytime maxes wouldn't it? I believe they actually have more 100F days on average than BDL. This would support them being a better radiating spot subject to larger diurnal swings. They are obviously in a great downslope spot too.

[radarman]

If CEF ran cold, it would show up in the daytime maxes wouldn't it? I believe they actually have more 100F days on average than BDL. This would support them being a better radiating spot subject to larger diurnal swings. They are obviously in a great downslope spot too.

 

Suppose you are right.  It categorically rules out any ideas about the river moderating temps at all since they are right on it, although maybe nobody had those ideas to begin with!  Just seems that CEF is always a lot colder than Noho, Greenfield, etc.... other places on the river not too much higher in elevation but further north.  The fact that those places I mentioned don't have calibrated and sited AWOS stations might also account for it.