Feb 18/19 Disco/Obs

[Kmlwx]

Non-weather enthusiasts better stay inside. I fear that people may look out, see what looks like their clear wakways and take a spill.

Radar still showing plenty of light returns over the metro area. 

[MN Transplant]

28.2 and freezing drizzle.  Nasty.

[Bob Chill]

1 hour ago, WxUSAF said:

You beat me by 0.8”! 
 

Actually, that sounding looked exactly as predicted by the models yesterday afternoon. I checked... maybe even better since IAD sounding was actually drier in the warm layer. Figured that would easily wet bulb below freezing for our snow thump. Obviously that didn’t work out.

I slantsticked my typing. Lol. 1.6" is the right amt. It's really unusual out there. My grass is almost covered in the back and it looks like snow. But you can walk of top of it and not leave footprints at all. I suppose feb 07 was just like that at some point. Legit concrete glacier. 

[poolz1]

4.5" snow today with about .2" sleet.

Freezing drizzle currently. 27/25

Fun few hours this morning with great rates and flake structure.  Ended up below my 6" bar but a fun, quick storm nonetheless.

Let's do a real deal, forum wide bowling ball in March!   

[Wetbulbs88]

4 minutes ago, Kmlwx said:

Non-weather enthusiasts better stay inside. I fear that people may look out, see what looks like their clear wakways and take a spill.

Radar still showing plenty of light returns over the metro area. 

Just took the pups out for a very long walk. Still some slush, especially in the deeper puddles, but shallower pools are freezing fast. If I hadn't been wearing my hiking boots which have good grip it would've been a back breaker. One guy was shoveling his sidewalk, and I don't think he realized he was only making it worse; there was already a significant layer of ice forming in place of the sleet. 

[Stormfly]

25/25, Freezing mist.  Can see the ultrasonic anemometer housing nicely encased in ice via surveillance PTZ.  Would not want to walk around on this!  Treated roads probably OK at these temps but black ice and steel plates and bridges - watch out!

[mappy]

Can confirm a freezing mist here too

[delgto04]

3 minutes ago, Wetbulbs88 said:

Just took the pups out for a very long walk. Still some slush, especially in the deeper puddles, but shallower pools are freezing fast. If I hadn't been wearing my hiking boots which have good grip it would've been a back breaker. One guy was shoveling his sidewalk, and I don't think he realized he was only making it worse; there was already a significant layer of ice forming in place of the sleet. 

Agreed. Many out shoveling today but don't realize that there is better traction just leaving it be. 

[Bob Chill]

I'm sure this was discussed but I just looked at the 18z gfs. Lol. Wtf. That's a bit absurd for a top 5 global wx model

[Ji]

I'm sure this was discussed but I just looked at the 18z gfs. Lol. Wtf. That's a bit absurd for a top 5 global wx model

The gfs likes to broadbrush precip similar to how the cpc likes to broadbrush temps for nina or nino winters

[Deck Pic]

31 minutes ago, clskinsfan said:

OKV doesnt keep precip totals. But I had 2.15 inches in January. That is 20 inches of snow with decent temps.

I've been looking at spotter reports for this area, and best I can tell, only January snow (other than 1/31) was 0.5" on 1/26.  I'm sure there were some dustings and 0.1's too.

[SomeguyfromTakomaPark]

My neighborhood wasn’t plowed or salted and the roads are a literal sheet of ice now.  Got some nice freezing drizzle to cap the day off.  As much as this event was another snow fail at least it’s winter outside. 

[H2O]

Cars have a glaze so I assume stuff is falling

[psuhoffman]

1 hour ago, RevWarReenactor said:

It didn't seem like a banding issue to me. This was all directed straight up I-95, and yes, its sleet, but its pretty juicy.

 

Meanwhile this same band hit up in Mon County, and spots there are reporting 9 inches of fresh snow tonight.

They have the same climo as down here basically. So they have 40 inches on the year, and here we have about 6 inches? That to me is just awful luck. That 40 inches on the season represents to me what DC/Baltimore could have had this year had things "gone a little different".

 

Good discussion. Also, that band hit too late after the column was wrecked. Look at the radar from 4am-8am. The heavy precip was all Winchester to Carroll County. That was the window for good snow along 95 and they were stuck in a dryslot.  By 9am when that band did finally get there the warm layer had taken over. Heavy precip earlier could also have helped mix out that layer and held it at bay longer.  But your point about bad luck is true. I think it’s some of both. 

[ravensrule]

This light freezing drizzle is making it way more slippery then I thought. It’s going to get treacherous out there if it lasts for a while. 

[WeatherShak]

Cars have a glaze so I assume stuff is falling

Have a 20oz ribeye on the Weber. Deck is a skate rink right now.


.

[WxUSAF]

Freezing drizzle is icing everything up. Untouched sleet covered driveways and sidewalks are just a solid glacier, can walk across without leaving a trail. Plowed surfaces are now skating rinks. Kids are missing out on a bunch of snow days.

[ovechkin]

Too bad nothing strong or organized enough to overcome whatever warm layer is there and change things to snow. 

[H2O]

3 minutes ago, WeatherShak said:

Have a 20oz ribeye on the Weber. Deck is a skate rink right now.


.

I couldn’t tell if the ground where I shoveled was slick. I don’t want to fall and bust my ass like @mappy so I might send out one of the kids. They have softer bones. 

[psuhoffman]

1 hour ago, jayyy said:

Dang! Have me beat by 3.5”! That extra 400 feet doe

The best part up here is how well we hold snow. This little high elevation area northeast of Westminster stays cold. I’m regularly 5 degrees colder than Westminster.  Often I like to drive around the area after a snow and it’s amazing how much more is on the ground a few days after here v Westminster or other parts of the county. 

[MN Transplant]

[WxUSAF]

1 minute ago, ovechkin said:

Too bad nothing strong or organized enough to overcome whatever warm layer is there and change things to snow. 

At this point is probably not a warm layer, it’s just shallow stratus. Clouds aren’t deep enough to have ice nuclei available for snow crystals. So you get weak precipitation as fzdz. 

[adelphi_sky]

29.3 freezing drizzle 

[mappy]

1 minute ago, H2O said:

I couldn’t tell if the ground where I shoveled was slick. I don’t want to fall and bust my ass like @mappy so I might send out one of the kids. They have softer bones. 

Yeah I had no clue it was misting, didn’t expect a slick driveway. Total sheet of black ice. So do be careful if you have to go out. 

[SomeguyfromTakomaPark]

1 minute ago, MN Transplant said:

Two warm noses.  Freezing drizzle it shall be then. 

[NattyBo]

Can report freezing drizzle in Rockville as well. Nasty out 

[psuhoffman]

1 hour ago, RevWarReenactor said:

Thanks! Good to talk to you. Maybe we've had the snow climo discussion before ;-) So I guess I am just not right about that. I am not sure why I thought it was similar. Maybe living in Mon County in 2010 and watching DC colored my perception.  

Yea 2010 was a VERY unusual year.  

[mattie g]

Absolutely POUNDING freezing mist!

[schinz]

3 minutes ago, psuhoffman said:

The best part up here is how well we hold snow. This little high elevation area northeast of Westminster stays cold. I’m regularly 5 degrees colder than Westminster.  Often I like to drive around the area after a snow and it’s amazing how much more is on the ground a few days after here v Westminster or other parts of the county. 

I am on the SE side of Westminster bear Deer Park and Rt. 32...I am about 850 feet....what is your elevation and can you show some type of a map representation of where that height of the ridge is?  Thanks

[The Ole Bucket]

We've had so much ice in CHO this year that I've almost burned through my first 50-lb bag of rock salt. 

Freezing drizzle here too.