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New England snowstorm memories.


CoastalWx
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The downslope definitely had an impact because low elevations to the east of ORH hills got big snow (until you got to SE MA). So it was not purely elevation-driven R/S line. If you were on the leeward side of the hills in a valley, the extra drying and warming prevented the snowfall totals that the coastal plain of MA got.

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thank god i wasnt in springfield back then

 

 

had about a foot plus overall in Bristol Ct...even the day it poured slush from the sky there was a couple inches of it...then when the winds shifted it snowed like crazy that next night for a few hours and pretty good into late morning Saturday...best depth we had was 10-11 inches but we legitimately had a good 13 inches as some of the slush compacted and there was a surprise inch in one last band that came through later Saturday Night after there had actually been some partial clearing...my friend who lived in Wolcott CT had at least two feet and had a foot alone the first day when we had the slush, I remember taking a ride up there two days later and there was still close to twenty inches on the ground while by that time we had compacted to six or seven...

 

really cool storm though and i thought it was pretty well forecast a couple days in advance

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thank god i wasnt in springfield back then

had about a foot plus overall in Bristol Ct...even the day it poured slush from the sky there was a couple inches of it...then when the winds shifted it snowed like crazy that next night for a few hours and pretty good into late morning Saturday...best depth we had was 10-11 inches but we legitimately had a good 13 inches as some of the slush compacted and there was a surprise inch in one last band that came through later Saturday Night after there had actually been some partial clearing...my friend who lived in Wolcott CT had at least two feet and had a foot alone the first day when we had the slush, I remember taking a ride up there two days later and there was still close to twenty inches on the ground while by that time we had compacted to six or seven...

really cool storm though and i thought it was pretty well forecast a couple days in advance

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If I do move up it would most likely be to east slopes of the southern Berks or the Northwest Hills. Probably not way up on the spine but on the escarpment at like 1000-1200 where you can still get to civilization in 20-25 minutes. Granville MA is like 1200 but you can get down to Westfield in like 15 minutes. North Granby and Barkhamsted CT are similiar.

Hartland CT is probably the best :weenie: spot. Norfolk is good too but real estate is very expensive there.

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The downslope definitely had an impact because low elevations to the east of ORH hills got big snow (until you got to SE MA). So it was not purely elevation-driven R/S line. If you were on the leeward side of the hills in a valley, the extra drying and warming prevented the snowfall totals that the coastal plain of MA got.

I wonder how much liquid BDL managed.

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The downslope definitely had an impact because low elevations to the east of ORH hills got big snow (until you got to SE MA). So it was not purely elevation-driven R/S line. If you were on the leeward side of the hills in a valley, the extra drying and warming prevented the snowfall totals that the coastal plain of MA got.

True, especially in such a tight rain/snow line. I'd be curious to see total QPF values plotted, but if what MetHerb said about getting 2.5" QPF and very little snow, that's still a huge QPF event for December. The down sloping probably did add 0.5-1.0F though to relative elevations in the valley compared with east of the ORH hills and that's all it takes when it's an already very marginal situation.

But did eastern Mass have higher QPF, better forcing and dynamic effects? The CT valley definitely would've had some compressional warming, but it doesn't sound like they were dim sum while the hills were pounding if they still pulled 2"+ QPF.

What did BDL have for liquid? Was CEF around back then?

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Even in coastal CT we did ok. I lived in Norwalk at the time and received 6. I think Bridgeport only reported 2 but they typically under report by 25 percent on all storms for some reason.

Our snow came at the end from what I remember as the storm pulled away and colder air worked in.   Most of it was a driving rainstorm with temps in the mid to upper 30's with ferocious winds.

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Storrs and West Thompson over 4, ORH total is way low, lots of 5's and 6's everywhere

 

Both coops just south of ORH in Charlton and Southbridge had between 3-4" of qpf...even Ashburnham to the north had 2.43" and they were definitely on the northern preiphery of the firehose.

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The ORH total was probably compromised by the fact it got all clogged with snow...they didn't melt down qpf there like at coop stations.

I was a volunteer with NWS/state of RI Climatologist doing ground truthing for the then infancy Doppler so I had a lot of their equipment, they told me then even their rain totals were off due to the wind, like a TS hard to capture. obviously the COOPs who received all snow were able to melt cores and get good readings.

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I was a volunteer with NWS/state of RI Climatologist doing ground truthing for the then infancy Doppler so I had a lot of their equipment, they told me then even their rain totals were off due to the wind, like a TS hard to capture. obviously the COOPs who received all snow were able to melt cores and get good readings.

 

Yeah any buckets in that storm would have been almost useless...the coops that melted a core sample (while also remembering to measure any rain before the changeover) are the ones that got accurate QPF totals.

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Wow that's some moisture.

How'd Moosup do?

Probably close, the valley probably mixed, but the hills as you approach Foster probably got smoked. I see the gradient all the time, Moosup downtown (the 3 stores lol) is at like 250 feet but rises quickly to 650 in the surrounding hills, Foster is about 3 miles from me at around 675, in between is Sterling which is at 715 thats about 3/4 mile from me, so there are some great gradients.

for Scooter: my full/new moon fetish with superstorms yea it was a full moon.

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Probably close, the valley probably mixed, but the hills as you approach Foster probably got smoked. I see the gradient all the time, Moosup downtown (the 3 stores lol) is at like 250 feet but rises quickly to 650 in the surrounding hills, Foster is about 3 miles from me at around 675, in between is Sterling which is at 715 thats about 3/4 mile from me, so there are some great gradients.

for Scooter: my full/new moon fetish with superstorms yea it was a full moon.

 

It was a syzygy...lunar eclipse the night before on Dec 9, 1992.

 

One of the reasons the tide was so destructive.

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there would be nooses, car exhausts and Tobin bridges launches everywhere if that repeated.

 

I would be concerned about Codfishsnowman's well-being.

 

I actually have a small error on my map I need to correct...I didn't extend the decent snow into elevated SE MA...Walpole had over a foot but it looks like they got about 5" on my map. My Woonsocket total is wrong too...not 20"...it should be 22.5".

 

I actually like the Natick coop....4.5" of QPF and 18." of snow, lol. That is gross.

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