Rise of the Machines: January 18-19 Winter Storm Obs Thread

[CoastalWx]

22 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

Growth really improved after about 830-9pm. Those 3 hours or so between 9-midnight we really stacked it up. Prob had at least 2/3rds of our accumulation during that stretch. 
 

I don’t think it ever snowed truly heavy for more than about 15 min at a time. But just very consistent efficient moderate snow with those heavier bursts mixed in which was stacking at 1-1.5” per hour. 

Yeah those echoes really moved in and it came down nicely. This was a nice event.

[weatherwiz]

I need around 84-85” to hit 100” so really need these next few weeks to step it up 

[WinterWolf]

35 minutes ago, CoastalWx said:

Yeah those echoes really moved in and it came down nicely. This was a nice event.

Glad you got the goods with this one. And it’s good to see you pleased .   

[wxsniss]

Nice little event to help get us off the mat...

My neighborhood near Coolidge Corner measured around 5.5".

Logan AP 5.3", so still haven't gotten the 6" monkey off our back... almost 4 years since the Jan 2022 blizzard.

Just came back sledding with the kids. Feels like winter should!

Another relatively windless event producing beautifully rimmed trees.

[vortex95]

1 hour ago, wxsniss said:

Nice little event to help get us off the mat...

My neighborhood near Coolidge Corner measured around 5.5".

Logan AP 5.3", so still haven't gotten the 6" monkey off our back... almost 4 years since the Jan 2022 blizzard.

Just came back sledding with the kids. Feels like winter should!

Another relatively windless event producing beautifully rimmed trees.

I would not put too much stock in Logan's record no 6" single snowstorm streak.  Why?

1) The measurement hasn't always been at Logan.  It used to be a bit more inland before the airport was built, and Logan is about the *worst* location for BOS city snow since it is surrounded by ocean on 3 sides (doesn't work well for true "city" temps either). Even in recent decades, it always hasn't been at Logan Airport, Starting the mid-90s for a number of years, as one example, it was taken 1 mi away to the N by a trained spotter.

2) The observer measurements have not always been up to par.  Too low, too high, not brushing off every 6 hr or more than once every 6 hr, and gaps in observations of snowfall as well.  This is not unique to Logan, and some major airports have great observers.  I am just pointing out the caveats/shortcomings when it comes to BOS 6" snowfall gap record.

3)  When the NWS Modernization occurred in the 90s, once ASOS was installed at climate sites, which are almost always at airports in the U.S., many routine snowfall observations where lost, and some came back, but snowfall was not considered a high priory overall.

4) Of all the major wx parameters we measure, snowfall is the hardest and least accurate due to many factors.  Here is an article that covers some of the issues:
https://news.ucar.edu/14009/snowfall-measurement-flaky-history

 

The point is Logan had 5.3" from this event.  Falling short of 6" by less than an inch is well within range of error, esp. for wet snow that compacts easily, and considering the overall challenges of measuring snowfall and long-term records not consistent or subpar at times.