State of the Snowpack

[Jebman]

This has been a very cold month, particularly when you realize that we have a strong La Nina this winter.

We've had two snowstorms. One dumped 2 inches of snow; the other was a flizzard that eked out a half inch of the white stuff.

Considering that I have seen 2.5 inches on the season, it is noteworthy that there is still snow on north-facing hills and also to the north of any solar insolation-blocking object such as a house or a car that has been left parked all month long. I get a real kick out of jebwalking on the north sides of shopping center buildings where I know I can find ample snowfields to savor.

Glendale Road in Glendale in Dale City is a good case in point. Where Glendale Road joins up with Dale Boulevard there are a few homes whose front yards more or less face north. Their sidewalks were snow-covered until today. Today was our 2nd day with a high of 48 degrees. Lows at night are still tobogganing into the low 20s because the ground is solid frozen. That monstrous -NAO/-AO combo froze our entire region for THREE WEEKS!!

Most of the ambient snow cover has melted or blown away in the gales of December. But there is still snow about an inch deep on the north sides of homes and other buildings. Glendale Road still sports sidewalk segments with snow on them, but this is melting fast in the face of this torch - and the torch is just getting underway. By New Years Day we will easily break 60 degrees in Northern VA. Richmond will hit the mid/upper 60s. Norfolk may flirt with 70 degrees by the first of the new year.

We had more or less 75 to 95 percent areal coverage in patchy snow for a week or so after the 2 inch storm, then some of it melted to patches. In the past few days areal snow coverage has shrunk to about 5-15 percent, limited to shady areas only.

The only good thing (if there is such a thing for snow weenies) about getting screwed over by the December Blizzard of 2010 is the fact that we won't have to suffer watching our snowpack die in the warm sun this weekend.

It is going to be agonizing watching the sparse snow on the north side of the house gradually giving in to this relentless Mid Atlantic Torch. It will be equally agonizing to watch our poor snow piles melt away this weekend.

The State of the Snowpack in Northern Virginia is grave. We never really had a real snowpack to begin with.

Miscellaneous Notes:

Thursday Dec 16 - We got 2 inches of snow. Dec 16 to Dec 23 about 85 percent areal coverage, after that varying amounts of areal coverage. By late December about 15 percent areal coverage mostly in shaded areas. Dec 30 it hit 48 degrees for 3rd day in a row; STILL snow in shaded areas is testament to FROZEN GROUND. We've eked out low in low/mid 20s each of the past three nights. Sunday Dec 26 we eked out half an inch from the memorable Christmas Blizzard. I'll miss that blockbuster event for the rest of my life. It's breaking my heart already. It was definitely a record event for DCA and for N VA - in terms of unprecedentedly getting screwed by the pooch

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Due to the signature restrictions here on American Wx Forums, I have decided to institute part of my record keeping right here on American Wx Forums - on this posting. This is a first for me doing this on another forum other than ScienceWeather, and is purely an experiment. The signature restrictions are very good - they are for the best and greatly improve the quality of the forums - and in no way am I denigrating them or complaining. These sig records have already been duplicated on ScienceWeather and on at least five other forms of media.

http://scienceweathe...weather-forums/

Killer cold/snowy December for the East thanks to a MONSTROUS Blockbuster -NAO/-AO combo lasting thru January 2011! BRING IT ON!!! Hell Yeah!! Lovin' this atypical La Nina!

Dec 15: High 32 Low 9 Dewpoint 0 degrees

Dec 16: High 25 Low 13 Dewpoint 12 then 20 in the snow; Dec 16: 2 inches snow, Low 20s conds.

Profound surface frigidization evident; many ponds frozen. Don't try to ice skate on 'em yet though

Save yourself a lot of unnecessary worry - If the model solution you want (the snowy solution) is complicated - It likely won't verify.

That being said..this is a very fragile setup. I've said it several times. Somebody can sneeze near the MS river and mess up the phase. earthlight

Get over the bust. There is potential on the horizon but make no mistake...winter patterns tend to repeat themselves. We could easily get screwed again this winter the exact same way. Get tough and grow some skin. We are going to need it. Ji

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[marked8]

This has been a very cold month, particularly when you realize that we have a strong La Nina this winter.

We've had two snowstorms. One dumped 2 inches of snow; the other was a flizzard that eked out a half inch of the white stuff.

Considering that I have seen 2.5 inches on the season, it is noteworthy that there is still snow on north-facing hills and also to the north of any solar insolation-blocking object such as a house or a car that has been left parked all month long. I get a real kick out of jebwalking on the north sides of shopping center buildings where I know I can find ample snowfields to savor.

Glendale Road in Glendale in Dale City is a good case in point. Where Glendale Road joins up with Dale Boulevard there are a few homes whose front yards more or less face north. Their sidewalks were snow-covered until today. Today was our 2nd day with a high of 48 degrees. Lows at night are still tobogganing into the low 20s because the ground is solid frozen. That monstrous -NAO/-AO combo froze our entire region for THREE WEEKS!!

Most of the ambient snow cover has melted or blown away in the gales of December. But there is still snow about an inch deep on the north sides of homes and other buildings. Glendale Road still sports sidewalk segments with snow on them, but this is melting fast in the face of this torch - and the torch is just getting underway. By New Years Day we will easily break 60 degrees in Northern VA. Richmond will hit the mid/upper 60s. Norfolk may flirt with 70 degrees by the first of the new year.

We had more or less 75 to 95 percent areal coverage in patchy snow for a week or so after the 2 inch storm, then some of it melted to patches. In the past few days areal snow coverage has shrunk to about 5-15 percent, limited to shady areas only.

The only good thing (if there is such a thing for snow weenies) about getting screwed over by the December Blizzard of 2010 is the fact that we won't have to suffer watching our snowpack die in the warm sun this weekend.

It is going to be agonizing watching the sparse snow on the north side of the house gradually giving in to this relentless Mid Atlantic Torch. It will be equally agonizing to watch our poor snow piles melt away this weekend.

The State of the Snowpack in Northern Virginia is grave. We never really had a real snowpack to begin with.

I'm thankful that we won't have to deal with the muddy mess that others are going to deal with. I plan to fire up the grill with the warmer weather coming in.