Yesterday’s winter-spring storm produced lots of severe weather on its eastern flank, but it also generated a band of heavy snow to its west. Just to the east of Chicago, IL, the infamous “rain-snow” line helped to create a rather large snowfall gradient. That gradient (0.44 inches of snow per
Read DetailsWell advertised, the “Blizzard of 2016” is well underway. Early this Saturday morning (Jan. 23, 2016), a few locations across the mid-Atlantic had already netted double-digit snowfall numbers. Heavy snow was continuing to fall from near the Washington, DC area northeastward into southeastern Pennsylvania, western New Jersey and parts of
Read DetailsThe following is a “weathertorial” concerning the, northeast “blizzard of Jan. 26-28, 2015.” This was written a few days after the event and posted at a different blog site at the time. I am republishing it here (slightly edited) because the impending storm has far too many similarities and forecasters
Read DetailsFor days, National Weather Service (NWS) computer and manmade forecasts have pointed to a major winter storm for the mid-Atlantic states. Snow and other associated wintry weather was expected as far south as northern Georgia and as far north as southern New England. Now, closer to the event, the bulls-eye
Read DetailsLately, there have been lots of posts at NEWxForum about “lake effect” snow. Such snows are typically found downwind from large, relatively warm lakes during periods when cold air moves across the lakes. The longer the overwater trajectory, the more linear the developing snow band, and the more persistent the
Read DetailsAs December’s warmth fades into short-term memory, folks nationwide are going to start shivering. Don’t be surprised if you start to hear a transition from, “OMG, it’s soooo warm,” to, “this cold is horrible…wish the weather would warm up.” This transition will be linked to a significant shift in the
Read DetailsCalifornia’s exceptional drought was in the news a lot in 2015. Recently, however, a series of storms has brought much needed rainfall and snowfall to the state. As a result, drought conditions have lessened in California and adjacent states (Fig. 1) during the past three months. During the next seven
Read DetailsTo say that it was unseasonably hot in south Florida in 2015 would be an understatement. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Miami, 2015 was the hottest year on record at all four main climate sites (Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Naples and West Palm Beach). Temperatures for the year easily
Read DetailsUnseasonably warm and mostly ice-free Great Lake waters, a persistent, strong and cold westerly wind flow, and the usual water-land interactions are all conspiring to create a prolonged “lake effect” snow event across the eastern Great Lakes. The area near Watertown, NY (at the eastern end of Lake Ontario), including
Read DetailsWith the focus of U.S. weather clearly on the central U.S. (severe weather, heavy rainfall and even Rocky Mountain snow), it would be easy to overlook the upcoming weather in California. However, the significance of a May rainfall event, with the potential for mountain precipitation topping two inches (Fig. 1),
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