The Northeast Weather Blog...

Warmer times ahead...
Posted by: Zachary Labe, 09:35 AM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009 +0
"Afternoon Thoughts"(Updated 9/20)
So here it is, the last official full weekend of Summer. Although Summer's end is subject to opinion in reality with September 1 has the start of Fall looking on the meteorological calendar, the start of the children's school year equivalent to the end of Summer, or Labor Day as the end of Summer. In any case Summer is officially over on Tuesday as we reach the Autumnal Equinox. This time of year is transitional not only in the landscape and weather, but also in the methods of forecasting. Despite many considering September as the most boring weather month (I say it is April), September also proves to be one of the more challenging forecast months. Computer model guidance goes through a period as the jet stream re-orients itself from a summer like pattern to a more winter jet regime. This allows for quite a bit of forecasting error from September through October. Patterns remain highly volatile in this time along with many upper level and cut-off lows plaguing the jet stream. These volatile variables along for low confidence forecasting and this has already been highly evident this year. Model guidance seems to be over amplifying not only long term trough/ridge orientations, but also near term trough/ridge amplitude. QPF issues also have been realized as evident by the past storm system where 2-3day model guidance suggested 1-3inch QPF over much of central and eastern Pennsylvania, but then suddenly 1day guidance cut back totals to a half inch or less. Once again next week is a similar scenario with models generally cutting QPF totals back by 50%. Until we begin to see evidence of the dominant winter-time pattern which usually makes its appearance by late October, we will continue in a very volatile weather pattern with dramatic temperatures swings day to day. So I can say with some certainty that the long term is highly subject to change. For instance the ECMWF/GFS were both advertising a mild pattern to dominate for quite a while starting Tuesday of next weekend, but they have back onto that solution moving trough east with the upper level low towards next weekend. So as the leaves change, vegetation dies, and pumpkins emerge, the computer aspect in forecasting also changes. Before the start of the meteorological winter, I too look to freshen up my knowledge of winter-time forecasting and indulge myself in weather literature surrounding winter storms and such with two of my classics including Paul Kocin's "Northeast Snowstorms; Meteorological Monographs" and Ben Gelber's "The Pennsylvania Weather Book."

I look forward to this time of year every single year. The aroma of the fresh northwest cool breezes in Fall with the damp scent of falling leaves with a hint of chimney wood smoke to raking leaves and carving pumpkins; there is not anything much better. To some Fall also brings Friday night high school football or quiet walks in the mountains; there is a little something for everyone. Glancing through my weather journals last night, I remembered one of the worst Falls of recent memory, October 2007. It was one of the warmest Octobers on record with several upper 80degree days. Fall foliage did not show its true colors until mid November that year for these parts of Pennsylvania. Hopefully this October will not have any similarities to that October. So for all the summer-lovers out there, enjoy your final weekend this year! Have a great day!!!

"Regional Advisories"

(Courtesy of NOAA)

"Current Weather Map"

(Courtesy of Wunderground)

"7-Day Forecast Discussion"(Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware)(Updated 9/20)
1024mb high pressure will dominate the weather pattern for much of the region through Monday afternoon with a slightly cool 11C H85 thermal layer. Sunday morning will feature very cool temperatures nearly 10degrees below normal for much of the region with patchy frost across the northern parts of the state particularly in Tioga, Potter, McKean, Susquehanna, Bradford, and Wayne Counties. Patchy frost is also possible along the west branch of the Susquehanna and in the northern Laurel Highlands. Morning fog is also possible across the northern Pennsylvania counties with a large water/air temperature gradient. Water vapor loop indicates a very dry weather regime over the area, but some advancing cirrus clouds may try to work into the southwest in Maryland during the day Sunday. By diurnal max temperatures will have warmed nearly 30-40degrees for highs on Sunday with crystal clear blue sky. Highs though will remain a few degrees below normal ranging from 75-77 for the major metropolitan areas of Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia to 73-75 for the rest of Maryland and Delaware. For areas south of I-80 in Pennsylvania highs will be around 70-72 with highs below 70 over the northern mountains and elevations above 1800ft. Dry mid and upper levels should inhibit a majority of the cirrus deck for Sunday. Sunday evening will feature more radiational cooling conditions with clear skies, calm winds, and relatively low dewpoints. But dewpoints will be a tad higher as a low level southeast flow remains in control and the upper levels turn southwesterly advecting more moisture into the region. Still lows will manage to fall several degrees below normal in the low 40s for northern Pennsylvania with mid to upper 40s for the central third of Pennsylvania to low 50s for southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. The rest of Maryland and Delaware will see lows in the mid 50s to upper 50s near Washington DC. Enhanced cirrus will begin to work its way into the region overnight especially over southwestern Pennsylvania and western Maryland. Monday will feature once again patchy radiation fog which will clear by 9am to partly cloudy skies for the Middle Atlantic with cloud cover a bit more over western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh. Clouds will increase throughout the day with an alto-stratus deck forming by afternoon. The 1024mb high pressure will begin to move off the coast turning the flow more onshore. A weak quasi-stationary boundary will work northward into northern Virginia during the day and may touch off a few rain showers over western Pennsylvania and western Maryland by Monday afternoon. Generally though QPF remains light. Highs will be seasonable with a slight cold air damming situation east of the mountains. Highs in western Pennsylvania will be in the mid to upper 70s with low to mid 70s east of the mountains and upper 60s in northeastern Pennsylvania. Much of Maryland and Delaware will experience highs in the mid 70s with a few upper 70s in lower Maryland. Rainfall totals for western Pennsylvania will generally be less than a tenth of an inch. An advancing cold front through the Ohio Valley will begin to touch off a few more rain showers late Monday night over much of the Middle Atlantic. Activity will generally remain cellular and scattered about with QPF totals around a tenth of an inch or less. Monday night will feature mostly cloudy skies for most areas with lows in the 50s for many areas and a few lower 60s for Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Washington DC. The weakening cold front will touch of some more rain Tuesday over the region with QPF generally around .25inches for many areas with less amounts in extreme eastern areas of the Middle Atlantic. Isentropic lift and warm air advection will allow for milder and more moist air to move through the region during the day allowing rain showers to perhaps have some weak instability with a chance of an isolated thunderstorm especially over the Delaware Valley. Highs will be several notches above normal as H85s rise above 14C with highs in the mid 80s for central and southern Maryland with low 80s for all areas along and south of the Pennsylvania turnpike. Highs north of there will be in the upper 70s. With dewpoints in the 60s, it will feel quite muggy outside. Widespread cloud cover from a southeast boundary layer flow may keep a hold on temperatures from rising any more. Tuesday night will feature more rain showers over the region with weak frontogenesis and isentropic lift. Inversion will allow for low stratus overnight with ceilings as low as 500ft and fog with visibilities ranging from 2-4miles. QPF totals will be around .1-.25 overnight with scattered showers. Lows will be mild in the upper 50s to low 60s for many areas.

The dying cold front will pass through the region Wednesday with a few morning rain showers with QPF less than a few hundredths of an inch. Clouds will break up by afternoon for some partly cloudy skies later in the day with still a mild flow. 500mb jet shows ridging remaining over the east coast before a trough approaches the region towards late weekend. Wednesday highs will be the warmest of the week in the mid 80s for many areas south of the Mason-Dixon Line and also the Philadelphia metro area. Highs north of there will be in the upper 70s to low 80s. Dewpoints in the 60s are likely. Wednesday night will feature partly cloudy skies with lows in the 60s for many areas and upper 50s for areas north of interstate 80. Thursday and Friday will be pretty similar days with weak ridging as evident on the 500mb charts creating above normal temperatures with highs in the low 80s for most areas with 70s north of the Pennsylvania turnpike. Sunshine will prevail for both of those days with scattered cumulus over the region. Overnight lows for those nights will be in the mid 50s to mid 60s depending on geographic locations. Towards the weekend another disturbance approaches the region with a chance of rain showers during the day Saturday. Overall though it does not look like anything significant at this point. See long term section below for more details for the weekend and beyond.

"Regional Radars"

(Courtesy of Wunderground)

"Regional Satellite"

(Courtesy of Penn State Meteo.)

"Lower Susquehanna Valley Forecast"(Franklin, Adams, York, Lancaster, Cumberland, Perry, Dauphin, Lebanon Counties)(Updated 9/20)
A beautiful day is in store for the region as high pressure remains in control for the region for Sunday. Some patchy morning fog is possible north of the Dauphin narrows along the Susquehanna River courtesy of the air/water temperature gradient, but that will burn off by 830am. After cool morning lows well below normal, temperatures will recover by nearly 30degrees for afternoon highs under complete sunshine. Highs will be still slightly above normal in the low to mid 70s over the region with a few upper 60s above 1200ft in northern Dauphin County. A few cirrus clouds may try to work into the region towards the evening, but generally more radiational cooling will occur Sunday night. Slightly higher dewpoints will inhibit cool temperatures like Saturday night, but lows should still be above normal under fair skies. Lows will range from 49 in northern Perry and northern Dauphin County to 54 in southern Lancaster County. Towards Monday a weak stalled front over North Carolina will lift slightly northward into Virginia allowing clouds to slowly progress over the region during the day after a sunny morning. Under partly to mostly cloudy skies Monday highs will be in the mid 70s for most areas to about 77 around the city of Chambersburg and Lancaster. Rainfall will generally remain out of the Lower Susquehanna Valley during the day. Monday evening will feature a few rain showers moving out of the southwest into the region overnight, but rain totals will generally be less than .1inches. Lows will be milder than the past few nights with lows in the mid to upper 50s near more seasonable values. Tuesday will feature scattered rain showers as a cold front approaches the region from the west, but a gradual weakening trend in the front will inhibit heavy rain. An onshore flow will allow stratus to form throughout the day with orographic lift aiding to fog along the ridgetops above 800ft. Highs will be slightly milder than the past few days, but some onshore flow affects will keep temperatures cooler than they could have been. Highs will range around the mid 70s. Rainfall will be around .25inches during the day for most areas with the higher amounts towards Franklin County. Tuesday night will feature more scattered rain showers over the region under the moist southwest flow aloft with some added gulf moisture. But despite this weak lift will only aid in additional rainfall from .1-.25inches for most areas. Low clouds and drizzle will prevail much of the night with lows in the low 60s to upper 50s in Perry County. Wednesday should keep clouds around much of the day with little to no additional rainfall. By afternoon a few breaks of sun will allow highs to rise into the upper 70s and possibly 80 along the Mason-Dixon Line, which is several degrees above normal for seasonal averages. Wednesday night will likely feature some fog forming overnight with some clearing and residual moisture from the previous day's rainfall. Lows will be mild once again in the upper 50s to low 60s in Lancaster County. Thursday and Friday will feature similar conditions with warm conditions with highs in the upper 70s to near 80 with partly cloudy skies and humid conditions. Overnights will be mild in the upper 50s to low 60s with patchy ground fog each night. Towards Saturday another disturbance approaches the region.

"Current Lower Susquehanna Valley Radar"

(Courtesy of Wunderground)

"Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coast Marine and Boating Forecast"(Maryland and Delaware Coastal Forecast)(Updated 9/20)
High pressure dominates the east coast through Monday allowing for an absolute beautiful weekend for recreational marine concerns. Strong high pressure will keep a weak wind gradient and low tidal levels through Monday evening with temperatures generally on the 60s and 70s over the water with a weak southeast wind especially towards Monday. Conditions begin to deteriorate towards Monday evening as the anti-cyclonic flow pulls off the east coast shifting the winds towards a strong southeast wind gradient. This will cause small craft advisory thresholds for most of the week along the Chesapeake and Atlantic coast with winds occasionally over 15-20knots over the water and heightened tidal levels. Although tidal levels will be significantly lower than this past week's coastal flooding warning situation. Also with an onshore flow dewpoints and temperatures will increase this week with the occasional chance of showers especially during the days Tuesday and Wednesday and perhaps late Monday and early Thursday. Meteograms generally do not produce an abundance of rain with QPF totals around .5inches for the entire week and generally on and off showers. Towards Friday conditions will begin to improve before an upper level trough and low approach the region Saturday with again slightly heightened conditions over the waters. Generally this week will feature an onshore flow with slightly higher than normal tidal levels and wind gusts, but overall nothing too significant generally at or below small craft advisory thresholds. This past weekend looks to be the best days for boating with the strong high pressure in control and the nice taste of Autumn temperatures. But it appears next weekend more cool enters the region.

"Current Atlantic Coast Forecast Wave Heights and Chesapeake Bay Forecast Wind Direction/Speed"

(Courtesy of NOAA)

"Fall Agriculture/Gardening 7-Day Outlook"(Updated 9/20)
Unfortunately this is going to be my last gardening outlook for the season as typically the first freezes in New England bring an end to my gardening outlook, which lasted most of the year from March through the end of September. It was another successful year for vegetable gardening at least at my location, for others the wet and damp conditions wreaked havoc. This beautiful Saturday I spent doing yard work for what I call "winterizing the garden." Yes it is a bit early, but once temperatures drop in the low to mid 40s I usually prepare a few items outside. This includes bringing in the countless garden etcs which include statues, glass rain gauges, garden plaques and signs, putting out suet cake holders, and pruning back perennials for the winter. It usually takes about a day and I figured this was just too nice of a day to spend it indoors. While I think it is a bit sad to think that in about a month the yard will transition from vibrant flowers and colors with lots of detail to a brown atmosphere. I even have begun emptying a few garden crocs as the plants are beginning to slowly die. I guess in about 2-3 weeks it will even be time to empty the bird baths and flip them over along with the rain barrel, fountain, and garden pond before they all freeze and crack. I also began to prepare my vegetable garden for winter taking down one garden's chicken wire fencing and pulling out a few dead plants and rotten fruit; although I typically let most of my plants decompose their nutrient back into the soil. I guess soon I will able to put out in crocs my Fall mums and ornamental cabbage plants to decorate for Fall. My neighbor has even started putting out pumpkin signs, lol. Although I guess October isn't too far off, only 10 days.

For those still in the full swing of gardening the coming seven days will produce a decent amount of precipitation for generally the entire Middle Atlantic with a widespread .5-1inch this week with several days of just damp and cloudy weather. Temperatures will average slightly above normal most of the week, but not exceed 80 for most areas although areas near Washington DC could touch 84 on Wednesday or Thursday. Rainfall is also possible towards the weekend as an upper level low approaches the region. It does not look likely the water concerns will be high this week. Frost concerns will generally be for Sunday morning across the northern counties from McKean eastward through Wayne County. Lows will generally be in the mid 30s for this region, but the favored radiating locales will touch below 32. More isolated and patchy frost is possible for north central Pennsylvania towards Philipsburg east towards Scranton. Also very isolated frost is possible towards the Laurel Highlands and perhaps Garret County, Maryland but increasing dewpoints in the southwest Sunday morning should prevent widespread fog formation. My vegetable garden is still producing a bit with Big Bertha peppers and Hot Cherry peppers still producing. They generally do not seem to ripen and turn red though, so I give away the green ones. My Early Girl tomato plant has completely died and there are not even any green tomatoes left. But my roma and cherry tomato plants are still producing. It is amazing how many tomatoes I have had this year, easily over 100 hundred with only three plants. I still have lots of sizeable green tomatoes on the plants. My celery plants are beginning to turn brown, but a few stalks still will be able to be picked. My herbs still are growing with a nice crop of parsley, chives, and oregano. The tender basil will need to be cut and dried to store over the winter before the first frost. I still have the everlasting Swiss Chard growing and now the flavor is a bit sweeter as the warmer weather is over which tends to add to a slightly more bitter taste. I picked my final watermelon which tasted surprisingly well. In fact my experimental crop proved to be successful enough to plant melons again next year. My Spinach and Buttercrunch are still growing and taste wonderful. My broccoli and cauliflower are growing, but just look a bit diseased so I guess I will have to wait and see. So here is to another successful gardening year. A special thank you to TheRasberryPatch, SBKaren, hurigo, and upweatherdog for sharing their gardening techniques this season. Another six months before we start the cycle all over once again.

"Soil Moisture Anomalies and 5-day Precipitation Amounts from Hydro Prediction Center"

(Courtesy of NOAA)

"Average Date of First Freeze"

(Courtesy of NOAA)

"Fall Foliage Outlook" (Updated 9/20)
Fall foliage is running pretty close to scheduled averages, although one could argue it is a bit early for many areas. Fall colors have greatly become more evident within the past week over the northern Middle Atlantic. Reports of the most color are obviously out of the higher elevations, especially towards northern Pennsylvania up in Tioga and Potter Counties near Cherry Springs State Park and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. But also towards Garret County Maryland above 2000ft 15% color is being reported with maples showing some nice reds and oranges. Across lower elevations from the Pennsylvania turnpike and on northward color has finally gone from ill and small distressed trees to ornamental trees showing color change. Across the Laurel Highlands color is being reported especially above 2000ft with the stage being reported as Patchy. Towards the ridge and valley region color is beginning to show some reds on mature maples and ornamental trees with yellows and oranges with about 5% color change being reported generally over the northern part of the region. Towards northern Maryland through the southern portions of Pennsylvania south of the turnpike color change is a bit spottier generally featuring the distressed and young trees having a bit of color. Towards lower Maryland and into Delaware color is even more isolated. The Poconos and northern Lehigh Valley are reporting about 10% patchy color change especially above 1800ft Ricketts Glen and World's End State Parks. Color will begin to become more widespread after this weekend's cool nights in the 30s and 40s with warm daytime temperatures and sunshine in the 60s and 70s. That equation is perfect for fall colors to begin to arise. Peak fall foliage is looking around early mid October for elevations above 2000ft with late October for elsewhere in Pennsylvania and northern Maryland near Hagerstown with November peak foliage for Delaware, most of Maryland, and southeastern Pennsylvania towards Philadelphia. Feel free anyone to share fall foliage pictures in a comment! This is my favorite time of year for capturing scenic overlook pictures!

"Long Term Outlook" (Updated 9/20)
Long term pattern looks difficult to pinpoint a solid solution. Mean 500mb flows off the long term GFS/ECMWF and questionable at best and back/forth with solutions. It appears though as the trough digs down in the eastern Rockies and western Midwest the trough will swing towards the east coast by next weekend and early next weekend with some cool air. Bufkit data from the GFS drops lows down to freezing for areas along and north of the Pennsylvania turnpike towards early next week. But just a day or two ago guidance suggested more of a zonal weak ridge flow with near normal to slightly above normal air during this time period. But looking on a more global scale and at teleconnections, I favor the trough solutions starting next Sunday. The EPO will be diving south indicative of east coast troughing. Also a few NAO prediction ensembles are hinting at a return to a neutral NAO. The PNA ensemble mean is also indicating a rising negative to positive PNA around this time period. It looks like a cool start to October with slightly below normal temperatures. We will have to watch for our next round of frosts and freezes for the region during that early part of next week from the 27-30 of September. GFS is showing H85s dropping down to single digits for the region with 0C showing up for southern Canada. That would suggest a cooler airmass than the current Autumn airmass over the region this weekend. So the generally pattern doesn't look overly amplified for the next two weeks, but more or less a few ripples in the jet in the form of troughs over the east coast. The climate prediction center interestingly enough is pretty strikingly cold for that time frame indicating well below normal air, not sure I agree with that strong of an anomaly though. This airmass will solidify the fact that September will go down as a below normal temperature month for most of the region.

"Current NAO and PNA Predictions"

(Courtesy of NOAA)

"Monthly Temperature/Precipitation Outlook"(October)(Updated 9/13)
This monthly outlook is going to be posted a bit early this year for October. I never issued a September forecast and now it is the middle of the month so I decided to forecast October instead of the last two weeks in September. Therefore this outlook is a bit lower than normal for confidence. As many probably could guess I am going with a colder than normal October. Long term GFS especially is consistent with trough formation over the east coast and an amplified western ridge. Latest ECMWF is also steadfast, but not amplified with weaker western ridge and a weaker trough, but they are still evident. Teleconnections are a bit more favorable also for a cool pattern across the east coast. It appears the PNA will be spiking highly positive towards October 1 with the NAO and AO more towards neutral. As far as precipitation it appears near normal precipitation is likely with a drier start to the month gradually becoming more active. If the cooler than normal October verifies historical odds definitely favor a colder than normal with quite a bit of snow for the upcoming winter. I guess all we can wish for is not another October 2008 which was extremely mild and again followed by a mild winter. Looking on a more global perspective there is a building dome of cold air over the Arctic towards Greenland and northern Canada. This cold air will continue to build and likely be a catalyst for bits of cold air to break off and surge to the United States with strong cold fronts.

Temperature- As I already mentioned I believe this month will feature cooler than normal temperatures will a general trough over the Middle Atlantic. I think areas north of I-80 will have the colder anomalies as occasional stalled fronts affect southern Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware with clouds and precipitation while highs to the north allow radiational cooling for northern Pennsylvania. I am going with a general (-1)-(-2) temperature anomaly for most areas with a generally (0)-(-.5) for the metros of Philadelphia and Washington DC. Frosts and freezes do look likely for most all locations this month with periods of colder than normal weather. Especially early in the month frosts may occur with a high pressure over the region and a trough.

Precipitation- Precipitation looks to be near normal for the month with a dry start to the month as a strong high pressure looks to be over much of the eastern United States in a general benign weather pattern. Towards the middle of the month and the end the active storm track should resume similarities to earlier in the month of September. The subtropical jet will feature periods of storms tracking up the east coast. As far as snowfall, most likely at some point in the month areas, in the lake effect snow belts of Maryland and Pennsylvania will see at least flurries. It is too early to tell whether any system like October 2009 will affect the region.

"Temperature and Precipitation Outlooks from Climate Prediction Center for next 30 days"

(Courtesy of NOAA)

"Here 10mi Northeast of Harrisburg, PA 2009 Statistics"
(Severe Weather Stats...)
Severe Thunderstorm Watches- 8
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings- 9
Tornado Watches- 0
Tornado Warnings- 0
Total Thunderstorms- 33

(Precipitation Stats...)
Flood Watches- 4
Flood Warnings- 1
Monthly Precipitation- 2.59inches
Yearly Precipitation- 31.43inches

(Temperature Stats...)
Heat Advisories- 2
Excessive Heat Warnings- 0
90degree Days- 9
Highest Temperature- 95degrees
Categories: Weekly Forecast
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1. TheDawnAwakening 11:58 AM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
Great Discussion on the difference of the patterns and the trouble that it brings to the models Blizzard. Anyways I will have my blog out within the next 6 days.
Member Since: Ottobre 21, 2008 Posts: 215 Comments: 3159
2. TheRasberryPatch 12:14 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
You said it well Blizz about the smells and feel and the look of Autumn. For me nothing like it. We are still outside and enjoying the day.

For me I think the start of Fall is after Labor Day. School starts and Fall sports start.

As for winter weather, as an amateur I used to follow the storms in November and December and watch a lot of the storms move from Texas or similar and move up through the Ohio valley. Then you knew the jet would eventually slide east and bring the storm tracks up the coast. I am sure it is more advanced then that, but that is how i used to look at the weather and in recent years we really haven't seen many storms follow that pattern or even storms come out of the Rockies.

I know I have asked this in the past, living in Towson for the winter of '94 we would have snow then sleet then rain with temps in the teens and twenties. i recall 3 weeks of riding on roads in the ruts because it was brutally cold and the ice would not melt. What were the conditions for that type of scenerio? one of the most strangest winters i have encountered with rain with the temp is 19

btw - a low of 43.2F this morning
Member Since: Gennaio 26, 2007 Posts: 72 Comments: 5637
3. Zachary Labe 01:10 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
***Low was 41.5degrees here!!! Surprisingly enough Bradford only got down to 34degrees thanks to some cirrus clouds early this morning that moved over the region. So I guess no one wins near this Frost date.

TheDawnAwakening- Thanks!

TheRasberryPatch- That winter featured in a weak El Nino with a negative NAO that coupled to produce several large snowstorms from December through March. A strong polar jet occasionally dropped out of the Arctic allowing for that January to be the 5th coldest on record for the state. Several memorable snowstorms in January and March of that year caused extreme snow totals that season including amazing snow cover % days with some areas such as Mt. Pleasant in Wayne County having over 100 days of more than one inch of snow on the ground consistently.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
4. weathergeek5 01:19 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
In southeast PA that year (January of 1994' the great ice storm of '94) we had a huge ice storm. Over 1 million people were without power and the extreme cold hit. People were encouraged to find shelters from the cold.
Member Since: Dicembre 25, 2005 Posts: 0 Comments: 1721
5. Mason803 01:24 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
that wayne county snow on the ground stat is amazing. i'd be happy with a solid month of snow on the ground anymore. low here was 41. per the ctp discussion, sounds like the models have alot of sorting out to do with this week's weather pattern. blizzard92, which is currently the model of choice? is the euro still out-performing the gfs?
Member Since: novembre 5, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 1139
6. Zachary Labe 01:26 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
Mason803- I would go with the ECMWF. GFS has been flip-flopping as evident even with the changes from the 0z to 6z run. ECMWF is a bit cooler for temperatures next week sort of similar to the 6z GFS. But none the less the forecast will be difficult this week, but I like what I have out so far.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
7. weathergeek5 01:30 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
I have been noticing the temps are coming up a little each day this week.
Member Since: Dicembre 25, 2005 Posts: 0 Comments: 1721
8. Zachary Labe 01:35 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
weathergeek5- Yep, NWS tends to play conservative in the 4-7 day time frame sticking close to seasonal norms but slightly below if a trough is expected or slightly above for a ridge. Then as we get close to the date they fine tune the temperatures usually adding for a ridge or subtracting for a trough.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
9. originalLT 01:59 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
Blizz , thanks for your new post, you put alot of time and effort into it. It will be interesting to see how things play out as we go thru the fall and into the winter. Again thanks.
Member Since: Gennaio 31, 2009 Posts: 0 Comments: 5053
10. TheRasberryPatch 02:43 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
Blizz - during that winter did Harrisburg get all snow? like i said it was amazing how much ice we got all around Maryland. even the beltway around Baltimore was full of ice for a couple of weeks.
Member Since: Gennaio 26, 2007 Posts: 72 Comments: 5637
11. lawntonlookers 02:55 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
Thanks for your update Bliz. Yessterday was nice and today looks to be the same.
Member Since: Marzo 22, 2006 Posts: 9 Comments: 1570
12. Zachary Labe 03:56 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
originalLT- Thanks!

TheRasberryPatch- Mostly all snow. Middletown record 75.9inches of snow, but the surrounding suburbs had around 80inches.

lawntonlookers- Yep, I think I will make a trip down to Fort Hunter Day. I love fall festivals.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
13. wxgeek723 04:32 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
530 PM EDT SAT SEP 19 2009

...RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE SET AT WATERTOWN NY...

A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 29 DEGREES WAS SET AT WATERTOWN NY
TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 31 SET IN 2008.

Perhaps the beginning of many good things to come? Lol. Hopefully they announce their Lake Effect naming scheme for 2009-10 soon. It's actually pretty smart to name them, and it does really make it easier to archive.

I love the Fall weather, the dry, mild days and the crispy nights in the upper 40s-50s where your breath is visible for the first time since early April. Or atleast, it's supposed to be, since I was outside back on July 10 at night and I could see my breath. I was letting my dog out and it was like 1AM. Lol. I remember Oct. '07, I went to the beach in the latter half of the month, the first I've ever done so. The water was absolutely beautiful. Hopefully that is not the case this October. Doesn't look like it will be anyway. Let's hope for the best this Fall.
Member Since: Agosto 28, 2008 Posts: 79 Comments: 2350
14. TheDawnAwakening 04:35 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
No problem Blizzard. Also how do you find in depth analysis from the NWS for historical storms, like Blizzard of 2005?
Member Since: Ottobre 21, 2008 Posts: 215 Comments: 3159
15. Zachary Labe 04:52 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
wxgeek723- Yep I hope so too. It was a great 41degree low here this morning, a nice freshness to the early morning. Now can we just get a frost to kill the gnats and black flies, lol?

TheDawnAwakening- I do not have any defined link. More or less I go to each NWS regional office homepage and there are usually links about past historical weather events that impacted those CWA region.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
16. Mason803 05:45 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
check this Link out for historical snowstorms.
Member Since: novembre 5, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 1139
17. upweatherdog 05:57 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
Nicely done Blizzard!

Yesterday morning it got down to 27F. We were probably the coldest spot in the U.P. The NWS office about 20 miles to my east northeast only had a low of 33F. The mosquitios are pretty cold tolerant up here, and a still a anoyyance. The hornets in the nest on the house still havn't died, dispite the hard freeze.
Member Since: Ottobre 14, 2007 Posts: 173 Comments: 1365
18. Mason803 06:05 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
another Link for historical snowstorms. the first link is mostly snowfall maps and the second link has data to go along with each storm
Member Since: novembre 5, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 1139
19. Snowlover2010 06:47 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
Last night I had my first marching band competition and if there is any proof that it is cold, last year at the first competition the temperature was about 90 and we were burning and sweating so bad. Last night we were freezing. It was so cold that dew was forming on many instruments.
Member Since: Gennaio 7, 2008 Posts: 2 Comments: 1003
20. Zachary Labe 07:46 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
Mason803- Interesting links. I have been to the first one several times before, but I never seem to remember to bookmark it.

upweatherdog- Thanks! The yellow jackets are bad this year for some reason.

Snowlover2010- It is interesting you mention that. I was looking through my weather journals from September 2006, 2007, and 2008 and it is interesting to note each September had several days at or above 90. This September has had none of that.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
21. wxgeek723 08:55 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
241 PM MDT SUN SEP 20 2009

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CASPER MOUNTAIN FROM MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT TO 9 AM MDT MONDAY...

And how wonderful it is to be seeing one of these again! I also can't wait for the wildlife to die away. I like how the outdoors are practically dead in the winter: the grass doesn't grow, the bugs die out, nighttime lasts longer. It's an advantage for me since I don't like to mow the lawn, I'm common target for misquitoes, and the early nightful makes you sleepy. If only it would snow here significantly for more than 2-4 times.
Member Since: Agosto 28, 2008 Posts: 79 Comments: 2350
22. Zachary Labe 09:10 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
wxgeek723- I was looking at some Anchorage, Alaska pictures at it looks like peak fall foliage is occuring right now.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
23. cchamp6 10:43 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
31.8 degrees here in northwest connecticut this morning. Leaves are changing so quick.
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24. Zachary Labe 11:16 PM GMT del 20 Settembre 2009    
cchamp6- Hey! How's it going? So your first frost, actually freeze at that?
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
25. Zachary Labe 12:18 AM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
12z ECMWF 500mb chart is really advertising a sharp eastern trough for early next week...
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26. ChrisCone 12:33 AM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
I'm hoping for a snowy winter, so I'm hoping for fall to look like Fall of 1995. I live in CT and up here that year we had snowstorms left and right all winter. That fall we had several intense coastal systems effect the area with memorable strong winds in at least 3 of those storms. Of course it was too warm for snow, it was clear that if the pattern continued into the winter there would be quite a bit of snow. I remember the first true snow storm of the season, it was in early December and my parents decided "oh hey let's go get our xmas tree" right as it started to snow, and of course they dragged us kids along. I also remember very clearly the Blizzard of '96, a stretch of several snow storms in the weeks immediately following christmas, etc etc. What a year. If this is an active fall for New England, I'd say watch out... although we might not EVER surpass the LOL 126 inch record that was set in 1996.
27. Zachary Labe 12:35 AM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
ChrisCone- Hey! Haven't seen you around in a while. October temperatures are critical really as the correlation between cold October temperatures and cold winters is pretty direct, but off course there are several exceptions.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
28. ChrisCone 12:45 AM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
Quoting Blizzard92:
ChrisCone- Hey! Haven't seen you around in a while. October temperatures are critical really as the correlation between cold October temperatures and cold winters is pretty direct, but off course there are several exceptions.


haha, I was wasting time in the tropical blogs. Not much to talk about in New England in the summer season except for the occasional severe weather, although this season seemed to be rather active for rotating storms. What do ya think about this season's potential in comparison to recent snowy winters? 1995-1996 worthy? Or more like 2001-2002? My personal thought is above avg precip from December to mid January, jet stream sags way south and we get a bitter and dry period until early to mid February, then a return to active storm pattern with above avg precip. Slightly below normal temps except maybe significantly below normal in January/February(?) That's my "shortcast" lol.
29. Zachary Labe 01:04 AM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
ChrisCone- Here is a link to my winter outlook blog, it covers most of my thoughts... Link.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
30. TheDawnAwakening 11:36 AM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
I believe Southern New England will see a season similar to the 2004-2005 winter. We are transitioning from a weak La Nina to a weak El Nino still which is evident with the Pacific equatorial SSTs which really show no drastic warming or cooling at this time. The western Pacific equatorial temps near Indonesia are showing cooling though so we will have to watch this closely. El Nino was not really dominant during the winter of 2004-2005, but it was weak and present at the time owning for more explosive storm development off the East Coast instead of early explosive development like one would see with a La Nina like we did this past winter. A more subtle and further south Pacific jet stream will allow the polar jet to come further south and stay further south for longer periods of time. In each case with most big snowstorms of that 2004-2005 winter, they were supplied by the Pacific jet which was over the Gulf of Mexico for most of the winter. The southern stream disturbances were basically the culprits for the December 26-27, 2004 snowstorm which brought 15" of snow in my backyard and snow to even New Orleans, LA and Southern Texas in Houston. Also as the storm passed over the Georges Bank buoy pressures dropped to 974mb, the strongest low of the season at that point. Now the Blizzard of 2005 was more of a Miller B type storm with a primary low and secondary low development. The primary low was within the polar jet stream and brought significant snowfall to much of the Midwest with a supposed weak and meager moisture shield with normal clippers, but this was simply not the case. A northern jet disturbance in the upper levels was trailing this clipper as well to the northwest and a southern jet disturbance was coming out of the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico, these disturbances combined and phased and created a secondary cyclogenesis east of the Delmarva peninsula. A buoy southeast of Nantucket, MA showed a 24 hour 42.7mb pressure drop, bottoming out at 980.1mb during the storm's lifetime and effects on the New England coastline, while pressures continued to drop as the storm moved away in front of its path. This storm not the strongest while it passed our longitude, but dumped the largest amount of snow I have seen with my eyes first hand in my life with 35" within 30 hours.
Member Since: Ottobre 21, 2008 Posts: 215 Comments: 3159
31. originalLT 03:08 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
Good morning Blizz and all, I hope you're right TDA, I live in SW CT. and I hope we can join the party! I love snow, so does my wife and daughter, they are both teachers in the public school system and enjoy an unschedualed day off or two, or three, in the winter!
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32. Zachary Labe 07:03 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
A bit more humid feel today 76/62, low of 50 this morning.
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33. Mason803 09:15 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
How about the flooding in the Atlanta, GA area. here's a flood warning statement i found:

DEKALB GA-COBB GA-GWINNETT GA-FORSYTH GA-FULTON GA-
412 PM EDT MON SEP 21 2009

...THE FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1145 PM EDT FOR
FULTON...FORSYTH...WESTERN GWINNETT...EASTERN COBB AND DEKALB
COUNTIES...

AT 405 PM EDT...HISTORIC FLOODING CONTINUES TO OCCUR ACROSS MUCH
OF THE ATLANTA AREA. SINCE 10 AM...2 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN
ACROSS AREAS THAT RECEIVED OVER 10 INCHES OF RAIN OVERNIGHT.
ALTHOUGH THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS MOVING OUT OF FULTON AND INTO DEKALB
AND GWINNETT COUNTY...SCATTERED AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN ARE EXPECTED TO
PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES

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34. TheRasberryPatch 09:18 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
74F was my high with a low of 50f. i thought today felt great outside
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35. Zachary Labe 09:42 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
***I received my first issue of BAMS today which is basically a bit more scientific approach to Weatherwise which I get too in the mail. BAMS also came with a complimentary comprehensive look at 2008 climatology.

Mason803- Some areas have had over 15inches of rain.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
36. jthal57 09:57 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
Hey Blizzard! Told you I'd be back! Looks like a few warm and humid days ahead. Drove west on Rt. 80 on Saturday (Penn State football game) and was surprised to see the color changes in some of the higher elevations. The Fall colors will really pick up in the next few weeks. Happy Autumnal Equinox Eve to all!!
37. Zachary Labe 10:13 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
jthal57- Welcome back! When I was out in Huntingdown County at the Orbinsonia East Broad Top Steam Railroad I was suprised also at the color change above 1000ft and that was back on the weekend of the 12-13.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
38. Stanb999 11:09 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
The leave are kinda crappy this year. They seem to be turning and falling right off. My Mid-October Apples are ready!!! This will be the last "produce" from this little farm on the snowy mountaintop.


Here is a Fall recipe for you to try with a pumpkin or two.

Autumn Stew:

1/4 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lb beef stew meat, cubed(we use pork, It's what we have.)
2 tbsp shortening
2 c water
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinn., 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 med. onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1 can (16 oz) stewed tomatoes
2 1/2 c pumpkin, 1" cubes
3 med. potatoes, 1" cubes

coat beef with flour, salt, and pepper. cook in shortening in dutch oven until brown. stir in remaining ingredients except pumpkin and potato. heat to boil, reduce heat, simmer about 2 hrs. stir in pumpkin and potatoes. simmer until veggies are tender.
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39. Zachary Labe 11:13 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
Stanb999- Yea I am not too pleased with what I have seen with leaves also. They seem to just be turning brown. I think the heavy rains over the Summer are to blame. Interesting recipe, thanks! By the way, how did you do with the frost advisory? I know you don't radiate well, but how did the valley do.
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40. Stanb999 11:32 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
We got just a touch of frost. It gently kissed a few of the green bean vines at the tops(they are now black). This was all I could see that got frosted here. It was real strange. At 12AM the temperature was 38F. But in the morning 8:00AM when I checked it was up to 52F. So I don't know what the low was, But it couldn't have lasted long at all.

I'm sure the valleys got hit good. Down by the river. I saw they had hit just below freezing... like 31. Albany,NY said they are done with frost freeze warnings for the Adirondacks and their part of New England due to 6+ hours below freezing.
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41. TheRasberryPatch 11:59 PM GMT del 21 Settembre 2009    
jthal - you went to see penn state play HACC? that must have been a great game to see and well worth the money.

very interesting recipe Stan. what can you compare the recipe? i take that is fresh pumpkin cube and not from a can. do you eat the pumpkin?
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42. Zachary Labe 12:11 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
Stanb999- A cirrus deck moved over northern Pennsylvania in the wee hours of the morning preventing some areas from dropping below freezing such as Bradford.
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43. jthal57 12:32 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
Quoting TheRasberryPatch:
jthal - you went to see penn state play HACC? that must have been a great game to see and well worth the money.

very interesting recipe Stan. what can you compare the recipe? i take that is fresh pumpkin cube and not from a can. do you eat the pumpkin?


Cute. 4 tix 16 rows from field, $240. Beer, wings, sandwiches, snacks, $80. Being with my family on a beautiful day in one college football's best venues, Priceless.
44. Weatherkid27 12:53 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
Hey Blizz, just wanted to let you know i've gotten 14 inches of rain in the last 2-3 days here in northwest Atlanta. And by the looks of the radar theres more to come!
Member Since: Giugno 13, 2009 Posts: 15 Comments: 114
45. Zachary Labe 01:12 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
Weatherkid27- Wow, I have been closely following the situation down there as there have been some 100yr climatology records broken and all of Georgia has just be inundated with excessive rainfall. Hopefully it is soon over. Any flash flooding affect you personally?
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
46. TheRasberryPatch 01:13 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
jthal - glad you had a great day out with the family. as usual just like a psu fan, lets not talk about who we played, but did we win. well don't cry when the bcs has you playing in a lower tier game. winning the big ten won't get you anywhere and we will watch another blow out loss in a bowl game
Member Since: Gennaio 26, 2007 Posts: 72 Comments: 5637
47. jthal57 01:24 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
Quoting TheRasberryPatch:
jthal - glad you had a great day out with the family. as usual just like a psu fan, lets not talk about who we played, but did we win. well don't cry when the bcs has you playing in a lower tier game. winning the big ten won't get you anywhere and we will watch another blow out loss in a bowl game

if you have noticed over the decades, Penn State doesn't blow anyone out. Temple actually played pretty well, were well coached, and took chances that underdogs need to do. Who knows how the season will turn out for State. Of course, they can't change their Big Ten schedule. I personally think last year's team was better, but we'll see how things work out this year. Don't you think it's a bit premature to say that they'll get blown out in a bowl game?
48. weathergeek5 01:55 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
Blizz: did you ever see this website before?

http://www.hurricanes-blizzards-noreasters.com
Member Since: Dicembre 25, 2005 Posts: 0 Comments: 1721
49. Zachary Labe 02:07 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
weathergeek5- No I haven't. Thanks for the link though, interesting archives on past systems found there that impacted New England.
Member Since: Dicembre 14, 2007 Posts: 253 Comments: 14300
50. Weatherkid27 02:21 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
Blizz, while only my basement has flooded a couple of inches deep. I'm surrounded by washed out bridges, so I really can't go anywhere... Oh and school's out tomorrow! YAY
Member Since: Giugno 13, 2009 Posts: 15 Comments: 114
51. Tazmanian 02:27 AM GMT del 22 Settembre 2009    
nyo says:
September 21, 2009 at 3:27 pm

Nicholas, El Nino can still occur during a negative PDO but they tend to be weaker and shorter-lived.

The latest models have been pretty boring for so-cal, but in the long run, there’s a pretty huge storm showing up on some models as coming through New England, would bring a lot of wind, heavy rain and probably snow on the higher peaks. Today it is warm and beautiful.
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About Blizzard92
Cornell University- Atmospheric Sciences Student; Central PA SKYWARN Storm Spotter; American Meteorological Society Member; PA CoCoRaHS Branch Member

Local Weather
Scattered Clouds
86 °F
Nubi sparse
Personal Weather Stations
Linglestown, PA
Elevation: 520 ft
Temperatura: 88.4 °F
Punto di rugiada: 74.2 °F
Umidità: 63%
Vento: Calma - senza vento
Raffiche di vento: 1.0 mph
Updated: 04:10 PM EDT del 21 Maggio 2013
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