Late Night Thoughts on Wednesday Night Storm

I've been tracking the Wednesday night storm for about a week now, but unfortunately, am still a bit unsure as to what I think about it.  The models have been everywhere lately and, quite frankly, I'm not sure what to make of it.  In addition, I'm encountering an interesting feature with this storm that I haven't encountered before.  Some warm air will be wrapping around the center of the Low as the storm matures.  This feature was pointed out to me by one of the meteorology seniors, Dan, who knows quite a bit more about reading models than I do.  This warm air advection would possibly make or break snowfall amounts, especially for areas along the shore.  Additionally, some other factors that take into place are that the surface temperatures the past couple of days have been very mild, the higher sun angle as we approach spring, and the fact that the snow that will be falling will be wet snow.  Regardless, I feel that I ought to issue my snowfall totals map just for practice, thus here it is:

So why am I being such a downer?  Firstly, this storm is just not very strong to begin with, and two of the models, the Euro and GFS, agree with that fact.  Although the NAM is good with close-ranged forecasts, it does tend to over-estimate precipitation values.  Then there's that warm air advection as the storm matures.  How strong will it be?  How much of an impact will it make?  From what I saw of the models, it looked to me as if a good amount of warm air will make its way into the surface.  Although aloft, temperatures will be cold enough, with the warm surface, weak system, high sun angle, and wet snowflakes, I'm seeing snowfall occuring, but the snow having a very hard time sticking.  This map may change as tomorrow's runs come out, but I figure I give my brains a shot at it.  But there you go, there's my two cents...

February 8-9th Nor'easter Summary

Final snow totals:

Northern New Jersey

 Southern New Jersey

Thoughts:  For North Jersey, I believe I got a little too "trigger happy" and drew the borders for the snowfall amounts a little too south.  Had the lines I drew been a little more northern, it would have been a very accurate forecast.  For South Jersey, thought, I feel fairly good about the forecast, with the predictions matching the recorded amounts decently well.

Final Analysis:

24-hour Radar Loop of the Nor'easter

Thoughts:  What an incredible and unique Nor'easter snowstorm!  Firstly, the shear strength behind this storm caused 3-6 inches an hour in parts of Long Island, NY and Connecticut, resulting in one place receiving a foot of snow in 90 minutes and radar signatures for snowfall that were virtually off the charts.  Hamden, CT came in with the highest snowfall in the northeast at 40 inches.

Secondly, this system had two parts to it, both of which merged together more majestically that I've ever seen two system do.

Lastly, the system successfully pulled off a significant "wrap-around" precipitation maneuver, which I have never seen done to such an effect, due to the western end being enhanced by the merged energy of the second half of the system.

You can see these features for yourself in this loop:

0:06 - The two parts of the storm system begin to merge and fill in the gap between them
0:08 - 50+ dBZ radar signature for snowfall, about 3-5 inches an hour (incredibly rare), begin to show up in Long Island, NY and move into Connecticut.
0:10 - The two parts of the system are fully merged and have filled in the entire gap
0:11 - The precipitation and energy from what was the second part of the system are swung southward down eastern NY and into northern NJ, creating a rare enhanced wrap-around effect.

Updated Snow Totals Forecast

So a few things have changed in the forecast, but the main story still exists: lots of snow for the northern counties!  The rain/snow line today was further south than expected, giving some areas a lot of mixed precipitation for the day.  In New Brunswick, about an inch of slush accumulated on the ground, allowing the snow that falls to stick much easier than if it had been rain.  However, the storm itself is slightly weaker, so that mostly balances things out.  This is what I am expecting, but I am feeling that perhaps southern New Jersey will get a bit less than expected, especially since the newer model runs show only a little snow reaching down there overnight tonight. 

Nor'easter Snowstorm Update

The National Weather Service has now issued a Blizzard WARNING for the northeast tip of the state along with all of New York City, Long Island, all of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts.  Very significant snowfall and strong winds are expected in these areas under the warning and will cause a dangerous situation for anyone outside.  A Winter Storm WARNING was issued for all points north and east of Fort Dix/McGuire Airforce Base.  Heavy snow is expected in those regions accompanied by strong winds, but not strong enough to be categorized as a blizzard.  A Winter Storm Advisory has been issued for South Jersey, where most of the storm will be rain, but will change over to snow for a couple of inches.

As for how much snow, the 18Z runs for the NAM and GFS have come in and it looks like they are in good agreement for an even stronger snowstorm.  The GFS is suggesting a little less snow, but I am going to side with the NAM for this one, since it is the better short-term model.  Below is my personal snow totals forecast, please remember this is not an official one and is only made for practicing purposes:

The heaviest snow will be in Sussex County with up to 18" possible there, gradually decreasing as you move further south.  I attempted to factor in the rain/snow line movement and the enhanced wrap-around snow into the forecast, so we will see how good it ends up.  Below is the official snow forecast from the NWS in Mt. Holly:  

I personally have more confidence in the NWS forecast map than mine, as this is only my second time ever attempting to legitimately forecast snow totals! 

This may be the one!

I know that this past winter has been very disappointing with both the amount of snow and the forecasting of it, however, I feel that this may change very soon (as soon as tomorrow!).  A few days ago, the Euro was showing a very strong Nor'easter impact the state and the region, however, it showed mostly rain initially and the GFS did not agree.  The trend changed though and now the Euro, GFS, and also the NAM are all in agreement that this Nor'easter will dump snow on the region, which is a very good sign for snow lovers.  Additionally, the NWS has put North Jersey under a Winter Storm Watch. The 12Z Euro and NAM are nearly identical and show the possibility of 8-14"+ in North Jersey, 5-8" in Central Jersey, and Southbound, the snow amounts will decrease sharply, and Southern NJ may see only 2-5" with coastal areas seeing even less.  I will be publishing my official snow totals forecast later, but for now here's the timeline:  The storm will begin as rain early Friday morning, increasing in intensity by the early afternoon.  The rain will begin transitioning to snow starting from the northwest and moving southeast during the late afternoon and into the evening.  At this point, winds will be intensifying, with guats reaching 35+mph.  By Friday night, heavy snow will be falling in northeast New Jersey, moderate snow in northwest and Central Jersey, and some light snow in Southern part of the state.  The snow will be tapering off by Saturday morning and the bulk of the storm will leave by noon. 

Again, expect another update from me later today.

Another Snow Forecast BUST

Sorry folks, that 2-4 inches of snow forecasted didn't make it past a dusting.  For some reason, mother nature this winter likes to give us some hope for snow, but then refuses to deliver.  You could also blame it on the forecaster of course, as this is our job.  At any rate, here's the statewide snowfall map.  Looks like everyone got an inch or less (probably less), far off from what was predicted.  There will be a chance for another snow shower tonight, but don't expect any of it to add anything significant to snow totals.

Statewide, New Jersey received <1 inch of snow during Saturday night's event, less than the forecasted 1-2 and 2-4 inches.

A Little Snow for the Weekend!

A weak clipper system will be moving through the region this evening and give us a little bit of snow!  The National Weather Service has put parts of the state under a Winter Weather Advisory from Atlantic to Middlesex Counties from 7pm Saturday evening until 1pm Sunday.  The Mt. Holly forecast office is calling for 2-4 inches of snow to fall for parts north and west of central Burlington County.  Localized measurements could reach the 4 inch mark, but most of the area will receive up to 3 inches.  Other parts of the state will get a light 1-2 inches.

This system is less organized than the one that struck South Jersey on Friday morning, so no significant snowfall is expected.  There is a very slight chance that snow amounts could rise as the system will become more organized off shore.  However, current model runs all agree that the system will not organize fast enough to change the forecast.  The snow will make its way into the area around 7-8pm tonight.