Video update posted at 4:30 PMPrevious discussion...
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For the early birds, beware of patchy fog and a few slick spots from lingering moisture from Tuesday night. Snow and/or rain showers are possible for the higher elevations through midday. The northwest wind picks up and dries the air column out, clearing the sky where clouds linger through the morning. By evening, the sky is expected to be clear for most locations, with the breeze diminishing.
Storm to bring limited to minor impacts for Thursday
Guidance began to get a bit screwy with this weak clipper on Tuesday. There is still a fair amount of disagreement, but overall, most of the short-term model ideas are bearish on any surprises based on the Wednesday overnight model suites. The usual model debate on whether or not snow banding takes place is always kind of a head-scratcher to figure out. I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill here. Overall, this storm is more of a nuisance than anything else.
Thursday, 5 AM (10z) to 7 PM (00z Friday)— Where questions began to creep in on timing on Tuesday, the ideas have been ironed out.
Southwest areas may see snowfall during the morning commute, which could cause some slick spots, but conditions there should improve later by around 10-11 AM, as any snow that falls is expected to flip to light junk and then to rain. As the storm moves to the northeast, snow begins over central and eastern areas by mid to late morning and arrives in The County by early afternoon. As it arrives north, precipitation tapers off for the south and west. By early evening, the last snow showers are expected to wrap up over the Crown. The evening drive for the east and north may be slick in spots, but overall, it's not a big deal.
Looking at the storm from a pure liquid point of view, the coastal front is evident as it is where the most precipitation is expected. For that region, this is a light, sloppy, wet mess. The rain and warmer temperatures that follow should clean up most of what falls as frozen organically. With daylight increasing, the higher sun angle will assist in clean up, even with cloud cover.
The expected liquid is helpful with much of the coastal plain at a moderate drought level, an important fact to consider as spring approaches.
I am sticking to a general 1-3” snowfall for 80% of the region. Given the dynamics of this lazy warm front and its quick-moving nature, there is little time for too much in the way of excitement. Concerning other ideas indicating snow band potential, I will say there is a chance for 4-5” of snow in spots along the cold side of the coastal front, with the best opportunity for that over southwest interior areas.
The taller ski hills should fare well with 3-6" of fluff. Outlook into next week
Temperature-wise, the roller coaster ride to spring is on full display, and the crazy train is expected to continue.
Friday will be breezy and cool. Light snow and/or rain are on the way for Saturday. Sunday will be another breezy day, with a snow shower possible for the north country. A weak clipper passes through on Tuesday. Guidance is showing the idea of an icy/wet storm in the Wednesday / Thursday period to keep tabs on, followed by another cooldown the following weekend. The Weather Wall with all your current
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Mike Haggett
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