Forecast Discussions mentioning any of "HRRR" "RAP" "RUC13" "RUC" "RR" received at GSD on 12/08/17


Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Burlington VT
907 PM EST Thu Dec 7 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Lake effect snow will continue to impact parts of the Adirondacks and St. Lawrence Valley for tonight into tomorrow morning with some additional accumulating snowfall. Outside of the lake effect snow, it will remain mainly cloudy and chilly elsewhere. Although most areas will stay dry and cold over the weekend, a coastal storm may brush eastern areas with some light snowfall. A more widespread snowfall is expected during next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 10 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... As of 901 PM EST Thursday...Lake effect snow warning and winter weather advisory continues for St Lawrence County and southern Franklin County. Have increased pops/qpf and snowfall across northern VT based on radar and report from near Greensboro of 3.2 inches associated with lake effect band. Based on radar have continued to mention likely pops thru 06z with snowfall amounts up to 6 inches possible in the most persistent bands across northern VT. Outside of the lake effect activity mainly cloudy with some on and off light snow showers...with little accumulation expected. Temps mainly in the mid 20s to lower 30s fall back into the upper teens to mid/upper 20s by sunrise. Previous discussion below: The 3km HRRR and NAM both show this band to gradually shift back southward for most of the overnight, as the flow shifts thanks to the departing shortwave aloft. However, as the next piece of energy quickly approaches towards sunrise, the band may once again shift back northward in response to the changing low to mid level flow. Some additional snow showers are possible between sunrise and the mid morning hours on Friday across the northern Adirondacks as the band continues to slide back northward, with an additional light accumulation in some areas. Meanwhile, some additional light snow showers and flurries are ongoing across the remainder of the Adirondacks and into parts of the central and northern Greens, especially in upslope favored areas. This snowfall won`t amount to much, but an additional coating cannot be ruled out. Most of this should through the evening hours, as some drier air should be moving in for later tonight. Otherwise, skies will remain mostly cloudy, although some breaks are possible by later tonight, especially for larger valley areas. Overnight lows will generally be in the mid 20s to low 30s, although some teens will occur for the higher elevations. The lake-effect band should lift towards the St. Lawrence Valley on Friday mid to late morning, but then will be weakening and diminishing through the day, as the flow will start to become too southerly. Any accumulation looks rather minor for northern St. Lawrence County through the day. Elsewhere, most areas will be partly to mostly sunny on Friday and dry, although it will continue to be seasonably chilly with highs in the mid 20s to mid 30s. && .SHORT TERM /10 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 400 PM EST Thursday...Lake effect snow will finally diminish by Friday evening, as the mixed layer flow becomes more S-SW due to an amplifying flow pattern. There could be a few leftover snow showers in the St. Lawrence Valley during the evening, but should end by midnight. Tranquil conditions expected late Friday night into Saturday morning, as a small area of high pressure settles in across the region. Saturday will start out dry, but there will be increasing chances for light snow by later in the day, especially across the eastern half of VT. The upper level flow pattern is forecast to amplify as a trough dives southeast across the central Great Lakes and Ohio Valley region, with downstream ridging off the southeast U.S. coast. An area of low pressure is expected to develop along a baroclinic zone near the eastern seaboard. Precip will spread northward through the day, and may reach eastern VT just before sunset. Model guidance has trended north and west with the position of the baroclinic zone and surface cyclone, especially the ECMWF and NAM, which are favored solutions by WPC at this time. So there could be a dusting before by sunset Saturday, mainly from the western slopes of the Greens eastward. Temps may reach the lower to mid 30s in valleys during the afternoon before any snow commences. There now appears to be a somewhat better chance for light snow, especially across VT Saturday night. The aforementioned surface cyclone is forecast to deepen rapidly east of New England during this time, with snow wrapping around the low farther back to the north and west into VT. Will need to continue to watch model forecast trends, since the heaviest axis of QPF will not be too far away over eastern New England. The more western track is a result of a more amplified pattern. If even stronger downstream ridging develops, this would result in an even more westerly track. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 400 PM EST Thursday...It will feel like winter through the upcoming week. A cold and potentially stormy pattern may be setting up during this time, with the probability for accumulating snow increasing by early to mid next week. By Sunday, the coastal storm will be well north and east of the region, but an upper level trough will remain over northern NY and VT. So this will result in a continued chance of snow showers. Temperatures are forecast to be slightly below normal, with highs mainly in the mid 20s to lower 30s. Another short wave trough will be approaching from the upper Great Lakes Sunday night. Ahead of this system, low level winds will back to a SW direction in response to the approaching trough. This will result in the potential for some lake effect snow in parts of the St. Lawrence Valley and NW Adirondacks. It appears light accumulations would occur though, as the upper trough moves through by Monday and shifts the winds to more of a westerly trajectory. Will continue to mention chances for snow showers associated with the trough passage on Monday. Then, attention shifts to another potential coastal storm that may impact the region Tuesday into Wednesday. The ECMWF is indicating a developing cyclone just south of Cape Cod on Tuesday, then rapidly intensifying Tuesday night as it potentially tracks into the Gulf of Maine. A deep upper trough over the lower Great Lakes may close off in the mid levels over SE New England by Wednesday. This could result in a prolonged snow event depending on the evolution/track of the system. The GFS is also depicting a developing storm, but farther west due to a shallower upstream upper level trough with strong isentropic lift in northern NY/VT. So despite the model spread, there is a signal for possible widespread accumulating snow during the time. Colder and breezy conditions expected Wednesday night into Thursday, behind the departing storm. Again, snow showers cannot be ruled out in the cold/cyclonic flow regime. && .AVIATION /02Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Through 00Z Saturday...Lake effect snow band impacting SLK, PBG and BTV currently. SLK has IFR conditions, while other sites are remaining VFR. Skies will be BKN-OVC at 3500-5000 ft with VFR conditions and SW winds around 5-10 kts. A few higher gusts are possible for the higher elevations. Overnight, lake-effect should gradually meander away from SLK, although there could be some additional snow showers there towards daybreak Friday. By mid-morning Friday, VFR conditions are expected through the day for all sites, with sct-bkn cigs around 4-5 kft. Southwest winds will increase during daytime mixing to around 5-10 kts with some higher gusts at times, especially over the higher terrain and within the St. Lawrence Valley. Outlook... Friday: VFR. Slight chance SHSN. Friday Night: VFR. NO SIG WX. Saturday: VFR. NO SIG WX. Saturday Night: VFR. Slight chance SHSN. Sunday: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Chance SHSN. Sunday Night: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Chance SHSN. Monday: Mainly VFR, with areas MVFR possible. Slight chance SHSN. && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...None. NY...Lake Effect Snow Warning until 7 AM EST Friday for NYZ029-087. Winter Weather Advisory until 7 AM EST Friday for NYZ030. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Taber NEAR TERM...Evenson/RSD SHORT TERM...RSD LONG TERM...Deal AVIATION...Neiles
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service State College PA
1030 PM EST Thu Dec 7 2017 .SYNOPSIS... A wavy low pressure area may come close enough to affect southeastern areas Saturday, otherwise the region will remain dry. An upper trough will reinforce the cold air for Sunday followed by a number of weak Alberta-Clipper type systems that could keep us unsettled for much of next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT/... The snow showers that brought some localized light accumulations earlier today, are now pretty much just a few leftover flurries as of 10 PM. A single lakeshore parallel LES snowband will remain near, or just a few miles to the north of the I-90 corridor in far NW PA. Latest HRRR suggests that the extreme southern edge of the band may affect far NW Warren county for a while this evening, but overall the bulk of the snow should remain north of the area. Accums over Warren county will be an inch or less. Elsewhere, central and eastern areas will see partly to mostly cloudy skies with little more than a stray flurry. Overnight lows in the mid teens to mid 20s will average a few deg below normal. && .SHORT TERM /MIDNIGHT THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY/... The mean boundary layer flow backs to the SW again by shortly after 05Z Friday, causing the persistent band of LES to shift north again into SWRN New York. As previously noted, tonight will be the best chance for snow accums across the far NW zones. Will let it top out at 2 or 3 inches in far NW Warren Co, less than inch elsewhere in the NW mtns. Elk county could even stay flurry-free as the fetch is rather poor to get any bands there. Any flurries and patchy 2-4SM light snow in the southwest/central counties during the evening will dissipate as weak forcing aloft moves off to the east. No additional accums are expected there. Clouds should break up. Mins should be into the teens west and L-M20s elsewhere, but will not drop too drastically with some wind still going through the night. It does seem like the gradient relaxes some on Friday (especially across southern PA) as a ridge of high pressure at the sfc extends from the Ohio River Valley to the Southern New England Coast, so expect there to be a little less westerly wind. Max temps will be 4-7F colder than Thursday`s. The old front off to the SE may continue to push cirrus over the SErn cos, but few other clouds will be found across the central and northern 2/3rds of the CWA. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... Central PA will contend with two winter weather systems this weekend which could bring snow to different parts of the area. Temperatures will trend progressively colder through the weekend, with the coldest air of the season gradually taking hold by the middle of next week. The first system is a low pressure wave lifting north along a stalled frontal boundary draped from the Gulf Coast into the western Atlantic. 07/12z models have trended further northwest with the low track in response to a sharper upstream trough and more pronounced ridging downstream. This trend also resulted in a northwest shift in the precip shield which introduces low probs for snow as far west at the I-81 corridor. The 12z ECMWF is the farthest NW with its precip shield vs. GFS/WPC/NBM. The middle ground "edge" is probably somewhere between I-81 and I-95 at this time. Subtle shifts in the low track will make the difference in a potential period of light snow Saturday across the Lower Susquehanna Valley. If models continue to trend NW, snow risk will increase for places such as Harrisburg and Lancaster and may extend to the west of the Susq. River into interior parts of central PA. Continue to monitor the forecast. The second system is a clipper tracking eastward from the Great Lakes and eventually merging with the strengthening storm off the Northeast coast by the second half of the weekend. Snow showers with light accumulations are most likely over the higher terrain of the Alleghenies but may coat the ground quickly into parts of east-central PA. A period of lake effect and orographic snow showers should continue into Sunday with gusty winds and wind chills in the single digits and teens. Lake effect trajectories back to the west-southwest into Monday as the next shortwave digs southeast through the MS/OH Valley. There is a decent model spread in the low track and evolution of this system, but regardless of the details this feature should provide a good opportunity for most of the area to see some snow early next week. The coldest air of the season is forecast to arrive behind this system with a shot of arctic air and more lake effect snow lasting through midweek. && .AVIATION /04Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Bands of snow showers from the gusty westerly flow will continue through central PA through the first half of the evening. JST is seeing VLIFR cigs and vsbys. The snow bands are wavering though periods of IFR and lower will continue until lifting between 00Z to 03Z. Otherwise, widespread VFR conditions are anticipated for the rest of the night and into tomorrow as another ridge of high pressure will build over the PA airfields behind the cold front tonight. This will bring a diminishing westerly wind, and resulting VFR conditions across most, if not all, of the forecast area. Will have to watch KBFD and KJST, where upslope flow could potentially yield tempo MVFR to IFR cigs tonight into Friday morning. Outlook... Fri...No sig wx expected. Sat...Thickening clouds with late afternoon and nighttime snow showers/vis reductions poss Allegheny Plateau. Sun...AM snow showers/vis reductions poss Allegheny Plateau. Mon...PM light snow possible, mainly northwest Pa. Min night and Tuesday...Periods of snow and snow showers. Widespread MVFR likely, with periods of IFR and brief LIFR cigs and vsbys. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...La Corte NEAR TERM...La Corte SHORT TERM...Lambert LONG TERM...Steinbugl AVIATION...Lambert/Ceru
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
450 PM MST Thu Dec 7 2017 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight - Saturday) Issued at 124 PM MST Thu Dec 7 2017 Light snow showers will linger through this afternoon, mainly over southeast Wyoming. Overall impacts from this activity will be low, but heavier showers could create slick roads and low visibility in some areas. Any accumulations will be less than an inch, except in the Snowy and Sierra Madre mountains where several inches may fall through tonight. Mid-level energy is expected to move southeast of the area by 00z, effectively ending precipitation chances for some time to come. High wind concerns for tonight and Friday. A significant upper-lvl jet will set up over the central Dakotas, placing much of the high plains in the RFQ of a 120+ knot H25 jet streak. The models are in good agreement with H7-H8 flow of 55-65 kts along/E of the Laramie Range between 06z and 12z, and an impressive W-E pressure gradient along the spine of the Laramie Range. This, combined w/significant subsidence may yield 50+ knot gusts over the I80 summit, and maybe even Bordeaux as well despite northwest flow typically being an un favorable pattern. We opted against High Wind Warning issuance for the time being based on the pattern, and the fact that the HRRR is only showing around 40 knot gusts through 12z. The latest forecast soundings from the GFS also show enough of an inversion to support the restriction of downward momentum transfer. Later shifts should monitor this closely, however. The GFS shows H7-H8 flow remaining in the 50-55 knot range through mid/late Friday afternoon. This could become a concern with clouds diminishing and improved low-level mixing after 18z. We anticipate much of the high plains to be very close to warning-level winds on Friday afternoon, w/ mixing and subsidence likely supporting 50-55 MPH gusts for all areas along/e of the Laramie Range. The question mark right now is mixing depth, so confidence right now is too low to warrant High Wind Watch/Warning issuance. We would also like to see higher numbers on MAV/MET guidance for any highlights. .LONG TERM...(Saturday Night - Wednesday) Issued at 210 AM MST Thu Dec 7 2017 Weather dominated by ridge of high pressure to the west. We stay in northwest flow. Clipper systems look to stay east of Wyoming and western Nebraska. Dry forecast expected through Thursday. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through Friday afternoon) Scattered light snow showers are possible around KLAR and KCYS this evening, resulting in brief IFR conditions. Otherwise, conditions will improve tonight with increasing CIGS and dry conditions. It will remain windy through Friday though with gusts up to 40 knots expected, mainly across the eastern plains of southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 210 AM MST Thu Dec 7 2017 Breezy to windy conditions will persist mainly east of the mtns today through Friday with a bit less wind on Saturday. Min humidities well above critical thresholds today then they do get down to around 20 percent across far se Wy into the southern Neb Panhandle both Friday and Saturday so a bit of an elevated concern there. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...None. NE...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...CLH LONG TERM...GCC AVIATION...TJT FIRE WEATHER...RE
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
1005 PM EST Thu Dec 7 2017 .SYNOPSIS... A moist frontal zone will linger just to our southeast through the end of the work week allowing temperatures to drop below normal with light wintry precipitation possible for Friday and Saturday. A cold upper level trof will then re-amplify over the area later on Saturday and bring a shot of snow showers to the North Carolina mountains. Cold temperatures will persist into the first half of next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... As of 1000 PM EST Thursday: Have expanded the Advisory farther into the NC mountains and NW NC Piedmont, and upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning for Habersham and Rabun. To the details...event unfolding in TX is either at or above some of the predicted levels, and HRRR is actually doing a pretty good job of nowcasting the event, so would like to think that the rest of the HRRR forecast is in line. Guidance continues to bump up QPF. Atmosphere is slowly saturating so evaporational cooling will of course have a limit, but concern with incoming CAA will be the dynamic cooling and diabatic effects, specifically the cooling of the surface layer from the latent heat of melting, which will serve to continue to lower the snow layers without a source of low-level WAA (and there really isn`t one). KFFC 00z sounding had a bit of a warm nose just above 800mb but that should erode by the time precip gets this far north. 00z NAM bufr soundings show a deep near-freezing isothermal layer with gradually dropping snow levels here at GSP through the night (using the thickness nomogram is a bit misleading with the near-freezing layer so deep). So even with the increased QPF, think snow ratios might not be quite as high and so have not increased snow amounts quite as much as the QPF would suggest. In any case, since WSW criteria for GA is 2", Rabun should easily get it, and northern Habersham as well. Most of the SC mountains should easily get 2", but WSW criteria for SC is 3" (4" for NC), so for now have kept SC and NC to advisories. Would not be surprised to see the rest of the NC mountains added to the advisory or expanded east more into the Piedmont (right now Burke/Cleveland/Rutherford Counties are really only included because of the Southern Mountains). Graham and Swain actually do not currently have advisory-criteria snow amounts, but for consistency`s sake, made sense to go ahead and include them. Otherwise, guidance is coming into better agreement regarding the precip potential for tonight and Friday. Deep moisture moves in this evening with decent upper divergence from the right entrance region of the upper jet. Short waves move over as the upper trough deepens to the west. Low level isentropic lift develops as well, but remains relatively weak with abundant moisture. Despite an overall cooling trend in forecast temps and surface wet bulb values, they remain above freezing through the night outside of the mountains, but do fall below freezing across the mountains. Of course, precip chances are lower where temps are colder since those locations are farther away from the better forcing. Therefore, have snow developing in the colder locations with mainly rain elsewhere. Forecast soundings show the freezing level dropping low enough for snow to mix in north of I- 85 with a change over possible across the Northern Foothills. QPF is light but could be enough for around half an inch of snow along and near the NC/GA to NC/SC border mountain locations. Snow would be less across the rest of the mountains. Categorical precip chances continue generally along and south of I- 85 Friday with likely chances north of there across the foothills to along the Blue Ridge. Good chance PoP west of there. Temps and surface wet bulbs remain cold enough for the precip to fall as snow across the mountains with a transition zone across the NC Foothills. Outside of these areas, freezing levels may fall low enough for snow to mix or possibly even briefly change over early in the morning mainly along and north of the I-85 corridor. QPF has increased on some of the guidance runs which increases the potential for advisory level snow across the NE GA and Upstate mountains, along with the Southern Mountains and possibly portions of the NC foothills. After final national guidance is in, we may need to update to post an advisory for those locations. While these accums would develop in grassy and elevated areas, it is still questionable how much accumulates on roads given the recent warmth and sunshine. Locations where the precipitation will be mixed or only a brief change over, no significant accums are expected with any small amounts limited to grassy or elevated areas. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 230 PM Thu: We will remain slightly on the cold northwest side of a surface frontal boundary through early Saturday. Models are now more supportive of a resurgence in precipitation over the CWFA Friday night, as the sharp shortwave moves into the central Gulf states, and the jet streak strengthens over the southern Appalachians and adjacent Piedmont. GFS and EC hold the thermal gradient relatively steady over the area thru the night; wet-bulb temps do gradually drop across the southeast half of the CWFA, which should permit snow to mix in with rain if not totally change over. However, the area with wet-bulb values at or below freezing looks likely to expand little. This minimizes the accumulating snowfall in the greater I-85 corridor. QPF trends overall have been upward this cycle for the Friday night period, particularly over the Blue Ridge and adjacent mountain ranges (namely the Balsams); compare this to earlier suggestions that all precip may have ended there by 00z Sat. In collaboration with our neighboring offices, we will wait another cycle to see if this trend continues before reflecting the higher numbers in the forecast for these mountain areas. It is possible an additional couple of inches could result and headlines still could be needed. Another minor yet potentially significant trend in models is for Saturday. As before, consensus suggests strong DPVA pushing thru the area during the day along the trough axis. The difference is that several sources depict the moisture departing more slowly, and hence the vort max generates some QPF. By the time this precip develops it could have warmed up enough to fall as rain, particularly in the east. However this is something for us to watch closely. A small amount of SBCAPE is depicted in parts of the eastern CWFA to boot; however it slightly lags the forcing and colder temps. For now PoPs will be allowed to linger thru Saturday morning over our eastern zones; temp trends suggest this will be a rain-snow mix changing back over to rain as it ends. Winds veer Saturday afternoon as stronger cold advection sets in across the area. The final phase of precip in this period thus will be northwest-flow driven snow showers along the Tenn border, developing by late afternoon, and continuing through early Sunday. Thermo profiles look reasonably good in terms of saturation at snow-growth temperatures, which given the very cold air spilling into the area will be in the upslope layer. Current expectation is for about another inch to fall Saturday night along the spine of the Appalachians. Brisk and gusty winds in this same timeframe may bring wind chills below zero on the higher mtn ridges. Settled weather is expected Sunday as dry high pressure builds across the South. Despite abundant sunshine, the very cold nature of the airmass will be reflected in max temps 11-13 degrees below normal. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 210 PM EST Thursday: the extended fcst picks up at 00Z on Monday with the broad upper trof lifting NE and over New England while steep upper ridging persists over the Western CONUS. By early Tuesday, the long range models re-amplify the upper trof again over the eastern half of the CONUS bringing more widespread cold air to the region and keeping temperatures well below normal for most of the period. By early Wed, the trof axis is expected to be moving over the fcst area or lifting just NE of it. Beyond this point, the trof broadens and flattens, but still remains in place over the entire Eastern CONUS. At the sfc, another progressive low will surge SE and across the Great Lakes on Monday and bring another cold front to our doorstep by late Monday/early Tuesday. The front is expected to move thru the CWFA quickly and be SE of the fcst area by late Tues/early Wed with high pressure moving back over the area to end the period. && .AVIATION /03Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... At KCLT and elsewhere: No changes to the KCLT TAF for the 02z AMD. VFR conditions this evening will slowly deteriorate overnight, with cigs dropping to MVFR and IFR (likewise for VSBY) as moisture increases from the S. Cannot rule out brief improvement during the day Friday to MVFR, but generally fairly solid IFR conditions expected. Precip chances continue to increase but should remain all liquid for all but KAVL through 00z. Have introduced PROB30 -RASN for KCLT after 00z Saturday, and will likely have to do the same for other TAFs with the 06z set. For KAVL, though the precip will be light, it will most likely be mostly -SN (with perhaps some -RA mixed in) through the period. SSW winds this evening will trend lgt/vrb overnight before swinging NE before sunrise and remain there through the end of the period (except KAVL where NNW winds will prevail). Outlook: Restrictions will be likely as well as mixed/wintry precip through Saturday morning. Precip and associated restrictions will decrease during the day Saturday, with dry conditions expected at all sites into early next week. The possible exceptions would be KAVL/KHKY with potential for northwest flow snow Saturday night. Confidence Table... 15-21Z 21-03Z 03-09Z 09-12Z KCLT High 81% High 82% Med 68% Low 56% KGSP Med 70% Med 75% High 83% Med 64% KAVL High 94% High 85% Med 70% High 87% KHKY High 100% High 83% Med 66% High 100% KGMU Med 76% High 86% High 85% Med 63% KAND Med 76% Med 65% High 90% Med 61% The percentage reflects the number of guidance members agreeing with the scheduled TAF issuance flight rule category. Complete hourly experimental aviation forecast consistency tables and ensemble forecasts are available at the following link: www.weather.gov/gsp/aviation && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...Winter Storm Warning from 5 AM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday for GAZ010-017. NC...Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday for NCZ051>053-058-059-062>065-068-501>510. SC...Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM Friday to 7 AM EST Saturday for SCZ001>003. && $$ SYNOPSIS...JPT NEAR TERM...RWH/TDP SHORT TERM...Wimberley LONG TERM...JPT AVIATION...TDP
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
951 PM CST Thu Dec 7 2017 .UPDATE... Winter Weather Advisory in effect across the north areas for snow and icy roads. Specifically for the Caldwell to College Station to Madisonville area. Brief heavy snow occurred earlier this evening...no more significant snow is expected for those areas that had the heaviest snow. 4-6 inches observed in and around the College Station area per social media and KBTX. Stressing that although the precip may be over there the impacts may be getting worse. Snow packed roads are going to get icy as well as bridges. Texas Department of Transportation has already begun treating. Traffic impacts may be significant overnight/early Friday. Temperatures will struggle to get above freezing until probably 9 am with all the snow on the ground there. Elsewhere...the band of intense snow that was over Caldwell to College Station to near Madisonville showing some signs of weakening and sagging southward. Temperatures beneath the band are running 31 to 32 thanks to wet-bulbing and is helping to account for the accumulations. To the north of the band temperatures 35-37 and south of the band 39-42 (across the Houston area). The RAP and HRRR have been doing a good job tonight in capturing the focused nature of the heavier precip near CLL. GRK radar clearly showing the drier air infiltrating and the precipitation weakening and shifting southward. Based on current guidance looking like two bands are likely to develop a weaker band along the southern edge of the advisory with a second more intense band translating up the coast and parking over the coastal counties from Jackson to Brazoria county. AMDAR soundings (HOU/IAH) all showing the transition over to freezing around 1700ft with freezing profile above. As the next band develops think that rain/snow mix will predominate across the southern areas gradually transitioning over to mainly snow. Temperatures are forecast to remain at or above freezing to the south of the advisory including the Houston Metro area so the snow should melt on contact with roads. Could car roof/grass/home rooftops accumulate a little snow yes. Areas across Matagorda and Brazoria county might bottom out at 33 or even 32 for an hour or two during the peak intensity but then rebound so still just grassy areas with any accumulation. 45 && PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 619 PM CST Thu Dec 7 2017/ AVIATION... A band of light rain with embedded pockets of snow and sleet has set up near CLL and UTS with light rain continuing near IAH/SGR/HOU/LBX/GLS. Expect the wintry mix to continue near CLL and UTS through 03Z and provide periods of IFR to MVFR ceilings and visibilities before shifting south between 03-06Z as drier air arrives and an upper level jet streak slides across the lower half of region from Mexico. While VFR is expected to prevail, heavier rain/snow bands will again result in IFR to MVFR ceiling and visibility restrictions for the Houston/Sugar Land and coastal terminals. Greatest potentials for terminal impacts to Houston/Sugar Land is expected to be between 04-11Z, persisting slightly longer along the coast before precipitation shifts south of the coastal terminals by 14-16Z with VFR ceilings continuing to lift and scatter by the end of the TAF period. Northerly winds in the 8-15 knot range will continue inland tonight, with winds in the 10-20 knot range for LBX and GLS. Stronger gusts near 30 knots will be possible at GLS through Friday morning. Expect winds to fall below 10 knots at inland terminals by the end of the TAF period as surface high pressure builds into the region. Huffman $$ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... College Station (CLL) 29 50 32 60 34 / 100 0 0 0 0 Houston (IAH) 33 48 33 59 37 / 70 10 0 0 0 Galveston (GLS) 38 48 42 59 46 / 80 30 0 0 0 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...Freeze Warning until 7 AM CST Friday for the following zones: Austin...Brazos...Burleson...Colorado...Grimes...Houston... Liberty...Madison...Montgomery...Polk...San Jacinto... Trinity...Walker...Waller...Washington. Winter Weather Advisory until 9 AM CST Friday for the following zones: Brazos...Burleson...Grimes...Houston...Madison... Trinity...Walker...Washington. GM...Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CST Friday for the following zones: Coastal waters from Freeport to the Matagorda Ship Channel out 20 NM...Coastal waters from High Island to Freeport out 20 NM...Galveston Bay...Matagorda Bay. Gale Warning until 6 AM CST Friday for the following zones: Waters from Freeport to the Matagorda Ship Channel from 20 to 60 NM...Waters from High Island to Freeport from 20 to 60 NM. && $$ Discussion...45
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
745 PM CST Thu Dec 7 2017 .SOUNDING DISCUSSION... Still an over-running pattern sounding but with some significant features that are lending clues to what may unfold. Temperature 41F at the surface only cools to 38F at 1200 ft, then remains at 38F to 2700ft, which is sub-cloud dry air. Saturated inversion layer from 850mb/4300ft, 31F at base warms to 39F at 720mb/9000ft. Then moist adiabatic lapse rate to tropopause found at 100mb with a temperature of -70C. Winds NE 20-30kt surface to 4900ft, SW 10-108 kt above 4900ft. Peak wind 226/108kt at 40.0kft. Some winter micro-meteorology...a top down approach for precipitation determination shows snow formation from 20kft falling into a dry layer between 14kft and 11.5kft as snow virga that melts in the warm layer from 9kft down. A 7 degree dewpoint depression at 2600ft would yield a wet-bulb around 2C/35F, which means a cold rain but still too warm to support sleet or snow. How tough is the call right now? Currently 3 freezing levels noted, the primary one at 12.9kft where the bright band melting level is noted on radar, then a lower level shallow freezing layer between 4999ft and 4852ft - a mere 147 ft of depth for any warm raindrop to transition into an ice pellet. As more rain aloft falls into the column, it will slowly deepen the depth of the freeze zone to support better sleet production later tonight. It will still take more cold air advection in the low and sub-cloud layer to support snow production, which may still arrive by daybreak Friday. Surface analysis shows 40s surface temps for much of LA and south MS at this time. Dual Pol radar hydrometeor classification loop does show a transition zone aloft aligned from roughly McComb to Lafayette, LA with dendritic snow north of this zone and liquid rain south of the zone. This is the more favored corridor for any wintry precipitation in time, but cold air advection will have to become more pronounced and agressive to cool the lower part of the sounding. Did receive a report of rain mixing with sleet near Easleyville in St Helena Parish and this does match well with the dual pol data. Finally, balloon burst at 15 mb some 17.4 miles up over highway 63 in George Co MS south of Lucedale. 24/RR && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 432 PM CST Thu Dec 7 2017/ SYNOPSIS... Latest surface analysis showed an elongated 1012mb low over west central and central Gulf. Tight pressure gradient 8mb change from 27N to the mouth of the Mississippi river. The secondary cold front from northern Georgia to west central Mississippi to southeast Texas. Dry air with dewpoint readings in upper 20s to low 30s behind the front across northern Louisiana and west and northwest Mississippi. Upper air analysis showed the trough axis from the Great Lakes to west Texas. Regional radars showed a rain swath from Southeast Texas to the north half of our forecast area to central Alabama. This morning, we received several reports of sleet mixed in with rain but no accumulation and no reports of sleet after 12 pm. Special 18z sounding indicates continued cooling in the low levels of the atmosphere, but the mid-levels remain rather warm. 850mb temperatures cooled nearly 5C from the 12z sounding, and a small layer of air extending for less than one thousand feet has fallen below freezing at this level. However, temperatures from 800mb up through 650mb remain quite warm with only a 1C drop in temperatures observed at 700mb. As a result, a significant warm nose of around 3.5C remains in place at this level. Until this warm nose aloft drops to 2C or less, the prospect of freezing precipitation will remain limited. Some slight drying of the atmosphere also occurred with precipitable water values falling from 1.1 inches to 1.0 inch in the last 6 hours. However, the atmosphere remains quite saturated above 850mb due to continued strong southwest flow in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere. Our office will carry out an upper air flight observation tonight 06z Friday. 32 DISCUSSION... The main trough axis will continue to press south and west to southwest flow is expected to continue with the jet stream positioned from Big Bend Texas to central Louisiana to Ohio Valley Friday morning. 850-700mb relative humidity values have the drying demarcation line northwest of the forecast area at 12z according to SREF, NAM, GFS and EURO and EURO the most aggressive with drying from Walthall to Morgan City at 18z. Most show the 0C line from Southeast Mississippi to Morgan City with west flow advect in colder and dry air by 18z. Freezing levels off of GFS and EURO are more agreement with levels around 2000 ft around and north of Baton Rouge at 06z tonight. Could see some rain mixed with sleet this evening around midnight but transition will likely occur between 06z and 12z Friday across Southwest Mississippi and areas north of Baton Rouge. A swath of freezing and frozen precipitation will develop near and around Baton Rouge stretching northeast toward Pike as cold air moves in and moisture lags to exit east. HRRR paints a swath from Baton Rouge to Walthall, SREF paints a swath just north of Baton Rouge to Walthall and GFS paints a swath from Terrebonne to just west of Lake Pontchartrain to Southeast. The common area covers Amite, Pike and Walthall counties and St Helena, northern Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. We up the snowfall total to 2 inches for this concerned area and this area could possibly be upgraded to a winter storm warning. In addition, we added parishes west of Lake Pontchartrain to the Winter Weather Advisory. Upper level trough will push through slowly with the axis from New York to Southeast Louisiana to west Gulf and moisture pushing east Friday evening. Surface temperatures are expected to warm to the upper 30s Friday afternoon for most area. However, cold air will continue to filter in Friday evening and linger rain showers could mix with snow flurries over the Mississippi Coast and south of Lake Pontchartrain Friday evening. No accumulation is expected. A pretty good freeze is expected across the forecast area except south of tidal lakes. A few areas across southwest Mississippi will flirt with a hard freeze Saturday Morning. Upper level trough will remain over the eastern CONUS as the last disturbance sweeps through Saturday night. The main trough will remain over the eastern CONUS through next week and another shot of cold air Tuesday will maintain cold temps. As a result, all areas will experience dry weather and below normal temperatures Saturday through next Thursday. MARINE... As a surface low moves east through the Gulf, it will interact with strong high pressure moving south over inland areas causing winds to remain elevated. Northerly winds will remain around 20 to 25 knots over mainly protected waters, but winds will rise to 30 to 35 knots as one moves farther offshore over the open gulf. A gale warning remains in effect for most of the open gulf waters through noon Friday and gusts could reach well into the 40kt range through Friday morning in these areas. Winds will ease and likely drop a bit below Small Craft Advisory (SCA) criteria over tidal lakes, sounds and nearshore coastal waters Friday night or Saturday, but remain well into SCA criteria for offshore coastal waters well into the day Saturday. This prolonged strong northerly wind event will also drive water away from the coast causing very low water levels especially for inland navigable waterways. A fairly steady cold rain will be the norm for all marine areas through the day Friday, and these conditions will set the stage for hypothermia conditions. Dry conditions will return for the weekend, but it will remain on the cold side despite winds easing by Sunday. AVIATION... All terminals will be impacted by lowered cigs and reduced vsbys at times. Biggest concern at first will be lower cigs with MVFR conditions but these should lower further from west to east after 6z. Locations like BTR and MCB may have to deal with moderate to heavy snow at times between 9-15z The line of rain will continue to push east through the morning and expect all terminals to see at least some mix of precip before 18z. /CAB/ DSS code: Blue. Deployed: None. Activation: None. Activities: Small Craft Adv Gale Warning Winter Weather Advisory Decision Support Services (DSS) Code Legend Green = No weather impacts that require action. Blue = Long-fused watch, warning, or advisory in effect or high visibility event. Yellow = Heightened impacts with short-fused watch, warning or advisory issuances; radar support. Orange = High Impacts; Slight to Moderate risk severe; nearby tropical events; HazMat or other large episodes. Red = Full engagement for Moderate risk of severe and/or direct tropical threats; Events of National Significance. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MCB 33 38 27 54 / 80 60 10 0 BTR 34 38 27 54 / 80 70 10 0 ASD 36 39 29 54 / 90 80 20 0 MSY 39 40 35 54 / 90 80 20 0 GPT 38 39 33 53 / 90 80 30 0 PQL 37 39 31 54 / 90 80 50 0 && .LIX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...Winter Weather Advisory until noon CST Friday for LAZ034>037-039- 040-046>050-056>058-071-072. GM...Small Craft Advisory from noon Friday to 6 AM CST Saturday for GMZ550-552-555-570-572-575-577. Gale Warning until noon CST Friday for GMZ550-552-555-570-572- 575-577. Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CST Saturday for GMZ536-538-557. Small Craft Advisory until noon CST Friday for GMZ530-532-534. MS...Winter Weather Advisory until noon CST Friday for MSZ068>071-077- 080>082. GM...Small Craft Advisory from noon Friday to 6 AM CST Saturday for GMZ552-555-570-572-575-577. Gale Warning until noon CST Friday for GMZ552-555-570-572-575- 577. Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CST Saturday for GMZ538-557. Small Craft Advisory until noon CST Friday for GMZ532-534. && $$
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
941 PM EST Thu Dec 7 2017 .SYNOPSIS... A stationary front will remain offshore through the end of the week as areas of low pressure develop along it. An arctic air mass will move in over the weekend behind a stronger cold front. Another cold front will move through by mid week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... As of 935 PM Thursday...Radar trends show rainfall again starting to increase from the southwest, which is verified by the latest HRRR and RAP models. Current forecast in good shape with minimal changes needed. Low temperatures overnight in the upper 30s to lower 40s in most areas with mid 40s Outer Banks. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY/... As 315 PM Thurs...Waves of low pressure will continue to provide an extensive area of stratiform rain Friday. With the front stalled in place, and good lift available ahead of a very deep trough over the central US, moderate to locally heavy rain will fall for the majority of the day. Have definite PoPs for all areas as a result. High temps will only reach the low 40s inland, and the upper 40s along the coast. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 330 PM Thurs...Models continue to indicate Arctic air mass spreading in over weekend. Some model differences persist on timing of precip ending Saturday, otherwise in good agreement most of period. Only minor adjustments to POPs and temps with this issuance. Friday Night through Saturday...Models remain in good agreement of wet pattern this period as slow moving upper trough from eastern Canada to SW U.S. will tap atmospheric river from Pacific Ocean for favorable overrunning precip development with frontal boundary stalled offshore. Some enhanced lift expected late Friday into early Saturday as upper trough axis approaches and produces stronger low pressure development offshore. This will result in periods of moderate rain into Saturday with storm total rainfall of 1 to 2 inches, heaviest along and east of Hwy 17. Main core of colder air mass will remain west and north of area until Saturday. Still looks mainly likely cold air moving in as moisture exits but enough support to mention rain possibly mixed with some light snow over west/northwest portions of Duplin-Martin counties Saturday morning. No accumulation expected due to relatively warm ground temps. Temps mainly between 35-45 degrees most of period except some highs near 50 along coast. Saturday night through Monday...Arctic air mass will spread over area producing temps 10-15 degrees below normal. Coldest temps expected Sunday night/Monday morning with better radiational cooling conditions with lows in lower 20s for inland areas. Could see some frost or light freeze for Outer Banks where growing season has not ended. Highs Sunday mainly in 40s, moderating to around 50 Monday. Monday night through Tuesday...Approach of next upper trough will lead to moderating air mass Monday night and low chance POP for showers on Tuesday afternoon, mainly as core of upper trough moves across. Some potential for mixed precip or light snow showers but not enough confidence to mention at this time. Tuesday night and Wednesday...Another arctic surge will impact area with lows 25-35 and highs near 40. && .AVIATION /03Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Short Term /Through 00Z Saturday/... As of 6 PM Thursday...Trends from model time sections and numerical guidance continue to indicate that the current VFR conditions will quickly drop to IFR between 06z and 09z as precipitation increases in coverage and becomes steady. With deep moisture and a NE flow below 850 mb, would expect those low ceilings of around 1000 ft to stay locked in through the day on Friday as well with periods of light to moderate rain. Long Term /Fri Night through Monday/... As of 330 PM Thursday...Sub-VFR conditions likely with widespread overrunning precip through Saturday. Conditions improving to VFR Saturday night and persisting rest of period with drier and colder air mass building in. && .MARINE... Short Term /Tonight and Friday/... As of 940 PM Thursday...No big changes to the marine forecast as winds remain NW/N at 10 knots or less with seas of 2-3 feet with some long period swell energy (12-13 seconds). Winds veer to more Northerly overnight and increase to 10-15 knots. Winds Friday morning will increase more to N 15-20 kts, and then 20-25 kts by Friday evening. Seas will remain steady 2-4 ft through Friday morning, and then increase to 3-5 ft Friday afternoon. Seas 6-8 ft are expected by Friday night. As a result of these expected conditions, a Small Craft Advisory has been issued for the coastal waters from Surf City to Oregon Inlet, and also for the Pamlico Sound from Friday morning through most of the weekend. Long Term /Friday Night through Monday/... As of 330 PM Thurs...Behind the low pressure system Friday night, winds will become NW and diminish slightly on Saturday but then increase to 20-25 KT most of waters Sat night into Sunday as arctic air mass moves in. Winds diminish again late Sunday and Sunday night but then become SW and increase to 15-25 KT late Monday. Seas 3-5 FT early Friday will build to 5-7 FT Friday night and remain elevated into Sunday, subsiding to 3-5 Ft Sunday night and Monday. && .MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 7 AM Friday to 3 PM EST Sunday for AMZ154-156-158. Small Craft Advisory from 11 PM Friday to 11 AM EST Saturday for AMZ135. Small Craft Advisory from 1 PM Friday to 3 PM EST Sunday for AMZ152. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SGK NEAR TERM...CTC SHORT TERM...SGK LONG TERM...JBM AVIATION...CTC/JBM/SGK MARINE...CTC/JBM/SGK
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area
338 PM PST Thu Dec 7 2017 .SYNOPSIS...High pressure will keep clear and dry weather in place the rest of this week and through the weekend. Look for mild days and cool nights. && .DISCUSSION...as of 12:48 PM PST Thursday...The quiet weather pattern continues across the San Francisco Bay Area and central California coast this afternoon. An upper level ridge remains parked over the West Coast, bringing plentiful sunshine and above normal afternoon highs region-wide. Visible satellite imagery does show areas of smoke aloft over the central coast this afternoon as winds between 850 and 700 mb (approx 5,000 to 10,000 ft MSL) have a southerly component. High temperatures this afternoon will max out in the 60s and 70s across the region with some areas in interior Monterey County approaching 80 degrees. This equates to about 6 to 12 degrees above early December climatological normals. Forecast models continue to advertise much of the same for the foreseeable future as high pressure won`t be going anywhere anytime soon. The mostly clear skies and long December nights will allow for sufficient nocturnal cooling and chilly overnight lows in the 30s and 40s. While overnight lows are not expected to be as cold as the past several nights, parts of the southern Salinas Valley and even areas of the North Bay Valleys could see some patchy frost the next few nights. So far this water year (beginning October 1) downtown San Francisco has recorded 3.16 inches of rain, or about 2 inches below the 30-year normal from October 1 to December 7. If long- term guidance becomes reality, wouldn`t be surprised if the water year total holds at 3.16 inches into third week of the month. Both the Climate Prediction Center`s 6 to 10 and 8 to 14 day precipitation outlooks (valid December 12 to 16 and December 14 to 20) gives much of the West Coast high confidence of experiencing below normal precipitation through the period. While the upper level ridge remains stationary over the West Coast, expect the dry conditions to prevail. && .AVIATION...As of 03:38 PM PST Thursday...For 00z tafs. VFR conditions with generally light and variable winds. Locally gusty offshore winds along coastal gaps, primarily through the Golden Gate, San Bruno gaps and in the Salinas Valley are to be expected. Smoke from the southern California wildfires appears to have gotten swept up in the ridge bringing high level smoke to the area. The HRRR smoke forecast suggests this will continue tonight and tomorrow with periods of reduced visibility possible. Vicinity of KSFO...VFR with winds generally under 10 kt in varying directions. High layers of smoke are expected to continue tonight and tomorrow. SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to KSFO. Monterey Bay Terminals...VFR with generally light winds. High layers of smoke are also visible due to the southern California wildfires. && .MARINE...as of 02:35 PM PST Thursday...Strong high pressure will dominate the weather pattern through the forecast period. This will result in generally light offshore winds with locally breezy to gusty winds at times along the coast and offshore of coastal gaps, especially from the Marin Headlands south through about Pescadero, and to a lesser extent west of the Monterey Bay. Lighter, variable winds will prevail for areas protected by coastal ridges, such as offshore of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Sur, and the Sonoma coastline. Moderate period northwest seas will also prevail. && .MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .Tngt...None. $$ PUBLIC FORECAST: Rowe AVIATION: AS MARINE: RGass Visit us at www.weather.gov/sanfrancisco Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/nwsbayarea www.twitter.com/nwsbayarea www.youtube.com/nwsbayarea
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
815 PM EST Thu Dec 7 2017 .UPDATE... A cold front continues to drift south over central and southwest Florida tonight and on Friday. Radar imagery is showing rain showers streaming in from the gulf from north of Tampa Bay over the Nature Coast. HRRR model guidance continues to shows these showers continuing through the night with a higher concentration of showers and stray thunderstorm moving through the area on Friday afternoon. Similiar to this morning, some areas of dense fog will be possible after midnight and persisting through sunrise. This wet period will continue across west central and southwest Florida through Saturday as the front traverses the peninsula. Temperatures tonight and tomorrow will be on the warm and muggy side south of Tampa bay before a cool down on Saturday and Sunday for the entire peninsula as the front moves over southern Florida. Made some slight increase in POPs north of Tampa Bay based on radar coverage. Will send updated zones shortly. && .AVIATION... All terminals across the region will see aviation impacts over the next 24 hours as a strong cold front moves through the region. Low clouds are already filtering in from the north and will produce MVFR/IFR conditions for CIG/VSBY starting between 03-06Z. Conditions further deteriorate between 15-18Z tomorrow and will continue through Friday evening. Some LIFR conditions will be possible as the front passes through the region. Will keep SHRA and BR as the predominant weather, but can`t rule out a stray thunderstorm on Friday afternoon. && .MARINE... A frontal boundary will stall out across the central Gulf waters tonight through Saturday. Increasing moisture combined with this front and weak areas of low pressure moving along the front from the Gulf will bring increasing wind and seas and rain chances to the waters tonight through Friday night. The front will move south of the waters on Saturday as deepening low pressure moves northeastward up along the mid Atlantic coast with strong and gusty winds continuing over the Gulf waters through Saturday night. During Sunday and Monday light winds and lower seas will return to the waters as surface high pressure builds in over the region. && .Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... TPA 66 77 58 63 / 50 60 90 50 FMY 69 82 64 69 / 30 40 90 80 GIF 64 81 56 63 / 40 50 90 60 SRQ 68 78 60 65 / 40 50 90 60 BKV 59 76 52 60 / 60 60 90 40 SPG 67 76 58 64 / 50 60 90 50 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. Gulf waters...None. && $$ UPDATE/AVIATION/MARINE...74/Wynn DECISION SUPPORT...25/Davis