The problem with the DCA measurement was that they were doing ridiculous things like reporting a measurement of 14.1" at one hour, then reporting hourly conditions of moderate to heavy snow, then reporting 14.9" three hours later.
When they were called on it, they finally did admit that they actually lost their measuring device under the snow and had to improvise.
Probably lesser experienced observers- usually lesser experienced folks work on the weekends. Also, FAA regs have taken out many of the PT observers who were experienced because they were no longer allowed to bring in guys 1-2 times a month- part of their sabotage of the program.
Right now, only one of our weekend workers has more than 200 hours on the job. Weekday workers have an average of 15 years of experience (I have the least at around 10)
That showed a lack of meteorological common sense. Three hours of snow that cuts vis under 1/2mile (unless you’re an ATC, then you just report whatever you want with no consequence- they’d call it freezing fog), and precip rates of .20" per hour probably, you’re probably getting at least 3" of snow on the ground.
There is a chance of a wind drift screwing things up as well, especially if they lack a good snow board site. There’s no regs in the book for what happens if your snow board is sabotaged. FAA regs for weather observations are terrible as well, and contradictory in many areas (they don’t care as they think they can axe the program any time they want, despite failing repeatedly)
Our neighborhood still hasn’t been completely plowed, and of course the cul-de-sac is still in pristine snow-covered condition. But word is the city is going to plow one lane free on our closest side road, which means we’ll just have to wait for the snow contractor to come in and clear the cul-de-sac. So I might be able to get out of here by Thursday, with any luck!
The good news is that temps this week are going to be as warm as advertised. For instance, it’s 44 outside right now as I head to bed at 1:30 am. It probably won’t drop below 40 overnight. That’s big, because it means that not only is the snow not re-freezing overnight, it’s also melting constantly. Guessing we’re going to be rid of the most constraining bits of this snowpack by the middle of next week. In fact, the rapid melt may be a flooding concern for folks in low lying areas and in places like Old Town.
Well, it’s our turn for the snow, apparently. They are predicting 10+ inches tomorrow for my little neck of the woods, with 20+ mph winds. My driveway snowdrifts should be epic, based on last week’s little 3-inch snowfall resulting in 18 inch drifts against the garage.
Yeah, we got ourselves a Winter Storm Warning. 6-11 inches, which isn’t the end of the world, but 25-30mph sustained winds with gusts up to 45 will be nasty.
Course we probably won’t get the worst of it in the city. We rarely do.
I’m liking it in Michigan. It was over 50 degrees yesterday (!) and it should get up to at least 40 for the rest of the week, which is pretty much unheard of for this time of year.
Didn’t quite break 70 yesterday, but we hit 73F today in some places.
North Carolina is weird >.>
It hit 63 in the Boston area today. What the heck? I took my dogs for a walk in the woods in jeans and a t-shirt…
Big old snowstorm coming through central Wisconsin tomorrow. Maybe I will get a snow day!?!
80 yesterday and today here. If you can avoid the crazy the weather is nice.
That’s a mighty large “if,” Rich! Still, at least y’all have Disney World. Maybe I should migrate south…
Its getting warmer due to early spring, officially declared by Punxsutawney Phil yesterday.
Blizzard conditions reported for southeastern Massachusetts in particular and New England coast in general…
— Alan
35 mph sustained winds, gusts up to 55 mph. I had to drive the mini-van in to work today because it warmed up enough this weekend to melt some of the snow, only to freeze it in to sheets of ice this morning. I have never had to struggle so much to keep a vehicle on the road. Thinking I should have just VPN’d in to the office today.
Sub-zero days here. Usually around Valentine’s we get a blizzard, but this time it’s mostly just polar vortex freeze-o-rama. Ugh.
On the opposite end of things, we’re having an odd heat wave out here. Most of the week has gone up to the 80s. Really makes me worry about the summer we’re gonna have. Oh, and high pressure is keeping all of the El Nino storms we were hoping to get up in Northern California, so yay. :-(
Major cold forecast for the northeast and east coast. NYC may hit around 0 degrees; lowest wind chill so far has been in Worcester, MA at -44.
— Alan
We’re entering the kind of weather here in NC where my gf–a born and bred Southerner who’s spent a grand total of about a month of her life above the Mason-Dixon line while visiting me at school in Boston–won’t let me out of the house in less than eighteen layers topped by a coat of Randy-from-Christmas-Story’s proportions. This, of course, despite years of gentle reminders that a couple-inch thick heavily abused green coat from Van Huesen and a steady rotation of metal t-shirts were all that stood between me and death in the Great White North for all those years.
On second thought, maybe she’s just sick of me wearing that tatty old coat.
She would be absolutely apoplectic at what I chose to leave the house in this week then. I’m a stubborn type, so I tend to ignore cold. My winter coat actually has an unzippable liner, so I basically have permanently detached it into two portions, one a fleece jacket, the other a windbreaker. The two parts never do meet, as the windbreaker is essentially my running jacket. So here we are with sub zero wind chills, and snowing, and I am outside in a long sleeve shirt, fleece jacket, and khakis. To unite the pieces would require washing the jacket nearly daily (remember, running jacket)
Hell I run in this weather with nary more than an 1/16" thick layer of lyrca under armor on.
The weather had been admittedly terrible. Single digits to low teen temps, and windy, without even the benefit of snow on the ground. Today we are getting snow, so it has gone from drab to wonderful ;)