Northeast Pummeled By Snow
National Forecast, Image: NOAA
TV forecasters in Philadelphia and Scranton, Pennsylvania, New York City, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Rochester, New York are preparing viewers for another winter storm that could dump another foot of the white stuff in some locations.
It’s been a messy winter for the Northeast. Washington D.C. was shut down for almost an entire week because of the amount of snow on the ground in the nation’s capital.
Snow Forecast, Image: NOAA
Storm after storm has been forming in the Gulf of Mexico, picking up moisture from the tropics and directing it toward the East Coast of the United States. Yesterday, I talked about the two weather patterns that have been colliding over the United States this winter: El Nino and the Arctic Oscillation. See yesterday’s MYL blog for more information on that.
Meanwhile, tune in to your local TV forecasters across the US for your latest winter forecast.
-Dawn Brown
Southern Snow!
Dallas/Fort Worth Snow, Image: NOAA
Snow blanketed the Dallas/Fort Worth area this morning. The pictures above were taken from the National Weather Service Office in Fort Worth. Up to 8″ of snow is expected in some locations northwest of Dallas.
Winter Storm Warnings, Image: NOAA
Winter storm warnings are in effect across Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi today as a Gulf Low slams into a frigid air mass over the Southern Plains. A warm, moist air mass following the southern jet stream is being driven into the cold, dry air mass. Sleet is already being reported in areas outside New Orleans, LA.
Places like Jackson, Mississippi and Shreveport, Louisiana could receive up to 6 inches of snow.
Meanwhile, the East Coast is digging out from the latest pile up of snow. The back to back storms have shut down the nation’s capital.
Snow Depth, Image: NOAA
The graphic above shows the snow depth in the Mid-Atlantic region as of today. The areas in dark blue have recorded more than 30 inches of snow. You can see South Jersey, Southern Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia, Maryland, D.C. and Delaware are covered with 3 feet of snow.
Luckily, it appears the latest gulf storm will track off the coast of the Carolinas, and will not affect the metropolitan areas of D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.
-Dawn Brown
Weather for Your Turkey Travel Day
Southeast US Radar, Image: NOAA (Image is OLD!)
Click for the latest radar image.
Thunderstorms are delaying travel in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area this Wednesday morning. The FAA’s website has all the latest travel delays across the country. Check it before you go to the airport. If the sphere on the map is green where you are flying, you are good to go. If not, click on the yellow or orange sphere, and it will tell you the amount of the delay and the reason for it.
Currently, there are also weather delays in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and D.C..
No delays in the Midwest so far, but with an arctic air mass advancing toward the Great Lakes region over the next two days, minor accumulations of lake effect snow are a possibility.
The previous link shows you another awesome graphic from USA Today explaining lake effect snow.
Lake Effect Snow Explainer, Image: NOAA
As you can see, it takes a delicate combination of cold air near the surface, a cold, straight wind blowing across a warmer body of water, and some high ground on the leeward side of the lake for lake effect snow to occur.
Forecasters in northern Michigan, and parts of Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York will be in for some interesting weather this holiday weekend. Go to the GET YOUR LOCAL TV FORECAST! link on the right hand menu bar, find the city your in, or where you are traveling, and follow their forecast.
I hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving.
-Dawn Brown