V-Storm: Snow Amounts So Far
Last night was like the night before Christmas at my house. I alternated between waking up and wondering how much snow had fallen, and dreaming of huge coastal waves and flooding at the beach, high winds and blizzard conditions. My stepdaughter couldn't sleep either (visions of Early Dismissal dancing in her head).
It's 7 AM at AccuWeather HQ and the forecasting operations floor is abuzz with talk of the Valentine's Day Blizzard. Our forecast amounts have increased overnight for AccuWeather HQ here in Central PA and we're now talking about a foot again for us. The snow has been falling since early this morning and you can see it on the J-CAM. A high-res shot from 8 AM is shown at right.
Joe Bastardi says in this morning's blog:
"Snowfall rates tonight and tomorrow could reach 4-6 inches/hour for a few hours in a row starting this evening in Central PA and then reaching northeastward. Widespread 20 inch plus amounts are becoming more likely a bit further south from central PA northeast with close to 3 feet in areas from the Poconos northeast a growing threat."
I even heard one forecaster say the "4 foot" phrase in regards to New York state.
If I could say anything this morning, I guess I'd say that the amounts before drivetime this afternoon, which is really key here in Pennsylvania, have been increased because the snow is a little wetter and the flakes are bigger than I expected this morning. We were originally calling for 1-2 inches by 5 pm but the forecast we issued for the State College School District this morning calls for 3-4 inches. (They decided on Early Dismissal so I'll be leaving work to pick up my stepdaughter at 1 pm today).
The real problem (as we predicted) is the temperature, which started out in the upper 20's but has already plummeted to 17. At 17 degrees with snow falling, the roads are going to be bad for the next 24 hours no matter what.
Henry also brings up a good point, the winds. If what the models say is true, the low-pressure system off the coast tomorrow morning will be so intense that the pressure difference between here (Central PA) and there will be sufficient to generate high winds, on the order of 30-50 mph. This will cause considerable blowing and drifting of the snow, which will already be over a foot in some places. Roads will be nearly impassible in most of Pennsylvania, New York and inland MA/CT/RI tomorrow morning.
Here are the highest amounts reported so far in the Plains and Midwest:
Beattie,KS: 11.7"
Fountain, IN: 9.8"
Camp Point, IL: 6.5"
Various Cities, SD: 6.0"
Andrew, MO: 5.0"
Van Wert, OH: 1.3"
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