Saturday Morning Snow Update

The 00Z NAM just came in and I really don't have too many changes.  What will this storm be?  Mostly snow with sleet pings near the end Saturday morning...finally tapering off to freezing drizzle by noon Saturday.  Temps during the snow part of the storm will be in the low 20s in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday.  The max temp will struggle to get to 35ºF Saturday afternoon during clean-up.  How much?  It now appears as if 3-5" is a conservative prediction.  I believe a few 6"+ will be reported in the Harrisburg area.  It is most certainly a PLOWABLE storm and by NO MEANS is this a crippling storm!  Saturday morning should a "Go-Slow" and not a "Don't-Go" kind of morning.  Or better yet, just brew a few extra cups of your favorite potation (don't make it potent before noon!...but it will be afternoon somewhere so I am told) and enjoy the winter scene which we've sorely lacked this winter!  Here is the NAM's total snow amounts when all is said and done.

I know there is no scale...it is off of my screen-shot...the dark blue is ~5", the purples ~8".  This will be a healthy snow event...no doubt!  Note once the wave of low pressure is able to access Atlantic moisture, snowfall increases towards the coast...although some of that will fall in the form of plain rain on the coastal plain.

The heaviest snow will fall in the pre-dawn hours as shown below...the map below is for the 3 hrs ending at 4am...

And the temps at 7 am sunrise temps...clearly, the cold air damming signature is present at the surface of the earth!

The snow and light freezing drizzle will pull away by noon as shown here...this is for the 3 hours ending at 1 pm...

Clean off surfaces you want cleared as Sunday morning temps will be very cold with the fresh snowfall.  As we all know, cold breeds more just like winning breeds more winning!  Temps will bottom in the low teens Sunday morning under a clear sky and light winds.

But by Sunday afternoon, the winds will begin to advect warmer air from the south and west so by Monday, we are looking at temps to be nearly 10 above normal...or max temps in the 40s!  Again, look up in AK...when our 49th state is cold, we are NOT!

Most of next week will feature above normal temps...but I show you this as a tease for later posts...look at what is lurking for February!  We might just have an American Pie kinda February!  Nothing like watching the Super Bowl when the temps outside are brutally cold!  The modeling is hinting at it...

For those of you not familiar with Don McLean reference above...sit back and enjoy this throwback!

Have a great weekend...and enjoy this snowfall...the only real snowfall for this January it now appears!

Smitty

AA:  Snow upon waking Saturday; all but a distant memory by Tuesday/Wednesday!  Much above normal by end of next week...again!