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Key Synoptic Features. Retreating shallow cold air mass SFC18z Broad SE surface flow along East Coast 55-65+kt 850mb over eastern Lakes 850W Weak surface circulation apparent near the Middle Atlantic Coast may interfere with low-level warm advection 4PANEL
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Key Synoptic Features • Retreating shallow cold air mass SFC18z • Broad SE surface flow along East Coast • 55-65+kt 850mb over eastern Lakes 850W • Weak surface circulation apparent near the Middle Atlantic Coast may interfere with low-level warm advection 4PANEL • Warm front/occluding cold front to the west likely to cross zones by end of period
Additional Forecast Concerns • Affect of high terrain (White mountains reach 4000-6000 feet over N. Central New Hampshire TOPO • Stable air trapping chill in valleys statewide • Moist advection/cold surface = fog producer
Verification Procedure • Eliminated “all-zero” categories • Easy: Dust(14),Smoke(16),Short-period flooding(22,23,24), Big Snow(5,6,7) Severe(27) -- No lightning on NLDN plot -- Used MWN to eliminate Wind Chill(18-19) • CHILL CHARTMWN OBS
Verification Procedure • The search for snow: • Zone 3: KMWN 232258Z 18033G46KT 0SM -FZRAPLSN FZFG VV000 M02/M02 RMK SNB15FZRAPLB25 VRY LGT GICG= • Zone 4 : 1P1 reported snow alternating with UP much of the time from 20z to 5z…rejected based on sounding data with deep warm layer 0z MODEL SOUNDING • No other snow reports found…assumed only brief snow at highest elevations based on MWN • FLURRIES MAP (CAT 1)
Verification Procedures • Finding Fog: -- Most ASOS reported visibility <=1/2 mile (exceptions:LEB,ASH, HIE) many reported 1/4 mile or lower. • All zones were judged to have verified based on extensive ASOS coverage combined with warm advection of cold, snow covered ground. Snow Cover • FOG MAP (CAT 17)
Verification Procedures • Inferring Ice: • Observations of freezing rain/drizzle were found at all ASOS except PSM in Zone 14 (Zone1 had no ASOS to confirm icing • IP at MWN was brief and mixed • No station reported >0.24” while ice was the primary precip type • Scanned WSI PType graphics for added context. • only Zones 1(north), 14 (coast) were judged to have no icing • WSI_22zWSI_0ZWSI_2ZZR MAP
Verification Procedures • What about wind: • MWN as usual gets blown away • No ASOS station reaches wind thresholds. • Check of mesonet data shows a couple of candidates but, they were rejected due to their isolated nature, strong low level stability and lack of support from higher quality data. SOUNDINGMESONET MAX WIND MAP
Verification Procedures • Fishing for frost: • Support for three hours of freezing temps (cat 20) was found in all zones except 14 (coast based on 18-21UTC ASOS and mesonet data with primary support from NCEP hourly RTMA. RTMA freeze
Verification Procedures • Defining the dampness: • NWS multi-sensor data combined with ground truth from ASOS and mesonet gauges was used to verify. • Only major question was accepting the validity of 1” amounts… accepted based on five gauges and NWS multi-sensor product MULTISENSORGAUGES
Verification Procedures • Finding the forties: • ASOS and mesonet data showed trapped valley chill through the period. Late arriving precip allowed early warming in Zone 1 (north). RTMA did not capture the warming in Zone 1 shown in the data. RTMA used to help support valley chill farther south. RTMA 40F
Verification summary • No zones verified for CAT 2-7,11,14,16,18-19, 22-27 • All zones verified for CAT 17 (DENSE FOG) • All zones except 14 (coast) verified for 3HR FREEZE • All zones except 1 and 14 verified for ZR…no ice storm • Only zone 2 (thanks to MWN) verified for WIND (12,13) • Only zone 2 (thanks to MWN) verified for ICE PELLETS • Only zone 2 (thanks to MWN) had flurries and blizzard • Zones 3,4 and 6 verified for 1” precip (CAT 21) • Northern and central zones had 0.5” precip (1-6, 8-9) • Trapped valley chill kept 40s out of zones 4,5,7-9