Thursday, January 19, 2012

The End (Of Lowland Snow, Cold and Ice) is Near

This snow/sleet/freezing rain evident is basically done.  And we are not talking about forecasts...observations show its demise.

First, only a handful of observing sites in the south Sound are indicating a few light snow or freezing drizzle showers...this will end soon

The radar shows NOTHING offshore:


But most important of all, the profiler at Sand Point in Seattle shows southerly winds and warmer temperatures rapidly descending towards the surface, at this rate we should see the end of the cool northerly flow over the Sound and a replacement by warming southerlies by daybreak (latest observations on the left side).  I have indicated the northerlies and southerlies on the figures.  Temps in red.


Finally, a neighbor of mine, Wally Powelson, who is an Alaska Airlines jet captain, shared a few pictures from Sea-Tac showing the substantial icing on the planes...no wonder many flights were cancelled.  How often do you see icicles on planes?  This was a historic freezing rain event, the most significant since December 1996.



Now I hate to bring this up.... but the forecast models for the next week indicate some intense weather in store for us.  Heavy rains, strong windstorms, and the arrival of frigid arctic air.   Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel may have to come back for another visit.

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