BIG DADDY BLIZZARD COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU

[Steve/sewell]

Expect the worst storm of the season to gather strength and really rip the Northern Mid Atlantic into New England with hurricane force winds and white out snow conditions.I had brought this topic up 11 days ago and I figured I would reremind everyone that the time has arrived.11 days ago they were talking about a 982 mlb low with a central pressure of 29 inches of mercury.This low a pressure would be the equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane.Now the possibility exists that this storm attains a 970 to 975 low the equvilent to a category 2 hurricane.The primary difference between Nor’easters and hurricanes is that hurricanes form in the tropics and have warm cores. Extratropical storms form in the middle latitudes and have cold cores (meaning that their strongest winds are NOT near the surface and NOT concentrated near the center of the Low). Extratropical storms can be larger, sometimes over 1,000 miles across, and usually pass slowly. Minimum winds associated with a hurricane are 65 knots, and the winds associated with an extratropical storm seldom exceed 50 knots.Noreasters tend to stick around a lot longer than their hurricane counter parts.This is not hype if this developes the way it looks like it will now, this will be a storm that will cause death and major destruction of our Atlantic coastline. Long duration power outages and tree damage can be expexted.
Here is the latest from one of Accuweathers top winter time forecastors.

http://www.accuweather.com/mt-news-blogs.asp?partner=accuweather&blog=Meteomadness&pgurl=/mtweb/content/Meteomadness/archives/2010/02/probably_the_worse_blizzard_of_the_season_bad_big_daddy.asp

 

[Steve/sewell]

This noreaster will come in and go as Category 1 to category 2 Hurricane.
Here is a wind chart for Hurricanes and Noreasters.While sustained winds and gusts wont be as high as they are
in a hurricane this storm will have a lot longer duration (36 to 48 hours in one area) and thats
where 60 to 70 mph winds can do as much damage as a hurricane will lasting 12 hours.

Category 1
Hurricane has a central barometric pressure of 28.94 inches or more and winds of 74 to 95 mph.
The storm is accompanied by a 4 to 5 foot storm surge and causes minimal damage

Category 2
Pressure 28.5 inches to 28.93 inches, winds from 96 mph to 110 mph, storm surge 6 to 8 feet, damage moderate.

Category 3
Pressure 27.91 inches to 28.49 inches, winds from 111 mph to 130 mph, storm surge 9 to 12 feet, damage extensive.

Category 4
Pressure 27.17 inches to 27.90 inches, winds from 131 mph to 155 mph, storm surge 13 feet to 18 feet, damage extreme.


Category 5
Pressure less than 27.17 inches, winds greater than 155 mph, storm surge higher than 18 feet. Damage Catastrophic.


Noreaster: Category 1 40 to 50 mph sustained winds gusts up to 60,4 to 5 foot storm surge cause's sever damage
because of the longevity factor again.Snow rates 1 to 2 inches per hour.Dangerous wind chill factors

Noreaster: Category 2 50 to 60 mph sustained winds gusts up to 70 6 to 8foot storm surge cause's extreme to catastrophic damage
because of the longevity factor again. Snow rates 1.5 to 2.5 inches per hour.Extreme wind chill factors.Should not venture out

 

[bostaurus]

Goodness. So far our weather folks are just playing it safe...with a "chance of some snow".
I don't mind some more snow... the receding snow is exposing the broken limbs that have been buried and my patches of lawn that were rearranged by the snow plow. The snow melt has turned part of my lawn into a bog Gollum would be proud of. I don't think the two new trees I planted there will be alive come spring.

 

[cyberdigger]

This vid tells it all: [] http://www.accuweather.com/video-on-demand.asp?video=58063217001&title=Intense%20Blizzard%20May%20Strike%20East

 

[rockbot]

Hi Steve, love your weather report. I got a good one for you. I'm sitting at 656mlb. Can you guess were I'm at?

Aloha, Rocky

 

[woody]

They're calling for a double whammy where I live.
They're saying we could get up to two feet of snow between now and friday.

 

[RICKJJ59W]

I dont care about biromatic sistomatic blaa blaa blaaaa I just know I will be plowing my ass off in to the wee hours of the morn if this hits.I was just getting ready to dig a privy to! I HATE SNOW!

 

[Steve/sewell]

This couldnt happen again right?
http://www.accuweather.com/mt-news-blogs.asp?partner=accuweather&blog=Meteomadness&pgurl=/mtweb/content/Meteomadness/archives/2010/02/billy_sunday_snowstorm_march_1_1914_1.asp

 

[Steve/sewell]

Here is a neat image I always look at when an impending winter storm has not yet formed but is predicted too.
Look over the states of Minnesota Iowa and Wisconsin in this water vapor radar loop.You can see a milky colored comma shaped cloud mass
rotating south eastward faster than the rest of the colored images in the lower layers of the atmosphere around the entire United States.
This cloud mass is the upper level feature (low Pressure) that will be the nitro in the glycerin of the upcoming storm which will bomb out on the coast
just off the Virginia Cape.The Reds and oranges are the warmer cloud formations of moisture in the Eastern Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico and off the
South East United States coast. The comma shaped cloud mass will continue to move rapidly south east and it is going to grab the storm
currently located over the Southern Gulf states (the dark greens and blues in the water vapor imagery at the 38th parallel near Virginia beach and stall its Eastern progression Start to spin it harder and steer it due north. Notice the current storm located off the New jersey coast is slowly heading out to sea.
This is important for the developement of the Blizzard because you need a blocking high pressure system sitting over Atlantic Canada sending in clockwise
directional flow into the new storm.This is exactly what is going to take place.The current storm leaves the coast overnight high pressure builds in from the North East.The storm in the gulf looks like it is just going to move across the gulf and out to sea across South Carolina.It will look like it is going to do just that and than at the last moment the upper level feature will catch up to the storm cause upperward rotating counter clockwise motion which will cause explosive convectivive colums of rising air(this means litterally yank the storm upward into the atmosphere)High cumulonimbous cloud tops will form and the storm will stall its Eastern progression and turn and head due North.It is now a mature and rather large Noreaster with high winds and heavy precipitation.
This will be a storm to be remembered in a winter of multiple blizzards.Oh and there's another one around the 2nd of the month but I will wait till this one is done before I give you my take on that one.Lets just say its not chop liver either!!!Here is the link to the water vapor radar image.

http://www.accuweather.com/maps-satellite.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&site=UN&type=wv&anim=1&large=1

If you keep refreshing this image over the coming hours and days you will be able to see the progression of the upper low and how it ultimatley influences the storm.

 

[cyberdigger]

Now THAT'S COOL ! ! ! ..you gotta pay to get that?