Hello everyone and welcome to winter! Temperature has dropped over 40 degrees since yesterday afternoon and my how the weather has changed! From clear skies to cloudy and snowing! Yes ladies and gentlemen, North Carolina is getting its turn to experience this winter weather system that has been moving through the Southeast. Accumulation totals remain to be seen as the storm hasn't entirely moved through yet. Actually, it hasn't even really started yet. The real snow isn't supposed to move through until later tonight and overnight. The WRAL accumulation forecast can be seen below:

Tomorrow afternoon I will update you with snow accumulation around the state. For now, enjoy the snow!! 

Welcoming Winter Again

It's winter again in the Triangle, and the Southeastern United States for that matter! Some of us (like myself) are waiting to embrace the winter weather, and others are doing everything they can to avoid it. We have an interesting set-up which is going to be dumping more wintry precipitation than we've seen this winter season thus far in the Piedmont. The GFS model is showing between 0.4 and 0.5 inches of liquid precipitation between Tuesday late afternoon and Wednesday afternoon.

*For a safe estimate on how much snow this is, multiply amount of liquid precipitation by 10. It could be higher depending on how wet (dense) the snow is, but 10 is a safe number when discussing the S word down here in the Southeast.

Anyway, 0.4-0.5 inches of liquid precipitation is about 4-5 inches. Will we get that much snow? It's hard to say. The temperature is rather warm today so the ground won't be as cold as it was last week. Today the temperature climbed up to 65°F hurting our chances for accumulation. Not too much though!

Below is the WRAL image with AMS certified Meteorologist Elizabeth Gardener discussing possible accumulation for tomorrow and Wednesday:

What is Actually Happening with the Weather Right Now?

Yes, the temperature is warmer today than it has been in the past week. That is because the Jet Stream has moved a bit further north and the high pressure system which was just over us yesterday helped move warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico up to the mid latitudes.

Now, a low pressure system is located over Wilmington, and another over New Orleans. The low over Wilmington is going to be moving offshore and heading to the Northeast. As a result of the cyclonic (counterclockwise) flow of winds around this system, winds will be coming onshore and from the North, giving us the perfect setup with not only cooler temperatures but also moisture. This system has already begun development but will be developed enough tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon in order to give us a white not-so-Christmas. Temperatures shouldn't climb too high above freezing tomorrow or Wednesday (IF they do) and temperatures tomorrow night will be in the low 20s but as low as mid teens with wind chill. Wednesday night we should see a low around 10°F so be sure to bundle up!

For all followers in the Northern Midwest:

I am terribly sorry I was not able to post Saturday night concerning Winter Precipitation and wind chill! I thought I was going to have internet access when I went to Wilmington but I was not able to get on. For now though, not too much precipitation coming your way. More wind chill than anything. Be careful outside as temperatures tonight and tomorrow will likely be in the -20s with wind chill and the actual temperature will not rise above 0°F tomorrow. Michigan should see a bit of lake effect snow in the next 24 hours or so but will clear up a bit after that. New York is also receiving a bit of lake effect snow and this should continue as a result of the current cold wave.

NC State Students: Will classes be cancelled Wednesday?

That seems to be the question on everyone's mind around campus right now. I am not sure what the university will decide to do. Typically when there is wintry precipitation it comes in the form of sleet or freezing rain, making driving in Raleigh near impossible due to a widespread inexperience driving in this kind of weather. With just snow though, the roads won't be as slick and walking to class WILL BE POSSIBLE. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you are. I consider it fortunate anyway), it looks like this snow is going to be a more wet snow as opposed to "fresh powder" found on the ski slopes. With this being the case and temperatures dropping to well below freezing overnight (at least for this area), it is highly likely that there will at least be a 2 hour delay, possibly cancelled classes. If you have a class after the 9:15 class though, be sure you get your homework or studying done before then.

Ill be looking to post tomorrow with an update on the beginning of the winter weather here in RDU but for now, enjoy spring!

Cold Air Blast or Wind Chill?

Bundle up everyone because temperatures have plummeted again! This morning in Raleigh, NC we had a low of 12 and the wind chill is between 2 and -12 Fahrenheit in the Triangle. Boone was forecasted to have wind chill temperatures below -17! The temperature today is likely not going to leave the 20s and by the looks of walking around NC State this morning, students did not prepare well for this weather.

There is no precip or even very much cloud cover this morning as the Canadian High has pushed South again and is situated right on top of us. Here is the isotherm (lines or regions of similar temperature) map:

Temperatures as you can see have also dropped significantly in the New England States and more snow is possible in the Northeastern Mississippi River Valley and areas surrounding the Great Lakes. Chicago has forecasts for severe wind chill and between 2-4 inches of snow in the next 48 hours with temperatures staying in the low 20s and below. New York, NY is forecasted to receive up to an inch of snow and temperatures likely will not rise above freezing in the next 72 hours. North Guilford, Maine will receive snow accumulation over the next 72 hours and temperatures likely will not rise above the mid 20s with lows dropping below 0 Fahrenheit.

MiScan forecast for tomorrow (Saturday, January 25, 2014) in RDU:

It looks like temperatures could get into the mid teens tonight with a slight wind chill hanging around 10 Fahrenheit before sunrise. Tomorrow we will get a bit warmer and a bit more cloudy as the high pressure system moves out to the Atlantic: High in the low 40s (between 42-44) tomorrow with partly cloudy skies with increasing cloud cover throughout the day. Mostly clear tomorrow night. Breezy tomorrow with a shift in the wind from the SSW (morning/early afternoon) to the WSW (late afternoon/evening). Winds reaching 15 mph possible tomorrow afternoon.

There is a low pressure system pushing a Cold Front down toward us here in NC (currently on the Canadian Border). I will be watching this closely over the next few days as there is potential for more winter weather here in NC with this system depending on how the sub-polar jet stream changes across the US in the coming days.

Have a great weekend everyone! I am going to Wilmington for the weekend but I will have my computer with me provided an update is necessary. For those of you around the Great Lakes, be careful of Lake-Effect snow, windy conditions (potentially blowing snow drifts from the next couple of days), and cold temperatures with wind chill significantly below 0! I will post tomorrow night (Saturday night) with an update for the Great Lakes area.

Triad Winter

Buenas Noches Siguentes!! (Good evening Followers!!)

This is a super special report because not only am I back from Spain (which was a fantastic trip and I will talk more about that on my next post on Thursday), but it is officially snowing in Raleigh, North Carolina! This is the first real snow that we've had of the year even with the Polar Vortex and Winter Storm Ion! Currently we are receiving wintery mix in the 919 but the temperature is dropping quickly and by 8:00 (currently 7:15 EST) we should see big wet flakes and some accumulation beginning here in the Triangle!

Here is the WRAL HD Weather Center Radar:

http://www.wral.com/weather/page/8106570/

It was 14 years ago almost to the day (January 24-25, 2000) that the Triangle was pounded with almost 2 feet of snow! I recorded 22 inches at my house in North Raleigh and other areas reported depths of 18-22 inches. This isn't quite as bad (not even close) but the concern with this system is the freezing precipitation on the roads later on in the evening. Temperatures are decreasing so quickly that, although it's above freezing right now (36°F, 2°C), the temperature over the next 12 hours will plummet to 19°F and will not rise above freezing tomorrow. 

Most of the Northeastern United States is being affected by this storm and NY, OH, and PN on the leeside of the Great Lakes are experiencing serious lake-effect snow as a result of this storm. 

*PLEASE BE CAREFUL ON THE ROADS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW MORNING IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA AFFECTED BY THIS WINTER STORM. 

Good afternoon everyone!!

Today I am fortunate enough to travel to Spain with the NC State Power Sound of the South Marching Band to perform in the Cabalgata de Reyes parade to celebrate Epiphany in Madrid Spain! The trip is going to be interesting getting over there because one of our 5 flights (it was too difficult to get us all onto two flights) to JFK International Airport got cancelled just now due to the winter noreaster beating down on the New England States. Snow accumulation today in New York will be between 20-30 mph with 40 mph gusts, giving air traffic a difficult time.

This noreaster is part of a massive low pressure system moving across the US right now and is dumping rain/snow from Florida all the way up to Pennsylvania. This rain is good for our drought conditions. How we're still in a drought I'm not quite sure, because we've received over 7 inches more rain this year than average. Temperatures will be a bit cooler in Spain than they are here in NC.

At this point I'm gonna peace out for a couple of days. We should have Wi-Fi in the hotels and I am looking forward to posting a couple times while I'm over there.

Happy New Year everyone!