February 1-5, 2011 Arctic Blast/Winter Storm Discussion

General Weather Discussions and Analysis
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C2G
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Location: NW Galveston County
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Anytime you get ice on the Galveston Causeway......it's a major event. Driving home at 6AM and seeing Galveston P.D. working at least three accidents on that bridge makes you drive extremely cautious.
After the Dec 4th, 2009 snow event I try not to get too worked up over the possibility of snow.
You tend to get angry at people who have no control over weather if you do.
Let Spring come early this year.
nuby, unless that warm layer has magically disappeared, it will be freezing rain.
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updraft
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Location: Pearland - Hwy 288/518 - SCR
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srainhoutx wrote:Good Morning. Well, we didn’t get snow, we got something worse. Ice. I spent the last half hour reading some of the over night posts and I know some are disappointed, but we have to remember there are no guarantees in weather. As David Paul said this morning, “Mother Nature is going do what Mother Nature wants to do”. As was pointed out by our Pros, that warm layer aloft around 5000 feet was our ‘issue’ regarding any snow chances. .................. section deleted to condense and save space (read original post for details) ............................Folks, I know that this has been said many time overnight into the morning, but please stay safe and be careful out there. We want to see you back here posting and not injured.
....................................................

While it is true that all those you mention in your post contribute to make this weather board such a great informative tool - I've got to honestly say srain, you have got to be the best Admin of a forum that I've ever encountered. You not only bring sense and sensibility to the sometimes heated, hectic opinions and thoughts, you also know a thing or two about the weather ;-) ... and you can explain it in simple terms for us amateurs - which is greatly appreciated.

With the right participants, any forum can be good .... but to be great, you need continuity, fairness, and respect for those in the forum - and you sir, bring that to this great vehicle of information and shared learning. Thank you for all you do.
"Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning." - The late/great George Carlin
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Badfish
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OK, the kids want to call 911 and report mother nauture for fraud!!!!!!!!!
johnsover
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Lots of ice in Brazoria county, and lucky us, the county didn't sand the bridges last night. They sanded an intersection close to the bridge, but not the bridge. ???
My husband had to go to work this morning and while going up a bridge, he saw a wreck on the other side, so he had to stop on the top of the bridge. The car behind him stopped as well but the next car came up way too fast and rear ended the car behind my husband's truck, then went between the gaurd rail and scraped down the entire side of my husband's truck. The car wasn't able to stop until he was 150 feet past my husband's truck.
He's been sitting on the bridge for over 3 hours now. The tow trucks can't get to the cars, and the police can't get to them either. Finally the county came out with some sand and are trying to get the bridge sanded down.
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lyndie32
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Badfish wrote:OK, the kids want to call 911 and report mother nauture for fraud!!!!!!!!!


we so need a like button!!! lol

LIKE :lol:
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C2G
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Badfish wrote:OK, the kids want to call 911 and report mother nauture for fraud!!!!!!!!!
:lol: :D
Well, our snow event became the Dallas areas snow event.
Sheesh, it's not like they've had a gazillion here in the last few years.
cisa
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Location: Porter, TX
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Well I guess I won't be going To work after all. I'm glad b/c it's cold and my car's a block of ice.
No rain, no rainbows.
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jasons2k
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Same here as a lot of other places - 1/4" - 1/8" coating of ice on everything. Too bad it's not snow even up here on Montgomery County.
clute28
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If its worth anything I'm getting a light mist here ..don't know if anything will come of it tho
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jasons2k
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Now I'm getting a mixture of flurries, frz rain, snow grains, and sleet all at once.
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djmike
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jasons wrote:Now I'm getting a mixture of flurries, frz rain, snow grains, and sleet all at once.
What is your location jasons?
Mike
Beaumont, TX
(IH-10 & College Street)
Poltracker
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Location: Deer Park, Texas
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Just got to work. Surface Rds in Pasadena/Deer Park are OK except on the bridges over the bayous, be very careful on those. Hwy 225 is an icy mess and is closed.
megsy
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Location: South Katy
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We have freezing rain right now in Katy.
Stormrider
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Good Morning Board. A little more room in here than last night, I wonder why? ;)

Ok, so blanket of white on the lawn. The potential was there. The icy conditions are giving more than a few people grief. For example, if you have to be on the highway or of you're dependent on powered medical equipment this IS and event and FAR from a joke.

It's far better to be aware and prepare than to despair. I think the Board does a good job of making people aware so that they can prepare. Strain, your comments were spot on, my hat's off to you and the mods, as well as the pro-met, old-timers and lukers out of the woods who let us know what was going on in their 'hood.

When you underestimate the power of nature, you tend to get into trouble. I wonder how many people thought that Allison was "just a tropical storm"?

Off my soapbox, time for another cup of joe. Peace, out.
redneckweather
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Location: Montgomery, Texas
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Just heard from my neighboring landowner in Madisonville. He said he's got 2 inches on the ground and still coming down.

Question is, how is the freeway between Conroe and Madisoville on 45? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!!!
ticka1
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Show of hands here on the forum - how many think we will get above freezing today? I think we might see one or two hours before the sun drops and the temps plunge again - I am hearing 23 degrees for today? Wxman57 is that right or they too low?
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wxman57
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Just got out to my "manual" rain gauge to check the precip total overnight. Had to bring it inside and use a hair dryer to thaw out the ice in the funnel. Total precip with the event so far in SW Houston is 0.08". That's not far from the .1 to .13" the GFS and NAM were forecasting. Unfortunately, the warm layer aloft prevented it from falling as about an inch of snow.
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lyndie32
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redneckweather wrote:Just heard from my neighboring landowner in Madisonville. He said he's got 2 inches on the ground and still coming down.

Question is, how is the freeway between Conroe and Madisoville on 45? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!!!

http://www.dot.state.tx.us/travel/static_maps.htm maybe that can help u.. ;)
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srainhoutx
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Anyone ready to do this all again next week? :? If guidance is correct, Wednesday/Thursday could get interesting all over again and more Arctic air. I think I'm about ready for Spring. This is SE TX after all...

PRELIMINARY EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER CAMP SPRINGS MD
857 AM EST FRI FEB 04 2011

VALID 12Z TUE FEB 08 2011 - 12Z FRI FEB 11 2011

UPPER PATTERN NEXT WEEK FEATURES BUILDING RIDGING OFF THE WEST
COAST AND THE QUASI STATIONARY POLAR VORTEX NORTH OF HUDSON
BAY...WITH A DEEP BUT PROGRESSIVE MEAN TROUGH EARLY IN THE PERIOD
ALONG 110W MOVING ACROSS MUCH OF THE CONUS THE REMAINDER OF THE
PERIOD. THE GUIDANCE IS GENERALLY IN GOOD AGREEMENT...WITH THE
TYPICALLY FAST GFS/GEFS MEAN OUTPACING THE CORRESPONDING ECMWF
MEAN LATER IN THE FORECAST. THE 00Z/04 ENSEMBLE SPAGHETTI PLOTS
CLEARLY SHOW THE TWO CAMPS OF THOUGHT. THE 00Z UKMET/CANADIAN
DECIDEDLY FAVOR THE SLOWER ECMWF CAMP OF SOLUTIONS WITH A SLOWER
TROUGH PROGRESSION THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WED-THU WHICH HAS
BIG IMPACTS ON THE FORECAST DOWNSTREAM. THE 00Z/04 GFS SETS UP
QUITE AN I-95 SNOWSTORM FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC NORTHWARD AND HAS
SUPPORT FROM THE 00Z GEFS MEAN...BUT THINGS MUST COME TOGETHER FOR
THAT TO HAPPEN. THE 06Z DETERMINISTIC GFS IS WEAKER WITH ITS
POTENTIAL SNOWSTORM THAN ITS PRECEDING 00Z RUN BUT HAS THE SAME
GENERAL IDEA OF THE PAST 3 GFS RUNS. WE WILL SIDE WITH THE GREATER
CONSENSUS AROUND THE 00Z/04 ECMWF AND 12Z/04 ECMWF RUNS FOR
NOW...WHICH STILL ADVERTISE A RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING CYCLONE THROUGH
NEW ENGLAND THURSDAY. ENOUGH SPREAD EXISTS IN THE ENSEMBLES TO
PRECLUDE SPECIFICS AT THIS POINT IN TIME...BUT COLD TEMPERATURES
SHOULD FOLLOW FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CONUS THURSDAY INTO
FRIDAY.
Carla/Alicia/Jerry(In The Eye)/Michelle/Charley/Ivan/Dennis/Katrina/Rita/Wilma/Humberto/Ike/Harvey

Member: National Weather Association
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MRG93415
Posts: 123
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 3:36 pm
Location: Cypress, TX
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Well we had snow on the cars and some on the front porch but mostly ice. Heard that Waller had more snow but not sure. We might take a drive out there later this afternoon to see and let the kids see it. I know it is very cold out here..Went outside to slide in the street with the kids and only stayed out about 10 minutes to get a video and then headed back in...THis morning seems colder then the actual temps...
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