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

General Weather Discussions and Analysis
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C2G
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Ed Mahmoud wrote:
Never been a February snow miracle in the 11 years I lived in HOU. Well, HOU mailing address, Spring school district.
Well, you just missed a snow event in February. Believe it was February 1st or 2nd 1994, big flakes that didn't stick.
Believe it was 94 because my wife at the time was very pregnant.
Unfortunately Ed, some of us have to show up for work regardless of an impending Hurricane strike or icy roads.
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Ptarmigan
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Cloud2ground wrote: Well, you just missed a snow event in February. Believe it was February 1st or 2nd 1994, big flakes that didn't stick.
Believe it was 94 because my wife at the time was very pregnant.
Unfortunately Ed, some of us have to show up for work regardless of an impending Hurricane strike or icy roads.
I remember the 1994 snow event. The flakes were large and it was also not that cold.
cisa
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Early February used to always be the time we'd see the snow and ice when I was a kid. When was that last bad ice storm we had?
No rain, no rainbows.
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srainhoutx
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cisa wrote:Early February used to always be the time we'd see the snow and ice when I was a kid. When was that last bad ice storm we had?

Code: Select all

YEAR DATE REMARKS 
1961 January 25 Freezing Rain/Glazing 
1965 February 24 Glaze 
1968 January 8 Glaze 
1970 January 18-19 Glaze 
1971 January 7-8 Glaze 
1973 January 9-12 Glaze 
1973 February 8-9 Glaze 
1976 November 28-29 Glaze 
1977 January 2  Glaze 
1978 January 21-22 Glaze 
1982 January 12-14 Glaze 
1983 December 22-23 Glaze 
1983 December 26 Glaze 
1985 January 3 Glaze 
1985 January 12-13 Glaze 
1985 January 31 - February 1 Glaze 
1988 February 11 Glaze 
1989 February 4-8 Glaze 
1989 December 22 Glaze 
1990 December 22-23 Glaze 
1994 February 8-9 Glaze 
1997 January 12-14 Glaze 
2007 January 16-17 Freezing Rain/Glaze 
http://www.wxresearch.com/almanac/houice.htm
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cisa
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srainhoutx wrote:
cisa wrote:Early February used to always be the time we'd see the snow and ice when I was a kid. When was that last bad ice storm we had?

Code: Select all

YEAR DATE REMARKS 
1961 January 25 Freezing Rain/Glazing 
1965 February 24 Glaze 
1968 January 8 Glaze 
1970 January 18-19 Glaze 
1971 January 7-8 Glaze 
1973 January 9-12 Glaze 
1973 February 8-9 Glaze 
1976 November 28-29 Glaze 
1977 January 2  Glaze 
1978 January 21-22 Glaze 
1982 January 12-14 Glaze 
1983 December 22-23 Glaze 
1983 December 26 Glaze 
1985 January 3 Glaze 
1985 January 12-13 Glaze 
1985 January 31 - February 1 Glaze 
1988 February 11 Glaze 
1989 February 4-8 Glaze 
1989 December 22 Glaze 
1990 December 22-23 Glaze 
1994 February 8-9 Glaze 
1997 January 12-14 Glaze 
2007 January 16-17 Freezing Rain/Glaze 
http://www.wxresearch.com/almanac/houice.htm
thank you Srain. I sure hope we get something interesting this winter.
No rain, no rainbows.
southerngale
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The January, 1997 ice storm was worse just a little to your east. We had an inch of ice in Beaumont, no power for many days, and it was a miserable, horrible experience. I don't remember how many days we didn't get above freezing, but I didn't have a fireplace at the time and we just bundled up and tried to keep from freezing. I can still remember the feeling of frozen solid feet. While I'd love some snow, I don't want to go through another ice storm. I do have a fireplace now though, so it would be more bearable, assuming one of those gazillion trees and large branches didn't crash down on my house. :P

Here's a write-up on it from NWS LCH. Some of you may enjoy reading the synoptics leading up to the event.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/?n=icestorm97
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don
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I remember the 1997 ice storm, at he time i lived in Humble and we had over an inch of ice accumulation also, i still remember that night so vividly because of the thunderstorms that developed which is pretty amazing when you have temps at freezing! We were without power for less than 24 hours.
cisa
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don wrote:I remember the 1997 ice storm, at he time i lived in Humble and we had over an inch of ice accumulation also, i still remember that night so vividly because of the thunderstorms that developed which is pretty amazing when you have temps at freezing! We were without power for less than 24 hours.
Yeah, I live just north of Humble and we lost power then too. The one I was thinkiing of was 1985, b/c my son was small. The parking lot at work was like Ice for a couple of days b/c people would pour water on their windshields to deice them and it would run down on the ground and refreeze. That was like consecutive days though. It's been a while.
No rain, no rainbows.
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Ptarmigan
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srainhoutx wrote:
cisa wrote:Early February used to always be the time we'd see the snow and ice when I was a kid. When was that last bad ice storm we had?

Code: Select all

YEAR DATE REMARKS 
1961 January 25 Freezing Rain/Glazing 
1965 February 24 Glaze 
1968 January 8 Glaze 
1970 January 18-19 Glaze 
1971 January 7-8 Glaze 
1973 January 9-12 Glaze 
1973 February 8-9 Glaze 
1976 November 28-29 Glaze 
1977 January 2  Glaze 
1978 January 21-22 Glaze 
1982 January 12-14 Glaze 
1983 December 22-23 Glaze 
1983 December 26 Glaze 
1985 January 3 Glaze 
1985 January 12-13 Glaze 
1985 January 31 - February 1 Glaze 
1988 February 11 Glaze 
1989 February 4-8 Glaze 
1989 December 22 Glaze 
1990 December 22-23 Glaze 
1994 February 8-9 Glaze 
1997 January 12-14 Glaze 
2007 January 16-17 Freezing Rain/Glaze 
http://www.wxresearch.com/almanac/houice.htm
January 1985 had three ice storms in one month! 1976 had an icestorm in November, the earliest on record. I remember one in February 1996.

If we do the math and see how often ice storms happen in Houston from 1961 to 2011, which is 50 years, it should on average every 2.2 years. I know there have been ice storms in January/February 1951 and possibly February 1906.

Here is another article about ice storms.
http://www.americanlifelinesalliance.or ... maries.pdf
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srainhoutx
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While the 12Z GFS may have backed off temporarily on the cold settling into TX, the Upper Air (500mb) pattern still looks rather interesting and suggests a robust storm taking shape to our W late this weekend/early next week...also Impact Weather discusses the upcoming pattern for the 1st of February near the end of the video...

http://www.youtube.com/impactweather
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srainhoutx
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The 12Z Canadian (GEM) suggests a 1048mb Arctic High pressure heading S from Western Canada @ hour 144 with an Upper Level storm heading S as well (January 30th). At hour 180, temps fall across N TX as the Arctic boundary heads S with a 1052mb High Pressure ridge heading S along the lee side of the Rockies and our future weather interest (winter storm) takes shape to our W...The trend continues...
01242011 12Z CMC 12_054_G1_north@america@zoomout_I_4PAN_CLASSIC@012_144.jpg
01242011 12Z CMC f180.gif
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wxman57
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12Z GFS now has a cold rain event for TX next week. Canadian doesn't go out far enough, but it is suggestive of possible much colder air than the GFS is indicating, along with moisture from an approaching trof next Tue-Wed.
redneckweather
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What it looks like is that the arctic front the beginning of next week looks shallow in nature and not that deep at all. Is this what y'all are thinking? If so then it will be hard to squeeze a flake out of an airmass like this, even if it is near freezing or below at the surface...more of a sleet/freezing rain type of even if anything.

Thoughts?
TexasBreeze
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Uh oh it's a case of which model to believe now. Other models will probably trend gfs way. Gfs could bring winter precip back but I won't count on it.
Andrew
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Euro coming in a bit stronger through 144. I am on my phone right now but I'm sure someone will post an image soon

Edit: at 192 the cold air is heading south and fast. A lot stronger on this run but I can't tell how the moisture is looking at this point.
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Euro is looking very cold for us with a 1044 high dropping down the rockies. Shows a nice upper-level flow at 192 as a disturbance begins to take shape out west.

Image
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This is my opinion only, but I'm not buying such a strong solution by the Euro. I still think it'll be an 'enhanced cold front' vs a major arctic chill. I've seen the Euro cry wolf too many times this year...and even during last year's hurricane season. However the ensembles of the gfs and the cmc seem to be on board. One thing that has my hopes on life support is the cold air in Canada. It's there. It's just a matter of time and trajectory that we need to figure out.
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Portastorm
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Yeah and then near the end of the run, it drops the Mother of All Arctic Airmasses down into the Southern Plains.

Oh my ... :shock:
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GFS Ensembles:

Image
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tireman4
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Portastorm wrote:Yeah and then near the end of the run, it drops the Mother of All Arctic Airmasses down into the Southern Plains.

Oh my ... :shock:

This looks like it is from one of the meteorologists at the Portastorm Weather Center. Did he accidentally leave the pizza on the hard drive again. Sigh.
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