January 2024

General Weather Discussions and Analysis
Stratton20
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, Global models and ensemble’s do show arctic air becoming a big player starting next week and beyond, I think abc13 made a post on facebook about no cold blasts in the extended range, based on what im seeing in the model guidance and how incredible the agreement is , that statement is a load of horse manure,
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sambucol
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Agree.
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Ptarmigan
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Cromagnum wrote: Wed Jan 03, 2024 6:32 pm Hmmm

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If it is warm in Alaska, it is usually cold in the Lower 48.
Cpv17
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Stratton20 wrote: Wed Jan 03, 2024 10:19 pm , Global models and ensemble’s do show arctic air becoming a big player starting next week and beyond, I think abc13 made a post on facebook about no cold blasts in the extended range, based on what im seeing in the model guidance and how incredible the agreement is , that statement is a load of horse manure,
If that’s what they said, then yeah, I agree too.
Pas_Bon
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Stratton20 wrote: Wed Jan 03, 2024 10:19 pm , Global models and ensemble’s do show arctic air becoming a big player starting next week and beyond, I think abc13 made a post on facebook about no cold blasts in the extended range, based on what im seeing in the model guidance and how incredible the agreement is , that statement is a load of horse manure,

It was Travis Herzog and he was poo-poo’ing the sensationalism of those latching onto models that indicated a polar vortex later this month. It looks as if he will have to eat crow on this one with the looks of it early, but things can change. No one is right every time.
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jasons2k
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I had a low of 36 with a forecast low of 39. Seems to be a consistent pattern. I’m so glad I replaced my Acurite with a Davis, the Davis is a lot more accurate. Acurite is more like Acuwrong.
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tireman4
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00
FXUS64 KHGX 041135
AFDHGX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
535 AM CST Thu Jan 4 2024

...New AVIATION...

.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Friday Night)
Issued at 309 AM CST Thu Jan 4 2024

Welp...kinda hard to come back and write one of these after how
yesterday went. There was a slice of the area on our western edge
that stayed cloudy enough to get stuck down around 50
degrees...but the eastern bulk of the area was able to get enough
sun to break out to drive temps up into the middle to upper 50s.
Whoopsie-daisies!

So, the main implication going forward is that virtually the
entire area is under a clear sky tonight, and fog potential should
be more widespread than initially thought. So far, there is some
dense fog forming in the immediate vicinity of larger rivers -
particularly the Brazos and Navasota - while more localized
patches of less dense fog is forming across the rest of the area.
As we get deeper into the night I expect we`ll see some expansion
of that. Should some of that more dense fog come up out of the
lower river plains, we may need a short dense fog advisory in the
northwest. I`m hoping to avoid that, but it will become necessary
if that localized dense fog becomes more widespread.

Once we get the sun up enough to dissipate morning fog, today will
be our short, nice break between our rapid succession of coastal
lows. Some weak ridging aloft will scoot on through the region
during the day, while a surface high settles in to our northeast,
veering winds around to more easterly, and beginning to build
moisture ahead of the next round of rain. Some clouds will be ling
through the day on our western edge, and begin to encroach into
the area as we transition into the evening, but there should be
enough sun to help us repeat what we saw in the warmer portions of
the area yesterday - highs in the upper 50s and lower 60s.

Come evening, though, we brace ourselves for the next low. In
early evening, a new upper trough will be making its way in from
West Texas, while at the surface, we can see a coastal trough
firming up enough to spark a few showers farther down the coast
below Matagorda Bay and not quite in our area...yet. As the
evening wears on, the onshore flow will push precipitable water up
above an inch from southwest to northeast. The upper trough will
push into North Texas, drawing up the developing coastal low. Rain
showers will overspread the area from west to east through the
night, continuing into Friday morning.

The HREF mean MUCAPE shows any modest instability more or less
near and south of I-10. This jives pretty well with what the NBM
gave me for thunder potential - chance of thunder in that area,
and a slight chance for much of the area north of I-10. So, with
just some minor cosmetic tweaks to match better with the MUCAPE
prog, that`s what I went with for thunder. For those working
offshore, there should be considerably better thunderstorm
potential in the low`s warm sector offshore, probably more in the
20-60 NM zones than the 0-20 NM zones.

If this is sounding a lot like the last one, well...it kinda is.
This upper trough doesn`t dig quite as far before it ejects to the
northeast, but the surface low looks to run a pretty similar
track. One result of this is that I don`t expect inland rains to
be quite as significant due to the lack of height falls/colder air
aloft to boost convection in our north. It`ll still rain, but
should be entirely light to moderate rainfall, with total QPF of
0.5-0.75 inches, with the exception of some isolated higher
totals. At the coast, however, we`ll still have the same setup
fueled by onshore flow around the trough axis/low center. We`ll
get some natural convergence at the coast as well, along with the
best, deep moisture. Instability will be pretty meager over land,
but even a little bit of a convective updraft could enhance rains
within a county or two of the coast. So the highest rain totals
are painted over the nearest row or two of counties against the
Gulf, generally 1-1.5 inches. This lines up pretty well with WPC`s
excessive rain outlook, which hugs our lower coast below
Galveston Bay for late tonight, then shifts to the upper coast and
most of the rest of the northern Gulf coast for tomorrow.

The expected rainfall on its own wouldn`t normally cause any
issues at all. However, given that we are in a string of multiple
rain events, we`re focused on the area that could see isolated
higher totals from isolated convection, and it`s winter when
colder ground isn`t quite as permeable...there is some low end
threat. The places that have this threat would be locations that
are low/poor drainage, and end up seeing localized higher totals
in this coastal band. Like the last low, I`m leaning pretty
heavily towards convection- allowing, high res guidance for timing
here. Rather than drag rain chances late into the day tomorrow, I
wrap the bulk of it up by early afternoon, with some lingering
PoPs in the east through late afternoon, just to hedge a little
against slower motion. I`m pretty confident that the faster
guidance is the way to go here, but it`s not 100 percent
confidence. Gotta cover that possibility, albeit small, that
things drag a little more tomorrow afternoon.

Late Friday afternoon and Friday night will see winds wing back
around to northerly behind the departing low, and we should expect
to see some gustiness again at the coast and over the coastal
waters in the wake of the exiting storms. Since this will mostly
be over the waters, check out the marine section for more details
on this. But suffice to say that some of the gustier winds could
impact the immediate coast. Galveston is a place to keep an eye
on, as it will have a longer fetch off of lower friction Galveston
Bay upwind.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Saturday through Wednesday)
Issued at 309 AM CST Thu Jan 4 2024

This weekend continues to look pleasant with cool to mild
temperatures. Global models show a mid/upper shortwave passing
north of our region on Saturday. ECMWF brings a little more
shortwave induced lift and ML moisture into SE Texas, resulting
in more clouds and slightly cooler temperatures on Saturday than
the GFS suggests. Our forecast temps in the mid 50s to low 60s is
an average between the two models. Saturday night lows are
forecast to range from the 30s across our northern counties to 40s
farther south. Expect another pleasant day on Sunday with highs
in the low/mid 60s.

While we enjoy our pleasant weekend, a strong deep-layer trough
will dig southward over the SW CONUS. Already by Sunday evening,
the trough induced LL pressure falls across W Texas will result in
increasing southeasterly flow off the Gulf. Sfc low is expected to
materialize over the TX panhandle Sunday night, before pushing
eastward across OK on Monday. By Monday morning, a well stacked,
strong sfc-850mb southerly flow regime ahead of the low (and its
associated cold front) will push deep tropical moisture towards
SE Texas. Global ensemble means suggest a good chance of
widespread 1.00"+ PWAT values with the potential of exceeding
1.50" south of I-10. Meanwhile, the introduction of strong PVA
will support large scale lift over the region. At a minimum, there
appears to be a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. The
question is whether or not the atmosphere will produce strong to
severe thunderstorms across SE TX. There remain uncertainties
regarding the tilt of the through, the presence and strength of a
capping inversion, and the impact morning showers/thunderstorms
could have on peak instability potential. As with most of these
systems, there are a lot of moving parts. But given the shear
profile projected by nearly all of the guidance, the forecast on
Monday warrants a close eye. We shall keep you posted!

Equally as interesting are the winds associated with the system.
This is especially true regarding the winds behind the cold front.
Current model blend used for our wind grids show widespread 20-30
MPH sustained with gusts up around 40 MPH Monday night into
Tuesday. Higher winds are possible near the coast and bays. This
forecast is actually conservative relative to some of the global
guidance, especially for areas near the coast. ECMWF ensemble
means suggest 50 MPH gusts could be accomplished near the coast.
Riding along these strong NW winds will be cold air advection. So
after temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s on Monday, brace
for low/mid 50s accompanied by gusty winds on Tuesday. Could be
dealing with a light freeze north of I-10 (and outside the urban
heat island) Tuesday night. Early outlook for Wednesday features
sunshine and cool temps in the upper 50s to low 60s.

Self

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAF Issuance)
Issued at 535 AM CST Thu Jan 4 2024

Challenging VSBY forecast to open, with dense fog west of most
terminals, all around CLL...but not at CLL. After a few hours, fog
dissipates, giving us increasing easterly winds 5-10 knots through
the day. Winds continue to strengthen and become more ESE this
evening as next disturbance approaches. MVFR (and eventually IFR
for some) CIGs and rain overspread area from west to east,
beginning at CLL just before midnight, and reaching the I-45
terminals late overnight. Isolated TSRA possible at all terminals,
but very low confidence for IAH northward, so only mention VCTS
south of I-10.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 309 AM CST Thu Jan 4 2024

Winds veer to the east and increase today. A Small Craft Advisory
will go into effect this afternoon into Friday morning for the
Gulf waters. It is possible this may need to be extended further
into Friday and expanded into the bays. The next system impacts
the region late Thursday into Friday, bringing rain and
thunderstorms along with increasing winds and seas. Small Craft
Advisory level conditions appear likely with localized gale
conditions possible near and within any thunderstorm. Conditions
will be much improved over the weekend. However, another storm
system could impact the region by Monday of next week, bringing
another round of rain and thunderstorms. Higher winds and seas can
also be expected ahead of the storm system and especially in the
wake of the system. Current guidance suggest an increasing risk of
gales behind a cold front Monday night into Tuesday.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL) 60 48 59 39 / 0 90 60 0
Houston (IAH) 60 49 59 43 / 0 90 90 0
Galveston (GLS) 61 56 63 48 / 0 70 90 0

&&

.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM CST this morning for TXZ195>198-
210>212.

GM...Small Craft Should Exercise Caution from 3 PM CST this afternoon
through late tonight for GMZ330-335.

Small Craft Advisory from 3 PM this afternoon to 6 AM CST Friday
for GMZ350-355-370-375.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Luchs
LONG TERM....Self
AVIATION...Luchs
MARINE...Self
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sambucol
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1127 Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:39 am

Pow Ponder said in his video this morning confirmation this morning of a 60 degree surge in the Arctic. SSWE. Displacement of the Polar Vortex. By January 12, intense Arctic air building in British Columbia. Temp anomalies over 30 degrees below normal. Snowpack will help colder air travel farther south.

Here’s the link to his video: https://youtu.be/8tOP-x6dSC4?feature=shared
Cpv17
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jasons2k wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:49 am I had a low of 36 with a forecast low of 39. Seems to be a consistent pattern. I’m so glad I replaced my Acurite with a Davis, the Davis is a lot more accurate. Acurite is more like Acuwrong.
You get what you pay for. Not always the case but definitely is the case here. Just a slight difference in quality between the two brands lol
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jasons2k
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Cpv17 wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:08 am
jasons2k wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:49 am I had a low of 36 with a forecast low of 39. Seems to be a consistent pattern. I’m so glad I replaced my Acurite with a Davis, the Davis is a lot more accurate. Acurite is more like Acuwrong.
You get what you pay for. Not always the case but definitely is the case here. Just a slight difference in quality between the two brands lol
The neighbor’s Tempest recorded a low of 40. Definitely wrong. I had high hopes for those when they launched but they apparently still have some kinks to work out. I found my Davis Vue for about $200 below list price on Scientific Sales, Davis’ largest authorized reseller.

I’ve tried different ones over the years and the extra cost for finally going Davis was definitely worth the splurge. My grandfather was an EE and I inherited several of his lab quality mercury thermometers to use as a control. So far it’s spot-on. The rain cup has been accurate to 0.00” against my Stratus gauge.
SKIDOG52
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Accuweather has sleet for the 17th at night
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jasons2k
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Good writeup on SCW today about the SSW and impacts to the polar vortex.

So far I’m not seeing anything to be especially alarmed (or excited) about. It’s January folks - the pattern evolves like this almost every winter.
biggerbyte
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Agreed... There have been several "upcoming events" over the years. Speaking on the last two or three months, these events have come and went, even in as little as 24 hours. I'm not sure why folks keep buying into the hype. This far out it makes no sense. Maybe this time things pan out. There has been so much disappointment.
Cpv17
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When models show something significant that’s in the medium to long range, pro mets are always going to be conservative and downplay the event and adjust accordingly when it gets closer in range. This has always been the case.
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don
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Mesoscale models are showing the potential for 2-3+ inches of rain with tomorrows storm south of the I-59 corridor. Rain starts late tonight.

Image

Image
Last edited by don on Thu Jan 04, 2024 12:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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DoctorMu
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jasons2k wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:49 am I had a low of 36 with a forecast low of 39. Seems to be a consistent pattern. I’m so glad I replaced my Acurite with a Davis, the Davis is a lot more accurate. Acurite is more like Acuwrong.
31.6°F and ice fog early this morning here in CLL. It looked pretty cool.
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DoctorMu
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sambucol wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:05 am 1127 Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:39 am

Pow Ponder said in his video this morning confirmation this morning of a 60 degree surge in the Arctic. SSWE. Displacement of the Polar Vortex. By January 12, intense Arctic air building in British Columbia. Temp anomalies over 30 degrees below normal. Snowpack will help colder air travel farther south.

Here’s the link to his video: https://youtu.be/8tOP-x6dSC4?feature=shared
On schedule. We've been seeing what will become progressive shots of cold air and wintry weather moving closer to us.
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DoctorMu
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Hmmmmm...CMC with an early N of Hwy 1*5 event? This model was a GEM in the 2021 winter storms (Jan, Feb) ;)

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tireman4
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&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAF Issuance)
Issued at 1122 AM CST Thu Jan 4 2024

Fog/low clouds did mix out rather quickly at the start of the shift
with mostly clear/VFR conditions prevailing this afternoon. E to SE
winds have already picked up to around 10kts and should continue to
steadily increase into the evening hours. MVFR (and eventually IFR)
CIGs and rain will move into the region from west to east, just be-
fore midnight...then reaching the I-45 terminals late overnight. At
this time, still not very confident with the idea of TSRA with this
activity, but will continue with the mention of VCTS for our termi-
nals from IAH south to the coast (GLS). While the rain chances will
be ending from west to east starting around mid to late Fri morning
at CLL, lower ceilings could stick around until late afternoon into
the early evening for most sites. 41

&&
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snowman65
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keep that snow line dropping south to s.e. tx!!!
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