2009.02.21
It's the upslope snow machine, again
In writing about any winter in this region, one is bound to write "upslope snow showers" on at least dozen different days. But this winter has seen a seemingly infinite series of upslope snow shower events, when northwest winds blowing up the western slopes of the Appalachians triggers snow squalls, mostly in West Virginia but bleeding into Virginia. That's happening again starting overnight and continuing into Monday as a low to the north pulls another Arctic cold front through. There will be some upper-level energy to help trigger some of the snow, but most of it will be typical northwest-flow stuff. Winter storm watches are up for the usual counties of eastern West Virginia, where 6 or more inches of snow could fall, especially above 2,500 feet and on west-facing slope areas.
That sliver of high-elevation counties is wondering: What snow drought? Snowshoe Mountain has collected, to date, 171 inches of snow ... and counting. That's a bit over 14 feet ... running well ahead of the 10-foot-per-season average, (Correction: Snowshoe Mountain averages about 180 inches of snow each year) likely on the way to 200 inches by the time the last flakes fall in May. What several days of northwest wind, 4,800 feet in elevation and some Great Lakes moisture can do.
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