Comments on: Blizzard to hammer Northeast; we get gusty winds

By: NEWxSFC

NEWxSFC — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:25:22 +0000

Comment by joe — February 9, 2013 @ 11:09 pm # 76.1/4 mi
what you did not mention was for the strong winds needed to constitute a blizzard.”

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Comment by NEWxSFC — February 9, 2013 @ 6:23 pm
“Blizzards are wind storms where the visibility is restricted to under 1/4SM by blowing or falling snow and the sustained wind speed (or frequent gusts) are 35 MPH (30 knots) or greater for a period of three hours or more.”

How’s that again?
No mention of wind speed you say?

Please proceed.

By: NEWxSFC

NEWxSFC — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:20:05 +0000

MWN is 6000′ MSL.

So point taken…blizzard conditions at 6000′ MSL.

By: Kevin Myatt

Kevin Myatt — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 04:43:26 +0000

A generation from now New Englanders are going to tell their grandkids about the Blizzard of ’13 and New Jersey shore residents are going to tell their grandkids about Hurricane Sandy, meteorological technicalities notwithstanding.

My native portion of northeast Arkansas was placed under its first-ever blizzard warning on Christmas night. After the fact, I couldn’t find any obs that would support a “blizzard” status, but there’s already lots written and said about the Christmas Blizzard. I’m not going to be the grinch and take away their rare “blizzard.”

Unfortunately — I’m afraid the Northeast snowstorm is going to go down as “Winter Storm Nemo” to a lot of people. The Weather Channel’s naming convention finally seemed to gain some traction with this storm, after being largely ignored before, judging by the number of public officials and others using #Nemo on Twitter.

By: joe

joe — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 04:17:24 +0000

Insofar as no station not having the required 3 hour timeframe
to constitute a blizzard MWN (Mount Washington NH) certainly
provides many hours of “Bona Fides”
Heres 19 hours or so worth.

MWN
100358 100352Z 36047G55KT 0SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV000 M20/M20 R
100300 100252Z 36051G58KT 0SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV000 M20/M20 R
100152 100148Z 35032G46KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV001 M22/M2
100058 100052Z 35040G51KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV001 M22/M2
092359 092349Z 35033G49KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV001 M23/M2
092258 092249Z 36032G43KT 1/16SM FZFG BLSN VV003 M23/M23 RM
092152 092148Z 36027G41KT 1/16SM FZFG BLSN VV003 M22/M22 RM
092102 092052Z 36033G44KT 1/16SM FZFG BLSN VV003 M22/M22 RM
091958 091949Z 36032G47KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV003 M21/M2
091858 091853Z 02030G39KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV003 M21/M2
091802 091750Z 02035G47KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV003 M21/M2
091658 091651Z 01033G46KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV002 M20/M2
091558 091551Z 04043G57KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV002 M18/M1
091502 091454Z 04044G55KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV002 M18/M1
091358 091354Z 05054G62KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV002 M18/M1
091258 091252Z 06046G70KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV002 M18/M1
091208 091156Z 05052G67KT 1/16SM -SN FZFG BLSN VV003 M19/M1
091058 091050Z 05046G57KT 0SM SN FZFG BLSN VV000 M19/M19 RM
090959 090953Z 05045G51KT 0SM SN FZFG BLSN VV000 M20/M20 RM
090900 090853Z 05060G65KT 0SM PLUSSN FZFG BLSN VV000 M18/M

By: joe

joe — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 04:09:30 +0000

1/4 mi vis is not uncommon with heavy snow..
what you did not mention was for the strong
winds needed to constitute a blizzard.
Also a blizzard doesnt even have to have
precip falling from clouds.
Drifting snow alone can create blizzard conditions.
1/4 mi with even heavy snow can be fairly easy to navigate
and certainly airplanes usually dont have a problem with 1/4 mi vis
if winds arent a factor.
Winds in excess of 35mph is the larger factor in making it extremely dangerous.
I dont think ive ever read a weather sequence in over 30 years where
heavy snow only will create vis less than 1/4 mi..there will have to
be other components that drive the reduced visibilities..like fog
or wind driven/ drifting snow . The “blizzard” term is heavily dependant on winds as much or more than visibility.
Vis less than 1/4 can result in “whiteout” and of course thats extremely dangerous..driving or walking.

By: NEWxSFC

NEWxSFC — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:35:30 +0000

One other thing to consider is the disconnect between conditions stipulated in a blizzard ‘warning’ vs. blizzard conditions.

Blizzard warning: VSBY less than _or equal to_ 1/4SM
Blizzard conditions: VSBY less than 1/4SM

Don’t ask me why.
Ask the National Weather Circus.

By: NEWxSFC

NEWxSFC — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:31:19 +0000

There were strong indications this event would _develop_ into a bona fide blizzard — the impetus for SPC’s 0737 PM CST FRI FEB 08 MSD — with ‘bona fide’ meaning the storm would meet or exceed the meteorological definition of a blizzard; however…the obs post-mortem do not support that classification.

—
Wind speed – check
Falling or blowing snow – check
Restricted visibility – not so much.

KISP (Islip airport on Long Island..NY) came the closest but blizzard-type conditions lasted about half the required time.

More…
http://newxsfc.blogspot.com/2013/02/winter-12-13-storm-3-blizzard.html

Bear with me here…this is one of my favorite winter-wx pet peeves.

By: Kevin Myatt

Kevin Myatt — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:43:31 +0000

NEWx: I will readily admit that I haven’t closely analyzed the storm enough myself to determine if it was a “blizzard” or not. SPC described it as a “bonafide blizzard” in a mesoscale discussion. So I’ve sorta presumed from that and the numerous blizzard warnings (and the headline to this blog post preceded the storm).

I will leave the definition to post-storm analysis and hedge it at “historic winter storm” in my newest post, just to be safe.

By: NEWxSFC

NEWxSFC — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:23:43 +0000

Despite what you may have heard and read about this weekend’s nor’easter…it was not a blizzard.

Blizzards are wind storms where the visibility is restricted to under 1/4SM by blowing or falling snow and the sustained wind speed (or frequent gusts) are 35 MPH (30 knots) or greater for a period of three hours or more.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/wsom/manual/archives/NC429205.HTML

None of the observing stations in the NE reported conditions anywhere near the conditions required for a storm to be classified as a blizzard.

By: Doug G, SW ROA County, 1420 Ft

Doug G, SW ROA County, 1420 Ft — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 22:12:06 +0000

Meanwhile, it got very close to 50 degrees with diminishing winds and full sun all day here in ROA!! WHY I MOVED OUT OF MASS TO SW VIRGINIA!!!