Variable forecasts for upcoming storm

The upcoming storm appears to be a difficult one to forecast as there are fairly wide variances among at least some of the forecasters.

WFSB appears to be predicting more of an ice/mix storm, although the vagueness of the forecast with respect to snow depth appears to at least suggest the possibility for a bigger storm.

WVIT predicts "snow and ice accumulations of 5 to 10 inches inland with 4 to 8 inches at the shore are possible. Higher amounts are posssible north and west of Hartford depending on the exact track of the storm."

WTNH predicts ranging from 1-3 inches in the SE corner, 3-5 inches southeast of Hartford, 5-7 inches in the Hartford and NE part of the state, and 7-10 inches in the NW corner.

FOX 61's forecast is similar to WVIT's: 2-4 inches tonight with 5-10 inches total accumulation.

The National Weather Service, at present, appears to predict 9 to 15 inches total accumulation for the Avon area

Accuweather predicts 4-8 inches for the Avon area.

Snow Depth Readings

Thus far this season we have had two major snowstorms in Connecticut. I will be keeping a log of snow depths from these storms, and I will also provide recordings from my father and brother from other towns in the area.

The first storm was recorded as 11 inches by all three of us. The storm from last week was measured as dumping 4 inches in Avon and West Hartford.

Book-Northeast Snowstorms

The American Meteorological Society is offering a new two volume book plus DVD entitled Northeast Snowstorms. One of the authors is The Weather Channel's Paul Kocin. Here's a link to ordering information. I don't know of any other locations where the book can be purchased. If there is anyone out there that actually reads this site and has purchased this book (I would wager that a northeast blizzard in August would be more likely), I'd love to hear what you think about it.

Storm Dumps 3 Feet of Snow on N.M. Town

I know this has nothing to do with northeast snow events, but I thought it was interesting enough to post. Here's a link to a map showing snow depth for Mineral Hill. The page is interactive, so you can play around with it and zoom out and pan over to New Mexico to see snow depth distribution over there.

NWS Spotter Reports: 3/13/05

Below is the NWS spotter report for the latest storm. My feeling is that Connecticut saw higher levels than recorded, at least north and west of Hartford. I measured about 5 inches in Avon. ~> read more

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
Spotter reports National Weather Service Taunton MA 605 AM EST Sun Mar 13 2005
The following are unofficial observations taken for the snowfall that began the morning of the 12th of March. Appreciation is extended to highway departments, cooperative observers, skywarn spotters and media for these reports. This summary is also available on our home page at weather.Gov/Boston
********************Storm total snowfall********************
Location storm total time/date comments
snowfall of
(inches) measurement
Connecticut
Hartford County
Burlington 6.0 1015 AM 3/12
Manchester 4.1 948 AM 3/12
Windsor 4.0 117 PM 3/12 Skywarn
Glastonbury 3.0 1029 AM 3/12
Windsor Locks 2.6 1200 AM 3/13 bdl - air natl guard
east Hartford 2.5 317 PM 3/12 spotter
Old Wethersfield 2.0 210 PM 3/12 spotter
Tolland County
Staffordville 6.0 918 AM 3/13 NWS coop
Storrs 5.0 119 PM 3/12 skywarn
willington 4.0 1006 AM 3/12
Windham County
North Grosvenor dale 7.4 129 AM 3/13
Woodstock Valley 4.7 841 PM 3/12 spotter
Woodstock 4.5 538 PM 3/12 spotter
ashford 4.0 223 PM 3/12 spotter

Massachusetts
Barnstable County
West Falmouth 2.8 450 PM 3/12 Spotter
east Falmouth 2.6 1158 PM 3/12 spotter
Bristol County
West Mansfield 7.5 955 PM 3/12 Spotter
Taunton 6.5 1200 AM 3/13 NWS office
Taunton common 6.5 752 PM 3/12 spotter
Mansfield 6.3 600 AM 3/13 spotter
Easton 4.8 830 PM 3/12 spotter
Acushnet 4.5 808 PM 3/12 spotter
Somerset 3.5 600 PM 3/12 spotter
Fairhaven 2.5 1028 PM 3/12 spotter
New Bedford 2.0 1038 PM 3/12 spotter
Essex County
Georgetown 8.7 1137 PM 3/12
Haverhill 8.5 445 PM 3/12 Spotter
Topsfield 6.8 1052 PM 3/12 spotter
Ipswich 6.3 1102 PM 3/12 spotter
Methuen 5.3 830 PM 3/12 spotter
North Beverly 5.0 940 PM 3/12 spotter
Gloucester 4.5 921 PM 3/12 spotter
Marblehead 4.0 1048 PM 3/12 spotter
Peabody 4.0 1017 PM 3/12 spotter
Saugus 3.3 937 PM 3/12 spotter
Beverly 3.0 341 PM 3/12 spotter
Peabody 2.4 410 PM 3/12 spotter
Salem 2.0 336 PM 3/12 spotter
Franklin County
East Leverett 9.0 642 PM 3/12 spotter
Shelburne 8.0 450 PM 3/12 spotter
Ashfield 7.8 453 PM 3/12 spotter
Montague 6.1 155 PM 3/12 skywarn
Northfield 5.3 210 PM 3/12 spotter
Hampden County
Montgomery 6.1 254 PM 3/12 Spotter
Hampshire County
Goshen 8.0 200 PM 3/12 spotter
Westhampton 7.2 310 PM 3/12 spotter
Middlesex County
Pepperell 12.2 750 PM 3/12 Spotter
South Natick 11.4 1224 AM 3/13 spotter
dunstable 11.0 1045 PM 3/12 spotter
east Groton 10.0 1109 PM 3/12 spotter
ayer 9.7 1010 PM 3/12 spotter
Hudson 9.1 830 PM 3/12 spotter
Chelmsford 9.0 701 PM 3/12 spotter
Lincoln 9.0 701 PM 3/12 spotter
Groton 8.8 623 PM 3/12 spotter
Framingham 8.5 1047 PM 3/12 spotter
Townsend 8.5 1009 PM 3/12 spotter
shirley 7.5 347 PM 3/12 spotter
Wayland 7.5 1143 PM 3/12 spotter
Westford 7.5 404 PM 3/12 spotter
North Billerica 7.0 543 PM 3/12 spotter
Townsend 6.5 320 PM 3/12 spotter
Billerica 6.0 540 PM 3/12 spotter
Chelmsford 6.0 431 PM 3/12 spotter
Reading 4.0 550 PM 3/12 spotter
belmont 3.6 830 PM 3/12 spotter
stoneham 3.0 745 PM 3/12 spotter
Nantucket County
Nantucket 2.0 841 PM 3/12 Spotter
Norfolk County
Foxborough 7.8 713 PM 3/12 NWS Employee
Norwood 7.3 900 PM 3/12 NWS employee
Randolph 5.2 1222 AM 3/13 spotter
Dedham 4.5 910 PM 3/12 spotter
South Weymouth 3.0 120 AM 3/13 spotter
Braintree 2.0 1045 PM 3/12 spotter
Plymouth County
Brockton 5.9 530 AM 3/13 Spotter
east Bridgewater 4.0 248 PM 3/12 spotter
middleborough 3.5 529 PM 3/12 spotter
Abington 3.0 246 PM 3/12 spotter
marion 2.0 530 PM 3/12 spotter
Hingham 1.2 745 PM 3/12 NWS CO-Op
Suffolk County
Roslindale 4.0 1130 PM 3/12 spotter
Winthrop 3.5 1000 PM 3/12 spotter
Boston 3.0 1210 AM 3/13 back Bay
east Boston 2.8 1200 AM 3/13 bos - Logan airport
Worcester County
Bolton 13.5 950 PM 3/12 media
Boylston 13.5 1228 AM 3/13 spotter
Fitchburg 12.8 735 PM 3/12 spotter
Ashburnham 11.5 845 PM 3/12 coop
Lancaster 11.5 805 PM 3/12 spotter
Gardner 11.2 850 PM 3/12 spotter el 1100
leicester 11.0 751 PM 3/12 spotter
West Boylston 10.0 1045 PM 3/12 law enforcement
Worcester 9.7 530 AM 3/13 orh - airport
hopedale 9.0 848 PM 3/12 spotter
Westborough 8.7 1034 PM 3/12 NWS employee
Douglas 8.0 910 PM 3/12 spotter
Leominster 7.5 628 PM 3/12 spotter
southbridge 6.8 900 PM 3/12 spotter
Templeton 6.8 419 PM 3/12 spotter
Uxbridge 6.5 335 PM 3/12 spotter
Hubbardston 6.2 411 PM 3/12 spotter
West Warren 6.0 512 PM 3/12 spotter

New Hampshire
Cheshire County
Dublin 12.0 736 PM 3/12 spotter
Stoddard 12.0 527 PM 3/12 spotter el 1500
Keene 11.8 600 AM 3/13 spotter
east alstead 10.7 610 PM 3/12 spotter el 1500
Marlow 10.0 802 PM 3/12 forest ranger
Hillsborough County
Peterborough 12.0 730 PM 3/12 Spotter
Wilton 11.5 1155 PM 3/12 spotter
Greenfield 11.0 533 PM 3/12 spotter
Milford 10.0 328 PM 3/12 spotter
South Weare 10.0 430 PM 3/12 spotter
Nashua 8.0 1100 PM 3/12 spotter
Bedford 6.5 1000 PM 3/12 spotter
Hudson 6.2 1011 PM 3/12 spotter

Rhode Island
Kent County
Warwick 3.0 1200 AM 3/13 Pvd - TF Green airport
Newport County
Tiverton 2.9 955 PM 3/12 NWS Coop
Providence County
Burrillville 9.0 825 PM 3/12 Spotter
Woonsocket 7.5 152 AM 3/13 media
Cumberland 7.0 906 PM 3/12 NWS employee
north foster 7.0 1015 PM 3/12 NWS coop
Johnston 6.2 225 PM 3/12 NWS employee
Rumford 4.0 1108 PM 3/12 spotter

March 8th, 2005 Snowstorm

For a storm that only dropped about 4 or 5 inches where I live (Avon, CT), this was certainly more "crippling," to use the NESIS description, than storms of greater snow depth. I have seen no storm of greater intensity this season, particularly during the early afternoon. A local news report recorded a 57 or 58 mph wind gust in Bristol. And the drive home was one of the worst I've seen; multiple scars stranded or stuck on hills. Incidentally, I ran across a link on the Drudgereport that noted a 110 mph wind gust in Kitty Hawk, NC, apparently from the same system, although I could be mistaken on that.

Rating Scale for Northeast Snowstorms

This is probably old news to a lot of people, but it's new to me. In March 2004 a new intensity scale for measuring the intensity and impact on snowstorms came out. The rating ranges from 1 to 5, with 5 being extreme. The ratings are based on snow depth, area affected, and size of population affected, although I haven't read it in great detail yet. It would be interesting to see how the ratings would change if applied on a state level. The last part of the article provides a list of the most intense storms over the past several decades. By he way, the most intense storm was not the Blizzard of 1888.

Spotter Reports from NWS for February 4, 2005

I apologize for the lousy formatting of this. I will try to fix it when I get the time. Click on "read more" to link to comments from the National Weather Service. ~> read more

The following are unofficial observations taken during the past 6 hours for the storm that has been affecting our region. appreciation is extended to highway departments, cooperative observers, skywarn spotters and media for these reports. This summary is also available on our home page at weather.Gov/Boston
********************Storm total snowfall********************
Location storm total time/date comments
snowfall(inches) measurement
Connecticut
Hartford County
Glastonbury 4.0 515 AM 2/4
Burlington 2.0 415 AM 2/4
Tolland County
Staffordville 3.0 248 AM 2/4
Tolland 3.0 516 AM 2/4
Windham County
Pomfret 3.8 558 AM 2/4
Massachusetts
Essex County
Salisbury 2.4 535 AM 2/4
Middlesex County
Townsend 5.1 535 AM 2/4
Worcester County
Fitchburg 4.9 519 AM 2/4
Ashburnham 4.3 430 AM 2/4 NWS CO-Op
Shrewsbury 3.8 136 AM 2/4
New Hampshire
Hillsborough County
Milford 4.5 530 AM 2/4
Nashua 2.5 308 AM 2/4

The Blizzard of 1996

Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center has provided a useful site on snowfall depths and a press release for the Blizzard of 1996.

A nice map of snowfall totals is also provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

My recollection of the storm, from the Connecticut perspective, was that totals in our area were reduced somewhat by a changeover to mixed precipitation during the middle of the storm.

The Digital Snow Museum

The Digital Snow Museum provides a nice visual archive of major snow storms dating back to 1717. It also provides a photo archive for major snow events around the world.

The Snow Man

I did not get a chance to read this article, but I thought it might be of some interest. It has to do with a man from the Army Corps of Engineers who studies the snow and its impact.

Precipitation and Temperature Summary-Md/VA/DC

The above data is as of 8AM 1/30/05. Manassas is the winner so far with about 3 inches of snowfall.

Carolinas feel impact of winter blast

Georgia Storm Leaves 300,000 in the Dark

Weather Alert of the Day (Winter Storm Warning)

The nation's capitol has the honors for today.

Blizzard Charles

I have created a log of information for the January 2005 snowstorm, Blizzard Charles. Click on the above link to check it out. I primarily include links to some informative news articles on the storm, various types of maps regarding on snowfall amounts, including an interesting interactive map. I also provided some excerpts of storm warnings for the Cape Cod area (you don't see a blizzard warning for 8 inches per hour too often!), and the National Weather Service's final summary of the storm, to include local snowfall amounts and windspeed recordings.