North American Weather (U.S.A & Canada)

[leicesternosnowzone]

Just saw on the weather forecast that parts of Newfoundland have had 18hours of freezing rain...did you get any glosteroldboy? Was it as bad as it sounds?

Temperatures here in Hamilton have been hovering around freezing this week and the 3 or 4 inches of snow that fell last weekend are still hanging around, looks like it will be a bit milder this week, maybe a little premature to call it signs of Spring though.

[glosteroldboy]

Just saw on the weather forecast that parts of Newfoundland have had 18hours of freezing rain...did you get any glosteroldboy? Was it as bad as it sounds?

Temperatures here in Hamilton have been hovering around freezing this week and the 3 or 4 inches of snow that fell last weekend are still hanging around, looks like it will be a bit milder this week, maybe a little premature to call it signs of Spring though.

Yesterday morning when I went to the car there was a thin layer of freezing rain on it and was a touch slippy out but that's as bad as it got here, then just rained all day being reporting as 55mm fell in St Johns, on top of the 75mm Sunday....should be snow events at this time of year! though maybe too much to deal with if it was lol.

Haven't seen any reports from the local Newfoundland media about bad freezing rain, though yesterday when I was checking the latest local conditions it was being shown as freezing rain falling quite often though wasn't any evidence outside in terms of ice forming on surfaces.

Looks like conditions more favourable for snow here next week, maybe 10cm on Sunday.

[cheeky_monkey]

I been away from my office for a few weeks now it or so it seems..anyway it has been a remarkably mild winter in Edmonton with no snow to speak of at all..in fact it has only snowed for 1 morning back in ealy January this year so far. We had one cold spell the 2nd week of January otherwise it has been way above normal constantly this winter. So much for the brutal cold winter that was forecast back in October by many on this side of the pond for my neck of the woods.

Anyway there is a possibilty of a move to Calgary in the near future with my job..anyone have any tips..i have been there quite a few times but not the same as living there.

[Roger J Smith]

The best thing about Calgary vs Edmonton would be that you're now just 2-3 hours from a wide variety of mountain parks and even places like Glacier Park in Montana would be within range for a long day trip or a weekend visit. Glacier Park is only open for road travel after about mid to late June.

This winter has been classic for strange weather patterns in general, The cold source was definitely there as felt in Alaska for most of January, but the jet stream stayed further north in general across North America and we've seen very few intense arctic outbreaks all winter. Looks like a very active March severe weather scenario developing, we tend to forget how active March can be with all the focus on storm chasing in the prime season but March actually has more of the top ten severe outbreaks than any other month, I believe, certainly the number one outbreak (1925).

[Coast]

3 dead, up to 8 missing in Washington avalanche

SEATTLE: Three people are dead and as many as eight missing after an avalanche on Sunday near a popular ski resort in Washington state, authorities said.

The King County Sheriff's Office began receiving word about the slide near the Stevens Pass ski area just after noon, Sgt. Cindi West said. Stevens Pass is in the Cascade Mountains northeast of Seattle. West initially said two people had died but later confirmed there were three deaths. The deaths occurred in an out-of-bounds area near the resort, she said. Search and rescue crews and other emergency responders were at the scene. The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center on Sunday issued a warning for high avalanche danger for areas above 5,000 feet (1,500 meters), saying warmer weather could loosen surface snow and trigger a slide on steeper slopes. The elevation of the avalanche wasn't immediately clear.

At mid-afternoon, the temperate at the base of the ski resort was 24 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 4 Celsius), with light winds and good visibility. The temperature at the top of the mountain was 22 degrees F (minus 6 C), according to the resort's website. The site also said Sunday was a ``popular powder day'' at the resort, with 14 inches (36 centimeters) of fresh snow falling overnight. Stevens Pass, an 80-mile (130-kilometer) drive from Seattle, is one of the most popular outdoor recreation areas in the state. People flock there to go cross-country, back-country and downhill skiing, as well as snowshoeing and backpacking.

It's been a deadly winter in Washington state's mountains. Four people disappeared in vicious storms while hiking and climbing on Mount Rainier last month. Across the West, there had been 13 avalanche deaths this season as of Feb. 16, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which tracks avalanche deaths in the U.S. Avalanche deaths are more common in the backcountry than at ski resorts. Out of about 900 avalanche deaths nationwide since the 1950-1951 winter, 32 were within terrain that was open for riding at ski resorts, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.

Also Sunday, West said a snowboarder was killed in a separate incident at the Alpental ski area east of Seattle. The snowboarder went over a cliff. No other details were available.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/3-dead-up-to-8-missing-in-Washington-avalanche/articleshow/11961492.cms

[glosteroldboy]

The best thing about Calgary vs Edmonton would be that you're now just 2-3 hours from a wide variety of mountain parks and even places like Glacier Park in Montana would be within range for a long day trip or a weekend visit. Glacier Park is only open for road travel after about mid to late June.

This winter has been classic for strange weather patterns in general, The cold source was definitely there as felt in Alaska for most of January, but the jet stream stayed further north in general across North America and we've seen very few intense arctic outbreaks all winter. Looks like a very active March severe weather scenario developing, we tend to forget how active March can be with all the focus on storm chasing in the prime season but March actually has more of the top ten severe outbreaks than any other month, I believe, certainly the number one outbreak (1925).

Hard to answer but what do you think we will see Roger?

The locals here are amazed at how basically snowless Feb has been since the storm on the 4th Feb (which failed to deliver much snow anyway), we've seen a few minor falls of several centimetres in the East here, further central and western areas have seen more snow, the 2 last big systems have basically been all rain events in the east giving us about 130mm of rain from 2 storms so the precipitation has been there but usually it's always snow events in Feb, they don't expect rain at this time of year so I think we've missed out on a couple of hefty dumpings of snow.

We've got a colder few few days on the cards and maybe a bit of snow but looks like turning milder again from Thursday and further rain. Must say am a little disappointed with my first winter in NL though I hold out some hope for March? Maybe just being greedy though as compared to a English winter I've seen more snow in the previous few months than I've seen in the probably the previous 20 years.

Edited February 20, 2012 by glosteroldboy

[Coopsy]

I been away from my office for a few weeks now it or so it seems..anyway it has been a remarkably mild winter in Edmonton with no snow to speak of at all..in fact it has only snowed for 1 morning back in ealy January this year so far. We had one cold spell the 2nd week of January otherwise it has been way above normal constantly this winter. So much for the brutal cold winter that was forecast back in October by many on this side of the pond for my neck of the woods.

Anyway there is a possibilty of a move to Calgary in the near future with my job..anyone have any tips..i have been there quite a few times but not the same as living there.

My tips would be stay away from living anywhere east of the deerfoot (highway 2).

Roads can be a sh!t show so depends where youa re going to be working? ie downtown?

Nice areas are def in the west/southwest - some really nice communities. Other options are Airdrie which is just north of the city and therefore quick to get to Edmonton if you still have roots there.

Alternatively, you could live in Cochrane which is 15 mins from the city but a nice smallish town and only 45 mins from the mountains.

If I worked in the city full time I'd prob live on the outskirts and commute - somewhere like cochrane or bragg creek or Springbank

[cheeky_monkey]

My tips would be stay away from living anywhere east of the deerfoot (highway 2).

Roads can be a Doh a dumb swear filter got the better of me show so depends where youa re going to be working? ie downtown?

Nice areas are def in the west/southwest - some really nice communities. Other options are Airdrie which is just north of the city and therefore quick to get to Edmonton if you still have roots there.

Alternatively, you could live in Cochrane which is 15 mins from the city but a nice smallish town and only 45 mins from the mountains.

If I worked in the city full time I'd prob live on the outskirts and commute - somewhere like cochrane or bragg creek or Springbank

CC thanks for the tips..Aidrie not an option been there not my kinda place..but i think other areas to the west ans southwest seem best..i wont be working downtown if i decide to move.

[Coast]

Powerful southern storm dumps up to 9 inches

Crews respond to accidents, work to restore electricity

RICHMOND, Va. — A day after a winter storm dumped several inches of snow on a handful of southern states, crews worked Monday to restore power to tens of thousands of customers as police responded to dozens of accidents on slippery roads. The storm brought as much as 9 inches of snow to some areas Sunday as it powered its way from Kentucky and Tennessee to West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. The storm system pushed off the coast early Monday.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that despite clearing on major roads and reduced traffic flow because of Presidents Day weekend, state police responded to dozens of accidents Monday morning, including a crash involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 64. Officials warned that icy spots remained a hazard on bridges, overpasses and ramps. The Richmond area received 2 to 5 inches of snow.

In North Carolina, cars were sliding off the road Monday morning in the Raleigh area, according to The News & Observer. In one fender-bender, a car slid and struck the cruiser of a police officer who was investigating another accident. The State Highway Patrol reported more than two dozen morning collisions in Wake County alone.

Meanwhile, power crews were busy working to restore power on Presidents Day.

Appalachian Power Co. reported that about 56,000 customers in Virginia and West Virginia remained without power at lunchtime Monday, down from about 66,000 the night before. Dominion Energy had reduced the number of outages in its coverage area, including Richmond, to fewer than 1,000. Kentucky Power reported on its website that more than 33,000 customers were without electricity at midday Monday. The company said more than 340 crew members were working to restore power.

http://centralwiscon...ext%7CFRONTPAGE

[glosteroldboy]

Bit of weather here tonight after a glorious chilly couple of days. Still sounds a bit marginal later though, 10cm or more of snow before changing to ice pellets through freezing rain and a bit of rain after maybe, last few times it's ended up turning to rain quicker than forecast, their is some pretty cold weather over us though so should stay more of a snow event hopefully?. Looks like the potential for more snow through Friday and Saturday but again very marginal, before turning colder again next week. Winter is far from done I think/hope

A trough of low pressure will extend from a low pressure system over

Quebec this afternoon and approach Newfoundland from the south this

evening. Snow ahead of this system is expected to begin in the

afternoon over southwestern areas and spread to Eastern Newfoundland

by this evening. Ahead of this trough snow at times heavy is

expected to develop before changing over to rain in the evening for

southwestern regions, and through ice pellets to freezing rain and

then to rain overnight for eastern regions.

From Burgeo to the Burin Peninsula: snowfall accumulations near 10 cm

are expected before changing to rain near midnight.

For the Avalon and Eastern Newfoundland: snowfall amounts near 10 cm

are expected before changing through ice pellets to freezing rain to

rain overnight. Coastal areas of the Southern Avalon will likely see

less snowfall however rainfall amounts are expected to be in the 10

to 20 millimetres range.

Edited February 22, 2012 by glosteroldboy

[knocker]

Forecast quite warm in the south US today.

[cheeky_monkey]

Bit of weather here tonight after a glorious chilly couple of days. Still sounds a bit marginal later though, 10cm or more of snow before changing to ice pellets through freezing rain and a bit of rain after maybe, last few times it's ended up turning to rain quicker than forecast, their is some pretty cold weather over us though so should stay more of a snow event hopefully?. Looks like the potential for more snow through Friday and Saturday but again very marginal, before turning colder again next week. Winter is far from done I think/hope

Personally i will be glad when winter is done the sooner the better...since i have been in Canada it is rapidly becoming my least favourite season...looking forward to spring and hopefully a warm dry summer.

[glosteroldboy]

Personally i will be glad when winter is done the sooner the better...since i have been in Canada it is rapidly becoming my least favourite season...looking forward to spring and hopefully a warm dry summer.

Maybe I will bore of it once I've been here a few winters, though I have always enjoyed snow and cold weather, give me a walk on a crisp snowy day over a humid summers day. Summer here can be a blink and you miss it affair anyway.

Once again though the overnight system hasn't produced what was initially forecast (10cm snow with a little bit of rain after), it changed to rain rapidly there was some very heavy rain coming down that has cleared any fresh snow that had fallen. I think more of the same tonight though they're forecasting basically all rain this time so given their track record in forecasting it will be all snow then ? I can wish lol.

[Coopsy]

Have to agree - I was the worlds biggets snow lover until I moved here 7 years ago. I still like an impressive snow storm but winter in general is very tiresome for me. Its like Chinese food - I absolutely love it but if I have it 5 times a week I get sick of it lol.

Still no snow here really. This time last year I moved into my new house and there was 2 feet of snow in the back yard. This year there is about 2cm's hanging on. A huge difference. March is going to hit us though I think. I just want to get to the high teen temps knowing that summer is around the corner.

[glosteroldboy]

Have to agree - I was the worlds biggets snow lover until I moved here 7 years ago. I still like an impressive snow storm but winter in general is very tiresome for me. Its like Chinese food - I absolutely love it but if I have it 5 times a week I get sick of it lol.

Still no snow here really. This time last year I moved into my new house and there was 2 feet of snow in the back yard. This year there is about 2cm's hanging on. A huge difference. March is going to hit us though I think. I just want to get to the high teen temps knowing that summer is around the corner.

I must admit when we were hit with the 4tth storm in a week at the end of Jan/ early Feb it was getting a bit tiresome clearing itthe 4th time! There's not really any snow here at the moment now, pretty remarkable I'm told for this time of year, literally is like a spring day out, sunny and 4 degrees (though back in England we would call that chilly, funny how quickly you get used to colder temps and feel like it's warm when it's 4 degrees!). Still got the piles around parking lots, edges of roads and driveways and some deeper sheltered pockets, all that stuff is like ice now, more rain tonight should wash away a bit more.

What's March going to be like I wonder, everyones saying it's not the end of the snow as if it is it would be one of the best (or worst if you like snow) winters ever here. Our biggest single fall is still 30cm way back in November. Looks like turning colder here again from Monday though that seems no gaurantee of snow as we had the cold this week and didn't take long for the warm air to mix in and turn the snow to rain.

Edited February 23, 2012 by glosteroldboy

[cheeky_monkey]

I think it has been mild and fairly snowless across most of Canada..certainly here compared to last year the difference is night and day..last winter was the snoweist for 40 years..and the snow piles were huge..just by cleaing my drive they were close to 10 feet high either side..and the final snow piles around the city did not disappear until mid september!!..this year we have had the grand total of about 15cm..of which most fell in the 3rd week in November.

so if this was your first winter in Canada i think you would feel pretty let down if you loved snowed...still March is a transition month so chances of snow are greater in March and November than say January..so sods law we will probably get a pasting through March when all i want now is warm sunshine.

[glosteroldboy]

I think it has been mild and fairly snowless across most of Canada..certainly here compared to last year the difference is night and day..last winter was the snoweist for 40 years..and the snow piles were huge..just by cleaing my drive they were close to 10 feet high either side..and the final snow piles around the city did not disappear until mid september!!..this year we have had the grand total of about 15cm..of which most fell in the 3rd week in November.

so if this was your first winter in Canada i think you would feel pretty let down if you loved snowed...still March is a transition month so chances of snow are greater in March and November than say January..so sods law we will probably get a pasting through March when all i want now is warm sunshine.

I wouldn't say let down, I didn't quite realise how snowy Newfoundland was, even in a "good" winter I still think we've seen over 2 metres in total (all be it in alot of smaller falls than big great storms so far) so far since November with I'm sure more to come, which compared to my part of England is something I wont ever see, aparently Nov/December was alot snowier this year than last winter (they had virtually no snow until mid January last winter but then the flood gates open right through to most of March) so it's balancing out a bit I suppose, it's never stuck around that long though I suppose that's a big difference here compared to parts of continental Canada.

I do expect more snow in March though!

Edited February 23, 2012 by glosteroldboy

[cheeky_monkey]

I wouldn't say let down, I didn't quite realise how snowy Newfoundland was, even in a "good" winter I still think we've seen over 2 metres in total (all be it in alot of smaller falls than big great storms so far) so far since November with I'm sure more to come, which compared to my part of England is something I wont ever see, aparently Nov/December was alot snowier this year than last winter (they had virtually no snow until mid January last winter but then the flood gates open right through to most of March) so it's balancing out a bit I suppose, it's never stuck around that long though I suppose that's a big difference here compared to parts of continental Canada.

I do expect more snow in March though!

Thats because of the synoptic set up with the Greenland high that brough the UK a record breaking cold December...the reverse was true for the eastern seaboard of Canada that was effected by a southerly flow bringing exceptionally mild weather..so if you want cold snowy weather in newfoundland the last thing you want to see is a Greenland high.

Edited February 23, 2012 by cheeky_monkey

[Roger J Smith]

Looks like a snowstorm is shaping up for Alberta on Saturday, expect 15-20 cms in Edmonton, perhaps 5-10 cms in Canmore and Calgary (better forcing across central SK into central AB). I think March and April are often the heaviest snowfall months of the year in Alberta even if some weeks in between these snowstorms see melting.

As far as eastern Newfoundland goes, I can see three rather similar events coming along on Friday, Saturday night, and around Tuesday. Each one of them will be mostly rain with perhaps small amounts of sloppy mix before the rain arrives, the track will be too far north and in any case these are not very powerful storms. The second in the series is now forming up over Iowa and Illinois and will bring 10-20 cms of snow to parts of Ontario and Quebec on Friday, but from there the track is across New Brunswick into western Newfoundland. Only the northern peninsula will get much snow out of this one.

The storm that I'm saying might give snow in Alberta will become the third in the series when it follows about the same track next week across the Great Lakes into the Gulf of St Lawrence.

Looking at longer-range output I can see some signs of possible snowstorms for eastern Newfoundland in about two weeks, the season is definitely not over. March and April can often bring huge snowfalls to that part of Canada. But we need to see a sharper trough developing so that the storm track can ride lower and come at Newfoundland from the southwest instead of the west, almost all the big snowstorms to hit the Avalon come in from Cape Hatteras (like the one half decent storm earlier).

Meanwhile, if you've got clear skies this evening (and this applies to Friday also in the UK, too late now), have a look for Venus and the crescent new moon, which will be closer by Saturday, and above them Jupiter. I may get a view here, the planets were very bright last night but the Moon wasn't yet in the picture. After moving past Venus on Saturday morning UTC, the Moon will move past Jupiter on Sunday night (a closer conjunction will be visible here than in UK due to time zone differences, the conjunction is at 06z Monday).

Edited February 24, 2012 by Roger J Smith

[Coopsy]

Looks like a snowstorm is shaping up for Alberta on Saturday, expect 15-20 cms in Edmonton, perhaps 5-10 cms in Canmore and Calgary (better forcing across central SK into central AB). I think March and April are often the heaviest snowfall months of the year in Alberta even if some weeks in between these snowstorms see melting.

Roger, what are your thoughts on the notion that in march and april the snow events are usually just on the side of marginal in favour of snow. This year with the warmer temperatures, these events in Alberta being on the marginal side for rain?

I have got a nice drive into Calgary this saturday for an IELTS test in preparation to become a licensed immigration consultant. I just know we are gonna get hit on the Trans Canada as per usual. Oh well c'est la vie

[glosteroldboy]

Looks like a snowstorm is shaping up for Alberta on Saturday, expect 15-20 cms in Edmonton, perhaps 5-10 cms in Canmore and Calgary (better forcing across central SK into central AB). I think March and April are often the heaviest snowfall months of the year in Alberta even if some weeks in between these snowstorms see melting.

As far as eastern Newfoundland goes, I can see three rather similar events coming along on Friday, Saturday night, and around Tuesday. Each one of them will be mostly rain with perhaps small amounts of sloppy mix before the rain arrives, the track will be too far north and in any case these are not very powerful storms. The second in the series is now forming up over Iowa and Illinois and will bring 10-20 cms of snow to parts of Ontario and Quebec on Friday, but from there the track is across New Brunswick into western Newfoundland. Only the northern peninsula will get much snow out of this one.

The storm that I'm saying might give snow in Alberta will become the third in the series when it follows about the same track next week across the Great Lakes into the Gulf of St Lawrence.

Looking at longer-range output I can see some signs of possible snowstorms for eastern Newfoundland in about two weeks, the season is definitely not over. March and April can often bring huge snowfalls to that part of Canada. But we need to see a sharper trough developing so that the storm track can ride lower and come at Newfoundland from the southwest instead of the west, almost all the big snowstorms to hit the Avalon come in from Cape Hatteras (like the one half decent storm earlier).

Meanwhile, if you've got clear skies this evening (and this applies to Friday also in the UK, too late now), have a look for Venus and the crescent new moon, which will be closer by Saturday, and above them Jupiter. I may get a view here, the planets were very bright last night but the Moon wasn't yet in the picture. After moving past Venus on Saturday morning UTC, the Moon will move past Jupiter on Sunday night (a closer conjunction will be visible here than in UK due to time zone differences, the conjunction is at 06z Monday)

Thanks Roger, this has been the story of the last few weeks in Avalon/St Johns area, snow to ice pellets to freezing rain or just all rain. A bit of slush about early this morning must of seens a couple of cm's over night before the rain. Central and Western Newfoundland has seen more snow from these systems, often it's the other way around, I guess this is all down to the tracks of the lows you are talking about. There has been plenty of precipitation about just not as snow. It's so bad now a winter activity centre in one of the parks that hires out skis and snowshoes has shut until further notice. I hope they see some more snow that allows them to reopen at least for a few weeks, though once you get into mid to late march time is running out for the very cold weather and any snow is likely to not stick around for too long. From Monday onwards it looks like turning chiller again though not sure what it means for our snow chances, greater than when it's +3 or 4 I guess!

Edited February 24, 2012 by glosteroldboy

[Roger J Smith]

CC, I don't think the atmosphere has enough "memory" of the winter signal to change its spring habits, Alberta is often well to the cold side of marginal for snow and can tolerate a bit of an upward drift in that balance, but on the shorter scale, this storm has already started here, the early rain turned to a very heavy wet snow that is pounding down and trying to accumulate with the temperature now back down to 1.5 C where I am (120m above sea level, it's likely raining at the harbour and airport but must be blizzard-like in the mountains around here). This is an unusual track for an Alberta upslope event, coming in from WNW and thus I suspect it will max out its potential.

Glos, no change in the model runs as they affect eastern Newfoundland, tomorrow night you'll briefly get into the mild sector of the current Great Lakes low and it may top out around 5-6 C there, but New Brunswick and PEI will get a snowstorm, Nova Scotia a rainstorm out of this one.

The weekend storm over the prairies will pound Montana and North Dakota also, and then that one weakens rather quickly as it heads further east, to be replaced by another blizzard for North Dakota and southern Manitoba, but that one from Colorado, to arrive on Tuesday 28th, may become known as the Leap Year Day Blizzard if it gets as strong as some model runs are showing, could see 40-50 cms of snow in Grand Forks ND after a 20-30 cm fall this weekend. Given the mild and open winter they have had, this will be a shocker (but not a surprise, the mets are talking it up big-time already).

[cheeky_monkey]

biggest storm of the winter happening right now...could dump as much as 25cm where i am..already had a good 15cm or so..surprisingly heavy snow considering the temp is -13c must be a lot of moisture being carried in from the pacific.

[Coopsy]

A few hours of snow here this morning - no more than 2cm's however the flakes were big. I thought the same about the moisture in the air. Not the usual snow dust we usually get. Storm def missed us here

[cheeky_monkey]

A few hours of snow here this morning - no more than 2cm's however the flakes were big. I thought the same about the moisture in the air. Not the usual snow dust we usually get. Storm def missed us here

Its still snowing here hasnt stopped for over 24hrs...maybe the biggest single snow event i have experienced in 3 winters here.