SE TX/SW LA Winter WX - 2011-2012

[CajunMama]

I'm sooooooooooo jealous!

[southerngale]

36F and just rain here. I'm having doubts...

[srainhoutx]

Update from Jeff...

Snow accumulating in Sugar Land, Richmond, Rosenberg.

Report from Fairchild of 3 inches covering the ground.

Snow accumulating along US 59 from N of Victoria to Sugar Land.

Heavy snow band producing these accumulations will be overspreading all Harris County shortly.

May need to push totals higher where this band is sitting up. Could see 6"+ under some of these bands.

[lrak]

The glass is half full southerngale, don't give up yet!

[Brent]

Wow, that's awesome. Send that northeast.

[attallaman]

Another shot out the front of our building. Snow accumulation may already be 1/2" to an inch. Flakes are so huge they pile up fast:

Another nice pic 57. My aunt in Pasadena called to tell me it was snowing there, no snow in Cypress about an hour ago. Jim C on TWC looks like he's getting a dusting. I wish it would snow here but it looks more and more like it's going to be just a rain event here. Our local on the 8's from the TWC is now saying just rain, last nice they were saying rain plus the possibility of some frozen precipitation.

[chmx44l]

000
FXUS64 KLCH 041712
AFDLCH

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1112 AM CST FRI DEC 4 2009

.UPDATE...

HISTORIC SNOWFALL EVENT HAS BEGUN WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW ALREADY
OCCURRING IN THE HOUSTON AREA...AND A RAIN/SNOW MIX HERE AT WFO
LAKE CHARLES. 12Z KLCH SOUNDING SHOWS A VERY FAVORABLE PROFILE FOR
SNOW...AS ANY PRECIPITATION FALLING THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN
WILL COOL THE PROFILE TO COMPLETELY BELOW FREEZING EXCEPT NEAR THE
SURFACE. RAIN HAS ALREADY SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN ZONES
THIS MORNING...AND SNOW SHOULD BEGIN MIXING WITH THE RAIN SOON
ACROSS MOST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA. A COMPLETE
CHANGEOVER TO SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA
DURING THE AFTERNOON...AND EASTERN AREAS BY LATER IN THE AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

BASED ON CURRENT OBS...HAVE ADJUSTED WINTER HAZARDS TO BEGIN 3
HOURS EARLIER FOR ALL AREAS. ALSO CONCERNED THAT SOUTHERN ZONES
MAY NEED AN UPGRADE TO A WINTER STORM WARNING...AS HEAVIEST
PRECIPITATION MAY SET UP IN A CORRIDOR FURTHER SOUTH THAN
PREVIOUSLY ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER... THIS IS DEPENDENT ON WHEN THE
COMPLETE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW OCCURS AND HOW QUICKLY ACCUMULATIONS
CAN BEGIN. AT THIS TIME...OUR CURRENT FORECAST SNOW TOTALS OF 1 TO
3 INCHES IN NORTHERN ZONES AND UP TO 2 INCHES IN SOUTHERN ZONES
STILL APPEARS REASONABLE.

MADE ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPERATURES TO SHOW TEMPS FALLING INTO THE 30S
INTO THE AFTERNOON. MUCH DRIER AIR TO THE NORTH WITH DEWPOINTS IN
THE TEENS AND 20S CONTINUES TO FILTER SOUTHWARD. TEMPS MAY REACH
FREEZING SOONER THAN ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED THIS EVENING AND
TONIGHT...AND MAY NEED TO START FREEZE WARNINGS SOONER FOR THE
AREA. THUS HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE AS EARLY AS
THIS EVENING ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. WILL ADDRESS THIS MORE
WITH THE AFTERNOON PACKAGE DEPENDING ON HOW CONDITIONS PAN OUT.


SHAMBURGER

[Diva]

36F and just rain here. I'm having doubts...

Me too, southerngale, me too......

[Brent]

36F and just rain here. I'm having doubts...

Me too, southerngale, me too......

Don't give up yet. I think things are looking good for you with the heaviest snow further south in Houston. Just be patient. I know how painful it can be waiting for rain to changeover(happened here in March but when it finally did change over it was amazing).

[jasons2k]

You guys over in Beaumont don't despair. Have patience. It's not even noon yet. Everything is unfolding according to plan thus far.

[srainhoutx]

Moderate snow in NW Harris County. Starting to stick on the cars.

[srainhoutx]

Update from Jeff...

Moderate to heavy snow continues across much of the area.

Snow falling in Corpus Christi, TX, Victoria, Wharton, Houston.....

Per discussions from area offices and SPC. meso snow band will continue to expand under area of favorable forcing ahead of cold vort over central Texas.

Band of accumulation of 1-3 inches is currently being reported from N of Victoria to SE Houston with band of moderate to heavy snow along and 40 miles either side of US 59. Will continue to see accumulation within this area as current 33-34 degree temperatures fall to and below freezing. Will be seeing additional snow develop between Port Lavaca and San Antonio and this train NE across the area this afternoon.

Crews are out sanding area bridges...but at this time all overpasses remain open and so far ice free, but we are at or near freezing under the snow areas and ice formation could begin at any time.

Reports coming in of widespread power outages across a large part of Jackson County.

I have Heavy snow now in NW Harris County.

[southerngale]

Have patience?
I'm trying... it just isn't working very well.

About an hour or so ago, my forecast changed from 70% rain/snow mix this afternoon and 70% snow tonight to 80% snow today and tonight. Ok.. waiting patiently... *cough cough*

[ajurcat]

We now have snow in NW Houston - Hollister @ Pinemont. Yeah!!!!!

[jasons2k]

Light snow here now...more than just flurries:


Shot at 2009-12-04

[breeze]

We probably won't see any snow here in mid-Tenn., but I'm enjoying watching you Texans enjoy it!

Cool pics, too!

[wxgirl69]

We probably won't see any snow here in mid-Tenn., but I'm enjoying watching you Texans enjoy it!

Cool pics, too!

Thanks, I am loving it....

[Brent]

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 2197
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1213 PM CST FRI DEC 04 2009

AREAS AFFECTED...S/CNTRL LA/MS

CONCERNING...HEAVY SNOW

VALID 041813Z - 042215Z

CLIMATOLOGICALLY RARE SNOW EVENT WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP EWD
THROUGH THE EVENING...WITH RAIN TRANSITIONING TO SNOW OVER PARTS
SRN/CNTRL LA AND MS. RATES NEAR .5 TO 1 INCH AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE.

A BROAD UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE CNTRL CONUS WILL CONTINUE TO
PROGRESS EWD...WITH NLY/NWLY FLOW ALOFT DRIVING A CONTINENTAL POLAR
AIRMASS SEWD TO THE GULF COAST AS THIS OCCURS. CONFLUENT FLOW ALOFT
AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE UPPER TROUGH IS LEADING TO SURFACE
PRESSURE RISES ACROSS MUCH OF TX/LA. THIS WILL ALLOW A SURFACE HIGH
CENTERED ROUGHLY NEAR N CNTRL TX TO DEVELOP SEWD...WITH STRONG COLD
AIR ADVECTION LEADING TO FALLING SURFACE TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON/EVENING. 18Z LCH SOUNDING INDICATES A SHALLOW LAYER OF
SUBSATURATED AIR BELOW 900 MB WHERE WET-BULB PROCESSES WILL LIKELY
CONTRIBUTE TO FALLING SURFACE TEMPERATURES. WET-BULB EFFECTS/COLD
AIR ADVECTION HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTING TO A FASTER TRANSITION FROM
RAIN TO SNOW THAN MODEL FORECASTS INDICATED ACROSS SERN TX/SWRN LA.
MOISTURE TRANSPORT NEAR THE COAST WITH PWAT VALUES NEAR .75 TO 1
INCH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASED PRECIPITATION RATES/EFFICIENCY.
ALTHOUGH GROUND TEMPERATURES ARE ABOVE FREEZING...STEADY SNOWFALL
WILL LIKELY LEAD TO ACCUMULATION.

..HURLBUT.. 12/04/2009

[attallaman]

36F and just rain here. I'm having doubts...

Me too, southerngale, me too......

Don't give up yet. I think things are looking good for you with the heaviest snow further south in Houston. Just be patient. I know how painful it can be waiting for rain to changeover(happened here in March but when it finally did change over it was amazing).

Brent, you think we'll get in on some snow or just rain, possibly some sleet? Are you in Mobile or not? The sun is out right now here in Biloxi, currently 47 degrees.

[Brent]

Brent, you think we'll get in on some snow or just rain, possibly some sleet? Are you in Mobile or not? The sun is out right now here in Biloxi, currently 47 degrees.

I'm up in East Central Alabama between Birmingham and Montgomery near the Georgia line. Feeling okay about at least seeing some snow falling here but it's really borderline. For you I think it's possible to see a bit of snow for a short time but probably not accumulations.