Texas winter wx thread (2009-2010)

[iorange55]

Wonder if a WSW will be extended to cover more of the area counties? What's the criteria?

Not sure probably heavier amounts of snow they said they weren't planning on it as of now about an hour ago. Because they were still uncertain about something, but they seemed to leave it open that it could change.

[ntxweatherwatcher]

Snowing now here in Bedford.

[AggieSpirit]

Snow has started again in Midlothian.

[cheezyWXguy]

light rain finally mixing with snow around here now

[amawea]

I'm happy for you HockeyTx82! i could tell that you were getting worried earlier.

[ntxweatherwatcher]

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 2284
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1123 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009

AREAS AFFECTED...N-CENTRAL AND NERN TX...ERN OK...SERN KS

CONCERNING...WINTER MIXED PRECIPITATION

VALID 241723Z - 242330Z

BRIEF FREEZING RAIN TRANSITIONING TO SLEET IS EXPECTED DURING THE
EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON TIME FRAME...BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO SNOW
DURING THE 21-00Z PERIOD ACROSS N-CENTRAL/NERN TX NWD THROUGH ERN OK
AND SERN KS. STRONG/GUSTY NWLY WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THE TRANSITION
TO SNOW...POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN VISIBILITY REDUCTION TO A QUARTER
OF A MILE.

CLOSED MID LEVEL LOW OBSERVED OVER NRN/WRN TX IN 12Z UPPER AIR DATA
IS FORECAST TO BEGIN LIFTING NEWD TOWARD THE ARKLATEX REGION IN
RESPONSE TO A SECOND DISTURBANCE DROPPING S THROUGH THE NRN HIGH
PLAINS. AS A RESULT...LOW LEVEL CYCLONE WILL DEVELOP NWD ACROSS
AR...WHICH WILL ALLOW SUBFREEZING AIRMASS LOCATED OVER THE
CENTRAL/SRN HIGH PLAINS TO ADVANCE EWD INTO N-CENTRAL/NERN TX...ERN
OK...AND SERN KS. PRONOUNCED MID LEVEL DRY SLOT OBSERVED IN MORNING
SATELLITE IMAGERY IS ADVANCING NWD ACROSS ERN TX AND TOWARD ERN
OK/WRN AR...WITH STRONG ASCENT /AND REDUCTION IN STABILITY NW OF THE
DRY SLOT PER RECENT LIGHTNING STRIKES ALONG THE RED RIVER/ OCCURRING
WITHIN TROWAL LIKE FEATURE N AND W OF THE MID LEVEL LOW.
PRECIPITATION MAY DECREASE FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BENEATH THE
DRY SLOT OVER NERN TX/ERN OK...BUT IS FORECAST TO REINTENSIFY BY 21Z
AS THE TROWAL OVERSPREADS THE REGION. AS THIS OCCURS...A MIXTURE OF
FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE 18-21Z
PERIOD...BEFORE TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE BOUNDARY LAYER BEGIN TO
FALL BELOW FREEZING DURING THE 21-00Z PERIOD. BY LATE
AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING...SNOWFALL RATES MAY APPROACH 1 IN/HR INVOF
THE RED RIVER NWD ACROSS CENTRAL/E-CENTRAL OK AND TOWARDS THE OK/KS
BORDER.

IN ADDITION...VAD WIND PROFILER DATA ACROSS WRN OK INDICATES VERY
STRONG NLY FLOW WITHIN THE LOWEST 1 KM /AOA 40-50 KT/...WHICH WILL
LIKELY BACK TO NWLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AS THE SURFACE LOW BEGINS
TO LIFT FURTHER N. RESULTANT STRONG GUSTY WINDS AT THE SURFACE
COMBINED WITH THE SNOWFALL WILL POTENTIALLY RESULT IN VISIBILITY
REDUCTIONS TO A QUARTER MILE.

..GARNER.. 12/24/2009

[Ntxw]

I'm currently visiting family down in Irving and there is light snow outside.

[HockeyTx82]

I'm happy for you HockeyTx82! i could tell that you were getting worried earlier.

Thanks for the kind words, but I am still a bit worried. It's coming down still, very lite. I am still waiting for the heavy 2-4 inches stuff. We shall see.

[iorange55]

I'm currently visiting family down in Irving and there is light snow outside.

Light snow here too I'm going to point out something obvious I went outside just a minute ago and it's fine without the wind, but when that wind picks up it is mighty mighty cold. I can't wait to feel it with snow blowing around.

[Outlaw JW]

San Angelo is reporting light snow. Hope it can swing down just abit to give us some glimpses of the white stuff in Del Rio.

[gofrogs]

Snowingat a great clipp here in fort wroth rright by tcu. Its ocming down sideways in a way to. Its getting harder as i type this wow.

[Texas Snowman]

FYI, what a trowal is.

http://wdtb.noaa.gov/courses/winterawoc/documents/color_PDFs/IC55.pdf

"...the cyclone structure known as the trowal, which is a kind of acronym for “trough of warm air aloft.”
The concept of the trowal has been a part of the parlance of operational meteorology for nearly 60 years. Use of the trowal concept is intended to highlight to meteorologists where it is in an extratropical
cyclone that precipitation, perhaps banded, may occur over the cold surface air north and
west of a cyclone center. When present, an occluded front at the surface is not always
the focus of precipitation, low ceilings, and other inclement weather. Also, a trowal-like
feature sometimes appears before the surface cyclone may be analyzed as occluded. In
either instance, it is often the region of the trowal where significant weather and precipitation
occur.

[iorange55]

FYI, what a trowal is.


http://wdtb.noaa.gov/courses/winterawoc ... s/IC55.pdf

"...the cyclone structure known as the trowal, which is a kind of acronym for “trough of warm air aloft.” The concept of the trowal has been a part of the parlance of operational meteorology for nearly 60 years. Use of
the trowal concept is intended to highlight to meteorologists where it is in an extratropical
cyclone that precipitation, perhaps banded, may occur over the cold surface air north and
west of a cyclone center. When present, an occluded front at the surface is not always
the focus of precipitation, low ceilings, and other inclement weather. Also, a trowal-like
feature sometimes appears before the surface cyclone may be analyzed as occluded. In
either instance, it is often the region of the trowal where significant weather and precipitation
occur.

Thanks for the brush up I took a test a year ago that involved all sorts of winter weather, and barely passed on it, and I remember it talking about the trowal in great detail. Should have studied harder, I guess.

[Texas Snowman]

FYI, what a trowal is.


http://wdtb.noaa.gov/courses/winterawoc ... s/IC55.pdf

"...the cyclone structure known as the trowal, which is a kind of acronym for “trough of warm air aloft.” The concept of the trowal has been a part of the parlance of operational meteorology for nearly 60 years. Use of
the trowal concept is intended to highlight to meteorologists where it is in an extratropical
cyclone that precipitation, perhaps banded, may occur over the cold surface air north and
west of a cyclone center. When present, an occluded front at the surface is not always
the focus of precipitation, low ceilings, and other inclement weather. Also, a trowal-like
feature sometimes appears before the surface cyclone may be analyzed as occluded. In
either instance, it is often the region of the trowal where significant weather and precipitation
occur.

Thanks for the brush up I took a test a year ago that involved all sorts of winter weather, and barely passed on it, and I remember it talking about the trowal in great detail. Should have studied harder, I guess.

It was a big brush up for me too...

[msstateguy83]

more pics from the wichita falls the blizzard of 09 continues...

[Texas Snowman]

Someone I know in Edmond, Okla. says they got 2" of sleet, most of it within an hour's time. Now starting to snow on top of that.

[Texas Snowman]

Msstateguy83, I take off my chapeau and bow. You sir, along with another Storm2K regular or two, nailed this storm days out.

How many inches now in the Falls? Looks to be 6-8"?

[southerngale]

I'm happy for you HockeyTx82! i could tell that you were getting worried earlier.

Thanks for the kind words, but I am still a bit worried. It's coming down still, very lite. I am still waiting for the heavy 2-4 inches stuff. We shall see.

I hope you get the 2-4 inches (or more), but just in case it doesn't materialize, don't miss out on enjoying the light snow on Christmas Eve... even if there isn't accumulation. Any snow on Christmas Eve or Christmas is a rare treat (at least in Texas). Believe me... when it snows here, I want to see accumulation too. I like to have snowball fights and build snowmen (does one ever outgrow that?), but you'll probably have more chances this winter for even more snow.

(I know, I know... shut up, lady. I want to see inches of the white stuff. lol)

All of you guys up north... enjoy your Christmas snow treat, no matter how much falls... it's the only Christmas snow you've got.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[southerngale]

Great pics, msstateguy83! And here I thought you were crazy a few days ago...

J/K

I have relatives in Wichita Falls. I'm glad y'all are getting a white Christmas!

[amawea]

For anyone that wants to get some serious meteorology training here's a link. It's in depth and it's free. The test are pretty hard so you have to study, but it's well worth your time if you want to learn the basics to intermediate stuff.
Here ya go.
http://www.meted.ucar.edu/