Texas Winter 2011-2012...

[ravyrn]

Man that wind is strong! I went for a walk and had to walk down a hill straight into the north wind. It was blowing me back, confirming my suspicion that I need some muscle milk.

Yeah I had to ride my bike in that chilly wind! Brrrrr! I had to cut my ride a little short tonight!

[Ntxw]

Brrr chilly out tonight and that wind is wicked! Cut short on the dog walks.

On towards some optimism since this thread is in desperate need for it. 0z GFS (warning this is picking only this run thus far) does not look so flat. It depicts some amplification of a ridge out west (120-150ish hours) which might allow the movement of cold air south, it does not hold the -PNA for long. Srainhoutx said it earlier in a post, all it takes is something whether an unseen ridge or storm, anything can help dislodge some cold into the weather pattern. Models do not see these intrusions unless within 5 or so days.

[ouamber]

It was the perfect snow for us up here in Tulsa!!! Got 1-1.5 inches on the ground...stuck to everything! Good for making snowballs and snow-ice cream:) And then it moved east.....hopefully winter got a big OK/TX winter storm for all of us in the not so distant future!!!

[ludosc]

i got a good chuckle out of this...last nights 18 UTC run...



not saying it can't happen, but come on...

the 00 UTC took it completely away, but the 06 UTC brought some of it back...

[Portastorm]

The recent mild temperatures here in Austin have made this Canadian front feel quite cold. With surface temps in the mid to upper 30s and a north wind 15 gusting to 35 ... we have wind chills in the mid 20s. It feels darn cold out there!


Edit update: FWIW, the 6z GFS at Range La-la-land (i.e. beyond 300 hrs), shows a 1050mb high enterting the Northern Plains and plunging an Arctic front into Texas.

[ravyrn]

Still plenty of time for some winter weather to find its way to us. In the mean time, let's do some reminiscing


Please note this map is from last February.

[BrokenGlassRepublicn]

Still plenty of time for some winter weather to find its way to us. In the mean time, let's do some reminiscing

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/1959 ... m430am.jpg
Please note this map is from last February.

Boy the way Glen Miller played,
Songs that made the hit parade,
Gee our old LaSalle rain great,
Those were the days.

[gpsnowman]

Still plenty of time for some winter weather to find its way to us. In the mean time, let's do some reminiscing

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/1959 ... m430am.jpg
Please note this map is from last February.

Boy the way Glen Miller played,
Songs that made the hit parade,
Gee our old LaSalle rain great,
Those were the days.

We'll go dancing in the dark
Walking through the park and reminiscing
That's the way it began, we were hand in hand
Glen Millers band was better than before

[weatherdude1108]

The recent mild temperatures here in Austin have made this Canadian front feel quite cold. With surface temps in the mid to upper 30s and a north wind 15 gusting to 35 ... we have wind chills in the mid 20s. It feels darn cold out there!


Edit update: FWIW, the 6z GFS at Range La-la-land (i.e. beyond 300 hrs), shows a 1050mb high enterting the Northern Plains and plunging an Arctic front into Texas.

Mid 20s actual temps possible tonight!

3 P's - Same ole' same ole.'

Hoping Winter storms come back and visit sometime. We need any and all precip. (minus hail) after the last year (and summer) we had.

Special Weather Statement
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
651 AM CST THU JAN 12 2012

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-122100-
LLANO-BURNET-WILLIAMSON-VAL VERDE-EDWARDS-REAL-KERR-BANDERA-
GILLESPIE-KENDALL-BLANCO-HAYS-TRAVIS-BASTROP-LEE-KINNEY-UVALDE-
MEDINA-BEXAR-COMAL-GUADALUPE-CALDWELL-FAYETTE-MAVERICK-ZAVALA-
FRIO-ATASCOSA-WILSON-KARNES-GONZALES-DE WITT-LAVACA-DIMMIT-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LLANO...BURNET...GEORGETOWN...DEL RIO...
ROCKSPRINGS...LEAKEY...KERRVILLE...BANDERA...FREDERICKSBURG...
BOERNE...BLANCO...SAN MARCOS...AUSTIN...BASTROP...GIDDINGS...
BRACKETTVILLE...UVALDE...HONDO...SAN ANTONIO...NEW BRAUNFELS...
SEGUIN...LOCKHART...LA GRANGE...EAGLE PASS...CRYSTAL CITY...
PEARSALL...PLEASANTON...FLORESVILLE...KARNES CITY...GONZALES...
CUERO...HALLETTSVILLE...CARRIZO SPRINGS
651 AM CST THU JAN 12 2012

...HARD FREEZE FOR THE HILL COUNTRY AND MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS
TONIGHT...

A STRONG COLD FRONT THAT BLEW THROUGH OVERNIGHT HAS BROUGHT VERY
COLD DRY AIR TO SOUTH TEXAS. THE GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS HAVE
DROPPED TEMPERATURES INTO THE 30S AND LOWER 40S THIS MORNING.
TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL ONLY REACH THE 40S AND LOWER 50S.
THE STRONG GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL SUBSIDE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING...CAUSING TEMPERATURES TO PLUMMET TONIGHT. TEMPERATURES
WILL FALL INTO THE LOW TO MID 20S ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY WITH MID
AND UPPER 20S ACROSS MUCH OF THE REST OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO PREPARE FOR THE SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES
TONIGHT. EXPOSED WATER PIPES SHOULD BE PROTECTED WITH INSULATION.
PETS WILL NEED ADEQUATE SHELTER OR BE BROUGHT INDOORS. SENSITIVE
PLANTS WILL NEED TO BE COVERED OR BROUGHT INDOORS.

TEMPERATURES WILL WARM ABOVE FREEZING BY MID TO LATE MORNING ON
FRIDAY...HOWEVER FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED AGAIN FRIDAY
NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING AS THE COLD DRY AIR MASS REMAINS OVER
THE AREA.

$$

[Rgv20]

4-6 hours below freezing for my area...not bad

Freeze Warning

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1253 PM CST THU JAN 12 2012

...FREEZE EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND DEEP
SOUTH TEXAS TONIGHT...

.A STRONG COLD FRONT HAS BROUGHT IN COLDER AND MUCH DRIER AIR TO
THE REGION. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE TONIGHT UNDER PARTLY
CLOUDY SKIES WHICH SHOULD ALLOW MANY LOCATIONS TO DIP BELOW
FREEZING FOR A NUMBER OF HOURS TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING.

TXZ248>254-130600-
/O.NEW.KBRO.FZ.W.0002.120113T0600Z-120113T1500Z/
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ZAPATA...HEBBRONVILLE...FALFURRIAS...
SARITA...RIO GRANDE CITY...ROMA...MCALLEN...EDINBURG...PHARR...
MISSION...WESLACO...RAYMONDVILLE
1253 PM CST THU JAN 12 2012

...FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM CST
FRIDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A FREEZE
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM CST
FRIDAY.

* TIMING...LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S TO NEAR 30 ARE EXPECTED IN
PORTIONS OF BROOKS...JIM HOGG...KENNEDY...ZAPATA AND STARR
COUNTIES. SPOTS THAT ARE TYPICALLY COLDER MAY DROP INTO THE MID
20S. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW FREEZING FOR FOUR
TO SIX HOURS. FURTHER SOUTH...IN INLAND WILLACY AND HIDALGO
COUNTIES LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S TO NEAR FREEZING ARE FORECAST.
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL BELOW FREEZING FOR TWO TO
THREE HOURS IN THE MCALLEN...MISSION...AND RAYMONDVILLE AREAS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FREEZE WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL
TO BETWEEN 28 AND 32 DEGREES FOR 2 OR MORE HOURS OVER A
WIDESPREAD AREA.

RESIDENTS SHOULD COVER OR MOVE INDOORS ANY COLD SENSITIVE
PLANTS...AND BRING PETS INDOORS THIS EVENING.

&&

$$

GIBBS

[gpsnowman]

I just watched a Weather Channel report with Mike Siedel live from Chicago. Snow was falling at a pretty good clip. My jaw just dropped and my mouth literally started to salivate. Lake Shore drive was moving along nicely but the skyscrapers were hard to see through the snow. Awesome. Road trip?

[hriverajr]

Virga storm heading to the PWC.. I'm sure its snow..just not reaching the ground..hehe

Dewpoint of 14 at my home

[Portastorm]

Virga storm heading to the PWC.. I'm sure its snow..just not reaching the ground..hehe

That's sooooooooo not funny.

But now that you mention it ... the forecast discussion earlier today out of NWSFO EWX mentioned snow virga on some radar returns. I guess those model runs from five days ago which showed snow in my area for today weren't all wrong. They were at least partially correct.

Of course, it's like a thirsty man eyeballing a water pitcher but there's a double-paned window between 'em. Just my luck.

[hriverajr]

I am actually quite surprised at the amount of high and mid level clouds today. Also seems to be a little bit of a disturbance dropping down into Arizona, very subtle but there. Unfortunately its sooooo dry at the surface.

[wxman57]

The clouds may prevent many areas from freezing tonight, particularly areas closer to the coast.

[Portastorm]

The clouds may prevent many areas from freezing tonight, particularly areas closer to the coast.

I was wondering about that ... also the winds have subsided some here in Austin but they're far from what I would consider "calm." I was concerned because I haven't wrapped my outdoor plumbing yet (I haven't had to!). Was going to handle after work. Still may do it just in case we drop down below 30 for any period of time tonight.

[weatherdude1108]

Virga storm heading to the PWC.. I'm sure its snow..just not reaching the ground..hehe

Dewpoint of 14 at my home

Dewpoint of two (2) earlier today in Austin. Craziness.

[Portastorm]

In what I would file under the "For What It's Worth" category, both Larry Cosgrove and David Tolleris have publicly written in Facebook posts in the last 24-36 hours that they believe winter is basically over for most of the lower 48 and they see no signs of the pattern ahead changing to please winter weather fans.

This is not to create a referendum on the qualities of either meteorologist ... just sharing a statement of fact. For the record, I hope they're wrong. But you knew that!

[BigB0882]

Winter wouldn't be over, it just would never have come. lol

[Texas Snowman]

In what I would file under the "For What It's Worth" category, both Larry Cosgrove and David Tolleris have publicly written in Facebook posts in the last 24-36 hours that they believe winter is basically over for most of the lower 48 and they see no signs of the pattern ahead changing to please winter weather fans.

This is not to create a referendum on the qualities of either meteorologist ... just sharing a statement of fact. For the record, I hope they're wrong. But you knew that!

Declaring winter over for Texas on Jan. 11 might be one thing. But for the lower 48? That seems a little foolhardy.

Cosgrove seems to be very knowledgeable, but I'm surprised at that thought from him. IMO saying that now would be akin to those who declared the 2008 hurricane season over in Texas at the end of August (which some did).

Then there was Ike....