AMARILLO TEXAS SNOWS

[tropicana]

WINTER WONDERLAND..SAT NOV 13th 2004


Month's snow total more than the 12.2-inch yearly average

After two storms, this month has seen more snow than some years do.
By 5:30 p.m. Saturday, more than 4 inches of snow had fallen at the National Weather Service. Along with the Nov. 1 storm, that brought the month's total to 12.9 inches - more than the 12.2-inch average yearly snowfall. Another half to 1 inch was expect to fall before the day was over.

But the snow was wet and heavy, and the ground temperature was warm enough that much of it melted. About 2 inches stuck around - not enough to halt operations at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.

"It's been so wet, we haven't had to do much to it," said Kristine Cummings, operations manager.

Snowplows acted like squeegies with snow turning to water as they brushed it aside. According to the Department of Public Safety, there were no serious accidents during the day and no roads had to be closed.

NOTE:- The total snow at Amarillo for Nov 13 ended up to be 4.4inches, a new snow record for the date. Prior to this, snow has never been recorded on Nov 13th in any calendar year on record.

-justin-

[southerngale]

Wow! I'd like to get in on that Winter Wonderland. I hope some of it makes it further south this winter.

[CaptinCrunch]

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
400 AM CST FRI NOV 19 2004

.DISCUSSION...
FOCUSING MAINLY ON TODAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS THE REMAINDER OF THE
FORECAST LOOKS RIGHT ON TRACK...FROM MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
BIGGEST FORECAST CONCERNS ARE THIS WEEKEND/S PRECIP TYPE AND
CHANCES AND HOW MUCH...IF ANY...SNOW IS EXPECTED. SHORT-RANGE
MODELS STILL IN FAIRLY DECENT AGREEMENT REGARDING 850 MB TEMPS
FORECASTED TO REMAIN WELL ABOVE 0 DEG CELSIUS SATURDAY BUT THEN
EXPECTED TO FALL JUST BELOW 0 DEG C ACROSS THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL
OK PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHWEST TX PANHANDLE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO
SUNDAY MORNING. THIS WILL KEEP PRECIP MAINLY IN THE FORM OF A COLD
RAIN OVER MOST OF THE PANHANDLES SUNDAY EXCEPT FOR A RAIN/SNOW MIX
AND SNOW GENERALLY NORTHWEST OF A GUYMON TO ROMERO LINE SATURDAY
INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. NOT LOOKING FOR ANY MAJOR ACCUMULATIONS...
POSSIBLY UP TO AN INCH ACROSS THIS AREA. THEREFORE...NOT PLANNING
TO ISSUE ANY WATCHES OR ADVISORIES AT THIS PRESENT TIME.

BACKING UP A BIT...SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES
THIS MORNING PRODUCING SOME CONVECTION ACROSS PARTS OF NM. THIS
UPPER TROUGH FORECASTED TO PUSH EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA BY
AROUND MIDDAY. THOUGHT ABOUT POSSIBLY INTRODUCING LOW POPS IN CASE
CONVECTION DEVELOPED AHEAD OF THE TROUGH ACROSS THE PANHANDLES...
BUT DECIDED TO LEAVE THE LESS THAN 20 PERCENT POPS INHERITED BY
PREVIOUS FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE...BRIEF
SHORTWAVE RIDGGING IN THE WAKE OF THE UPPER TROUGH AS IT EXITS EAST
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS STATES LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. LOWERED
POPS TONIGHT AS NO UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS FORECASTED TIL SATURDAY.
COLD FRONT FORECASTED TO PUSH SOUTH ACROSS THE PANHANDLES LATER
TONIGHT. BUT WITH THE NEXT MAIN UPPER LOW FORECASTED TO REMAIN OVER
SOUTHERN NV AND NORTHERN AZ TIL EARLY SUNDAY AND SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW
ALOFT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...COLD AIR MASS EXPECTED TO REMAIN
NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. WARM AIR ADVECTION PATTERN TO SET UP
LATE IN THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING
UPPER LOW OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE
PANHANDLES IS THAT LIKELY TO SEE A COLD RAIN OR RAIN/SNOW MIX THROUGH
THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA
WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR SNOW OVER THE NORTHWESTERN SECTIONS MAINLY
FROM ABOUT GUYMON TO ROMERO AND NORTHWEST IN THE COLDER AIR. TOTAL
ACCUMULATIONS STILL IFFY AT THIS POINT DUE TO UNCERTAINTIES AS TO THE
ACTUAL TRACK OF THE UPPER LOW. UPPER LOW FORECASTED TO MOVE ACROSS
NM MONDAY NIGHT...SOUTHERN SECTIONS...AND THEN LIFT NORTHEAST INTO
THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS REGION ON TUESDAY. FEEL THAT THE BEST
CHANCES FOR SNOW ACROSS THE PANHANDLES WILL BE MONDAY NIGHT AND
TUESDAY AS MUCH COLDER AIR GETS PULLED SOUTH AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF
THE UPPER LOW. COOL AND MOIST UPSLOPE SURFACE FLOW BEHIND THE COLD
FRONT SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WILL WARRANT CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS.