Why change back to rain from Nola to Mobile

[PTPatrick]

I am just curious why after conditions finally became conducive for snow east of NOLA that it only did it for a little while and it changed back...NOLA has gone up 5 degrees in 2 hours, and we have gone from snow to rain...our previous forecast called for this to end as snow, but it seems as though it is ending as rain for everybody in this area. I thought conditions on the west side of the low where good for snow...Why am I getting rain now that it should theoretically be cooler?

[AL Chili Pepper]

It changed back to rain/sleet mix for about 30 minutes here in west Mobile. It's back to all sleet again now. Hopefully, that orange and yellow moving in from offshore will make it here for a grand finally.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/radar/loop/DS.p ... kmob.shtml

[TS Zack]

Al yo uwant snow, sleet gets old after awhile.

[Stormsfury]

I am just curious why after conditions finally became conducive for snow east of NOLA that it only did it for a little while and it changed back...NOLA has gone up 5 degrees in 2 hours, and we have gone from snow to rain...our previous forecast called for this to end as snow, but it seems as though it is ending as rain for everybody in this area. I thought conditions on the west side of the low where good for snow...Why am I getting rain now that it should theoretically be cooler?

NOLA was ATT during the snow, tucked under the cold core 500mb low which produced dynamical cooling of the layers of the atmosphere from 500mb and lower. Also, heavier precipitation drags some of that colder air closer to the SFC resulting in a closer to the ground FRZ level ... just enough to prevent of the snowflakes. Now that the precip shield is ending, there's a tad bit warmer air along with height rises away from the ULL ...

SF

[mtm4319]

I don't even think it's sleeting anymore here in Semmes. It's 34-35 degrees and rain. (I think I'm getting immune to the cold weather - it doesn't feel all that cold at all. )

I've been looking at the radar all day, and it always seems the yellow/orange offshore never maintains that intensity by the time it moves into Mobile County.

[AL Chili Pepper]

Yep, back to mostly rain here again too. I guess that vort max pumped up some warmer air as it got nearer. It's hard to believe that we actually got snow coming off of the Gulf like that today.

[Opal storm]

Looks like our snow chance for tonight is gone.It was sleeting here at my house but now it's back to a really light rain.

[mtm4319]

Unfortunately, it looks like the precipitation is moving too far east to push into Jackson and Mobile counties. It's over in New Orleans, and the green spots are almost out of Mississippi entirely. The area of yellow/orange is moving more east than north.

I guess I'll have to be happy with my 15 minutes of flurries. From what I'm hearing, though, some spots in Mobile County got slight accumulation, if only for an hour or two.

[PTPatrick]

I think travel in the NOLA to Mobile i-10 corridor could be interesting tonight. Here there is a moderate rain and its 32 degrees...it is creating an ice layer over the snow and sleet layer that fell this afternoon. Supposed to go down to 30ish tonight