The Heavy Wet Stuff

You might not see, in fact you will not see any harder snowfall this season then what is falling from the sky right now. 

 

This is the radar image taken from accuweather not 10 minutes ago.  The intensity of snowfall in Berks and Lehigh is incredible right now.  It might be hard to tell the different shades of blue, but look at the green.  The yellow and orange represent thunderstorms.  That dark green all around Baltimore is heavy rain.  Philly is seeing the transition from rain to a mix (pink) to eventually very heavy snow.  The craziness of this all cannot be put into words.

Yesterday morning I became so irritated by the local meteorologists that I turned the TV off and never watched another second.  They all said it would be a rain event for Philadelphia and even the suburbs would see a change over.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing, nor had any idea where it was coming from.  Fast forward 12 hours later and they are calling for 6-12 inches.  Mind you, I wrote on a piece of paper on Saturday 10 inches and haven't wavered.

Then I get up this morning to hear talk about the first minor system that will move through that will drop a light coating on the ground.  I admit, I radar watch during the day, and sure enough the storm's intensity is far greater than predicted.  Why do I listen to these guys again?  They are thinking 3-6 inches for the Valley and Berks.  12 hours later I'm hearing the possibility of 15 inches in Philadelphia and totals approaching 10 in the Valley.  Oh yeah, the first storm gave us 3 inches already.

I've really enjoyed sitting back and watching all of this unfold.  This was a storm I never had doubt in because it continually showed up on the models WITH COLD AIR IN PLACE.  That's why I became so frustrated with the local channels.  I just didn't see what they were trying to say.  And I made a new pledge.  I will no longer be taking any of the local forecasting seriously.  In the past two days they have made gigantic changes to their forecasts that they could have prepared better for.  Even if you look at my quick post from Monday, I mention my original call of 10 inches.

I think they try to do their best without causing people to run for the stores, but what gets to me is their hypnotic way of doing it.  

• First, it's the 30 second weather update at the top of the hour.  Come back in five for the full forecast.  
• Throw it to Tom standing in front of a giant salt pile at the local Department of Transportation. 
• Back inside for the weather, "Snow tonight, after the break we will give you totals and timing."
• Back from break to see Jillian at the local grocery store (reporting on???)
• Then back to the maps for a look at the current radar and road conditions
• Next we are out to Jim at the local hardware store where people are buying shovels and salt.  How many shovels do people need?  One normally lasts awhile.
• Back to the desk where we throw it to the weather guy who tells us everything about the storm that he has been predicting incorrectly the last two days.  We see maps, temperatures, views from parks, buildings, roads, a squirrels forehead.  We keep waiting..... commercial break.
• Finally, 25 minutes later.  We see the snowfall totals they are predicting.  Of course every station has changed these totals multiple times and none of the stations seem to be predicting the same thing.

 
Then the clincher that gets me every time.  The next morning with the storm departed, while reporting from similar locations they throw it back to the weatherman and we hear, "8 inches officially at the airport, right in the range Titan HD Radar XVII and the channel 2 team predicted."

I'm sticking with the models from now on.  At least they don't talk.