Aug 21.                        min.    max.    avg

Bitt 2nw valley         63.4      74.4      68.9

Garrett College         65.0       78.0     71.5

Can-Heights               61.9       75.2     68.6

CRN-Canaan             61.9       75.9     68.9

Cabin Mt                   59.5       71.1     65.3

Cabin Mt north       60.1       75.7     67.9

Spruce Knob            58.5       72.5     65.5

Snowshoe                 59.2       70.7     64.9

Can-Valley Floor     60.6       78.8     69.7

7Springs                   64.1.      72.7     68.4

Mainly cloudy, period of a.m rain and afternoon storms. Some warranted tornado warning Somerset County to Bedford County

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-23-09-03-25

 

2018-08-23-08-58-20Screenshot_20180822-072821Radar with estimates 9pm-9pm, .7 at Bittinger 2nw Valley

Screenshot_20180821-211106Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

 

 

 

Aug 20.                    min.       max.     avg

Bitt 2nw valley      62.5      68.2     65.3

Garrett College      62.7      69.5     66.1

Can-Heights           59.0      72.6      65.8

CRN-Canaan          57.8      72.4      65.1

Cabin Mt                57.6       68.7      63.1

Cabin Mt north    58.1       69.4      63.7

Spruce Knob        58.1       64.8      61.4

Snowshoe             60.1       70.9      65.4

Can-Valley Floor  58.6       75.6      67.1

7Springs                 60.0      68.5      64.2

Mainly cloudy, some fog, little drizzle, SE flow. Eastern ridges holding the dreariest.

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-21-17-50-18

2018-08-21-17-59-43Screenshot_20180821-074953Radar with estimates(9pm-9pm)

Screenshot_20180820-215845Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

 

 

Smoke areaScreenshot_20180820-221100

18z GFS meteogramK2G4_2018082018_tx_240

Aug 19.                   min.     max.      avg

Bitt 2nw valley    58.5      72.7       65.6

Garrett College    61.9       76.9       69.4

Can-Heights         58.2       74.9      66.6

CRN-Canaan        58.8       76.4       67.6

Cabin Mt.              57.7       73.2      65.5

Cabin Mt north    58.3       74.3      66.3

Spruce Knob         57.7       68.0      62.8

Snowshoe              59.9       70.0     64.9

Can-Valley Floor  57.7       77.7     67.7

7Springs                57.2       72.9     65.1

Mix of clouds and sun, a smokey haze in the sky,  more clouds south with showers also in the southern Alleghenies, with heavy ones east og Wv/Va line

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-21-17-49-16

2018-08-21-17-57-02Screenshot_20180820-073816Radar with estimates(9pm-9pm)

Screenshot_20180819-212431

Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

 

 

Smokey Skies..smoke zones

 

 

12z ECMWF meteogramK2G4_2018081912_dx_240

18z GFS meteogramK2G4_2018081918_tx_240

(areas of 30s in coldest spots possible Thursday and or Friday morning)

Aug 18.                       min.    max.      avg

Bitt 2nw valley        61.7        72.6    67.1

Garrett College         63.7       73.6    68.6

Can-Heights              61.8       70.0    65.9

CRN-Canaan             60.0       70.2    65.2

Cabin Mt                   59.4       68.0    63.7

Cabin Mt north       61.3       69.1     65.2

Spruce Knob            59.0       66.7    62.8

Snowshoe                59.9        66.4    63.2

Can-Valley Floor     58.6       72.9     65.7

7Springs                   64.2       71.1     67.6

Showers, downpours at various periods today…. mainly cloudy, few peaks o sun.

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-20-08-09-19

2018-08-20-08-06-03

Screenshot_20180819-074052Radar plus estimates ,     1.0″ at 6pm new rainfall at Bittinger 2nw Valley

Screenshot_20180818-214637

Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

Smoke areaScreenshot_20180818-220555

Aug 17.                     min.       max.       avg

Bitt 2nw valley      61.5        77.9       69.7

Garrett College      65.7        77.8        71.7

Can-Heights           63.7        76.4        70.1

CRN-Canaan          62.7         75.7       69.2

Cabin Mt                61.0         71.4       66.2

Cabin Mt north     62.1        74.7        68.4

Spruce Knob         59.9         73.2       66.5

Snowshoe              60.1         70.7       65.4

Can-Valley Floor   61.2         77.5      69.3

7Springs                 63.2         73.3      68.2

More clouds than sun, showers overnight, some scattered today….

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-20-08-07-56

2018-08-20-08-00-44

Screenshot_20180818-075734Radar plus estimates, .2 Bittinger 2nw Valley, more after 6pm.

Screenshot_20180817-212654

Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

Smoke areas todayScreenshot_20180817-212537

18z 3km Nam

2m Temperatures

2m Dew Points

Simulated Radar

12z ECMWF meteogramK2G4_2018081712_dx_240

18z GFS meteogramK2G4_2018081718_tx_240

Pic today2018-08-17-19-00-35

Aug 16.                      min.     max.     avg

Bitt 2nw valley     57.0       80.0       68.5

Garrett College      61.2       82.5      71.8

Can-Heights           57.7       78.8      68.2

CRN-Canaan          59.1       78.6      68.8

Cabin Mt                60.3       77.4      68.8

Cabin Mt north     61.3      79.9      70.6

Spruce Knob         58.3      75.9      67.1

Snowshoe              61.2      74.3      67.8

Can-Valley Floor  49.6      80.6      65.1

7Springs                63.8      78.2      71.0

Mix of clouds and sun, low fog in spots this morning. Lots of clouds around and that helped hold temps up some. Showers late day

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-20-08-07-00

2018-08-20-07-57-46Screenshot_20180817-082444Radar plus estimates

Screenshot_20180816-210948

Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

Smoke areaScreenshot_20180816-205317

18z 3km Nam

2m Temperatures

Simulated Radar

2m Dew Points

12z ECMWF meteogramK2G4_2018081612_dx_240

18z GFS meteogramK2G4_2018081618_tx_240

Pics today

 

 

Northern Garrett cam still down, once again using the Rt 40 Elementary cam

Aug 15.                       min.       max.      avg

Bitt 2nw valley        56.0        74.7       65.3

Garrett College        62.3        77.2       69.7

Can-Heights             58.5        73.5       66.0

CRN-Canaan            58.6        73.8       66.2

Cabin Mt                  57.2        71.8      64.5

Cabin Mt north       57.9       74.5      66.2

Spruce Knob           56.3        71.2      63.7

Snowshoe                57.9        70.0      63.9

Can-Valley Floor    49.3        75.7      62.5

7Springs                 61.9         73.8      67.9

More clouds than sun to start, then a mix of clouds and sun throughout the day

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-16-07-34-52

24 hour precip (9pm-9pm) this was the remaining showers last night as the rain ended shortly after dark in these areas. Not going to include radar loop since today was void of precip.Screenshot_20180815-210758

Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

Western Smoke and African Dust

If you view the Goes-16 Satellite Loop above the smoke/haze look in the cloud free areas is visible, below shows those areas…

Screenshot_20180815-201613

African Dust making the long loop

nasa_dust_atlantic_8

18z 3km Nam

2m Temperatures

2m Dew Points

10m Winds

Cloud Cover Percentage

Simulated Radar

Based off the formula for this model. If conditions are clear, calm, minimal clouds, subtract 4-8° off modeled dewpoint for mins in the coldest valleys. Which potentially would put out temps 40-45(monitor Canaan Valley Frost Pocket, no sensor on The Glades presently)

Further out, strong hints of a 3-4 day fall-like stretch late next week/weekend. If that materializes, it should be a good time to monitor those frost pocket sites for 30s. Will not be surprised to see model mins trend cooler. Again, frost pockets will not show up on the main model grid.

12z ECMWF meteogramK2G4_2018081512_dx_240

18z GFS meteogramK2G4_2018081518_tx_240

Month to date

Temps, no surprise. A wet month. Typically plenty of cloud cover. Holds max temps down, holds mins up with the blanket of clouds and moist air.

Precip Observed and departure from the average.

Year to date

Temps, running very close to the averages overall. Max temps under, mins up and coincides nicely with a wet year to date,  with those graphics a short scroll down.

Precip, yearly obs from Jan 1, with departures from average.

Sea Surface Temperature drop, Sea Surface Temperature anomalies and potential winter implications.

Pictured above- SST(Sea Surface Temperature) anomalies last year vs this year. Last year on the left, this year on the right. The amount of cooling in the oceans has been fairly significant.

One interesting aspect, Joe Bastardi at weatherbell brought this up and I highly recommend checking that out. That aspect is the cooling in the Indian Ocean, the warmth developing in the tropical Pacific around 120W and forecast to build in to what could be a weak to moderate modoki Nino.

The significance in this, would be the effect on the MJO(Madden Julian Oscillation) during the winter months. The warmth in the tropical Pacific would tend to favor best areas of convection in the favorable phases (8,1,2,3) varies month to month, for eastern U.S cold. That’s one reason why Modiki Ninos can have an effect. Its not the sole reason, it depends on what is going on around it as well. Say the Indian Ocean was very warm, it can hamper that effect for us winter lovers.

Another key, I’v pointed out before. East of the Dateline at 30 N. Those waters cooler vs normal and the Northeast Pacific warmer than normal enhances the pumping of the western ridge, eastern trough. 2 favorable outlooks at the early stages.

A cooler vs normal Gulf of Mexico. A much colder look to the Atlantic overall, with warmth from mid Atlantic to Northeast. That may enhance Nor’Easter type storms with coastal rains, inland snows. The cooling of the North Atlantic looks ideal to set up some blocking highs with a -NAO. Again, far off, and how these features adjust will be key. The significant cooling of the oceans over the past year, and locations of warmth vs cool will be key. Stay tuned as these aspects, plus others will be fun to watch going into fall.

Wildfire Info Links

If interested in statistics, facts on wildfire data, satellite info, smoke views, drought vs wet areas, highly recommend these few links. Helps decipher media hype vs reality

https://www.nifc.gov

https://fsapps.nwcg.gov/afm/imagery.php?op=fire&passID=408474

 

Today pics

 

 

Northern Garrett Accident cam not showing, subbing in Rt 40 cam

Aug 14.                      min.       max.      avg

Bitt 2nw valley        54.9        69.5      62.2

Garrett College       57.2         71.5      64.3

Can-Heights            51.4         69.5     60.5

CRN-Canaan           53.3         70.5     61.9

Cabin Mt                 52.3         69.1     60.7

Cabin Mt north     53.1         68.7     60.9

Spruce Knob          51.1        67.8     59.4

Snowshoe               54.5        66.2     60.3

Can-Valley Floor    44.4       72.7     58.5

7Springs                  56.2       67.8     62.0

Cloudy, few sprinkles early. Showers returning in the afternoon, mainly Garrett and north. Few rounds of showers through the evening.

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-15-07-59-54

Radar and estimates. Picked up .25 at Bittinger 2nw Valley

Screenshot_20180814-214645

Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

2018-08-14-16-06-44

Western Fires and the smoke trail….the smokey haze can be seen on Satellite across the country

18z 3km Nam

2m Temperatures

2m Dew Points

Cloud Cover Percentage

10m winds

Simulated Radar

12z ECMWF meteogramK2G4_2018081412_dx_240

18z GFS meteogramK2G4_2018081418_tx_240

Aug 13.                    min.       max.      avg

Bitt 2nw valley      54.6        68.4      61.5

Garrett College      56.7        70.7      63.7

Can-Heights           51.6        70.4      61.0

CRN-Canaan          53.7        71.5      62.6

Cabin Mt                52.0        68.7      60.3

Cabin Mt north    54.1         70.0      62.0

Spruce Knob         50.5         68.5      59.5

Snowshoe              53.8        67.5      60.7

Can-Valley Floor   46.8       73.4     60.1

7Springs                 56.8       69.2      63.0

Cloudy start, turning rainy in the morning with heavy rain at times in northern areas,  that began to dissipate and shift to other areas in the afternoon and evening

Temp profile this afternoon(Bittinger 2nw Valley, early afternoon temp with rain was 59, a sunny break occured and the brief max of 68 occured) 2018-08-14-07-59-25

Radar with estimates.(9pm-9pm) Picked up .87 at Bittinger 2nw Valley

Screenshot_20180813-211805.jpg

2 day totals, Bittinger 2nw Valley 1.27, USGS(pictured) Grantsville 2″, USGS Davis (pictured) .2, Cabin Mt at Bald Knob .8, Spruce Knob .58

Satellite this afternoon

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

 

 

What the hail!

Pics by Rosanna Springston along Highland Scenic Highway in Pocahontas County today. Most pics are from this afternoon at 2pm. 2 are from 7:30am-8am.  By looking back over radar data, best that can be told (radar also view by the Charleston office in agreement) that the cell that dropped the hail occured between 8-9pm last night (8/12/18) What is most impressive is, 16-18 hours later the amount of hail that was still laying around. Temps 50s,60s, high humidity, warm ground.

 

Radar at the time the hail event is believed(pretty certain) to have occured. Screenshot_20180813-215051

And again today some areas experienced hail. This pics sent from Grantsville Md to a social media weather page

SPC again not including the area in the hail threatScreenshot_20180813-185823

Given the low freezing level of 12-13k feet, with the relatively cold upper level low in August, surprised no threat zone back here. Precip heights looked to be 25-30k feet. Surface temps fell mid 50s with the rain, I would venture a guess, a guess only that these hail areas went into the upper 40s when these cells passed by.  One area I have no report from is Aurora in Preston County that looked like it should have produced hail as well today. The 3km nam, while hail is not a parameter of the model, it showed a remarkable temp drop with cells, to me indicating hail, as well as a brief dewpoint drop. (Refer to yesterdays post of the model) Screenshot_20180813-190153

18z 3km Nam

2m Temperatures

Simulated Radar

2m Dew Points

12z ECMWF meteogramK2G4_2018081312_dx_240

18z GFS meteogramK2G4_2018081318_tx_240

day 9, cool shot? 12z looked nothing like this. However 12z ECMWF 500mb pattern sticks a decent trough east. The surface features, the GFS will pick up on min temp potentials for valleys while ECMWF tends to model high ground. Each model has had the bias for years, the GFS has been modified though and does not pick out mins like it used to. Now I use a formula from the 3km nam for valley mins that has worked well. At any rate, 9 days is a long ways out….many changes will occur.

Aug 12.                      min.     max.    avg

Bitt 2nw valley        54.1      74.1    64.1

Garrett College        57.3      76.7    67.0

Can-Heights             56.1      72.6    64.3

CRN-Canaan            56.4      71.9    64.1

Cabin Mt                  56.5      66.6    61.5

Cabin Mt north       58.1      68.5    63.3

Spruce Knob           56.3      70.3    63.3

Snowshoe               56.1       68.9    62.5

Can-Valley Floor   54.7       72.1    63.4

7Springs                63.2        74.7    68.9

Valley fog, some areas of clear skies, some areas with clouds to start the day. Cloudiness more so in the Wv mts. Building clouds today, some periods of sunny breaks, showers in the Wv mts morning, with more widespread showers including northern areas later in the day with thunder.

Temp profile this afternoon2018-08-13-08-22-01

Radar with estimates(24 hours 9pm – 9pm) Picked up .4 at Bittinger 2nw Valley

Screenshot_20180812-211754

Satellite

Flow

Surface features and 500mb height anomalies and flow

 

Henry Oester near Keysers Ridge had hail with the evening storm.

 

The runs of the 3km Nam kept showing a large 2m temp drop with some of the  individual  cells. Casual glance not digging to deep into it, I thought it may been modeling some hail. (not a parameter of the model) The SPC had no hail threat near.Screenshot_20180812-201142

Freezing levels looked to run 12-13k feet. Precip tops 25-30k feet with some of the storms.  It appears tomorrow should run this isolated risk as well. 500mb “cool” pool overhead with upper level low. Screenshot_20180812-202325

18z 3km Nam

Temps

Simulated Radar

2m Dew Points

Cloud Cover Percentage

12z ECMWF meteogram

K2G4_2018081212_dx_240

12z GFS meteogramK2G4_2018081218_tx_240