February 7, 2025

Forest Service Cam offline since 6/24/21

Feb 7(Fri)

Colder, dry, sun

Bittinger 2NW Valley

precip 0

SF 0

SD 1.5(variable across the valley bottom from a bare areas to several inches.

SF season to date 88.0″

Dyacon Data Below

The Glades

Bittinger 4H

Garrett County Airport

Top of Wisp

Canaan Heights/Davis 3SE

Climate Reference Network Canaan

Cabin Mt at Bald Knob

Cabin Mt-Western Sods

Bear Rocks-Dolly Sods

Spruce Knob

Canaan Valley Refuge

Mt.Davis

Snowshoe

Petersburg Grant County Airport

Elkins Airport

• Site Comparison

The Valley vs Cabin Mt

Bittinger 2NW Valley, Bittinger 4H, Garrett County Airport

Canaan Area temps

Sods Plateau

High Ground Comparison

Up High and Down Low

Up High, High Valley, Low Valley

The Valleys

Wv High Ground Cold Spots vs DCA

RTMA

Radar

Satellite

Flow

Current Surface Features and 500mb Height Anomalies and Flow

Cranesville

Grantsville to Savage Mt

Frostburg

Lavale to Cumberland

Town Hill

February 6, 2025

Forest Service Cam offline since 6/24/21

Feb 6(Thurs)

Lots to write: Freezing rain overnight in the classic wedge zones. That was accompanied by T-Storms. Loud booming thunder. Areas west rapidly warmed at daybreak. That eventually pushed across the area through the morning. Ice melt plus rain also led to some high water and flooding in areas. Winds increasing today.

Bittinger 2NW Valley

precip 1.23

SF 0

SD 2.5″

Dyacon Data Below

Ice Accretion .25-(higher on elevated east exposed areas)

SF season to date 88.0″

Bittinger 4H

The Glades

Garrett County Airport

Top of Wisp

Canaan Heights/Davis 3SE

Climate Reference Network Canaan

Cabin Mt at Bald Knob

Cabin Mt-Western Sods

Bear Rocks-Dolly Sods

Spruce Knob

Canaan Valley Refuge

Mt.Davis

Snowshoe

Petersburg Grant County Airport

Elkins Airport

• Site Comparison

The Valley vs Cabin Mt

Bittinger 2NW Valley, Bittinger 4H, Garrett County Airport, Mt.Davis

Canaan area temps

Sods Plateau

Bear Rocks to Mt.Storm

while the wedge didn’t hold this go round on top at Bear Rocks the shallow cold was just below.

High Ground Comparison

Up High and Down Low

Up High, High Valley, Low Valleys

The Valleys

Wv High Ground Cold Spots vs DCA

RTMA

Radar

Satellite

Flow

Current Surface Features and 500mb Height Anomalies and Flow

Cranesville

The Yough at Sang Run

Meadow Mt -Frank Brenneman Rd

Oakland

Social Media

February 5, 2025

Forest Service Cam offline since 6/24/21

Feb 5(Wed)

Mainly cloudy, cold, precip after nightfall

Bittinger 2NW Valley

Precip 0

SF 0

SD 3

SF season to date 88.0

Dyacon Data Below

Bittinger 4H

Garrett County Airport

Top of Wisp

Canaan Heights/Davis 3SE

Climate Reference Network Canaan

Cabin Mt at Bald Knob

Cabin Mt-Western Sods

Bear Rock-Dolly Sods

Spruce Knob

Canaan Valley Refuge

Mt.Davis

Snowshoe

Petersburg Grant County Airport

Elkins Airport

• Site Comparison

The Valley vs Cabin Mt

Bittinger 2NW Valley , Bittinger 4H, Garrett County Airport, Mt.Davis

Canaan area temps

Sods Plateau

High Ground Comparison

Up High and Down Low

Up High, High Valley, Low Valley

The Valleys

Wv High Ground Cold Spots Vs DCA

RTMA

Radar

Satellite

Flow

Current Surface Features and 500mb Height Anomalies and Flow

Quick Fleeting Ice Event

February 5, 2025 7:11am

Ice storm warnings are out, as well as areas with winter weather advisories. See below:

■ Moisture pushes in later today. A view of the Euro and GFS below:

–

■ Over the years, while the 3KM Nam is poor on precipitation output(qpf) it often excels in temp/wind setup in these events. I’ll use it in this case.

● Temps. Watch the dam burst with the flood of milder air Thursday morning. That’s why this is a short lived ice event. By late morning, midday Thursday, across the high ground you’ll be saying what ice event as you’ll be enjoying mild winds rapidly melting any ice that occurred. Wind advisories may be issued for that, and if we have any area of drenching rains, small creek rises are possible. So while the focus is obviously on the ice for obvious reasons, it’s not a long duration event.

The highest ice accretion occurs on the highest east facing areas where the east winds aid in freezing things a bit faster and drive the moisture in. (I like .15 to .25 general max ice accretion with higher amounts on those wind driven exposed east facing slopes)

As you work west. Temps are marginal. Ice accretion is slower to form at 31, no wind vs 27 driving east wind along the Allegheny Front, Savage Mt, etc.

■3KM Nam temps below: valleys east of the Alleghenies hold on to the low cold a 2-4 hours longer vs over the eastern ridges. Those driving sw winds are slow to scour out that cold

■ 3km Nam winds. Ok this feature is a staple in these events when we have a over runninh event followed by milder air

watch that period tomorrow morning 7-10am. You see the winds prior to 7am across Garrett, those are ESE winds. Then you notice a lull. You’ll get 1-3 hours of calm. At that moment temps slowly come above freezing. We have lost the essterly flow that drives in the low level cold.

As the calm departs, it’s rapidly replaced by strong gusty SW winds that rapidly

1- melt the ice

2- send temps 45-50

● windy.com app illustrates this a bit better with the Nam . Watch the wind direction. Colors represent gust. You get the calm and rapid increase of SW winds and mild air

So while ice amounts may borderline some down limbs, etc it’s very short lived and rapidly a memory by midday tomorrow. That said, while its in progress overnight. Watch for icy areas driving and sporadic downed limbs and outside shot at power outages.

1- Watching a little more wintry precip Saturday

2- potential snow maker to go in to next week.

February 4, 2025

Forest Service Cam offline since 6/24/21

Feb 4(Tues)

Cloudy a.m, little drizzle, fog as cold air returned , then clouds, sun pm

Bittinger 2NW Valley

Precip .01

SF 0

SD 3(variable)

SF season to date 88.0″

Dyacon Data Below

Bittinger 4H

Garrett County Airport

Top of Wisp

Canaan Heights/Davis 3SE

Climate Reference Network Canaan

Cabin Mt at Bald Knob

Cabin Mt-Western Sods

Bear Rocks-Dolly Sods

Spruce Knob

Canaan Valley Refuge

Mt.Davis

Snowshoe

Petersburg Grant County Airport

Elkins Airport

• Site Comparison

The Valley vs Cabin Mt

Bittinger 2NW Valley, Bittinger 4H, Garrett County Airport, Mt.Davis

Canaan area temps

Sods Plateau

High Ground Comparison

Up High and Down Low

Up High, High Valley, Low Valleys

The Valleys

Wv High Ground Cold Spots vs DCA

RTMA

Radar

Satellite

Flow

Current Surface Features and 500mb Height Anomalies and Flow

Oakland

BRIEF ICE EVENT WEDNESDAY PM-THURSDAY AM

February 4, 2025 7:14am

■ Winter storm watches in place for what looks like a mainly freezing rain event later Wednesday pm, in to early Thursday a.m. That will see a rapid dam burst of milder air Thursday morning flooding the high ground and by midday, youll be saying “what ice event”

●NWS WATCH

These watch areas and these probably will expand in time with some warnings and advisories

■ Now a look at the Euro on temps. This will run through Monday morning and to rehash

-Colder today, Cold Wednesday, Thursday starts cold early with rapid warming over the high ground. Once we lose the easterly flow component it’s game over on the cold air. We then have a 10-14 hour window of mild air that again like this morning will see cold air work by in by Friday morning setting up a cold Friday and cold Saturday for the next light wintry event, that again will have a bubble of milder air. 6-8hours of mild air before chilling back on Sunday.

■6z Euro 2m Temps

■6z Euro Precip Type

■ How the setup works

• Cold dry high to our northeast. Clockwise circulation. Dry colder SE winds rising up over the Alleghenies, and cooling further as it does, especially over the eastern most ridges. As moisture pushes in, you also take on the process of evaporational cooling. Temps fall, dewpoints rise to meet until the airmass is saturated. As long as we hold the easterly component of the High. The eastern ridges are in the ice business. The moments winds cease, there’s always a lull in the wind, a hour later the SW surge howls in, temps rapidly rise and by late Thursday morning you’ll never know we had an ice event.

● Note this below graphic is not for this particular event but illustrating the setup as long as the easterly component is in play. Once that’s gone, you have to go east and to the low elevations Thursday morning where it lingers longer until the SW surges wipes that cold air out too.

● Temps and wind direction in motion. Watch it play out. Models handle these setups remarkably well.

■ Lastly ice accretion off Euro and NWS forecast. Again not a long lasting occurrence and occurs overnight Wednesday in to first thing Thursday

February 3, 2025

Forest Service Cam offline since 6/24/21

Feb 3(Mon)

Lots of sun, some clouds, breezy. Warmest day of 2025 so far

Bittinger 2NW Valley

precip 0

SF 0

SD 6.5 7am

SF season to date 88.0

Dyacon Data Below

Bittinger 4H

Garrett County Airport

• Webcam

Top of Wisp

Canaan Heights/Davis 3SE

Climate Reference Network Canaan

Cabin Mt at Bald Knob

Cabin Mt-Western Sods

Bear Rocks-Dolly Sods

Spruce Knob

Canaan Valley Refuge

Mt.Davis

Snowshoe

Petersburg Grant County Airport

Elkins Airport

• Site Comparison

The Valley vs Cabin Mt

Bittinger 2NW Valley, Bittinger 4H, Garrett County Airport, Mt.Davis

Canaan area temps

Sods Plateau

High Ground Comparison

Up High and Down Low

Up High, High Valley, Low Valleys

The Valleys

Wv High Ground Cold Spots vs DCA

RTMA

Radar

void

Satellite

Flow

Current Surface Features and 500mb Height Anomalies and Flow

Sideling Hill Creek at North craft

Town Hill

Polish Mt

Martins Mt

Cumberland to Lavale

Frostburg

Savage Mt to Grantsville

Oakland

February 2, 2025

Forest Service Cam offline since 6/24/21

Feb 2(Sun)

Mainly cloudy, some brief light freezing mist just south of the Mason Dixon line, a heavier glazing north of the Mason Dixon during the afternoon/evening

Bittinger 2NW Valley

Precip

SF 0

SD 6.5

SF season to date 88.0

Dyacon Data Below

Bittinger 4H

Garrett County Airport

Top of Wisp

Canaan Heights/Davis 3SE

Climate Reference Network Canaan

Cabin Mt at Bald Knob

Cabin Mt-Western Sods

Bear Rocks-Dolly Sods

Spruce Knob

Canaan Valley Refuge

Mt Davis

Snowshoe

Petersburg Grant County Airport

no data

Elkins Airport

• Site Comparison

The Valley vs Cabin Mt

Bittinger 2NW Valley, Bittinger 4H, Garrett County Airport, Mt.Davis

Canaan area temps

Sods Plateau

High Ground Comparison

Up High and Down Low

Up High, High Valley, Low Valleys

The Valleys

Wv High Ground Cold Spots vs DCA

RTMA

Radar

void

Satellite

Flow

Current Surface Features and 500mb Height Anomalies and Flow

Blue Knob

7Springs

Webcam

Sideling Hill