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Jan. 17-18, 2026 SE Winter Weather Threat

I feel like we are always curious when this data is ingested -- not just this storm, but every year when this happens and they run some missions and everyone asks "will this run include the data from the recon??".

Is this a guess or do you have some special insider way to know what data is included for a particular GFS run?
by checking the prepbufr file in NOMADS. It has all of the data used in assimilation from GDAS
 
ceiling got lowered yesterday
GFS's tilt was more positive this run. View attachment 184061
thought it had a chance to reverse with improvements upstream but alas in the end nothing really mattered. makes you think about life.
Nasty trend from the Good For Shoot model View attachment 184059
you crushed this, call last night sticking to the ai's was babe ruth pointing to the stands. we seem to always claw our way back to something somehow so i don't think it's over but this is a bummer. my dream to watch playoff football in my buddy's backyard with snowfall is somehow still alive
 
The really frustrating thing is, we have a ton of cold air around this year. It would be different if all of the cold was over in Russia. But it's not. But the only thing we can get for weeks on end are low IQ clippers or shortwaves that do EVERY SINGLE THING they can to end up with the worst possible outcome. I mean, not even something down the middle of the road or something quasi-mediocre, but just the worst possible outcome.
 
The really frustrating thing is, we have a ton of cold air around this year. It would be different if all of the cold was over in Russia. But it's not. But the only thing we can get for weeks on end are low IQ clippers or shortwaves that do EVERY SINGLE THING they can to end up with the worst possible outcome. I mean, not even something down the middle of the road or something quasi-mediocre, but just the worst possible outcome.
This one will go into the hall of almost along with a number of others since 2019
 
The really frustrating thing is, we have a ton of cold air around this year. It would be different if all of the cold was over in Russia. But it's not. But the only thing we can get for weeks on end are low IQ clippers or shortwaves that do EVERY SINGLE THING they can to end up with the worst possible outcome. I mean, not even something down the middle of the road or something quasi-mediocre, but just the worst possible outcome.
What if I showed you this banger a week ago and told you it could snow. What would you have said?IMG_7581.png
 
Man I just remembered that the model that led the way on the west trend in getting snow into East Tennessee first with the December 2017 storm was the Canadian.

I remember this because I took heat from Dave Tolleris because I said it performed better than any model and yet even tho he argued with me that model was the first to come way west.
 
Latest RAP model composite reflectivity is a bit more exciting than its precipitation map. Virga with a northeasterly component trying to push north of the main precip shield, and at least this time the dew point depressions over the area will not be nearly as extreme as 1/21/25 when 12+ hours of light snow aloft was completely eaten by dry air for many on the northern fringes. However its unlikely that would reach the ground on its own without heavier returns/development/neutral/negative tilt based on this run. Also there is some wet snow in southern LA1768538362455.png
 
While I think this is a long shot given this isn’t traditional at all (no true cold source + WAA setup) ... I think the primary key is the shortwave digging into the Dakotas as our trough attempts its best to dig and tilt as much as it can. The farther south and stronger this piece is, the quicker our trough is forced east… ultimately less digging and an even more positively tilted look.

The “good” runs that show a better snow footprint have this feature along or north of the US/Canada border. The latest “meh” runs have it much farther south, putting more pressure on the backside of the trough and kicking it out.

Really a thread-the-needle situation. I find some solace in the fact that these Canadian energy pieces often move around quite a bit, even within the 60-72 hour window, so I think there’s still room for movement (I wouldn’t get my hopes up)… but alas, we track!

This also doesn’t solve the lack of cold air. Even with a perfect dig, still need the perfect balance of precip-driven cooling in marginal temperatures (even worse during daylight hours if you’re in the Carolinas), without so much amplification that you introduce an excessive amount of WAA.

**Attached GIF is of old runs that had better snowfall footprints
 

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While I think this is a long shot given this isn’t traditional at all (no true cold source + WAA setup) ... I think the primary key is the shortwave digging into the Dakotas as our trough attempts its best to dig and tilt as much as it can. The farther south and stronger this piece is, the quicker our trough is forced east… ultimately less digging and an even more positively tilted look.

The “good” runs that show a better snow footprint have this feature along or north of the US/Canada border. The latest “meh” runs have it much farther south, putting more pressure on the backside of the trough and kicking it out.

Really a thread-the-needle situation. I find some solace in the fact that these Canadian energy pieces often move around quite a bit, even within the 60-72 hour window, so I think there’s still room for movement (I wouldn’t get my hopes up)… but alas, we track!

This also doesn’t solve the lack of cold air. Even with a perfect dig, still need the perfect balance of precip-driven cooling in marginal temperatures (even worse during daylight hours if you’re in the Carolinas), without so much amplification that you introduce an excessive amount of WAA.

**Attached GIF is of old runs that had better snowfall footprints
Where I'm at the cold air is actually pretty well placed, but we can't get any runs with moisture.. Praying a NW trend starts occuring here.
 
I’ve decided for myself in the Atlanta area that I’ll give this until 0z tomorrow night to start turning around. Today was a buzzkill for sure but I’m not jumping yet. With that said, I think the ceiling has lowered quite a bit.

Hope we can reverse the momentum here soon
 
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