iGRXY
Member
That’s the 12z
The orientation of that band across CLT metro is a classic look for putting down heavy snow across the whole metro area. Also the low placement is about as good as you can get.If the RGEM is correct with that deathband through the Charlotte metro @wxbradley is going to be in shambles come Saturday morning. Rooting for y’all View attachment 161898
Kirk Mellish is another old timer who keeps things real: https://medium.com/@melhuishMany of you Georgia folks remember Ken Cook. He was the Atlanta Met on Channel 5 for several years. I respected Ken because he was conservative, calm, and even keel in his forecasts ... he was not one to hype events too much. He posts on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KenCookATL) and here is his latest post from just a little while ago. It is a good overview of where we are:
…..The Potential for a Significant Ice Storm is Looming Larger for Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas…..
I believe that residents of northern Georgia, central and North Alabama, north and Central South Carolina, Southwestern to Eastern North Carolina should be prepared for a potential ice storm Friday and Friday night.
While the major meteorological forecast models: the NAM, (North American model), the GFS, the (Global Forecast model, and the ECMWF (European model) vary greatly with the potential of snowfall amounts across northern Georgia and Alabama, they do not vary much when it comes to the potential for significant icing.
The NAM is the stingiest with snowfall from only a dusting to minor amounts from Birmingham to Atlanta to Athens to Charlotte and northward, except for possible one to 3 inch amounts in far North Georgia and 3 to 6”+ amounts in the Tennessee and North Carolina Carolina mountains.
The European model has the most snow: with 1 to 3 inches starting along I-20 going northward, stretching from Birmingham to Atlanta to Augusta to Greenville to Charlotte and to Raleigh, North Carolina. Going northward from Birmingham to the north Atlanta suburbs to Gainesville to Toccoa, and to Northwest South Carolina, and Western and Northern North Carolina, 3 to 6”+ could fall. The GFS model favors the European model.
To me, I see too much warm air coming in at 2,000–4,000 feet above the ground to maintain much snow, so I’m leaning toward much more freezing rain, mixed with some sleet at times, rather than a lot of snow. The actual snow amounts will probably end up between the two extremes.
The three maps shown with this post showed the total amount of freezing rain possible ending at 7 AM on Saturday morning. They are from the three mentioned models, and all of them point to the same possible result – significant icing in the amount of .25 inch to .50 inch or even more in some spots. The lightest freezing rain starts in the pink color with 0.05” and ranges to 0.50” with the black color, and potentially up to 0.75” in the blues. Should this happen, it would put a considerable amount of ice on trees, power lines, bridges and even roads, leading to downed trees, downed power lines, and frozen roads and bridges.
This icing would start Friday morning, generally along and north of I-20 in Alabama and Georgia. As the day goes on, this freezing rain could spread rapidly northward to most of Alabama north of I- 20, and in Georgia, freezing rain could be accumulating from near LaGrange to southern Metro Atlanta, north to Rome and then east of Atlanta to Augusta. The forecast models have the icing getting worse Friday night as the freezing rain spreads farther northward and northeastward to include South Carolina north of Augusta, Columbia, and Florence, and along a 100 mile wide band centered on I-85 in North Carolina.
This potential heavy icing situation is looking more serious to me at this time, and I would not recommend any extensive travel in the shown areas on the maps after 3 AM Friday in Northern Alabama along I-20, and after 6 AM in Georgia along and near I-20. The travel problems become worse later in the afternoon Friday and Friday night as the snow and ice spread north and northeastward into the Carolinas.
This situation remains fluid and more changes or possible later. I’ll have more for you later this afternoon.
Thank you,
Ken Cook
This 18z HRRR run is about to be wild.
That’s the old run
Agreed but with RAH backing off their higher totals we might just end up with a WWA
Some folks on this board may need to try and do the same thing!I swear you watch the 18z will be the NAM of all NAM runs back to snow.... It will try and sneak into the room like it never left!!!
Half of Iredell and Catawba also kinda fall in this boat. You could almost divide Iredell in half every time one of these storms hit.I think GSP should have kept the foothill counties separate from the rest 1-3 just seems too low to me. Especially for Marion, Morganton, to Lenoir. I think 2-4 is a better call.
You can divide Wake into tenths.Half of Iredell and Catawba also kinda fall in this boat. You could almost divide Iredell in half every time one of these storms hit.
What’s the hourly snow accumulation rate for that heavy band?
She's a beaut Clark!!! Not everyday you see that in the south. Now let's keep the trends until go time!!!!Haven’t seen a map like this one in a long time. Gonna be a good one folks.View attachment 161935
I am telling you the NAM will be completely Cutter to Chicago or it will be NAM of all NAMs the other way no in betweenIf the NAM backs off on the warm nose, BUCKLE THE FREAK UP OFF.