Weather Thread

[Lemon Berry Lobster]

It's effing cold in erie

[robbiestoupe]

I wanted to get a Crimson king Maple tree but when I looked at the price, I thought no way. Are silver maples that crappy? Because they're a cheap (free) alternative.

They drop sticks and even large branches constantly. I have a pile of sticks in my back yard that's almost as tall as I am, and that represents only about two year's worth of sticks from three trees. They also love to grow into sewer lines or septic systems, so unless you're 100% PVC pipes then stay away. And they like to grow roots right along the surface, so you'll get knots of wood sticking out of the grass around their base. Do not recommend. I'm constantly hoping that mine will grow too close/over to the power lines and Duquense Light will come along and cut them down.

Funny, I have the opposite experience with silver maples. Have 4 or 5 on my property, and hardly lose any sticks. Also, of the 2-3 dozen trees on my property, these are one of the few types that don't have roots sticking out of the ground.

For sticks-in-the-yardness, my willow tree and birch tree keep me busy every week. Now that we have a fire pit, I welcome it.

[shafnutz05]

Just one model, but we'll see what the models bring throughout the week for this weekend

[Kane]

Bring it.

[mikey]

Oof, I'll be in Orlando from Thursday to Monday...let's get the weather comparison out here...

[dodint]

My weather app is calling for 41F and sunny with 0.00 precip on Saturday. Lets go with that.

[shafnutz05]

My weather app is calling for 41F and sunny with 0.00 precip on Saturday. Lets go with that.

Yup...five days out is an eternity in modeling. I would lean very strongly towards this being a non-event, but something to keep an eye on for sure. Will at least see some flakes maybe, but doubt it will accumulate unless it falls at night.

[shafnutz05]

One thing is for sure--there will be a mini cold shot coming through mid-week, and then the Polar Vortex will be back with a vengeance this weekend. Very, very impressive invasion of Arctic air coming from the Midwest into virtually the entire East Coast on Friday and into the weekend.

[MR25]

Just to make sure I'm reading correctly, the snow map with the 10:1 ratio means a 4 on the map is only .4 in?

[shafnutz05]

Just to make sure I'm reading correctly, the snow map with the 10:1 ratio means a 4 on the map is only .4 in?

Great question.

Depending on a multitude of factors (dew point, temperature, and so forth), the ratio is basically snow accumulation in inches vs. the actual amount of QPF (Quantitative Precipitation Forecast) in inches. The QPF is the liquid equivalent.

For example, if you have 1" of rain, the QPF is very straightforward--1". However, when you have snow events, you can have varying snow depths depending on atmospheric, "snow growth" conditions. It can vary anywhere from as low as 5:1 in suboptimal conditions, to as high as 20-25:1 if snow growth conditions are absolutely perfect. For snowfall model maps, the standard has always been 10:1, but as you can imagine this often isn't the best indicator of how much snow will actually fall due to the variance in ratios. If you go to those model sites, there is a newer tool called "Kuchera ratio" that tries to predict what that ratio will be, but that's not perfect either.

5:1 would be 5" of snow accumulation for every inch of precipitation, and 20:1 would be 20" of snow for every 1" of precipitation. The ratio can be measured after the fact by taking a snow sample and melting the whole sample down, and pouring it into a rain gauge to see how much precip actually fell. When you have that heavy, wet snow, that tends to compact a lot more and your ratios are lower--fluffy, large flakes you would have a higher ratio.

This is a good read on it as well:

https://www.weatherworksinc.com/Your-Gu ... Snow-Ratio

[dodint]

Is there anywhere you can bet on the weather? Seems like this stuff is ripe for DFS.

[shafnutz05]

More on the two cold shots upcoming. That second polar vortex invasion coming into early next week is bruuuuuuuuuuutal. Yes, in that last frame, temperature anomalies in the Euro model are 30-40 degrees below normal for western PA. Yikes.

[count2infinity]

My co-worker just said they got an alert that Friday might be the first snow day of the season... I guess it was a "just be prepared" sort of e-mail.

[robbiestoupe]

It seems to snow on my son's birthday every year, including the day he was born. Not surprised at the snow forecast.

[dodint]

Anyone know if they salted the roads for this...event? In the city and out to Westmoreland county? Wanted to take my classic car to work tomorrow and drive it to store it out in Latrobe but might not if they treated the roads.

[shafnutz05]

Looking like a good bet Pittsburgh gets 1-2" from this little clipper Monday into Tuesday.

One thing is for sure...with the passing of the cold front last night and the Arctic winds whipping out of the northwest, the lake effect snow machine switch has officially been flipped to ON.

[shafnutz05]

Friendly PSA. I'm sure most of you have already done this, but don't forget to disconnect your outdoor hoses and turn off the water supply to your outdoor spigots! That was a lesson I learned in my first winter as a homeowner and never want to learn again

[Orlando Penguin]

Oof, I'll be in Orlando from Thursday to Monday...let's get the weather comparison out here...

You may catch us just as we’re finally getting the cooldown. Though as I look ahead to next week, it’ll still be steamy. I’d like to turn my a/c off at some point.

[LITT]

Is there anywhere you can bet on the weather? Seems like this stuff is ripe for DFS.

this is a great idea

[Kane]

Anyone know if they salted the roads for this...event? In the city and out to Westmoreland county? Wanted to take my classic car to work tomorrow and drive it to store it out in Latrobe but might not if they treated the roads.

Neighborhood road was salty af. Didn't look like much else was, though.

[shafnutz05]

Is there anywhere you can bet on the weather? Seems like this stuff is ripe for DFS.

this is a great idea

https://www.weatherbattle.com/

[tjand72]

Friendly PSA. I'm sure most of you have already done this, but don't forget to disconnect your outdoor hoses and turn off the water supply to your outdoor spigots! That was a lesson I learned in my first winter as a homeowner and never want to learn again

Good tip. A frost-free sillcock is a good idea, but you should still turn off the water.

Also, winterize your pressure washer if it's subject to freezing temperatures. I had a hand-me-down before, and it was useless after the first winter.

[shafnutz05]

17.8 F for a low this morning. WTF.

[Ted]

Where all have you lived and how would you rank the weather?

4. SW PA born and raised. Never realized how little sunshine there is until I moved away. Humid, rainy summers, long, cold, gray winters. Left in 2004, came back in 2017. Promptly left again, for good, in 2019. Objectively bad weather.

3. King of Prussia - lived there four years. Less snow than Pittsburgh, more humid in the summer. Marginally better than Pittsburgh.

2. Orlando - 2013 - 2017. Liked it more than I thought I would. November through April are perfect. Humidity unlike anything in the rest of the country. No “off” humidity days from like late May through October. Great place for young kids as you never have to bundle them up.

1. Colorado Springs - 2007 - 2013, 2019-est 2037. What’s your dew point, bro? As low as it gets here. No humidity. Sun almost always shines. Do get the October and May snowstorms, but the sun wipes them out quickly. We were sub 0 the weekend before last, but it will be 70+ today. Nearly never have to plan around the weather in the morning if you want to get a good hike in; it will be sunny.

[dodint]

17.8 F for a low this morning. WTF.

Ran the 5k in Cranberry this morning. Was fine until my wife's Raynaud's flared up. Good run, tho.