Sunday, January 03, 2010

Models Indicate Possible Snowstorm for Friday...Still Very Early to Forecast the Track



The latest forecast guidance from the NAM and GFS continue to keep the weather cold and relatively dry Monday through Wednesday with lake effect snows near the Great Lakes and the chance of a few flurries and snow showers with the passage of a short wave trough on Wednesday. The main focus will be a very strong shortwave this is forecast to dig down across the northern Rockies after 72 hrs. This energy is forecast to track east and is predicted to develop a storm near the Mid-Atlantic states Thursday and track it to the northeast on Friday. The present GFS track keeps the storm well offshore. However, what has happened with the GFS for the last few years has been to forecast a more westerly track. The ECMWF model also generates a coastal storm with a cold, all snow track on Friday. The future runs will be watched closely on this storm. The 500 mb GFS is forecasting a classic upper-air pattern for a significant snowstorm for the Northeast.

George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist and President of Wright Weather Consulting, Inc. Our website is WrightWeather.com.