Tag Archives: Mid-Atlantic states

Advisory #2 on new Nor’easter

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The next storm the east coast will be facing will be a very bad storm for Sandy ravaged areas. This storm will likely bottom out at 990mb slightly weaker then estimates from this morning and a day ago. These estimates suggested pressures of near 980mb. Regardless of pressures, this will be a very bad storm for all ravaged by Sandy. Winds of 35-50mph will ravage areas hit hard by Sandy. Models are trending east with this storm which means that there will be cool air in place in Maine allowing for some snow possibly accumulating to a few inches in mountainous areas. areas closer to the coast may see up to 1″. Accumulations will be tricky to forecast here due to the fact that the ground is warm and it will be a while for the ground to cool off enough to allow for snow to accumulate. 1-2″ of rain will be common from northern NJ to Cape Cod and possibly Seacoast NH.

-Jack

Advisory 1 on new Nor’easter

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Less than a week after signing off from historic Sandy, I am back on with a new storm and new situation. This WILL NOT be another Sandy! I can not stress this enough. This storm will likely bottom out at 985mb. This is a measure of barometric pressure. Sandy was 945mb. Sandy was a hurricane while this will be a typical nor’easter.

This storm will be affecting Florida on election day likely causing some voters to stay home but that is another issue. The storm will come up the coast Wednesday affecting the mid-Atlantic areas. The storm will bring winds of 40-50mph winds and a surge of 2-5′ rainfall totals of 2″ will be common. This will not be a major storm though its impacts will be more damaging due to the fact that Sandy weakened our defenses both physical (seawalls, dunes) and socially (our red cross and other agencies like FEMA are already very busy with Sandy damage and power crews still face more than 1 million outages). This will just add insult to injury after a historic Sandy. Thursday the storm will stall off of the Jersey coast and slowly weaken as it moves to the NE thursday night.

Snowfall is the tricky part to the forecast. There will be accumulating snow in the Catskills and the Whites with amounts possibly reaching a foot in the favored upslope regions. NJ, DE, and Eastern PA will see wet flakes though amours will be minor and uncirten

-Jack

Last update on Sandy as it moves through PA

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This is my last analysis of Superstorm Sandy as it is now weakening at a steady clip and although it will continue to affect many along the interior Mid-Atlantic area, it is becoming less and less of a threat. Sandy should be done with us by Thursday and impacts from now on should be much less severe.

Sandy has caused damage in the 10’s of billions of dollars according to Jeff Masters of Weather Underground. This will really not do to much to help the economy and will likely set us back quite a bit. This could most definately affect the presidential election.

Sandy is now weakening over Central PA and will continue to spin north and weaken even more as it moves into Canada. Impacts will be wrapping up and the rainfall should slow down considerably as pressures rise and winds fall. We should be completely done with Sandy by Friday.

From now on, I will expirement with making a graphic every Wednesday evening and posting it here. This might work well or it might not. We will see. My first one will be tomorrow evening. Here is one for tonight.

 

 

New Models Show Less Impacts in Maine While Mid-Atlantic Sates Get Hit Hard

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New models out this morning show Sandy/Frankenstorm making landfall in Centeral NJ Monday evening. This would deliver quite a surge to theNYC area. Surge heights would be on the order of 6-10′. Irene, for example, delivered a 4-5′ surge and missed flooding the subways by mere inches. With 5 extra feet of water and waves already on the order of 8′ in New York Harbor, subway flooding is a real possibility.

Station 44065 NDBC
Location: 40.369N 73.703W
Date:Sun, 28 Oct 2012 10:50:00 UTC

Winds: NNE (30°) at 21.4 kt gusting to 25.3 kt
Significant Wave Height: 8.5 ft
Dominant Wave Period: 12 sec
Mean Wave Direction: SSE (153°)
Atmospheric Pressure: 29.82 in and falling
Air Temperature: 58.3 F
Dew Point: 53.1 F
Water Temperature: 61.9 F
Bouy data from the entrance of New York Harbor.

For those of us who this means nothing to, there are only a few things that are important, 1) Significant Wave Height. This is simple and self-explanitory. How high the waves are above the average water level (excluding tides. Ex: 12 foot waves with a 2 foot surge would be reported as a Sig. Wave Height of 12 not 14). 2) Dominant Wave Period. This shows how powerful the blast of energy creating the wave is. The higher the number in seconds, the more powerful the wave (Ex: a wind blown chop has a 2 second period while a tsunami wave has a 5-8 minute period). 3) The obvious wind and pressure to show the weather in general.

Station 41002 NDBC
Location: 31.862N 74.835W
Date:Sun, 28 Oct 2012 10:50:00 UTC

Winds: NNW (330°) at 36.9 kt gusting to 46.6 kt
Significant Wave Height: 20.0 ft
Dominant Wave Period: 10 sec
Mean Wave Direction: NE (36°)
Atmospheric Pressure: 28.73 in and rising rapidly
Air Temperature: 75.6 F
Water Temperature: 77.7 F

Bouy data from 225 Miles SE of Cape Hatteras.

As you can see by the green Barometric pressure line, the storm center has already pass by though impacts are still severe.

Impacts will be lessened here in Maine due to the storm’s eastern band falling apart. This means that there is not heavy storm on the right hand side of the system. Dont let your gaurd down though…  The storm could easily at any moment decide to build a formidible eastern side or just as easily decide not to. Stay tuned!

Morning Satellite shot of Frankenstorm. As you can see the eastern half is fairly bleak sparing much of Northern New England

Winds will be in the 30-60ph range peaking Monday. This is for Maine and New Hampshire. 40-65mph for Massachussets. 50-70mph for Rhode Island. 60-80mph for New Jersey where the center of the storm moves in. 70 mph for NYC and Long Island. 50-70mph for much of MD with 45-60mph in far western regions. 35-55mph for Eastern VA with 25-45mph for Western regoins.

Tides will be running 2-4′ above normal due to surge in Maine and 1-3′ above normal due to the full moon. This will cause low-lying areas in Portland to flood. These areas will be along low-lying commercial street and areas adjecent to Back Bay as well as anywhere else that is less than 5-6′ above sea level.

Sandy is currently a Category 1 storm with top winds of 75mph. Below is the full NHC advisory.

…SANDY EXPECTED TO BRING LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE FLOODING TO THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST…INCLUDING LONG ISLAND SOUND AND NEW YORK HARBOR… …WINDS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR HURRICANE FORCE AT LANDFALL…
8:00 AM EDT Sun Oct 28
Location: 32.1°N 73.1°W
Moving: NE at 10 mph
Min pressure: 951 mb
Max sustained: 75 mph

This is the data and here is the full write-up. For more info including graphics, go to the nhc home page which can be found at the right of my page.

000
WTNT33 KNHC 281159
TCPAT3

BULLETIN
HURRICANE SANDY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER  24A
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL       AL182012
800 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 2012

…SANDY EXPECTED TO BRING LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE FLOODING TO
THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST…INCLUDING LONG ISLAND SOUND AND NEW YORK
HARBOR…
…WINDS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR HURRICANE FORCE AT LANDFALL…

SUMMARY OF 800 AM EDT…1200 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————-
LOCATION…32.1N 73.1W
ABOUT 260 MI…420 KM SE OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA
ABOUT 395 MI…635 KM E OF NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…75 MPH…120 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NE OR 40 DEGREES AT 10 MPH…17 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…951 MB…28.08 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY…

NONE.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT…

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* CAPE FEAR TO DUCK NORTH CAROLINA
* PAMLICO AND ALBEMARLE SOUNDS
* BERMUDA

HIGH WIND WATCHES AND WARNINGS FOR HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS ARE IN
EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES.  OTHER WATCHES AND
WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NEW ENGLAND. SEE STATEMENTS FROM
LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICES.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED STATES…
INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS…PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA OUTSIDE THE
UNITED STATES…PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL
METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
——————————
AT 800 AM EDT…1200 UTC…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE SANDY WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 32.1 NORTH…LONGITUDE 73.1 WEST. SANDY IS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST NEAR 10 MPH…17 KM/H…AND THIS GENERAL
MOTION IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY.  A TURN TOWARD THE
NORTH AND THEN NORTHWEST IS FORECAST ON MONDAY.  ON THE FORECAST
TRACK…THE CENTER OF SANDY WILL MOVE PARALLEL TO THE SOUTHEAST
COAST OF THE UNITED STATES TODAY AND TONIGHT…AND APPROACH THE
COAST OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES BY MONDAY NIGHT.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH…120 KM/H…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS.  LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS…AND SANDY IS EXPECTED TO BRING HURRICANE-FORCE
WINDS TO PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES.

HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 175 MILES…280 KM…FROM
THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO
520 MILES…835 KM. A SHIP LOCTAED ABOUT 100 MILES SOUTH OF
MOREHEAD CITY NORTH CAROLINA RECENTLY REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE. ALSO…NOAA BUOY 41036…LOCATED IN ONSLOW BAY
NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST…RECENTLY REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS
OF 47 MPH…76 KM/H…AND A WIND GUST OF 59 MPH…94 KM/H.

THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE RECENTLY REPORTED BY NOAA AND AIR FORCE
RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT WAS 951 MB…28.08 INCHES.

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
WIND…TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE SPREADING ACROSS THE COAST OF
NORTH CAROLINA IN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA…AND THESE
SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH TODAY.  GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO
ARRIVE ALONG PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST LATER TODAY…AND
REACH LONG ISLAND AND SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND BY MONDAY MORNING. WINDS
AT OR NEAR HURRICANE FORCE COULD REACH THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES…
INCLUDING LONG ISLAND…BY LATE MONDAY.

STORM SURGE…THE COMBINATION OF AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM SURGE
AND THE TIDE WILL CAUSE NORMALLY DRY AREAS NEAR THE COAST TO BE
FLOODED BY RISING WATERS. THE WATER COULD REACH THE FOLLOWING
DEPTHS ABOVE GROUND IF THE PEAK SURGE OCCURS AT THE TIME OF HIGH
TIDE…

NC SOUTH OF SURF CITY…1 TO 3 FT
NC NORTH OF SURF CITY INCLUDING PAMLICO/ALBEMARLE SNDS…4 TO 6 FT
SE VA AND DELMARVA INCLUDING LOWER CHESAPEAKE BAY…2 TO 4 FT
UPPER AND MIDDLE CHESAPEAKE BAY…1 TO 2 FT
LONG ISLAND SOUND AND RARITAN BAY INCLUDING NEW YORK HARBOR…6 TO
11 FT
ELSEWHERE FROM OCEAN CITY MD TO THE CT/RI BORDER…4 TO 8 FT
CT/RI BORDER TO THE SOUTH SHORE OF CAPE COD INCLUDING BUZZARDS
BAY…3 TO 5 FT

SURGE-RELATED FLOODING DEPENDS ON THE RELATIVE TIMING OF THE SURGE
AND THE TIDAL CYCLE…AND CAN VARY GREATLY OVER SHORT DISTANCES.
GIVEN THE LARGE WIND FIELD ASSOCIATED WITH SANDY…ELEVATED WATER
LEVELS COULD SPAN MULTIPLE TIDE CYCLES RESULTING IN REPEATED AND
EXTENDED PERIODS OF COASTAL AND BAYSIDE FLOODING.  IN ADDITION…
ELEVATED WATERS COULD OCCUR FAR REMOVED FROM THE CENTER OF SANDY.
FURTHERMORE…THESE CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR REGARDLESS OF WHETHER
SANDY IS A TROPICAL OR POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE.  FOR INFORMATION
SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…PLEASE SEE PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

RAINFALL…RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER FAR
NORTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM TOTALS OF 8 INCHES
POSSIBLE.  RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER
PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES…INCLUDING THE DELMARVA
PENINSULA…WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES POSSIBLE.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF
5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM THE SOUTHERN TIER OF NEW YORK STATE
NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH NEW ENGLAND.

SURF…DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE FROM FLORIDA THROUGH
THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND SPREAD INTO
THE NORTHEASTERN STATES LATER TODAY.

NEXT ADVISORY
————-
NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY…1100 AM EDT.

$$
FORECASTER STEWART

 

Finish preparations for an extended period of time without electricity.

-Jack

Friday could be a very tricky forecast

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Now we watch our next storm that is currently in Texas will move up the coast today and tomorrow. It will reach the Mid Atlantic states Thursday into Thursday night. NE will get the brunt of this storm friday with a strong coastal front like many storms this season. This will set up a definite rain/snow line and we will see where this goes.

Stay tuned!

Jack

Mild start to the week

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It is a mild start to the workweek this week with a strong low pressure over the Great Lakes will track northward through Ontario and eventually Northern Quebec. This low will swing a warm front north through the area tonight bringing a period of light rain at the coast, and freezing rain or rain inland with possibly some snow changing to rain in the far north and mountains. Tuesday will be extremely mild with 50 degrees in Portland and Yarmouth anywhere north of that will see temps in the 40s except for the mountains where around 40 or a little under can be expected.

Mid Atlantic: Cold front Tuesday will bring cooler temps to the area and will bring a line of showers and t-storms Tuesday.

Stay tuned!

-Jack

Saturday Snow and Monday Night Rain

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 Saturday across the Mid Atlantic will feature snow north of a Baltimore-Philidelphia- NYC line clearing for Sunday morning with a cooler Sunday for everyone. Our next storm will track throught the Mid Atlantic Sunday night trowing clouds across the Mid Atlantic Sunday ahead of the storm. Monday will feature rain for most of NE with some snow at the onset of precipitation as cold air is firmly in place.

Snow will start to move in tonight and will be over the area by dawn and moving northward through the day. North of Augusta ME will see no accumulations while anywhere north of Portland and south of Agusta will see around 1-3″ and York County will see 3-4″.  Seacoast NH will see 3-5″ and Boston North will see 3-5 due to some sleet possibly mixing in there.6-8″ in northern CT including Hartford and surrounding areas.

Sunday will feature some clouds for the Mid Atlantic out ahead of the next storm that will bring rain for the East Coast starting sunday night and then into monday and monday night lingering into tuesday for northern NE

Stay Tuned!

-Jack

Snowy stretch ahead for New England while Mid Atlantic Enjoys Mainly Quiet Weather

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Overview: Strong low pressure will move swiftly out the mouth of the St Laurence and has already pushed a cold front through overnight. Strong winds will develop behind the front bringing in cold air. Winds will gust to close to 50 mph out of the W or possibly WNW or NW. Tomorrow will feature clouding skies and a lot less wind. Thursday night will bring a clipper system to the area developing a coastal low in the southern Gulf Of Maine. These two systems will bring close to 6″ to the midcoast and Central Maine with 4-5″ along the coastal plain ( the waterline to around 10 miles inland) with 2-4″ in the mountains 3-5 is likely in the far north. Saturday will feature a second clipper system and coastal low so the results will be very similar to that of the Thursday night storm. Monday will feature yet another storm and since the models diverge and the storm is in the long range forecast details are uncertain but we do think that as of right now it looks like a wintry mix along the coast with more snow inland.

 

Details: Winds will pick up as the day goes on peaking at around 9am with 50+ mph gusts and sustained winds peaking at around the same time at 25-30 mph. This wind will bring in colder air and will set the stage for two systems which will affect the area Thursday and Saturday nights.These two systems will bring close to 6″ to the midcoast and Central Maine with 4-5″ along the coastal plain ( the waterline to around 10 miles inland) with 2-4″ in the mountains 3-5 is likely in the far north. After that we will find a quiet and cold end to the weekend. Monday however will be different with temps at the coast in the mid 30s so at this point it looks like a tricky forecast and a mix at the coast.

Mid Atlantic: Windy today but winds will calm as the day goes on and become cooler. This cooler air will set the stage for some flurries for Thursday night although the southern sections will not get too much precipitation in the next week with Thursday and Saturday nights being the only two times precipitation in the southern sections. The northern sections however will get some more prolonged snow showers Thursday and Saturday nights which could leave a coating to an inch on grassy surfaces.

Stay tuned!

-Jack

Cold snap for the long weekend

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Saturday 7:00 am EST: With the snowstorm long past we turn our attention to a VERY cold weekend. Today will not be all that bad with highs in the mid 20s from about Augusta east to Port clyde, west to Montpelier VT south to near NYC. 30s can be expected for the Mid Atlantic region with clear skies overhead. Sunday however is the height of the cold snap with highs in the north and mountains reaching only to around +5 with lows approaching -20 in some mountain valleys. Elsewhere in NE highs in the teens north and 20s south. Mid Atlantic will experience the 20s in the north and 30s south.

Stay warm !!

-Jack

Thursday snow with a mix possible at the coast

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Thursday has been a tricky forecast for the past several days but now the forecast has become more clear. The eventual type of precipitation is still uncertain and will depend on the actual track of the low. But we can eliminate some options. We can eliminate an all rain scenario for NE. Also we can eliminate an even partial snow scenario for the mid atlantic. It will be all rain there.

Stay tuned!!

-Jack