Category: Spring Tease

70 Degree + Type Weather Coming?

While we remain in a overall colder than normal pattern, spring, obviously, has to get here one day, right?!  The past week has seen an increase in spring at least “flirting” with the region for brief 24-36 hour time periods and this will continue over the upcoming week.

We remain concerned about a potential shot of well below normal cold to open April, but we thought it would be nice to talk about something pleasant for a change.  🙂  We’re keeping a close eye on next weekend, March 22nd and 23rd, for the potential first 70 degree + type day at IND this year.

The latest ensembles aren’t shying away from a significant, though transient, ridge building in during this time period.

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Note the GFS showing the transient, though significantly, warmer than normal air that would likely occur in this type pattern.  70 degrees + would certainly be attainable.

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See, we don’t just provide doom and gloom (though this past winter may seem that way) at IndyWx.com!

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/13/70-degree-type-weather-coming/

A Look At Friday And A Comment On Sunday…

Good evening.  We wanted to touch base on a couple of things this evening.  Details are in the video…

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/13/a-look-at-friday-and-a-comment-on-sunday/

Downright Spring Like Today Gives Way To A Snowy Wednesday.

Good morning, Indy!  While we’ll reach the warmest temperatures of the year, so far, today (lower to middle 60s across central Indiana), we continue to monitor the goings on for accumulating snow on Wednesday.

The latest high resolution data shows rain changing to snow during the morning Wednesday across our area- between 7 and 9 o’clock from north to south:

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Here are some quick bullet point thoughts and we’ll have a more complete update posted this evening:

  • Rain changes to snow between 7-9a from north to south
  • Period of heavy snow falls from 10a to 1p
  • Gusty northeast winds will approach 40 MPH resulting in blowing and drifting where snow accumulates
  • Going accumulation idea remains unchanged for now- 2″ or less for the city and points south; 2-5″ north of the city. Heaviest snowfall will be laid down across northern Indiana where amounts over 8″ are likely.

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/11/downright-spring-like-today-gives-way-to-a-snowy-wednesday/

Spring Tease Through Tuesday; Back To Winter Wednesday.

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34/ 60

40/ 63

18/ 40

10/ 35

27/ 53

32/ 49

28/ 40

Light

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Light

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Forecast Updated 03.10.14 @ 7:55a

Windy Warm Up…A weak weather system will scoot north of IND this morning, but may be close enough to push a couple of very light showers into our northern suburbs during the mid to late morning period.  We note the latest HRRR model does just that.  Precipitation amounts, if any, north of the city will be very light and not much more than a trace. Otherwise the big story today will be a gusty southwest wind and much warmer temperatures. We think highs zero in on the 60 degree mark by this afternoon as southwest winds gust over 30 MPH.

This then sets the stage for a “chamber of commerce” weather day Tuesday with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the lower 60s.

Wintry Trouble Brewing…We continue to monitor the “goings on” for an accumulating snow event in here on Wednesday.  Low pressure will scoot across southern portions of the state Wednesday morning and help spread what will initially be rain into the region during the wee morning hours.  As the low deepens heading east it’ll tap much colder air looming just north of our area and result in a transition from rain to snow Wednesday morning from north to south.  A heavy, wet snow is likely to fall during the mid to late morning hours before ending.  The other aspect of this system will be a very stiff northeast wind and this will lead to blowing and drifting problems for some. Our expected snowfall accumulation idea ranges from 2-5″ of heavy, wet snow north of the city with 2″, or less, anticipated for the city and points south.  We’ll fine tune these amounts later, but feel our initial idea remains a good one this morning.

Thursday will return to the dry theme though much colder than what the early week period was.

Questions Heading Into Next Weekend…Forecast models are having difficulty handling what’s going to be a very active northwest flow regime later in the weekend into the following week.  We’re concerned at least one of the systems diving in from Canada has the chance to phase with the southern stream and crank out another snow event for the Ohio Valley during the time frame mentioned above, but we’re not confident on which system this will be just yet.

Upcoming 7-Day Precipitation Forecast

  • 7-Day Snowfall Forecast: 2-5″
  • 7-Day Rainfall Forecast: 0.10″

twicFor weather updates and more “behind the scenes” data on the go, be sure to Follow Us on Twitter @indywx or become a Friend of IndyWx.com on Facebook!

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/10/spring-tease-through-tuesday-back-to-winter-wednesday/

Sunday Afternoon Update: Awesome Stretch Of Weather Before Dramatic Changes.

Good Sunday afternoon!  We’re enjoying beautiful weather and conditions will only improve Monday into Tuesday.  That said, a potential winter storm looms Wednesday.  Additionally, we’re keeping a close eye on…

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/09/sunday-afternoon-update-awesome-stretch-of-weather-before-dramatic-changes/

Beauty Of A Close To The Work Week…

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21/ 53

30/ 46

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33/ 60

40/ 61

21/ 40

13/ 32

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Forecast Updated 03.07.14 @ 7:30a

Get Outside & Enjoy…We’re going to wrap up the work week with beautiful conditions.  If you can get out of work or school early today, IndyWx.com highly recommends it :-)!  High pressure will support sunny skies (after a little morning fog in spots) and milder temperatures.  Highs will zoom into the lower to middle 50s this afternoon!

Weak Weekend System…A weak cold front will slip south through the region Saturday.  Early morning sunshine will quickly give way to increasing clouds and developing light rain.  Rain will end as a period of light snow Saturday evening, but won’t accumulate.  The key word in all of this is light, with rainfall totals under a tenth of an inch.

Sunday will be a dry, chilly day with highs in the middle 40s.

True Spring Feel…The spring crave will be in full effect early next week as highs both Monday and Tuesday shoot into the lower 60s with sunshine.  We’ll notice a gusty westerly breeze Monday, assisting with the milder surge of air into the Ohio Valley.

Late Season Winter Storm Brewing?  Many questions remain around the ultimate track of the storm system by the middle of next week.  As of now, a blend of forecast model suggests a rain-to-snow scenario Wednesday, but it’s far too early to talk accumulations.  We’ll be able to fine tune some things over the weekend and have a better idea soon in regards to precipitation type and amount.  Regardless, a much colder air mass will pour into the region by the middle of next week.

Upcoming 7-Day Precipitation Forecast:

  • 7-Day Snowfall Forecast: 1-3″
  • 7-Day Rainfall Forecast: 0.10″ – 0.25″

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For weather updates and more “behind the scenes” data on the go, be sure to Follow Us on Twitter @indywx or become a Friend of IndyWx.com on Facebook!

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/07/beauty-of-a-close-to-the-work-week/

Thursday Evening Video Update…

Quick video update tonight to cover a couple of things: Southeast rain and western NC winter event. Beauty of a close to the work week here! More “rumblings” of a…

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/06/thursday-evening-video-update/

“Trouble” Brewing Mid Month.

We continue to closely monitor the goings on towards the middle of the month- more specifically March 12th through the 14th.  There are indications a significant late season winter storm is brewing and the overall pattern is one that is aligning itself in a way that certainly has to raise an eye brow.  That said, it’s far too early for precise details.  Is a major storm possible?  Absolutely.  Is it okay to pin down a given area for heavy snow totals at this stage?  Absolutely not.

First, let’s take a look at the latest ensemble charts.

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European

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Canadian

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At this stage in the game (more than a week away from the expected event), we suggest investing much more in the ensembles as opposed to a single operational model run.  (Case in point just from today alone…the 0z run of the European suggested the interior northeast was ground zero for widespread 12″ type snowfall totals with little to nothing expected across central Indiana.  Flip ahead 12 hours later and the 12z European takes the heavy snow axis through the heart of central Indiana on into the Northeast region).

Wikipedia has a nice write up on ensemble forecasting:

Ensemble forecasting is a numerical prediction method that is used to attempt to generate a representative sample of the possible future states of a dynamical system. Ensemble forecasting is a form of Monte Carlo analysis: multiple numerical predictions are conducted using slightly different initial conditions that are all plausible given the past and current set of observations, or measurements. Sometimes the ensemble of forecasts may use different forecast models for different members, or different formulations of a forecast model. The multiple simulations are conducted to account for the two usual sources of uncertainty in forecast models: (1) the errors introduced by the use of imperfect initial conditions, amplified by thechaotic nature of the evolution equations of the dynamical system, which is often referred to as sensitive dependence on the initial conditions; and (2) errors introduced because of imperfections in the model formulation, such as the approximate mathematical methods to solve the equations. Ideally, the verified future dynamical system state should fall within the predicted ensemble spread, and the amount of spread should be related to the uncertainty (error) of the forecast.

Though this is an event set to take shape close to a week from now, confidence on a significant storm across the east is higher than normal due to:

1.)  Excellent agreement amongst the three primary mid range ensemble charts.

2.)  The significance of the trough depicted on each set of ensembles.

While there are some differences, it’s highly unusual to see such relative agreement at this stage in the game.  We continue to bracket March 12th through the 14th time period for potential impacts from this storm across central Indiana.  Many questions will remain unanswered for now concerning precipitation type or amount, but we’re leaning more towards a winter weather maker at this early juncture for the Ohio Valley region.  We stress this can, and likely will, change multiple times in the days ahead.

Regardless, we strongly agree with the week 2 temperature anomalies courtesy of the GFS.  Should this come to fruition then March 12th through the 18th would feel more like early February then early to mid March.  Again, we think the GFS is on to something with the return of the cold pattern.

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As we move ahead know that we’ll be here keeping a close eye on the goings on behind the scenes around the potential “trouble” brewing for mid month.  As we continue to dig into the details with this potential storm, you worry about finding ways to enjoy the spring like feel Friday and again Monday :-).  We forecast both days to certainly have many craving spring as temperatures zoom well into the 50s both days.  Get out there and enjoy it!

Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/05/trouble-brewing-mid-month/

Video Update On The Mid Month Storm Brewing…

We wanted to take the time to quickly update you on a couple of very minor events in here tomorrow evening and again Saturday.  Additionally, we’re monitoring the prospects of…

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/03/04/video-update-on-the-mid-month-storm-brewing/

Cold Today; Messy Monday Ahead.

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16/ 25

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0.00”

1-3″ (and ice)

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0.50″-1.00″

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Forecast Updated 02.16.14 @ 11:15a

Cold Sunday…Fresh off celebrating our snowiest winter on record (surpassed last night at IND at 51.6″ and the Record Event Report can be found here), we’ll enjoy a dry day, but blowing and drifting snow will remain an issue in the open country. A few breaks in the cloud cover can be expected this afternoon on what will otherwise be a rather cloudy day.  Highs will only climb into the lower to middle 20s (well below the average high of 40 and closer to the normal low of 24).  Yes, our cold, snowy winter just keeps on keepin’ on!

Snow And Ice Issues Monday…A storm system will move through the region Monday and deliver a mixture of precipitation types across central Indiana.  The way we see things unfolding as of this forecast update brings a wintry mix of sleet and snow into the city around noon with periods of moderate to even heavy wintry precipitation falling into the mid to late afternoon hours before we begin to see the shield of moisture push northeast.  This will be a “thump and go” type event.

As for precipitation type, this remains a challenge and will require much fine tuning later tonight and through the day tomorrow (another now cast scenario).  We’re thinking mostly snow is the dominant form of precipitation from the northern suburbs of Indianapolis and points north.  Here, 2-3″ of wet snow is possible, polished off with a light glaze of a freezing rain/sleet mixture before precipitation ends.  For the city, itself, we think around 1-2″ of snow is possible with a glaze of freezing rain of around a tenth of an inch. Farther south, to include the southern Indianapolis suburbs, an icy mixture of sleet and freezing rain will be the concern with glaze potential approaching one quarter inch.  Again, we caution this is our best idea at this point and we’ll post some fresh thoughts later this evening.

Needless to say, tomorrow stands to include treacherous driving conditions in and around central Indiana and the National Weather Service will likely issue Winter Weather/ Freezing Rain Advisories later this afternoon to account for the wintry conditions anticipated tomorrow afternoon.

Flooding Concerns On The Rise…With such a deep snowpack across central Indiana, combined with a frozen ground, flooding concerns will be on the rise as early as the middle to latter part of the week.  We think dry and chilly (albeit milder) conditions will be with us Tuesday, but low clouds, fog, and drizzle likely develop by Wednesday as milder air streams north over the snowpack locked in across the region.

By Thursday, our attention turns to the potential of heavy rain and a couple of thunderstorms as a cold front blows through the region.  Early ideas of Thursday rainfall numbers would suggest anywhere from .50-1″ of rain is laid down and when combined with the heavy snow pack and milder air, flooding concerns will certainly be present.  Needless to say, if you live in a flood prone area, please monitor the situation closely later this week.

Winter Blows Back In…As promised, the briefly milder shot of air would be just that- brief.  We continue to monitor data that suggests a colder, more wintry, pattern blows right back into the region to wrap up February.

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For weather updates and more “behind the scenes” data on the go, be sure to Follow Us on Twitter @indywx or become a Friend of IndyWx.com on Facebook!

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Permanent link to this article: https://indywx.com/2014/02/16/cold-today-messy-monday-ahead/

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