• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

The Official 3/18 - 3/21 Storm Discussion Thread

kingdom-tele

New member
Joined
Mar 23, 2006
Messages
618
Points
0
Location
Newport Center, VT
Riv-

don't underestimate the joy in two inches of snow - besides 2" windblown means boot top powder drifts, at least thats what I found this morning up here

and bring your skins if your going to jay - calliing for heavy wind with the upslope
 

riverc0il

New member
Joined
Jul 10, 2001
Messages
13,039
Points
0
Location
Ashland, NH
Website
www.thesnowway.com
I am fine with 2" with powder drifts... but the snow is saturated wet snow here not powder. Pretty manky and several degrees warmer than Burke (lower elevation too). The wind call is mostly for Thursday, right? Haven't seen indication of high winds that would shut down operations for Friday, unless I mis-read?

Edit: Just re-read the NWS posting above which suggests high winds continuing into Friday. Would like some more detail and clarification on that issue including time lines. Those same winds would knock out a lot of lifts along the spine if they continue into Friday. Packing the skins is a good idea, regardless as I have learned this season.
 

loafer89

New member
Joined
Apr 21, 2004
Messages
3,978
Points
0
Location
Enfield, C.T
I posted the wind comments so everyone would be aware of the wind conditions for friday. It looks worse for Maine with 45mph + wind forecast for the Bethel area.
 

loafer89

New member
Joined
Apr 21, 2004
Messages
3,978
Points
0
Location
Enfield, C.T
It looks like the NWS scaled back the upper limits of it's snowfall forecast and pushed the heavier accumulations further south:

StormTotalSnowFcst.png


Click anywhere on the image to zoom in
 

loafer89

New member
Joined
Apr 21, 2004
Messages
3,978
Points
0
Location
Enfield, C.T
Higher summit's forecast for friday, sounds tropical:

.FRIDAY...SUMMITS IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS. SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY IN
THE NORTHERN GREEN MOUNTAINS...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW
SHOWERS IN THE ADIRONDACKS. HIGHS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO. NORTHWEST
WINDS 50 TO 55 MPH.
 

powderfreak

New member
Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Messages
256
Points
0
This is the best looking
upslope event this winter based on 00z/06z NWP guidance. Per BTV CSTAR
research, the three main keys to a memorable upslope event are:

1) H85 winds in excess of 25kts out of the northwest with RH at 90+%
2) Duration of 12 hours or longer.
3) Strong CAA at H85

We've got all of those covered but the real memorable events, in my
experience, are when we get the 50kts at H85 under a deep cyclonic flow...we
actually maintain a strong NW flow up to H5 on Friday night as the system
becomes vertically stacked over the Maritimes. RH values are in excess of
90% at H7 across northern Vermont on the GFS and NAM progs well into Friday.
The vorticity with the cut-off upper level low is sickening over northern
Vermont on Friday...its strong enough to cause a 110kt WNW wind a H5 over
BTV. The low level temps crash and the strong CAA should place us in a
rapidly falling temperature regime Thursday night and Friday...we fall to
-15C at ~4,500ft. Snow should continue through Friday afternoon at which
time precipitable water values fall below a quarter inch as deeper moisture
lifts northeast.


So my call for this is...

Rain changes to snow tomorrow in the early morning hours with bouts of light
snow through noon. Then steady and heavier snow will develop across the
Green Mountain spine from Sugarbush to Jay Peak tomorrow afternoon.
Snowfall rates could exceed 1" per hour for a 6 hour period on Thursday
evening/early Friday AM. Snow continues Friday before tapering off from
south to north along the spine during Friday afternoon.

Totals...1-2 feet Jay Peak...10-16" Bolton, Stowe, Smuggs...8-14" Sugarbush,
Mad River Glen...5-10" Killington.

-Scott

ps: Widespread wind hold on Thursday afternoon and Friday.
 

andyzee

New member
Joined
Sep 14, 2004
Messages
10,884
Points
0
Location
Home
Website
www.nsmountainsports.com
No offense intended, but I think it's kind of funny how everyone is looking for the best report. Now, it would be nice if the weather listened to reports. :lol:
 

highpeaksdrifter

New member
Joined
Nov 17, 2004
Messages
4,248
Points
0
Location
Clifton Park, NY/Wilmington, NY
No offense intended, but I think it's kind of funny how everyone is looking for the best report. Now, it would be nice if the weather listened to reports. :lol:

What else can you do, you gotta have hope. Anyways there have been a number of times this season I was expecting less then good conditions only to show up and be pleasently suprised.

Friday I'm worried about the high winds, but the rest of the weekend looks good.
 

nelsapbm

Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
540
Points
18
Location
Addison County
Ya....the bulk of the storm is supposed to come later today and overnight. It's dumping in Burlington right now, but it's not really sticking - a very heavy, wet snow.
 

ski_resort_observer

Active member
Joined
Dec 26, 2004
Messages
3,423
Points
38
Location
Waitsfield,Vt
Website
www.firstlightphotographics.com
Let's hope. Let's also hope the winds don't take the upper lifts out of commission. I could be happy lapping the CR chair of Heaven's Gate on Friday. You coming out SRO?

Josh Fox seems a tad upbeat:

http://madriverglenweather.blogspot.com/2008/03/fridays-our-best-shot-for-powder-day.html

yup..he is...a couple of weeks ago he predicted 30" and we got 12"....not complaining. I guess when you have little snowmaking you have to be optomistic...:wink: That's why I like Roger Hill on WDEV, "broadcasting from the summit of Sugarbush".

Unfortunately, we are understaffed so I will be in the shop at Gatehouse on Friday. As I mentioned on another thread, any questions or issues feel free to stop by. 583-6530.

This morning we got a 1" in the valley but 4-6" on the mountain, all the upper lifts are on windhold. No big surprise there. It is snowing right now.
 

Angus

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Messages
961
Points
16
although March has been a disappointment snow-wise at least these monster storms have been a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain. I don't think the snow depths have suffered particularly much.
 

JPTracker

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
428
Points
18
Location
MA
Edit: Just re-read the NWS posting above which suggests high winds continuing into Friday. Would like some more detail and clarification on that issue including time lines. Those same winds would knock out a lot of lifts along the spine if they continue into Friday. Packing the skins is a good idea, regardless as I have learned this season.

Check out this NWS Site. It shows the high winds continuing until 7:00 pm Friday.
 

ski_resort_observer

Active member
Joined
Dec 26, 2004
Messages
3,423
Points
38
Location
Waitsfield,Vt
Website
www.firstlightphotographics.com
although March has been a disappointment snow-wise at least these monster storms have been a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain. I don't think the snow depths have suffered particularly much.

Very true.....I think snow coverage for most of the hills in northern NE and the Daks have either remained the same or slightly increased. Nothing shows this better than the snow stake on Mt Mansfield
http://www.uvm.edu/skivt-l/?Page=depths.php
 

loafer89

New member
Joined
Apr 21, 2004
Messages
3,978
Points
0
Location
Enfield, C.T
Rader shows a hefty band of snow moving straight for the Greem Mountains of Northern Vermont.

Of course now that I am skiing in Vermont this weekend, Sugarloaf will have a blizzard:-?
 
Top