Winter Storm Update
01/08/2011 13:32
I’m sure everyone is gathering their provisions today as advised! I still believe it is a wise move.
Here are my latest thoughts on our winter storm...
Latest model runs are still showing Atlanta getting a fairly decent amount of precip. Thinking it begins as light snow tomorrow evening. Overnight, the snow will get a little heavier with accumulations around the Atlanta area from 2 to 4 inches (isolated 6”+) before going over to a brief period of sleet. Sleet might add a little additional accumulations, but it will then quickly change to freezing rain sometime Monday morning. The big question is when this will happen. My current thinking is that it will happen soon enough for the Atlanta area (particularly southern portions) to see some fairly significant icing. Enough ice to cause limbs to fall and power outages that, for some, could last more than just 24 hours. This is why I think that stocking up on some provisions that don’t require cooking is a wise thing to do at this point.
There are still many uncertainties with this storm. I’m of the opinion that no one is going to be really certain until it is actually happening. I think most would agree that Atlanta will see frozen precip, and that at some point we’ll see all three: snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Duration of each and how much are the biggest question marks, and my thoughts above are really just an educated guess. This all changes not only with the track of the low, but also thunderstorms that could form along the coast and in the Gulf. This convection could very well limit the precip farther north. There are many other complications that make figuring out specifics right now very difficult.
I’ll post more thoughts later this evening. If you haven’t already, go get a few things to last you through a couple of days without power.
Here are my latest thoughts on our winter storm...
Latest model runs are still showing Atlanta getting a fairly decent amount of precip. Thinking it begins as light snow tomorrow evening. Overnight, the snow will get a little heavier with accumulations around the Atlanta area from 2 to 4 inches (isolated 6”+) before going over to a brief period of sleet. Sleet might add a little additional accumulations, but it will then quickly change to freezing rain sometime Monday morning. The big question is when this will happen. My current thinking is that it will happen soon enough for the Atlanta area (particularly southern portions) to see some fairly significant icing. Enough ice to cause limbs to fall and power outages that, for some, could last more than just 24 hours. This is why I think that stocking up on some provisions that don’t require cooking is a wise thing to do at this point.
There are still many uncertainties with this storm. I’m of the opinion that no one is going to be really certain until it is actually happening. I think most would agree that Atlanta will see frozen precip, and that at some point we’ll see all three: snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Duration of each and how much are the biggest question marks, and my thoughts above are really just an educated guess. This all changes not only with the track of the low, but also thunderstorms that could form along the coast and in the Gulf. This convection could very well limit the precip farther north. There are many other complications that make figuring out specifics right now very difficult.
I’ll post more thoughts later this evening. If you haven’t already, go get a few things to last you through a couple of days without power.