Tag: Freezing rain

A Little Meteorology Lesson On Freezing Rain

Any drop that hits the ground will freeze on contact. Sidewalks, roads, trees all get coated.

Strange schedule tonight at work. Because of the football game and American Idol we were on late with an abbreviated show. I led the newscast talking about the chance for freezing rain. There’s a Freezing Rain Advisory posted from Vermont and New Hampshire all the way to New Jersey.

So much confusion! Freezing rain isn’t sleet. Freezing rain falls as plain old drops but freezes on contact! A little drizzle can coat a highway with ice. More than a little scary.

The squiggle of lines at the top of this entry is all you need to see to understand freezing rain.

Going up-and-down (the “y” axis if you’re not math challenged) on the chart takes you higher and lower in the atmosphere. The yellow spider’s web of lines represent temperature.

The important thing to know is it’s predicted to be at least 37.4&#176 Fahrenheit… maybe a little warmer at 6,000 feet tonight! Any snow at that altitude would melt and fall as rain. It probably won’t refreeze on its way down.

Of course here on the ground we’re in the 20s and low 30s. Any drop that hits will freeze on contact. Sidewalks, roads, trees all get coated.

There doesn’t look to be too much precipitation overnight. Icing will be limited. Even a little is too much.

When Forecasters Talk

I went to the discussions today when my cell lit up with text messages announcing Freezing Rain Advisories for the region overnight. I wasn’t expecting rain until Monday daytime, but freezing rain is scary enough to consider other voices.

Part of the reason I enjoy forecasting weather so much is because it isn’t done in a vacuum. When meteorologists get together weather is what we talk about. There’s also a huge volume of discussions from general and specialized forecasters available online and around-the-clock.

Want to read up on the chances for flooding or snow or severe weather? There are regularly scheduled narratives to cover those subjects and a bunch more. The Weather Service is part of the government and the government is masterful at producing paper!

I went to the discussions today when my cell lit up with text messages announcing Freezing Rain Advisories for the region overnight. I wasn’t expecting rain until Monday daytime, but freezing rain is scary enough to consider other voices.

Here’s what Peter Wichrowski, lead forecaster at the Weather Service office on Long Island (with warning responsibility for the Connecticut shoreline counties) wrote in the latest Area Forecast Discussion.

MODELS HAVE NOT HANDLED STRATUS DEVELOPMENT WELL EARLY TODAY…AND RADAR CONTINUES TO SHOW WEAK RETURNS OVER THE OCEAN JUST TO THE SOUTH. MODELS DO SHOW LOW LEVEL SATURATION OCCURRING TONIGHT.

NAM/GFS DO OUTPUT POCKETS OF LIGHT QPF OVERNIGHT…ALONG WITH MESOSCALE MODELS/SIMULATED REFLECTIVITY. LOOKING AT TIME HEIGHT CROSS SECTIONS…PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE UNDERNEATH 5 KFT TONIGHT. DO NOT FEEL THAT DEPTH OF MOIST LAYER WILL BE ENOUGH TO RESULT IN SNOW/SLEET. I COULD BE WRONG…BUT MAIN PTYPE THAT CONCERNS ME IS DRIZZLE TONIGHT.

BASED ON SFC TEMP FORECASTS…MOST OF THE AREA SHOULD REMAIN AT OR BELOW FREEZING THROUGH A GOOD PORTION OF THE NIGHT. WILL ISSUE
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREEZING RAIN TONIGHT ALL ZONES…WITH ENDING TIMES LAYERED ACCORDINGLY.

THIS SITUATION WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. IF DRIZZLE IS NOT WIDESPREAD…LATER SHIFTS MAY DROP THE ADVISORY AND HIGHLIGHT THE
THREAT IN A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT.

The GFS calls for .01″ liquid at Hartford and .02″ at New Haven. This is one of those situations where less is more! A tiny amount of drizzle will cause problems more quickly than a downpour because it will more easily freeze on contact.

Though I’m still in pajamas I called our nightside producer to see if I could get pushed to our newscast’s lead.

I probably would have come to this conclusion later this evening. By taking advantage of the collegial nature of weather I was tipped off early.

Back In Connecticut–We Left The Warmth Behind!

Driving in we noticed limbs normally well above car top level now brushing up against the roof of Helaine’s SUV. A pine tree in our front yard is “U” shaped

This morning while waiting in line to check our bags I overheard a woman complaining about the heat! She is invited to join me tonight back home in Connecticut. Too much heat is not a problem.

Our flight landed an hour late tonight. Even on-time we would have missed the freezing rain Connecticut saw for a good part of the day. We landed on a wet runway, but the taxiways were crusty, slushy snow.

Even without experiencing the ice first hand there is evidence I can see. Driving in we noticed limbs normally well above car top level now brushing up against the roof of Helaine’s SUV. A pine tree in our front yard is “U” shaped.

I took these two photos on my front steps. There’s a small ornamental bush just off to the left. Tonight it’s encased in ice!

Homeward Bound

Yes, I know what’s going on back in Connecticut.

It’s a sunny morning in the Southland. We’re at a hotel down the block from LAX. Helaine just watched a plane fly between two buildings!

Things are fluid. Our flight was scheduled for 12:55 PST. Now it’s scheduled for 2:05 PM.

Yes, I know what’s going on back in Connecticut. There’s freezing rain&#185 falling across much of the state and it’s falling on top of snow.

I’ve checked the computer guidance and temperatures should be mild enough by arrival time tonight. Unfortunately the computers are often too generous in pushing in warmer air under these circumstances.

Our plane stops in Nashville before going on to Bradley. I’d rather not spend the night there.

&#185 – Freezing rain falls when cloud temperatures are warm enough for rain. Drops fall in liquid form, but freeze on contact as they hit the ground, tree limbs, power lines, etc. It’s probably the most dicey weather for any time of travel–worse than snow.