The storm is here and it is snowing in the mountains, but I'm "snowblind". Why? The KMTX radar is out!
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| Source: NWS |
Apparently there has been a major hardware failure and it appears that we may be without radar for the entirety of the storm.
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| Source: NWS |
This is a huge handicap for nowcasting. There's only so much you can do with satellite data, web cams, and precipitation gauge observations. The good news is that the returns thusfar are encouraging. Through 9am this morning Snowbasin's Middle Bowl observing site has observed 0.31 inches of SWE (all in the form of snow) since midnight. Alta-Collins 0.13 inches of SWE with ~3 inches of snow, which gives 5 inches since yesterday. Web cams show a beautiful scene at Albion Basin.
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| Source: Alta.com |
The models suggest that mountain snow will continue through the day and into the evening. Let's hope it does as we could use a major dumpage. Be careful out there...
Dr. Jim, Some time this summer you had a link for a "wind shear" radar out of Bountiful. This radar had limited coverage for SLC airport. Do you have a link? I need a fix.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I spaced on this option. It's the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR). Much of what is happening over the Wasatch is blocked. Images available from Weather Underground at http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?ID=SLC.
DeleteThe cams on the Solitude website (http://www.skisolitude.com/mountain/web-cam.php) are higher resolution than the ones in Little Cottonwood. Solitude Summit is reporting the biggest totals I have seen so far...not sure how reliable they are.
ReplyDelete