Small Storm Friday Sets Up Big Storm Next Week?
That is the million dollar meteorological question. Yes, there will be some generalized light snow on Friday (1 – 3 inches) caused by an inverted trough associated with a clipper dropping southward from the upper Midwest. Places to the North and East of Philadelphia will see more snow, with someone around the NYC area, or slightly Northeast, getting between 6 – 12 inches. This, however, is not the big news in current weather forecasting. This storm will ultimately deepen and move NE off the coast and become a “50/50” low (a low pressure system sitting at 50 latitude and 50 longitude). Without getting into too technical terms, it will be placed in a favorable spot for the emergence of the next system on Tuesday/Wednesday of next week. With energy moving onshore from the Pacific ocean and sliding across the southern tier of the country, a ridge will build out West, causing a fairly sharp trough to form across the mid section of the country. The trough will slowly move East, and the energy will gain intensity as it “taps” Gulf moisture. At the same time, a second piece of energy will drift southward from the Pacific Northwest and will ultimately “phase” with the energy sitting in the Gulf states. Where and when this “phase” occurs will determine whether the energy can turn the corner and move up the Southeast and Mid Atlantic seaboard as a large snowstorm. The verdict is still out in regards to how the computer models are showing this potential snowstorm unfold, but the potential is certainly there for a big snow event next week. Could this be the next HECS (Historic East Coast Snowstorm) in a series that have occurred in the last 13 months?