Let the Wintry Mix begin!!

Well parts of the area have seen a light dusting of snow, mainly to the North of Dayton, so far today.  We have been in a dry lull the last three hours, but an area of convergence out to our west is pulling in a lot of moisture.  We are below freezing in the northern part of the valley and above freezing to the south.  So as you can imagine, the next 12-24 hours will be interesting because some areas to the north may see all snow, and some areas to the south may stay all rain until this time tomorrow when the cold air really punches into the area.  All in all, the highest accumulations for the next 48 hours should be about one to two inches.  Nothing major, but roads will be icy tomorrow night, keep that in mind as you are heading home from any festivities.

On a completely unrelated note, I am returning my brother his Sachs mopeds tomorrow.  He gave it to me to get it back running after he almost put it into its grave.  He didn't check the clutch and there was no fluid in there.... lucky it didn't blow on him.  Then he also caught his birds nest of wires in the peddle and really did a number on those... So basically I had to do some rewiring, engine/clutch work, and also take his stock (cough cough) exhaust and clean out as much of the carbon out of it as possible to actually allow air to flow through it again.  Anyways, it is running again, and I have to give it back.  I am still waiting for the stator plate for my Sebring. I cant wait to get her running again, I look so big on her two beautiful wheels, but I still love every minute she runs.... Then my Tomos, I need a few piston rings and I should be able to get that back together after trying to piece the top end back together after it was seized.... Mopeds are a never-ending headache, but the reward of riding them is worth it...

Have a good one, see you back tomorrow to finish off my 14 day-16 shift stretch of working...

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

More snow on the way.

Hope you all had a happy and safe holiday!  I have been super busy working the last few weeks straight along with a few double shifts.... Finally catching up on sleep and enjoying the sunshine, but things look to quickly change...

Cloudy Wednesday with snow arriving later in the evening.  Right now only expecting a light accumulation, between a dusting and half an inch.  Then it will switch over to a Rain/Snow mix for New Years Eve in the morning, then back to snow later that night.  The northern Miami Valley will see more snow, and the south seeing more rain.  Then frigid temperatures will be returning to the area for the late weekend and early next week.  Right now wind chills look to be below zero, brrr!!!

Hope you got to catch my siblings on-air the last two days.  Since my family lives in Darke County and they had a Level 1 Snow Emergency, I had them find snow drifts, and without me asking, went and stood right in the drifts to show how deep they actually were.  Thanks guys!!

Travel safe in the days to come and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Snow on the way

So there wasn't any snow for Christmas morning, but at least we will be getting some tomorrow.  The system that has been blanketing the Plains with Blizzard Warnings will cough a little moisture our way and we look to get a light accumulation.  The latest models are showing that South of Dayton will see between 0.5" and 1" and then areas north of Dayton will see between 1" and 1.5" of snow before Monday morning, with a few spots seeing a little more to the far Northwest.  Much of the snow will not arrive until later in the afternoon, starting in the Northwest and work its way to the Southeast slowly. 

Take it easy on the roads, and send in your weather photos!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

It's here!!! Merry Christmas!!!

Another morning on the morning show, and today will turn out to be a special one... hope you tune in to find out.  It will be special ALL morning, but especially from 8-9 AM. 

It looks like light spotty rain for the day today, not a complete washout.  Tonight the temps will fall below freezing and the rain will turn to snow.  We will see light snow and flurries tonight, with a dusting at most by tomorrow morning.  Light snow possible for tomorrow as well, but the best shot of snow will come on Sunday.  We could see about 1-2" of snow, a few places could see a little more but most of us only seeing 1-2".

Snow then tapers off as we head into the last week of 2009, and snow holding off until later next week.

Well have a safe and happy holiday and see you back here soon!!!

0 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

A small batch of moisture, snow, moved over the western counties early today, most of the precip, but didnt hit the ground, evaporating instead.  That will not be the case tonight as heavy rain is headed our way.  The heavy rain will end tomorrow morning and a few remaining light showers will be around the area.  Then the light showers will switch over to light snow showers or flurries for tomorrow night.  We are still looking at about one inch, maybe slightly more, as we head through the weekend.  Colder temperatures as we head into next week.  Travel safe everyone!!!

1 day left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Quick Update

Busy day today.  Wintry mix this morning caused for a hectic commute for parts of the Miami Valley,  As a matter of fact, the central part of the Miami Valley had a Winter Weather Advisory for several hours.

Tomorrow there is a less risk of the wintry mix, but still a slight chance as we see flurries switch over to rain showers for the late morning and early afternoon into evening.  The rain will persist through the overnight hours and could be heavy at times.  Christmas we will see scattered showers turning to flurries and snow showers as we head into the evening hours.  The roads could see some re-freezing so keep an eye on the roads Christmas night.  A lot of this will depend on how fast the roads dry, we will see pretty strong winds the next 48 hours.  As we head into the weekend, temperatures will remain cold and we could see a light accumulation of snow, right now the models are looking around 1-2" of snow.  I will be back on tomorrow with an update on the accumulation totals possible.  Have a good one, travel safe, happy holidays and Merry Christmas!!

2 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Morning snow only a tease of a White Christmas...

Well the light snow we saw this morning was only a tease...  It would have been great it today was Christmas and waking up to a light snow falling.... nothing major to cause travel problems, but enough to make it pretty...

Unfortunately, the forecast doesn't have snow on Christmas morning.  We will see a few flurries the next few days at times.  On Christmas Eve we will be cold for most of the day, a few flurries at times, then by the evening, rain will arrive and last overnight.  The rain could be heavy at times, so its a good thing Rudolph's nose will light the way.  Rain will lingering, at times, through Christmas Day and switch back over to snow showers and flurries later Christmas evening.  The snow will then remain around the area then for the rest of the holiday weekend.  If you are traveling westward out to the Great Plains, get ready for very heavy snow!!

3 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Crazy morning on the roadways.

Well the half an inch of snow we got last night was just enough to look pretty and people to think it was harmless, but caused major headaches, especially in Dayton.  The wet roads that refroze and got that dusting of snow turned out to be a bad combination and accidents littered the highways. Parts of 35 going through town were shut down for several hours as salt trucks tried to get control of a few extra dangerous spots.  Reports from other counties such as Darke County had vehicles sliding off the roadways so no where really in the Miami Valley saw decent roads this morning.

It is looking pretty dry for most of Christmas Eve, so any commuting on Thursday should be fine.  Still expecting like flurries on Christmas Eve changing over to rain in the evening and remaining rain as we head into Christmas.  It doesn't look to switch back over to snow until Christmas late afternoon or evening. As much as everyone wants a White Christmas, at least we wont have to deal with shoveling out of near blizzard conditions, which parts of the Central Plains could very likely see in the days to come. 

Time to wrap presents!! 4 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Christmas forecast finally getting pinned down

With the recent computer models and blogs on here, the Christmas forecast has been on the line.  Finally the models are agreeing on the same track of the storm.  Unfortunately for us, it does not mean a White Christmas, instead it is looking like a Wet Christmas. We could see a little snow to start things off on Christmas Eve, but things will warm up and change over to rain for overnight and into Christmas.  Flurries and light snow showers will linger Christmas evening and overnight.  Things could still change, but the models have been in agreement the last 24 hours, which normally means things will hold pretty close to the models.  I will have updates here on Buck's Blog in the coming days just in case the track of the low changes and keeping an eye on things.

Well time to get ready for the evening news, then sleeping here at the station a few minutes, then back up for the morning show.... see you all this week in the mornings!!!

5 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael.

We got our first "real" snow!!

By real, I mean seeing all white outside and actually able to measure it.  We did get that dusting a few weeks ago, but was quickly melted and so light you couldn't actually measure it.  With the temperatures warming up today above freezing and now back below freezing, any roads that are left untreated and less traveled will begin to ice over.  Use caution because it may see wet and not icy, but then all of a sudden the wheels will feel like you are riding on marbles.

It looks like we will see a light dusting for Sunday night up to an inch of snow, nothing too major, but could still cause some slick spots for Monday morning.

For Thursday and Friday, we will be, once again, right on the line of the rain and the snow.  The latest models are showing the system starting out as snow late Thursday, changing back over to rain overnight and into Christmas morning, then back to snow flurries Christmas evening.... If the system shifts 40 miles one way or another from its current track, it could be all rain or all snow... Very interesting system and will definitely bear watching in the coming days.

6 days left!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

A few changes to the upcoming systems...

The first system arriving tonight looks to hold together.  Most of the area should see 1-2" with some isolated spots, mainly south and east of Dayton getting a little more.  It should start this evening, maybe as a light sprinkle first then turn quickly to snow, and last through Saturday night.  This will be the first accumulation of snow this season, so take it easy on the roadways, accelerate slowly and give yourself plenty of room to stop.

They next system clipping us on Monday will be staying a little farther to the north.  We could still see a dusting or up to an inch of snow from Sunday night into Monday evening.

The biggest of the changes is coming with the system later next week.  As I said yesterday the rain/snow line was very near our area.  The last three models have indicated that we will be warmer than what they were showing yesterday.  This means that instead of the Miami Valley seeing the first snow "storm" of the season, right now it is showing a lot of rain on Christmas Eve and temperatures getting near or into the 40's.  This will melt a lot, if not all, of the snow on the ground from tomorrow and Monday.  It will need to be watched closely in the coming days to see how the track of the storm progresses.  I will say this, the fact that the models have not consistently been able to grasp the storm means that it still is a little to early to said without question whether it will be a snow or rain event.  With that said, the latest of the models are showing rain on Christmas Eve and a few lingering snow showers and flurries for Christmas.  I will update this frequently in the coming days, as always.

7 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

White Christmas?

As it looks right now we will see about three rounds of winter weather before Jolly Ole St. Nick slides down the chimney.  I will break down each of the storms.

The models are always changing, so make sure to check back in for an update on snow totals in the coming days.

First storm: Friday night until Sunday morning.  This system has been fairly consistent in the recent models.  It looks like most of the area will see at least an inch of snow.  As of right now, a few locations could see 2 or 2.5 inches.

Second storm: Sunday night into Monday night. This system has been showing gradual building and strengthening. This system is showing an additional inch of snow in recent models.

We will see a cold break of high pressure for the middle of next week, but the third system, and strongest of the systems, looks to arrive later week.  It should start Wednesday night and last through Christmas Day and into the weekend as flurries.  With the fact that this system is so far out, models are still getting a grasp on it and have not been completely in agreement.  The majority of the models have shown this as all snow.   A few other models have shown this starting off as a wintry mix and then back to snow.  If the system stays as snow, we could see several inches, giving us a White Christmas.  If the system shifts gears at all, we could see this turn into a rain event, and greatly decrease our snowfall.  It will need to be watched, but right now we are trending towards a White Christmas....  As always, check back on here to get an update on the predicted snowfall totals for the coming systems.

8 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Anyone got directions???

Cuz I am LOST!!! That's right, I talked about LOST in my last blog and season three came on DVD yesterday, so it has basically been LOST non-stop since yesterday.  Also got a new dryer yesterday because the last one was broken, and it takes half the time to dry the clothes now.  I expect to see a decrease in my electric bill.

Update on the chance for snow this weekend... right now it is looking like we could see a light dusting over all of the area, but a few spots could see 1-2" of snow, coming up this weekend.  It is still pretty far out to pin-point who will be seeing the most snow, if the system happens to switch  angles it would drastically change the amount of snow.  As always, I will be back on, in the coming days.... and as a sneak peek, next week looks cold, and we have a few more systems in the long range.... could we see a White Christmas???  You will have to check back in to see....  Have a good one!

10 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

LOST!!!

So Dawn and I currently do not have the third season.  We think it is at her parents house, and we have flew threw season one and two, but now we are moving at a much slower pace.  It was so nice when it was on DVD and we could watch it while falling asleep, but now I have to take my laptop out to the living room and hook it up to the TV.  The bedroom TV doesn't have the hook-ups for the laptop.  So anyways, now we have to watch them on Hulu and wait for the ads to play and such.... time wasted... especially on the internet... Anyways, Amazon had a HUGE deal the other day.  Season five came out on DVD last Tuesday, so Amazon was offering 70% off if you bought seasons one through five, and the price was the same, if not less, than if you bought two seasons.  So we thought, ehh, why not get it and find a use for seasons one, two, and four.  (Maybe Christmas gifts.)  Haha.

Icy morning today in Sidney, looks like with temperatures dropping close to freezing again tonight and patchy fog forming, we could see a little black ice form in some of the colder locations.  Not everywhere, but basically the normally cool spots.  Warm for the afternoon on Monday though, close to 50 degrees.  Then a cold snap Tuesday with a rain/snow mix.  The end of the week could be interesting, possibly our first accumulation of snow for the season.  I will keep you posted on that.  Have a good one!

12 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Keeping it close to home...

So for those of you who were out of town and didn't get to see my story on the Shelby County Community Christmas Dinner, here it is.   It was amazing to see how many people came out for the event and got together to just have a good time.  Anyone that wanted to come was welcome.  The line wandered around three sides of the building (inside, so no waiting outside), and it was a record-setter with 1625 people served.  It was a good time and I plan on returning again next year.

Looks like we could see a few pockets of freezing rain tonight.  If anyone happens to catch any of it, email me and let me know, amichael@daytonsnewssource.com.  Not everyone will see it because it will be widely scattered, but the good news is that by 7AM it all should be melted with temperatures warming through the night and rain showers through the morning.  Have a good one!!

13 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Another Cold Morning....

Now I love my dog, Buckeye, but taking him out at 2 AM with the winds about 20 mph, and the wind chills below zero is not fun at all...  Luckily he doesn't like the cold either and doesn't waste time.  I need to start getting back into the winter mindset while taking him out... Last year, I had a dedicated pair of hat and gloves.  So far, I haven't done that just yet.

Wind chills right now are around zero across the area, but temps will fall slightly and winds will pick up, so the morning will have wind chills around zero, or slightly below.  This afternoon, despite "warming" up into the upper 20's, it will feel like the teens, at best, with the winds remaining steady from 10-20 mph.

It is hard to believe that Christmas is only two weeks away!!  I still need a little shopping for Dawn and our parents left to finish.  I have all of my siblings taken care of, and they are normally the hardest to shop for. 

Keep warm out there, and remember, only 14 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Cold last 36 hours for me....

If you had the news on yesterday or today, I was on there for every newscast doing reports on the windy, cold conditions here in the Northern Miami Valley.  We had wind gusts around 30 miles per hour during some of my reports, but that wasn't too bad.  The bad part was when I was out this morning for four hours when the wind chill was below zero for most of the time.  It dipped to 9 below zero a few times, brrrrr.  I will say, it was a lot of fun going around with the mobile weather unit and monitoring the conditions.  I look forward to continuing that when the weather warrants.  I guess the good news is that DP&L was on top of the power outages and the few thousand people who did lose power during the day, had it restored very quickly due to the extra crews out in the field ready for problems with the 50+ mph gusts of wind some areas saw.  I couldn't imagine trying to keep warm at home with no heat or electric on a night like last night.

So now that the ground is finally cold, it looks like the season of school delays due to snow and ice has begun.  On the near horizon, it looks like the next week will remain pretty snow-free.  The best chance is a wintry mix early Sunday morning.  Other than that, just rain and flurries for the upcoming seven days.

Browns are playing tonight on NFL Network, which might not be a bad idea.... it just means that less people will be able to see how bad the Browns really are as a team.  I am a fan, but things really need to change in Cleveland, they are just downright embarrasing and not even competing as a professional football team.

One good uplifting thing to look forward towards: 15 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Quick one...

Getting ready to head to bed, might be called in early for the dangerous weather headed out way. Rain will persist through tonight and very strong winds through Wednesday night.  In fact the entire Miami Valley will be under a High Wind Warning from 7 AM Wednesday until 1 AM Thursday. We could see sustained winds of nearly 30 to 40 mph and gusts close to 60 mph at times.

We will see the temperatures fall below the freezing mark during the afternoon tomorrow.  Roadways that remain untreated could see ice starting to form, so as ODOT says: "Ice and Snow, Take it Slow."  Things remain very cold for the rest of the week and when the temps fall, we could see a light dusting of snow.   The big story will be the high winds and cold temperatures plowing into the area through the next 24 hours.  Time for bed, take it easy!!

17 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael.

So the snow stuck....

As I talked about in my last blog, and made it pretty slippery for the morning drive today.  Countless people sliding off the roads and some even causing main arteries of traffic to be shutdown for the morning commute.  The ODOT webcams on the morning show were a key part in not only showing the backed up traffic, but even placed in locations perfect to show a few of the actual accidents.

Tonight the wet roads will refreeze so keep an eye out for icy locations, especially on back country roads that are not salted.  It is also a good reminder to get your vehicle prepared for the winter, I added about 30 concrete blocks to the back of my truck today, with Dawn's help, who was off using a vacation day.  Also might want to add that ice scraper, brush, blanket, extra clothes, few bottles of water, a flare, or anything else you might need to hunker down in your vehicle for a while.

Update on the mid-week storm.  We could see an icy mix to start things off Tuesday evening, it will turn over to rain for Tuesday night.  Heavy rain at times will persist thru Wednesday morning, and then temperatures will plummet, and winds will start becoming VERY VERY strong.  We are talking about sustained winds about 30 miles per hour with gusts close to 50 at times.  There will not be a lot of moisture on the backside of the storm when the temperatures drop into the twenties for highs on Thursday and Friday.  We could see another dusting or maybe a light accumulation.  Too far out to pin-point how much, but I'll be back on in the coming days, as always with updates.

18 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Frigid Mornings=Good News for Snow-Lovers

With the last couple of mornings down into the teens, it might upset some people who do not like to cold, but for those who like the snow, it is a blessing in disguise.  The ground recently has been too warm for the snow to stick, but the ground finally has cooled below the freezing level at the surface.  If temperatures remain cold it will freeze the ground farther down, under the surface of the earth, and enhance our chances for snow to stick. 

One side note, on the way home from Canton yesterday, after Alter's win, a kid, about 7 years old, pulled up next to me on the highway and held up an Alter hat for me to see.  It made me smile and I gave him a thumbs up.

Interesting system moving our way for the middle of this week, should start as a wintery mix Tuesday night, rain for early Wednesday, and then switching back over to flurries or snow showers Wednesday night and early Thursday.  I will keep an eye on it, in the days to come, with updates on here.

19 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

From Canton, Good Morning!!

Getting ready for the Alter game here in Canton!!  Hopefully it will be as energy packed as I am hoping for.  We got your entire exclusive coverage coming up tonight on Dayton's News Source, and I will update my blog later with all the updates on the behind the sidelines action!!

Looks like its going to be a cold one, 24 degrees here currently!!

20 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Gooooood Evening from Canton!!!

I will say this first and foremost: Way to go Coldwater, you really played as best as you could, and you should be proud.

Second of all, it was cold tonight!!  I am still wearing my long johns as I write this!!  That's right, I admit it, it was a cold game!!  Luckily though, no snow or rain, only clear skies.  Anyways it was a cold night in Canton.

So I got to Canton about 1:30 and the kick off wasn't until about 3:00, so I decided to shoot some video of the Coldwater fans tailgating and having "breakfast."  Within about thirty seconds of starting to shoot the video they drug me into the tent and started shoving food at me.... I then only requested some caffeine because I knew it was going to be a long day.  I started to drink the Mountain Dew, which never tasted so good, when the MC of the tailgate came up to me with a heaping plate of food.  Now to let you know, I just finished a "Five Dollar Footlooooooong" from Subway, so I was pretty much stuffed.  When they brought me the plate, one of the senior moms took my camera and drink away from me so I had two hands to eat my food..... Needless to say, I had to eat the food, and it was DELICIOUS!!!  So I ate as much as I humanly could, and I mingled with the Coldwater fans before the game, and got some video of the kids Coldwater playing football on the "Hall of Fame" football field, and finally had to part ways to go into the stadium to try to get ready for the football game.

Once inside, I got my credentials and headed to the media room on the field level, under the stands, which was a 12 by 12 room with lockers and a 7 foot ceiling beneath the fans, a random Reebok football cleated shoe, and two tables for us to work on...  Needless to say, it felt like home!!  Seriously!!  I set up my editing station inside and talked with some of the newspaper photogs there, and finally headed out for the game....

Stepping onto the field, the bitter windchill hit you in the face reminding you that it is December here in Ohio.  Coldwater came out strong and scored the first points, but YU (Youngstown Ursuline) responded just as strong.  The defense of YU tore apart Coldwater because if there was one missed route or one missed pass, YU was there to gain on the play.  Coldwater did one HECK of a job playing tough.  Coldwater honestly NEVER gave up.  Even in the last seconds when they were down by 30 points, I remember Coach John Reed yelling out at them to get the play off with less than a minute left in the game.   I know they did not get the rings and didnt get what they were hoping for, but to any of you Coldwater players, you should be proud of what you have accomplished this year.  You represented the MAC and Western Ohio!!  We are proud of you and all you have done!! 

So then after the game, I got to talk to John Reed, Head Coach of Coldwater, and QB Keith Wenning, as well as a few of the mothers of the Coldwater Seniors, including the kind mother, Bev Sanning, who held my camera and Mt. Dew.  The team let the parents come into the locker room after the game and almost every single parent coming from the locker room was chocked up with sadness, but still proud of how their team did this season.  Coldwater has overcame a lot of obstacles this season, but still came out as the second best team in all of the State of Ohio, hats off to you!!!

21 days left!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Packing up my bags.....

Heading off to Canton for the State Finals for high school football.  Both games will be in Canton, Coldwater today at 3 PM and tomorrow at 11 AM Alter is playing.  Make sure to tune in tonight starting at 6PM on ABC 22 for complete coverage including post game reactions.  I will also be blogging from Canton later today, so expect a few more updates on here.  To anyone else planning on making the trip, BUNDLE UP!!!  Wind chills today will be below freezing, dipping down into the lower 20's at times for today's and tomorrow's game.  Have a good one!

21 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

What's That Falling?????

I hope you enjoyed the title as much as I did...

Snow vs Sleet vs Freezing Rain vs Rain vs Rain/Snow Mix

Most people have a hard time understanding the difference between the forms of precipitation, so this will be a little tutorial because it is pretty basic and easy to understand.

There are two main set-ups for the various forms of precipitation: Cold Air Under Warm Air & Warm Air Under Cold Air. I built two graphics to help demonstrate the proper atmospheric conditions for each to occur.
Lets start with the Cold Air Under Warm Air. No matter if is winter or summer, you will find snow in the clouds that are producing any form of precipitation. Starting on the left: you need air that is below or at freezing, 32F, for snow to fall. This way there is no thawing of the snow as it falls from the clouds to the earth. Moving toward the right: The next form of precipitation on the ground is Sleet. The snow falls through a layer or warm air, melts and turns into liquid rain. The rain then falls back into the cold air and refreezes as sleet, or little solid ice pellets. These will bounce off your coat if you are outside in the elements. Continuing right: the third form of precip on this diagram is freezing rain. Many people find it hard to understand freezing rain, so I will try to be very specific. The snow from the clouds melts in the warm air and turns into liquid rain. It falls ALL THE WAY down to the earth as rain, but as you can see, it drops back into the cold air. There is NOT enough time for the rain to refreeze into sleet, so when the liquid rain comes in contact with the ground, grass, or your coat, it instantly freezes into ice. The surface that it is comes in contact is actually below the freezing mark, so once it stops falling and touches it, it begins to freeze immediately. For freezing rain to form, the temperature at the surface has to be at or below 32 degrees. If it is above 32F and rain does not freeze on contact with the surface it is NOT freezing rain. The fourth and final form of precip all the way on the right is rain. The snow will fall from the clouds, melt in the warm air, and stay as a liquid all the way to the ground because it does not encounter any air below 32F.
Now on to Warm Air Under Cold Air. We just finished talking about rain, which is on the left of this diagram, and as you can see, the snow melts into rain. The rain/snow mix occurs very near the Melting Level. When the Melting Level is very close to the surface, you can see that this is where you get the Rain/Snow mix to actually fall to the earth. When there is too much warm air, it melts all the snow into rain, but if the distance is just right, you can get the rain/snow mixture. Then as you can see on the far right, when you get completely freezing air, you get snow all the way from the clouds to the surface of the earth.

Hopefully this helped clear a few questions up for you, and help you better understand the different forms of precipitation that we will be seeing in the coming months. If you have any questions at all, feel free to comment on this blog because it will send me an email, and I can help you better understand.

22 days left!!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Update on our current storm...

As I start off this blog update, I made a map diagram to better explain our system that we are seeing.... right here.  This image is at 10 PM December 2nd.  The low is currently located over Louisville, KY with the cold front draped just to our west.  The single big arrow shows where the low will move out front of the cold front.  It will move through before the cold air behind the cold front from the west arrives.  As you can see the majority of the moisture is in ahead of the cold front.  There is a little moisture behind it near the Ft. Wayne area, but the cold front will be moving eastward slower than the low.  So basically we will see the cooler air from the south before the really cold air arrives.  Thus our temperatures will not be cold enough for any accumulation of snow.  Had there been more moisture behind the cold front, AND the cold front came through about 6 hours earlier, we could have seen a light accumulation of snow, but as you can see there had to be a lot of things perfect for that to happen.

These systems that come from the south, as this one is, are our normal "big snow" set-ups.  The systems ride up the back side of the Appalachian Mountains, and use the mountains as a bumper, kinda like bowling.  If we have seen cold weather long enough, like January and February, then we could have seen a very nice snow amount, as long as we aren't in the warm sectors.  As for the clipper systems that swing in from Canada, well, they normally bring a much more blast of cold air, but they tend to be a little drier, and not bringing the moisture like the gulf systems.

It is still very early in the winter storm system season, so have no fear if you are wanting snow, we still could get a few flurries tomorrow.  Northwestern counties could see it first, but the roadways should be pretty decent for the morning... the temperatures should remain above freezing until the afternoon.   Meaning chances of things icing up should hold off until the later commute, and by then the windy conditions should dry up the roadways faster than normal.

On a side note, I made pulled pork sandwiches tonight. Dawn said it was the best thing she had eaten.  Hope so, took a long time in the crock pot, then had to pull it all apart.... looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow.  Have a good one!!

23 days left!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Winter still is a few weeks away....

And it looks like the chance to see any snow has greatly diminished on Thursday.  The system showed a few model runs earlier in the week with the cold air and moisture mixing, but now by the time the cold air arrives, there is no moisture left.  The only thing left will be a few light flurries... I am not going to lie, I was kinda looking forward to seeing an inch or two of snow to help everyone get into the holiday spirit, but as the title says, winter doesn't officially start for a few weeks.  Needless to say, the ground would have been really warm, and even if we did get snow this week, it wouldn't have lasted long on the ground.  Oh well, that is why we have January and February right?

24 days left!!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael