As November 21st...so the winter

If that/s the case...then this winter will hew closely to the CW for 'above normal' temperatures...especially in SNE and the M-A.

A few stations in the NE were below normal yesterday. BGR - PWM - BOS - BDL - CON had departures from -1 to -3°F...due in large part to low overcast and light rain.

Elsewhere...
+1 to +4°F: CAR - BTV - PVD - BDR - ISP - JFK - EWR
+7 to +10°F: ALB - ABE - MDT - PHL
+12 to +20°: ACY - SBY - RIC - RDU - IAD - DCA - BWI

IAD took top honors at +20°F.

ECHAM/s October Outlook - Verification

Appears to be a miss grande.

In the ECHAM image...red (blue) indicates negative (positive) pressure anomalies.

Cooler (warmer) colors in the PSD image are negative (positive) pressure anomalies.

Trends in NHEMI Snow Cover

Plot of CPC/s NH snow area data...as of the end of SEP.

The black line near the chart/s center is the yearly average from the start of the period-of-record.

In 1977...the 5-year moving average snow area was 25.3 x 10^6 km^2. In 2006...the 5-year moving average snow area was 24.1 x 10^6 km^2...a change of ~1.2 million square kilometers.

The data generally show modest year-to-year variability...the exception being OCT...which has slowly increased by 6.7 million square kilometers since 1988.

WSI/s Foundering Winter '07 / '08 Forecast

"Typically, in the eastern U.S., La Nina means a warm October and a cold
December," Crawford said in the press release. But ocean temperatures in
the northern Pacific indicate a colder October in the Northeast, he said."

WSI got off to a slow start with its winter LR forecast issued in SEP calling for a 'below normal' OCT in the Northeast. OCT temperatures in the NE and mid-Atlantic came in 7 - 9°F above normal. Crawford went on to predict 'above normal' temperatures in NOV...but that call is going up in flames...as well.

WSI stuck to its 'warmer than normal' NOV forecast in its late OCT update...which also called for DEC to be 'below normal' and JAN 'above normal.'

The latest WSI forecast...issued a week ago...continues to expect DEC to be 'below normal' and JAN 'above normal.' The FEB forecast...appearing for the first time...is 'above normal.'

Beating CLIMO demonstrates forecast skill. The shorter the lead time the better chance there is to getting it right. So far this year...these guys got nothing.

Swiss Alps - Biggest Snowfall in 55 Years

Starved of snow the past few years...the Swiss Alps are making up for lost time this month. Up to 120 cm (~4') have been observed during the past ten days...with 62 cm (~2') falling in one 24-hour period in eastern Switzerland (elev. 1,560 m...~5200').

More...

Snowstorm Contest Season

The season starts when the storms start and continues until it/s obvious winter is over. The season runs normally from early December through the middle of March; however, IIRC, the earliest contest storm occurred in late November and the latest storm was in April. Most years there have been ten contest storms.

Not every snowstorm that affects the forecast area will trigger a contest. The criteria used to decide whether a storm is contest-worthy are loosely defined as one that/s expected to:

1. Affect at least six to eight forecast stations and
2. Produce more than a nuisance snowfall (>= 4") and
3. Be well-progged by NWP ~36 to 48 hours before snow is observed at any one station.

Visit the website for more information about how to enter a forecast and how forecasts are verified and scored.

Base Leg...Turning Final - Part II

In addition to the 500 mb time-series of 'MEI-preferred' La Nina years presented in a previous post...these examples also generally depict much different flow regimes than are presently observed...altho '75 is ballpark-ish.

1950...1955...1973...1975
500 mb time-series for early NOV from prior La Nina years.

Will have to look into the winter of '75 / '76 to see how the forecast area was treated.

Bump: Winter '07 / '08 Season-total Snowfall Forecast Contest

Visit NEWxSFC/s web site to enter. Follow the link to 'Enter Season-total Forecast.'

Deadline: 30 November 2007 @ 11:59 PM EST

Details

Base Leg...Turning Final

Climo...2007...1988...1970
Time series of SLP CLIMO...current wx...and 'preferred' MEI-analog Novembers.

First half of NOV 2007 SLPs mimic CLIMO/s low pressure signature over E-PAC. Both 'preferred' MEI-based 'La Nina' analog years are similar but they show a lower correlation with 2007...although '70 leans a bit more toward current conditions at end of period over E-PAC.

Current SLP time-series raises a measure of doubt about this year/s developing consensus for the "warm 'n dry" version of Nina-style winters.

Even stronger evidence of how useless analog forecasting can be...can be seen at 500 mb...


500 mb Climo...2007...1988...1970

Early winter at least...lookin/ more-n-more normal as December approaches.

Heresy in Harrisburg

"...colder than average and snowier than average..."

CBS-affiliate WHP-21/s wx heretic Tom Russell jumps into the winter forecast fray with both boots by taking the contrarian view.

His is the perennial favorite...'cold 'n snowy.' What/s not to like about that?