Weather Watch, 3/31/10

8:00 pm- the snow started at 7:52 p,. Temperature is 36.2 degrees and dropping faster than I can keep up. Photos in the morning. Accumulating nicely, which means I’ve got to get in the trailer, before the deck is too slippery for me to walk on!

7:30 pm – 39.2 dropping fast now.

7:00 pm – 40.0 and dropping. Okay, I agree with the weather forecasters. If there is precipitation tonight, it WILL be snow. Better get my boots out for the morning!

6:00 pm – 41.9 degrees and dropping. Chilly night in store!

5:30 pm – temperature beginning to drop, although it never got above 47 degrees today. It is now 43.6. Chilly

4:15 pm – latest NOAA report: “TONIGHT SNOW LEVELS COULD DROP LOCALLY DOWN TO 1000 FEET IN THE HEAVIER SHOWERS. IN GENERAL THOUGH…SNOW LEVELS WILL BE NEAR 2500 FEET. MODELS EARLIER THIS MORNING DROPPED THE VORT ALONG THE COAST…WEST OF THE DISTRICT. HOWEVER…RADAR AND SATL IMAGERY IS NOW INDC THAT THE MODELS WERE TOO FAR WEST WITH THE PRECIP…AND THE 18Z NAM12 NOW DRIVES THE SYSTEM INLAND. THE CURRENT FORECAST CALLS FOR UP TO AN INCH OF SNOW…THIS WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED AND CAN BE COVERED BY NOWCASTS AS NEEDED.”

3:15 pm – Nexrad is currently tracking this storm more to our north.

2:15 pm – weather changing. Clouds coming in. Don’t know how much we will get in Big Sur, particularly the southern region, but I will be watching the clouds and the nexrad this afternoon. This is what the Nexrad shows:

1:30 pm – well blue skies all around me, chilly, but clear. Where’s the snow I was promised?

9:00 am – heavy hail this morning around 5:30 am. Short lasting, but much left on my deck. Very cold here. Another 1/4 inch of rain/hail. At the moment, there is some sun and blue sky peeking out from the condensation cloud up here. It is quite cold. Snow expected today. Whoopee! I’ll keep you posted.

NOAA reports: WOULD ALSO EXPECT EVEN LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ACROSS THE LOS PADRES ESPECIALLY IF THE SOUTHERLY PROGRESSION OF THE LOW TURNS OUT TO BE A SLOWER THAN FORECAST. COLD AIR WILL FILTER IN THROUGH THE DAY ALLOWING SNOW LEVELS TO DROP TO UNDER 3000 FEET…EVEN UNDER 250[0] FEET IN THE STRONGEST CELLS. THESE LOW FREEZING LEVELS (COMBINE WITH CAPE UP TO 600 J/KG) WILL ALSO HELP TO LIKELY BRING MANY REPORTS OF SMALL HAIL THROUGH THE DAY. HOWEVER…WITH LIMITED PRECIPITATION EXPECTED FOR INTERIOR AREAS…SNOW AMOUNTS SHOULD BE LIGHT. LOS PADRES COULD GET WELL MORE THAN A DUSTING (POSSIBLY 4″ IN LOCAL SPOTS)