Quick Evening Hit...

Had some problems with the blogger.com domain tonight. So, this will be brief....

Snow flurries and even some snow showers have been reported in isolated locations in the Piedmont this evening. As I am typing this, it looks like one of those snow showers is crossing southern Cleveland County.

We will see the chance for a few lingering flakes for a while tonight, but here in the Piedmont, it is just a novelty. Where accumulating snows are falling is up in the North Carolina mountains. I think several inches of snow could fall tonight there, with at least a couple of more inches posible in upslope fashion tomorrow.

It has been fun watching some of the web cams up in the High Country this evening. Check them out yourself at www.highcountrywebcams.com

Cold weather holds into early Monday, but a big warm-up is coming next week. Look for highs in the 60s Wednesday into next weekend. The mid-week storm system is not looking impressive, but I have kept a chance for some showers late Tuesday into early Wednesday in for this forecast package. A stronger system could move through next weekend. The GFS is actually depicting a severe weather type setup for the Southeast, but as we all know, that solution will probably change somewhat between now and then.

Everyone have a great Sunday!

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Flurries?

If you see any flurries this afternoon or evening in the Piedmont of North Carolina, please let me know. Thanks!

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Quick Thoughts...

Clipper is advancing our way. This will being some healthy snows to the mountains, and then a favorable pattern for upslope snows Sunday. All in all, I think many mountain locations could very well pick up 3-6" through the weekend.

For the Piedmont, look for lots of clouds Saturday afternoon into Saturday night. A few flurries are certainly a possibility, but the appreciable snows will remain up in the mountains.

We will remain in a cold weather pattern through the weekend, but a moderating trend sets in next week with high back in the 50s Tuesday through Friday. It still looks like a system will roll through around Wednesday of next week, bringing us a good shot of rain.

Everyone have a great weekend. I will be back in the evening shift for the Charlotte side of News 14 Carolina through the weekend.

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Thursday Musings...

Clipper system swing through this weekend. It continues to look very moisture-starved, and I doubt we will be able to squeeze out much more than flurries in the Piedmont. However, up in the mountains, accumulating snows look likely Saturday through Saturday night. Cold weather continues with much below average temps lasting though Monday. Temps modify as next week unfolds, and our next rain chance arrives Wednesday.

I don't know how many of you watch "Friday Night Lights," but if you aren't watching it, you probably should be. I have been watching this show since the first episode, and it is truly a treat each and every week. The human elements at play in this show are incredible and have a completely 'real' feel to them...something you don't find too much in many modern TV dramas.

Last night's episode was a truly great hour of television. So real and dynamic...mixing drama with some light-hearted moments. If you are avoiding watching the show because you think it is just a football show, you are mistaken. By the way, I believe nbc.com has some past episodes online, so you can kind of catch up if you want to.

As long as we are talking TV, my wife and I are huge fans of '24', 'Lost', 'ER', and I thoroughly enjoy all of the NBC Thursday night comedies. Good stuff indeed... But, those are ramblings for another time....

On another random note, I decided to take the task of giving our two dogs a bath under my belt today. I decided the best procedure to follow for this was to take one dog at a time into our shower and bathe them there. We have a 40lb mut and a 20lb mut, and each present their own bath-time challenges. But, after a tiring 30 minutes, I am glad to say the East family dogs are fresh and clean.

How's that for some randomness in a blog posting!

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Wednesday Post...

My apologies for not having any posts Monday or Tuesday. Those days were dedicated primarily to my family.

Back in the saddle at work today, and a few thoughts on my mind today.

• Wow! The wedge yesterday evening and last night was impressive. I kept watching the temp at our house drop, then drop some more, and then drop some more. We ended up at 35 by early evening....no model anywhere had as close to that cold. The wedge held for most of the area. Good news since it kept us safe from all of the severe weather to our south and southwest.
  
• Big winter storm rolling through the Northeast today. Some places seeing over a foot of snow.
• I have to say...that system was handled more poorly by the models than any I can recently remember....and in turn, us meteorologists really struggled with this one as well. This is one to learn from our mistakes after all of the data us evaluated, dust ourselves off, and try again next time.
  
• Lots of cold weather through Monday for us. Highs and lows will be well below average...on many days, at least 10 degrees below average. That is impressive stuff!
• Clipper system will move through this weekend. I still am going with the idea of some light snow or snow flurries being possible mainly Saturday night.
  

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Quick Sunday Evening Post...

This is my Friday, and after a long week of "chasing" a winter storm on top of my regular work schedule, and I am about mentally fatigued. I love winter weather, and I love tracking possible winter storms on the horizon, but this one has left me worn down....it seems the modelling for this system has had a constant array of twists and surprises. I am about ready to give my brain a break for a bit.

But, I am sure I will be commenting here at times over the next couple of days, and I will be back in the saddle here at work Wednesday morning.

As for the Tuesday system, the model struggles continue with this system, but it is about time to put the models down and simply watch the upper air charts and the satellite and radar imagery. For the Piedmont of NC, look for rain to arrive Tuesday, and probably be at its heaviest Tuesday afternoon and evening. There is some chance the cold air could sneak in here quick enough for a brief period of light freezing rain Tuesday night, but I am skeptical about those prospects. This really looks like all rain for most of the region.

There is still very little model support for a system Thursday-Friday that is far enough north to give NC any precip, so I have about given up on those chances. However, the GFS and the European model are both picking up on a strong clipper system moving through here next weekend. That will be interesting to watch over the next several days. Usually, it is tough for us to get any heavy precip from clippers, but we will watch it.

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