More Cold Air?

We had some fairly good snowfall amounts in the low country of South Carolina. Anywhere from a trace to a half an inch fell in some places. The local storm reports out of the area showed that most of the now stayed north of a line from Beaufort to Screven. The majority of our area stayed precipitation free as the drier air moved through. I was taken back at the lack of precipitation in the area. Normally, I would be unhappy with the dry air in place but sometimes this lack of moisture in the lower levels can lead to a higher possibility of snowfall because the surface ambient temperature is colder. There have been times when the surface temperature was 40°F and snow was falling--albeit not accumulating. That wasn't the case today however it was possible and I wondered why there weren't more television personalities discussing the chance of snow flurries for the local area. I can attest to the lack of snow in the Chatham County area. As for the outlying areas, I believe for all intensive purposes that they did see a few snow flurries early today.

The National Weather Service did a good job issuing winter weather advisories and special weather statements as needed for the wintry precipitation we experienced. The weather forecast offices in Columbia and Charleston received reports of a trace to a half an inch of snowfall, mainly on grassy surfaces in the midlands of SC. The main headaches were for those traveling through the airport-hub in Charlotte, North Carolina where they received between three and six inches of snowfall repectively.

At least for the next few days, we will have cold and brisk air filtering in from the north and northwest. That trend will dominate our weather for the good part of the week and, by this weekend, we should see some moderation in temperatures, quite possibly to spring-time levels. The precipitation forecast doesn't look good. We already have a rainfall defecit at the Savannah International Airport, continuing the trend from last year. The next chance of rain will come by the end of this weekend. It's important to note that we did finish the last year with a precipitation surplus which is definitely a good thing.

The inauguration weather was splendid for this time of year. I believe the chance of snow showers in the Washington vicinity was somewhere around five percent, roughly one in twenty. Either way, the beautiful weather did materialize and gave the spectators at the Lincoln Memorial and all of Washington a great sight without having to contend Mother Nature.

Stay Warm!