The Northwest Flow Snowfall Discussion Group

The Northwest Flow Snowfall Discussion Group An Extension of the Mid-Atlantic Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) Group
The Northwest Flow Snowfall Discussion Group was first created following the Fall 2005 CSTAR Regional Workshop held in Raleigh, North Carolina. The group was designed as a "spin-off" of the regional CSTAR group with its primary focus being the specific regional forecast problem of northwest flow snowfall in the Appalachian Mountains. Numerous NWS forecast offices are affected by this winter weather phenomenon, and have taken an active role in the discussion group including Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (GSP), Morristown, TN (MRX), Blacksburg, VA (RNK), Jackson, KY (JKL), Charleston, WV (RLX), and Sterling, VA (LWX). In addition to these NWS offices, North Carolina State University, Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) are active participants from the academic realm. The group meets periodically throughout the year by way of telephone conference to discuss recent/upcoming northwest flow snowfall events, research updates, local modeling efforts, and other notable developments pertinent to the northwest flow snowfall phenomenon. The purpose of this Web page is to provide a central location to access all information that is directly relevant to the group.
PAST CONFERENCE CALLS - Conference calls are used to discuss recent and upcoming events, as well as for updates concerning local research among other things. Below are a list of calls dates and links to a summary of the call. Any presentations that were referenced during the call are linked in the notes and are available for download. 2016 October 13th March 1st January 26th 2015 December 16th October 14th August 11th June 16th April 7th March 3rd February 2nd January 14th 2014 December 3rd March 14th February 19th January 10th 2013 December 12th November 5th October 8th September 5th May 29th April 24th March 18th February 15th January 16th 2012 December 12th October 24th August 24th June 6th April 20th March 9th February 10th January 13th 2011 December 15th November 8th September 16th August 12th July 8th June 10th April 1st February 18th January 21st 2010 November 19th October 22nd September 24th August 27th July 16th May 21st April 23rd March 5th February 12th January 22nd 2009 December 4th November 6th October 16th September 11th August 14th July 17th May 8th March 13th February 13th January 23rd 2008 December 12th November 14th March 31st March 14th February 27th February 8th January 11th 2007 December 7th November 2nd September 28th August 31st July 27th June 22nd May 18th March 2nd 2006 December 15th August 25th April 21st February 17th January 13th 2005 December 9th November 4th
NEW RESEARCH Near-term Effects of the Lower Atmosphere in Simulated Northwest Flow Snowfall Forced over the Southern Appalachians
PAST EVENT CASE STUDIES AND SUMMARIES Below are links to write-ups of notable NWFS events, the author, and associated NWS office. 2012 The Northwest Flow Snow Event of 11 February 2012 The New Year 2012 Northwest Flow Snow Event 2010 November 5-6 - GSP February 10-11 - GSP 2009 April 7th-8th - GSP February 3rd-5th - GSP January 19th - RNK 2008 November 16th-18th - RNK A comparison of two northwest flow snowfall events from the 2007-2008 winter season (January 1st-3rd and February 26-28th) - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC February 26th-28th - JKL, LWX Totals, RNK, GSP January 1st-3rd - Snowfall accumulations for: GSP CWA, RNK CWA, LWX CWA, FFC CWA 2007 April 7th - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC February 17th-18th - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC January 9th - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC 2006 February 11th-13th - Pat Moore, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC 2004 December 19th - Bryan McAvoy, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC March 22nd - Steve Keighton, Jim Hudgins, and Robert Stonefield, Blacksburg, VA (9.92 MB file) 2003 December 18th-20th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC November 28th-29th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC 2001 March 6th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC January 25th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC January 20th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC 2000 November 20-21st - Bryan McAvoy, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
RELATED PUBLICATIONS/CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS Journal articles, papers, and conference abstracts/presentations written by members of the group. Journal Articles A Collaborative Approach to Study Northwest Flow Snow in the Southern Appalachians Keighton, S., and Coauthors, 2009: . Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 90, 979-991. Antecedent upstream air trajectories associated with northwest flow snowfall in the southern Appalachians Perry, L.B., C.E. Konrad, and T.W. Schmidlin, 2007: . Wea. Forecasting, 22, 334-352. Relationships between NW flow snowfall and topography in the Southern Appalachians, USA Perry, L.B., and C.E. Konrad, 2006: . Clim. Res., 32, 35-47. Dissertations and Theses https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/1202 Holloway, B. S., 2007: The role of the Great Lakes in northwest flow snowfall events in the southern Appalachian Mountains. M.S. thesis, Dept. of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, 204 pp. [Available online at .] https://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/etd,165 Perry, L. B., 2006: Synoptic climatology of northwest flow snowfall in the southern Appalachians. Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 176 pp. [Available online at .] Conference Papers and Presentations Poster Snowfall accumulation forecasting challenges for the southern Appalachians - Douglas Miller, L.B. Perry, Sandra Yuter, Laurence Lee, and Stephen Keighton - 2008, 33rd National Weather Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. (, 422 KB file) Poster Mesoscale snowbands persisting downstream of the southern Appalachians during northwest flow upslope events - James Hudgins - 2008, 33rd National Weather Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. (, 324 KB file) Poster The role of the Great Lakes in the 10-11 February 2005 northwest flow snowfall event in the southern Appalachian Mountains - Blair Holloway and Gary Lackmann - 2008, 33rd National Weather Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. (, 110 KB file) Presentation Building a greater understanding of northwest flow snow in the southern Appalachians through a unique collaborative approach - Steve Keighton - 2008, 33rd National Weather Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. (, 3.77 MB file) Paper Poster Atmospheric influences on new snowfall density in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA - L. Baker Perry, Douglas K. Miller, Sandra E. Yuter, Laurence G. Lee, and Stephen Keighton - 2008, 65th Eastern Snow Conference, Fairlee, VT. ( - 1.71 MB file, - 431 KB file) Storm structures and precipitation characteristics of snow events in the southern Appalachian Mountains Poster - Sandra E. Yuter and L.B. Perry - 2007, 12th Conference on Mesoscale Processes, Waterville Valley, NH, American Meteorological Society. (, 183 KB file) The influence of the Great Lakes on northwest flow snowfall in the southern Appalachians - Robbie Munroe, Doug Miller, Gary Lackmann, and Blair Holloway - 2007, 12th Conference on Mesoscale Processes, Waterville Valley, NH, American Meteorological Society. Presentation The role of the Great Lakes in the 10-11 February 2005 northwest flow snowfall event in the southern Appalachian Mountains - Blair Holloway - 2007, 13th Annual Palmetto Chapter of the American Meteorological Society Mini-Technical Conference, Columbia, SC. (, 3.73 MB file)
LINKS TO LOCAL MESOSCALE MODELS Sterling, VA (LWX) 4km WRF-ARW 4km WRF-NMM 12km WRF-NMM BUFKIT Data Charleston, WV (RLX) 5km WRF-NMM BUFKIT Data Blacksburg, VA (RNK) 4km WRF-ARW High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) Model Model fields
ADDITIONAL LINKS Snowfall Reports from Local NWS Offices Public Information Statements - GSP, JKL, LWX, MRX, RLX, RNK North Carolina Mountains Coop Reports - Issued by GSP Smoky Mountain Reports - Issued by MRX Coop Reports - GSP, RLX, RNK CoCoRaHS Reports - GSP, RLX General Northwest Flow Snowfall Information An overview of northwest flow snowfall in the southern Appalachian Mountains Additional introductory information about northwest flow snowfall Presentation given at Fall 2005 CSTAR Regional Workshop - Larry Lee, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (2.84 MB file) Presentation given at an office training seminar - Larry Lee, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (4.44 MB file) Presentation prepared for a broadcast media seminar - Larry Lee, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (5.3 MB file) Presentation given at the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC 2007 Winter Weather Seminar - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (25.1 MB Windows Media Player file) Presentation given at the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC 2008 Winter Weather Seminar - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (1.87 MB file) University Links Improving Snowfall Forecasts in Western North Carolina Project: IOP Soundings from Poga Mountain, ASU/UNCA/NCSU - surface observations near the top of Poga Mountain, and observations from Flat Springs Poga Mountain MicroRainRadar (MRR) Data for 2006-2007 Season - Dr. Sandra Yuter, North Carolina State University Miscellaneous Links NC State Climate Office ECONet Observations for GSP's CWA Kentucky Mesonet CSTAR Links CSTAR Northwest Flow Snowfall Discussion Forum - List Server Mid-Atlantic CSTAR NWS-NCSU Collaborative Research and Training Site CSTAR Discussion Forum - List Server
Any questions or comments concerning this page and its contents can be directed to Patrick Moore.

An Extension of the Mid-Atlantic Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) Group

The Northwest Flow Snowfall Discussion Group was first created following the Fall 2005 CSTAR Regional Workshop held in Raleigh, North Carolina. The group was designed as a "spin-off" of the regional CSTAR group with its primary focus being the specific regional forecast problem of northwest flow snowfall in the Appalachian Mountains. Numerous NWS forecast offices are affected by this winter weather phenomenon, and have taken an active role in the discussion group including Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (GSP), Morristown, TN (MRX), Blacksburg, VA (RNK), Jackson, KY (JKL), Charleston, WV (RLX), and Sterling, VA (LWX). In addition to these NWS offices, North Carolina State University, Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) are active participants from the academic realm. The group meets periodically throughout the year by way of telephone conference to discuss recent/upcoming northwest flow snowfall events, research updates, local modeling efforts, and other notable developments pertinent to the northwest flow snowfall phenomenon. The purpose of this Web page is to provide a central location to access all information that is directly relevant to the group.

PAST CONFERENCE CALLS -

Conference calls are used to discuss recent and upcoming events, as well as for updates concerning local research among other things. Below are a list of calls dates and links to a summary of the call. Any presentations that were referenced during the call are linked in the notes and are available for download.

NEW RESEARCH

Near-term Effects of the Lower Atmosphere in Simulated Northwest Flow Snowfall Forced over the Southern Appalachians

PAST EVENT CASE STUDIES AND SUMMARIES
Below are links to write-ups of notable NWFS events, the author, and associated NWS office.

2010
November 5-6 - GSP
February 10-11 - GSP

2009
April 7th-8th - GSP
February 3rd-5th - GSP
January 19th - RNK

2008
November 16th-18th - RNK
A comparison of two northwest flow snowfall events from the 2007-2008 winter season (January 1st-3rd and February 26-28th) - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
February 26th-28th - JKL, LWX Totals, RNK, GSP
January 1st-3rd - Snowfall accumulations for: GSP CWA, RNK CWA, LWX CWA, FFC CWA

2007
April 7th - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
February 17th-18th - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
January 9th - Blair Holloway, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

2006
February 11th-13th - Pat Moore, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

2004
December 19th - Bryan McAvoy, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
March 22nd - Steve Keighton, Jim Hudgins, and Robert Stonefield, Blacksburg, VA (9.92 MB file)

2003
December 18th-20th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
November 28th-29th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

2001
March 6th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
January 25th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
January 20th - Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

2000
November 20-21st - Bryan McAvoy, Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

RELATED PUBLICATIONS/CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Journal articles, papers, and conference abstracts/presentations written by members of the group.

Journal Articles

A Collaborative Approach to Study Northwest Flow Snow in the Southern Appalachians

Keighton, S., and Coauthors, 2009: . Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 90, 979-991.

Antecedent upstream air trajectories associated with northwest flow snowfall in the southern Appalachians

Perry, L.B., C.E. Konrad, and T.W. Schmidlin, 2007: . Wea. Forecasting, 22, 334-352.

Relationships between NW flow snowfall and topography in the Southern Appalachians, USA

Perry, L.B., and C.E. Konrad, 2006: . Clim. Res., 32, 35-47.

Dissertations and Theses

https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/1202

Holloway, B. S., 2007: The role of the Great Lakes in northwest flow snowfall events in the southern Appalachian Mountains. M.S. thesis, Dept. of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, 204 pp. [Available online at .]

https://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/etd,165

Perry, L. B., 2006: Synoptic climatology of northwest flow snowfall in the southern Appalachians. Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 176 pp. [Available online at .]

Conference Papers and Presentations

Poster

Snowfall accumulation forecasting challenges for the southern Appalachians - Douglas Miller, L.B. Perry, Sandra Yuter, Laurence Lee, and Stephen Keighton - 2008, 33rd National Weather Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. (, 422 KB file)

Poster

Mesoscale snowbands persisting downstream of the southern Appalachians during northwest flow upslope events - James Hudgins - 2008, 33rd National Weather Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. (, 324 KB file)

Poster

The role of the Great Lakes in the 10-11 February 2005 northwest flow snowfall event in the southern Appalachian Mountains - Blair Holloway and Gary Lackmann - 2008, 33rd National Weather Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. (, 110 KB file)

Presentation

Building a greater understanding of northwest flow snow in the southern Appalachians through a unique collaborative approach - Steve Keighton - 2008, 33rd National Weather Association Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY. (, 3.77 MB file)

Paper Poster

Atmospheric influences on new snowfall density in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA - L. Baker Perry, Douglas K. Miller, Sandra E. Yuter, Laurence G. Lee, and Stephen Keighton - 2008, 65th Eastern Snow Conference, Fairlee, VT. ( - 1.71 MB file, - 431 KB file)

Storm structures and precipitation characteristics of snow events in the southern Appalachian Mountains Poster

- Sandra E. Yuter and L.B. Perry - 2007, 12th Conference on Mesoscale Processes, Waterville Valley, NH, American Meteorological Society. (, 183 KB file)

The influence of the Great Lakes on northwest flow snowfall in the southern Appalachians

- Robbie Munroe, Doug Miller, Gary Lackmann, and Blair Holloway - 2007, 12th Conference on Mesoscale Processes, Waterville Valley, NH, American Meteorological Society.

Presentation

The role of the Great Lakes in the 10-11 February 2005 northwest flow snowfall event in the southern Appalachian Mountains - Blair Holloway - 2007, 13th Annual Palmetto Chapter of the American Meteorological Society Mini-Technical Conference, Columbia, SC. (, 3.73 MB file)

LINKS TO LOCAL MESOSCALE MODELS