 Poster: A snowHead
|
just saw the bbc weather report... should be decent skiing in scotland on saturday...
fingers crossed for glencoe
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
my own personal theory is that snowfalls happen most often when they can cause max disruption to transfer days; so good falls Friday night seem quite possible to me.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
Scooter, looks like 20cm or so to me.  Might be pretty wet snow to start off with in La Tania (1300m) but it'll get colder as the front moves through.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
brian, Sounds like a perfect forecast....thank you 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Any thoughts on this cloud, which appeared over Mont Blanc prior to the snowfall about a week ago. There were similar smaller clouds over other peaks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I missed a flight to Phoenix in 2000 due to unexpected fall on snow at Colsterworth on the A1. Stuck in a jam 200m past a junction and did not move for 3 hrs..........most stressful!
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
pam w, that's a type of orographic cloud called a cap cloud. It forms because air carrying moisture is forced up over the mountain, the drop in pressure as it rises causes condensation.
Incidentally, the latent heat released by the condensation is what warms the air as it flows down the other side of the mountain, the dreaded foehn effect.
If the mountain has an abrupt ridge or face, you get a banner cloud, as often seen on the Matterhorn, which I have a pic of somewhere ....
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Brian, thanks. Was that cloud upwind or downwind of the mountain? The day of my cloud was certainly very warm. Pretty when the sun set and the moon rose, though....
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
brian, carled, on the gfs runs, do you know why the green line, the most likely event, seems to be completley different from the other lines and the grey line?
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
abar1990, it's run at a higher resolution than the control and the ensemble members.
(A grid of something like 50km points on the ground versus 35km and 128 layers of atmosphere versus 64)
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
|
pam w, banner clouds form on the lee side.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| pam w wrote: |
Any thoughts on this cloud, which appeared over Mont Blanc prior to the snowfall about a week ago. There were similar smaller clouds over other peaks. |
Many moons ago I worked as a rep/guide in Courmayeur, and all of the local guides that I used to work with used to say when Mont Blanc has got its hat on then snow is due. And regurlarly you would see a build up above or just to the side and more often then not the snow did indeed fall.
Urban myth - or just good local knowledge.............
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| pam w wrote: |
Any thoughts on this cloud, which appeared over Mont Blanc prior to the snowfall about a week ago. There were similar smaller clouds over other peaks. |
I took a photo of that exact same cloud when I was in Les Arcs (if it was about 10 days ago?). It snowed the following day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Nice photographs by the way/ 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
| Quote: |
| Many moons ago I worked as a rep/guide in Courmayeur, and all of the local guides that I used to work with used to say when Mont Blanc has got its hat on then snow is due. |
A ski instructor in La Plagne told me "si L'Aiguille Verte ne veux pas, Mont Blanc ne peux pas" - meaning that the AV needed a cap on too, for it to snow. That huge cloud was right over the lot, I suppose, and there were, at other points, little separate caps over many peaks. I've often seen the caps - but never quite such a splendid one as that. rob@rar, yes, it would have been the same cloud. The most spectacular I've seen in six years, that's for sure!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Same cloud, slightly different view
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
rob@rar, that's not a cloud but a very large and very lost dolphin
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
rob@rar, I saw that too it was just like a dolphin........
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
actually, i think you'll find it's a beluga
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
But anyway, is it snowing in Chamonix this weekend?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
Was always told something similar about that particular cloud formation over Mont Blanc - it was referred to as 'discing', and was generally regarded to mean snow....whether there is anything in it, I know not, but it has been rolled out on many a chair lift, much to the bemusement of Mrs Guvnor
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
But anyway, will it snow in Grand Massif before next weekend?
The tension of waiting for the the latest reading of the runes is almost too much. I think I'll step outside for awhile......
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
| kewhoward wrote: |
But anyway, will it snow in Grand Massif before next weekend?
The tension of waiting for the the latest reading of the runes is almost too much. I think I'll step outside for awhile...... |
Yes. On at least two separate occasions. Once around this Friday/Saturday and again towards the middle of next week. Decent amount both times.
There. Who said I wasn't helpful and informative?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Quote: |
| I am so glad I deferred my question from when first tempted to ask it 4 weeks ago. |
kewhoward, if you'd asked that 4 weeks ago you'd have found Carled a whole heap less helpful and informative.  Enjoy the snow.
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
sock puppet ? splutter .... Twickers karma'll get you with remarks like that. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Thanks pam w, this thread is my favourite since joining at Christmas - amongst the hundreds of things I've learnt the first one to save me money is not bothering to pay extra for the six day forecast on a commercial site I used to frequent - not because these guys are doing it for free but because clearly its completely useless! Great fun though and I'm OK anyway because where I'm going has a unique micro-climate that, due to its proximity to Mont Blanc, it is renowned for having an enviable snow record with almost perfect conditions annually from early December to May. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Hi brian, any thoughts on the about turn of the ECM and GFS on the medium-term. Much different to last two days runs, also the original 1/2/08 dump progged by the GFS does seem to be happening after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
wise comment by carled/brian
|
Hear, hear, absolutely un-put-down-able - both useful and witty. What more could one want?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
kewhoward, the thing I note is that the experts keep telling us not to beleive the forecast as it's all a guessing game. So what is it that makes a weather expert, other than not knowing what the weather will be?
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
lisach, well, they both look potentially nicer than GFS did a day or 2 ago. There seems to be a trend for pressure to build somewhere on this side of the atlantic. Over the UK (as per current GFS) or towards Scandi (as per ECM) are both normally cold for the alps, especially if they can hang around for a while ... and if a low or 2 can bubble up off the med to meet the cold air (both models currently have this about T+216), then snow is on the menu.
So there could be some good stuff ahead, but as you say, quite a bit of twisting and turning before it settles to something like a pattern I think.
|
|
|
|
|
|
brian
brian
Guest
|
waynos, we are ski punters interested in the weather, no more, no less. It's hardly a degree in meteorology.  The thread is meant to be a discussion.
The stuff to ignore are the automated forecasts churned out with exact numbers for precip, temp etc. from the GFS feed for way out up to 15 days.
If you look at the forecasts the pros produce, you will notice that vagueness increases exponentially with time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
The latest model for the 3V (La Tania) forecasts snow Fri/Sat this week.....so at this stage with only a couple of days to go, how accurate would the experts on here expect the forecast to be....... 
. I am so glad I deferred my question from when first tempted to ask it 4 weeks ago. The weather gods are kind to those who wait.
