Ticker for November 14, 2022

                
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November 14, 2022  November 14, 2022  November 14, 2022  November 14, 2022


Time to rumble




Well, it's all over but the shouting, now. And the actual snow, of course. No
sense in belaboring the setup for today's winter storm, but sense when have I made
sense? Vigorous little shortwave trough moving in from the west, and weakening, but
not before it generates enough "lift" to set up extremely heavy snow bands across
western into south central Oklahoma. Temps are still warm, of course, but as we've
talked about for days (and days), the precipitation falling from above into drier
air below should cool things down as it evaporates. That sets us up for rain
changing to snow.

Heck, it's raining (and snowing) right now, for crying out loud!



Anyway, those temperatures are still mostly above freezing, but they SHOULD start
to inch down a degree or three after awhile.



And with the wind, it feels colder than it actually is outside. Remember, this
doesn't impact snow, or ice, or whatever...the wind chill index is attuned
specifically how it impacts human skin and physiology. In other words, how
quickly can that wind transfer the heat energy from your bare skin to the
surrounding environment. Not your dog, not your cow, not your duckbilled
platypus...you!



Duckbilled platypus? Where the heck did that come from? Also, not your shingles,
not your elm tree, not your sidewalk, not the Wendy's down the street (sorry
Braum's, still waiting for that free ice cream).

So the gradient between those that receive a LOT of snow, those that receive
SOME snow, and those that are left crying, should be fairly tight. Like, your
Aunt Mabel in Lindsay gets 4 inches, but your location in NE Norman gets less
than an inch.







Yes, some of you will be left crying. In fact, we've brought in a crack member
of our staff to listen to those folks that get un-Winter Wonderlanded today.



For the snowy areas, yes, the ground temps are above freezing, but trust me
(ahem!)...I've seen this exact scenario many times. The snow will stick
eventually as the precipitation draws that heat away, and in those areas with
the heavy snowfall rates, roads WILL become slick. And I'm talking huge white
flakes (you know who you are) falling so thickly that driving in it will be
dangerous alone due to reduced visibility. So the time to be cautious AND
hopefully cancel those travel plans is NOW!





The snow should melt pretty quickly over the next couple of days, and after
that...BLAH BLAH BLAH! Why talk about anything else, especially for those of us
in the <1" snow areas?

IT'S NOT FAIR, I TELL YA!

Anyway, it's gonna be cold right through to Thanksgiving it appears.





Another big front this weekend...looks mostly dry though.

So for MOST of us, if it's gonna be cold, might as well NOT snow? Oh well, I
can't complain too much. We did get 0.4" of snow at my house on Friday.

Hey Lucy...

Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
gmcmanus@mesonet.org