MikJournal Monday 01/30/2017...More Projections and Dipping Dots

When I measured the snowfall on my snowboard yesterday after a brief, and my only, moderate snow shower, I may have crushed the constitution of the snow flakes that resembled Dipping Dots. I took the required 3 measurements and averaged them out, yet all of them measured less than 0.1". If I could have only brushed aside some of the circular sensation, there were a few instances of 'piling' I could have measured. I am quite sure I could have come up with at least 0.1" that way. But, oh well. A dusting is what I recorded.

The NWS Louisville office at the airport registered 0.3". That's a lot of Dots, in my opinion. Then again, the nature of these snow showers was very location-specific. I have read reports of one part of a county having the ground whitened, but just a few miles down the road, only a few flakes flew.
I think I'm just a sore loser.

Once I compile all of the available data, this one may go down as an underachiever for most of us in central and eastern Kentucky. Yes, I saw some pictures. Very spotty 4" amounts were probably received. I'll be updating the seasonal snow totals on my blog for the reporting stations sometime tomorrow, so that any snowfall that was measured today will be included in the updated totals.

Turning my attention to the earlier projections about warmest January's on record here in central Kentucky, I have updated my thoughts below....

Louisville...it now appears, based on expected temperatures for today and tomorrow, may be able to forge at least a tie for the top ten warmest January's on record. It will be very close. Definitely not a consensus call. Here's how close it will be:

The average temperature needs to be 32.25 degrees. In other words the high and low for the 2 days needs to total 129 degrees. The forecast high and low for today and tomorrow is (projected 24 this morning) + 40 high = 64; the low and high for tomorrow at 33 + 48 = 81; 145 degrees total. Therefore, it appears quite possible that Louisville should be able to achieve enough to sneak into that top ten status for warmest January's.

Bowling Green is a shoo in for a spot in the top ten.

Lexington, who I thought would not come close, will at least make it respectable, though not quite achieving a top ten slot. Still, I am quite confident they will NOT make the list.

Even Jackson, KY will quite likely register a top ten warmest January. Of course, their history is not as lengthy as other official reporting stations, some of which are about 100 years older than Jackson's; nevertheless, a balmy month by January's standards for them too.

Paducah, in western Kentucky also looks like a lock for a top ten status.
Evansville, IN; well, that one will be close, similar to Louisville, but they should finish in their top ten as well.

Cincinnati, OH and Huntington, WV will be just on the outside looking in. Again, though, all of these locations will finish well above average for January.

I am working on a February prediction. December and January have not gone according to plan, in terms of temperatures and snowfall.

Let's just say that February will need to have a deep freeze month in order for meteorological winter to be colder than normal.

I'll have that out by sometime tomorrow.

MS