Texas Winter 2023-2024

[Brent]

There’s cold and there’s cold enough. 2009-2010 was cold enough. Doesn’t need to be arctic.

Yeah my best snows everywhere have always been marginal temps tbh mostly. Both times we had real arctic air I wasnt impressed by the snow

The one time I was probably impressed by a cold snowstorm was my last winter in Alabama in 2014 when everybody lost their mind lol

[Quixotic]

There’s cold and there’s cold enough. 2009-2010 was cold enough. Doesn’t need to be arctic.

A great winter. I counted 7 snow events that season and most had at least some accumulation with a couple of big dogs. Seemed like an El Nino pattern the entire winter with fronts every few days keeping it cold to cool with overcast skies more often than not. Many days in the 30s if I recall. Maybe January through March can deliver something similar.

It’s up there. Maybe not quite 77-78 but it had a white Christmas. I counted 5 events. Sloppy slush early December, 4” on X-Mas, an inch or two around new years then 10” on February 11th and then a 7” bomb March 20th. The consistency of temps was amazing. Sunny days were lows in the mid 20s and highs in the forties and then a powerful low would swing by and it was always just cold enough.

[Quixotic]

There’s cold and there’s cold enough. 2009-2010 was cold enough. Doesn’t need to be arctic.

Yeah my best snows everywhere have always been marginal temps tbh mostly. Both times we had real arctic air I wasnt impressed by the snow

The one time I was probably impressed by a cold snowstorm was my last winter in Alabama in 2014 when everybody lost their mind lol

The Super Bowl storm in 2011 was impressive. Several rounds starting with thunder sleet and ending with 6” of powder around 20 degrees.

[Ntxw]

We can get there. We're like 2/3rds of it. The Pacific side around Alaska is the only missing component.



The models were somewhat wrong about December, it has been dominated by an Alaskan trough which is where the lack of cold over the rest of NA.

It will probably reverse course but how soon.

[Quixotic]

For DFW it just needs to be a marginal cold blast but for my area it would need to be a pretty significant one to get anything.

I dunno man. I don’t recall the Christmas Miracle of 2004 being that cold.

I’d say a 1040mb high would suffice for DFW. For me I’d say 1050. I could definitely be wrong though.

It’s different for an El Niño. If you get a strong enough low, it can pull cold down from the upper levels. Thicknesses are lower. The storm we had in March 2010 it was 38 degrees when it started but the snow was so heavy it pulled it down. Winters like that you look for monsters where a thunder snow can belt it out.

[gpsnowman]

There’s cold and there’s cold enough. 2009-2010 was cold enough. Doesn’t need to be arctic.

Yeah my best snows everywhere have always been marginal temps tbh mostly. Both times we had real arctic air I wasnt impressed by the snow

The one time I was probably impressed by a cold snowstorm was my last winter in Alabama in 2014 when everybody lost their mind lol

The Super Bowl storm in 2011 was impressive. Several rounds starting with thunder sleet and ending with 6” of powder around 20 degrees.

First time I had ever witnessed thundersleet. I remember watching the storms from my living room wondering when the switchover would happen. Then boom, some of the heaviest sleet with thunder and lightning. The wind was crazy and I was in complete awe.

[Brent]

There’s cold and there’s cold enough. 2009-2010 was cold enough. Doesn’t need to be arctic.

Yeah my best snows everywhere have always been marginal temps tbh mostly. Both times we had real arctic air I wasnt impressed by the snow

The one time I was probably impressed by a cold snowstorm was my last winter in Alabama in 2014 when everybody lost their mind lol

The Super Bowl storm in 2011 was impressive. Several rounds starting with thunder sleet and ending with 6” of powder around 20 degrees.

Yeah I wasn't in Texas then but I've read stories about it. I grew up in Alabama where arctic air was rare or when it did happen was usually bone dry. January 2014 is literally the only time I remember a good snow so cold

[bubba hotep]

DFW approaching 1" of rain.

[DallasAg]

DFW approaching 1" of rain.

And it's taken almost 12 hours of non-stop light rain to get there. Perfect good "soaker" with minimal runoff. Just what we needed. I'm at 0.65" IMBY with maybe a couple of hours of rain to the west still.

[bubba hotep]

DFW approaching 1" of rain.

And it's taken almost 12 hours of non-stop light rain to get there. Perfect good "soaker" with minimal runoff. Just what we needed. I'm at 0.65" IMBY with maybe a couple of hours of rain to the west still.

Hi-res models were a mixed bag today, but DFW pretty much overperformed and will end up with 1"+. Should pick up another 2-3" before the weekend is over.

[Ralph's Weather]

2/21 was the one time for me heavy snow with temps in teens, rates were incredible. But very true most times best snows are 34F with wet gloopy snow

There’s cold and there’s cold enough. 2009-2010 was cold enough. Doesn’t need to be arctic.

Yeah my best snows everywhere have always been marginal temps tbh mostly. Both times we had real arctic air I wasnt impressed by the snow

The one time I was probably impressed by a cold snowstorm was my last winter in Alabama in 2014 when everybody lost their mind lol

[Brent]

2/21 was the one time for me heavy snow with temps in teens, rates were incredible. But very true most times best snows are 34F with wet gloopy snow

There’s cold and there’s cold enough. 2009-2010 was cold enough. Doesn’t need to be arctic.

Yeah my best snows everywhere have always been marginal temps tbh mostly. Both times we had real arctic air I wasnt impressed by the snow

The one time I was probably impressed by a cold snowstorm was my last winter in Alabama in 2014 when everybody lost their mind lol

Yeah I was still in DFW then and I felt like they kind of underperformed tbh. No doubt it was impressive at the start but overall meh. The second wave never really verified either. The cold and the power outages were unfortunately more impressive than the snow

Now up here got buried then. I was in the process of moving and came up here a week later and I mean I had never seen such big snow piles

[Stratton23]

00z CMC has another system coming in on new years eve, even has a rain/ snow mix for parts of texas

[Harp.1]

0Z Gfs absolutely sucks.

[ThunderSleetDreams]

I love the Canadian all the way through New Years. Lock it in!

[mmmmsnouts]

It’s about time DFW overperformed a rain event so that it “counts.” Seemed like all summer (until it stopped raining completely) that every MCS or outflow cell would just barely miss the airport or fall apart right before it got there.

[rwfromkansas]

I ended at .99 for the day, lol. Just going to say an inch. Radar dry now.

Finally a nice slow rain.

[Stratton23]

If you like winter weather in Texas, boy will you love the 00z Canadian and EPS ensemble runs, they are a thing of pure beauty!

[Yukon Cornelius]

With this week being more like spring, at least Christmas Day is forecasted to be in the upper 40s. I’ll take that over the 60s any day.

[Ntxw]

While we await pattern change some notable records have occured in December. Nationally December may end up the warmest on record for the lower 48, and North America will be lowest snow cover for the month. Not sure Canada's records but given the ridging up there and lack of cold it should be warmest for them as well.

Admittedly, a warm December was probable given strong Nino tendency. Kind of got fluked by the AO and NAO early. I had thought we might make it work and get the cooler outcome like a 2009. Once again got humbled, you don't bet warmer month, wrong a lot of the time. Not an indictment going forward but reflecting and learning mistakes.