Going Snow Chasing (help me out AFM)

[Johnny]

I am picking up a Class C RV in the morning and heading north with the family for a few days. We are now tired of waiting on snow to come to our area so we are going after it. It looks like we will be heading towards the Texas Panhandle and perhaps into the Northeastern corner of New Mexico along Raton Pass...and possibly into southeastern Colorado (if need be).

AFM, when do you think we will hit accumulating snow? Any help on where I should go would be greatly appreciated. If anyone else wants to chime in, I'd appreciate that also. Thanks!!

[Portastorm]

I am picking up a Class C RV in the morning and heading north with the family for a few days. We are now tired of waiting on snow to come to our area so we are going after it. It looks like we will be heading towards the Texas Panhandle and perhaps into the Northeastern corner of New Mexico along Raton Pass...and possibly into southeastern Colorado (if need be).

AFM, when do you think we will hit accumulating snow? Any help on where I should go would be greatly appreciated. If anyone else wants to chime in, I'd appreciate that also. Thanks!!

Dude, it's already snowing up there. Check out this radar:

http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid= ... 11&loop=no

Good luck and give us reports from the road!

[cctxhurricanewatcher]

Take EWG with you so he can get the snow bug out of him.

[Johnny]

Is that snow out to the west of Amarillo?

It looks like we could start getting into snow between Childress and Amarillo. If not, it looks like once we get on the other side of Amarillo going towards Dalhart we could really start getting into the snow. It looks like Raton Pass could get some pretty good snow out of this. I'd be happy with 3 to 5 inches of snow! Thanks for the link Portastorm. If you got anymore info. let me know, I'd appreciate it.

The only internet access I'll be able to get is through my cell phone. lol

[Air Force Met]

I am picking up a Class C RV in the morning and heading north with the family for a few days. We are now tired of waiting on snow to come to our area so we are going after it. It looks like we will be heading towards the Texas Panhandle and perhaps into the Northeastern corner of New Mexico along Raton Pass...and possibly into southeastern Colorado (if need be).

AFM, when do you think we will hit accumulating snow? Any help on where I should go would be greatly appreciated. If anyone else wants to chime in, I'd appreciate that also. Thanks!!

Well...in Amarillo by Friday night it should be all snow...and it will end Saturday morning. They'll get about 3 inches or so...

Up near Dalhart they may get as much as 6 inches...more as you head up towards SW KS.

If snow is what you are looking for...and really don't NEED to go to Raton...I would stay away from Raton Pass in an RV in Winter during a snow event. That's a real tricky road and unless you know what you are doing...it's dangerous. If snow is all you want...you will be able to see plenty in the panhandle and the roads will still be doable since it's been fairly warm.

You'll actually see more in Dalhart than Raton....actually.

[Johnny]

Thanks for chiming in AFM. Before I got married 7 years ago, A buddy of mine and I would head up to Colorado every January (anywhere from Wolf Creek Pass to Estes Park). I've been through Raton Pass many of times but never in a motorhome. I'm no stranger to snowy roads but like I said, driving in it in a motorhome will probaby be a whole nother ballgame. Thanks for bringing that up. It loooks like the snow chances could last for a few days up that way. What do you think? Does the NWS forecast look pretty good? Here's the forecast for Dalhart. It looks promising.


http://www.srh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapCli ... X&site=AMA

[Air Force Met]

Thanks for chiming in AFM. Before I got married 7 years ago, A buddy of mine and I would head up to Colorado every January (anywhere from Wolf Creek Pass to Estes Park). I've been through Raton Pass many of times but never in a motorhome. I'm no stranger to snowy roads but like I said, driving in it in a motorhome will probaby be a whole nother ballgame. Thanks for bringing that up. It loooks like the snow chances could last for a few days up that way. What do you think? Does the NWS forecast look pretty good? Here's the forecast for Dalhart. It looks promising.


http://www.srh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapCli ... X&site=AMA

Yeah...I think they have a good forecast. It should end on Saturday for pretty much everyone in the area...

[southerngale]

Dang...I wanna move to Dalhart! Look at that forecast!

Have a fun & safe trip, Johnny. Take lots of pictures & bring us back some snow.

[Johnny]

I'll definately take plenty of pictures SG! I'll try to post them up on here when I get back.

An intersting discussion just came out out of the Amarillo office. If this pans out, it looks like Amarillo will be as far as we go...which will be fine with me!


AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
948 PM CST THU DEC 28 2006

.UPDATE...
LATEST MODEL DATA COMING IN AND EVERYTHING IS CLEAR AS MUD. UPDATED
OUR WINTER STORM WATCH TO INCLUDE THREE MORE COUNTIES IN THE
SOUTHEAST...BUT WILL NOT UPGRADE TO A WARNING YET AS I WOULD STILL
LIKE TO SEE THE LATEST GFS. PROBLEM IS NOT IF IT IS GOING TO
SNOW...PROBLEM IS HOW MUCH...AND IT IS A BIG PROBLEM. NEARLY ALL
MODELS ARE SHOWING 10 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW (EVEN MORE) ACROSS THE
HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF THE CWA. HOWEVER
GFS FORECAST SOUNDINGS ARE SHOWING THAT THE WARM AIR AT THE SURFACE
WILL BE STUBBORN TO ERODE WITH A TRANSITION IN THE AMARILLO AREA NOT
OCCURRING UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING. THIS SCENARIO IS SUPPORTED WITH
-FZRA BEING REPORTED AT 03Z AT KLHX...KITR AND KGLD IN COLORADO AND
KANSAS. THE COLD AIR IS NOT DEEP TO THE NORTH OF US AND WILL STRUGGLE
TO DEEPEN AS THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT GETS ESTABLISHED WITH THE
APPROACH OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW.

ON THE PLUS SIDE...WINDS THROUGH A DEEP PORTION OF THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE
BACK AROUND TO THE NORTH WHICH MAY ADVECT IN SOME COLDER AIR. ALSO
LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW MAY BEGIN TO COOL THE ATMOSPHERE
PRODUCING SNOW BY FRIDAY EVENING. THIS SCENARIO IS SUGGESTED BY THE
NAM. SO ACCUMULATIONS COULD EXCEED 10 INCHES WITH AN EARLIER
TRANSITION TO SNOW...OR COULD STRUGGLE TO REACH FOUR INCHES WITH A
LATER TRANSITION. THIS UNCERTAINTY IS THE REASON FOR PROLONGING THE
WATCH AND NOT QUITE ISSUING A WARNING JUST YET. THE WORDING WAS LEFT
AT 6 TO 10 INCHES WHICH I THINK IS A GOOD BET FOR TELLING EVERYONE
WHAT THEY MAY EXPECT (ESPECIALLY ON THE CAPROCK) AND LOWER AMOUNTS
EAST. HIGHER AMOUNTS MAY BE OBSERVED BUT WILL PROBABLY OCCUR IN
NARROW BANDS THAT ARE TOO DIFFICULT TO NAIL DOWN.

THERE IS ONE ITEM OF INTEREST TO NOTE. THE NAM AND GFS ARE BOTH POINTING
TO HIGHER AMOUNTS OF SNOW SNOW SOUTH OF THE CANADIAN RIVER VALLEY. THIS
PHENOMENON HAS BEEN NOTED WHEN THE LOW LEVEL WINDS ARE STRONG AND OUT
OF THE NORTH WITH A SATURATED LOWER ATMOSPHERE. EVEN THOUGH THE
ELEVATION DIFFERENCE FROM THE CANADIAN RIVER TO THE UPPER RIM OF THE
VALLEY IS NOT THAT GREAT...IT SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH TO ENHANCE SNOWFALL
TOTALS AS THE NORTHERLY WINDS ARE LIFTED ALONG THE SOUTHERN RIM OF
THE VALLEY. LOCALIZED AREAS OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL TOTALS MAY THEREFORE
BE OBSERVED FROM ADRIAN...TO VEGA...TO AMARILLO...TO PANHANDLE DUE TO
THIS EFFECT. THE EFFECT IS USUALLY NOT NOTICED SOUTH OF I-40.

[Johnny]

Wow! Check out this map! I got caught in a mini blizzard that produced 14" of snow in Durango one time. If this map verifies then I MIGHT see that kind of snow total again..if not more?




http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php ... t&id=67028