Windy;, snow and darn miserable

Good morning Augusta.

Its bloin' real good out there. The storm warnings say we can get 3-6 inches, 4-8 inches or 6-12 inches of snow depending on which "official forecast" you want to believe for our area.

My vote is to stay home and make sure the generator and snow blower is gassed up and ready to go.

This morning it is overcast with snow, then snow and rain in the afternoon. High of 36F with a windchill as low as 19F. Windy. Winds from the NNW at 20 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Chance of snow 80% with accumulations up to 2 in. possible.

Tonight it will be partly cloudy with a chance of snow. Low of 27F with a windchill as low as 19F. Windy. Winds from the NW at 5 to 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph.

The readings from my own weather instruments are:

The humidity is 88% with a Dew Point of 30ºF, Temp is 34.2ºF with a wind chil of 18.9ºF.

Our wind direction is North between 18.0 MPH and  21.4 MPH.  

The Barometric pressure is 29.84 HPA 1010 and falling with a weather graphic indicating rain/snow.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 6:17 a.m. sunset is 4:26  PM and Moon Rise is at 2:06 p.m. EDT and the moon phase is    waxing Gibbous.

For the pilots out there raw METAR readings are: METAR KAUG 281053Z AUTO

METAR KAUG 021053Z AUTO 36017G23KT 10SM BKN020 OVC024 02/M01 A2981 RMK AO2 PK WND 01029/1015 UPB14E36 SLP100 P0000 T00171011

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with Mostly cloudy conditions down to 2,000 ft / 609 m. and overcast to 2,400 ft / 731 m.

We had some rain here (0.21 inches) over the past 24 hours, but it is still coming down out there and that's turning to snow So I hope you're ready for it..

In view of the weather that came bounding in last night )for November 1), I thought I'd post what "Blizzard" means as copied/pasted from Weather.com

Blizzards

Blizzards are characterized by low temperatures (usually below 20°F) and accompanied by winds that are at least 35 mph or greater, there must also be sufficient falling and/or blowing snow in the air that will frequently reduce visibility to 1/4 mile or less for a duration of at least 3 hours.

A severe blizzard is considered to have temperatures near or below 10°F, winds exceeding 45 mph, and visibility reduced by snow to near zero.

Blizzard conditions often develop on the northwest side of an intense storm system The difference between the lower pressure in the storm and the higher pressure to the west creates a tight pressure gradient, which in turn results in very strong winds.

These winds combine with snow and blowing snow to produce extreme conditions. Storm systems powerful enough to cause blizzards usually form when the jet stream dips far to the south, allowing cold air from the north to clash with warm air from the south.

With the colder and drier polar air comes atmospheric temperatures cold enough for the development of snow, sleet, or freezing rain.

The Dakotas and parts of Minnesota were pounded by a succession of blizzards in the winter of 1996-1997. With few trees or other obstructions to reduce wind and blowing snow, this part of the country is particularly vulnerable to blizzards.

A continuation of the broad central plains that run from the Gulf of Mexico into Canada, this area often experiences severe blizzard conditions, with wind chills of 40°F below or more and whiteout conditions.

Another scenario occurs when a cold core low over the Hudson Bay area is displaced southward over southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes, and New England. As rapidly moving short waves, or areas of upward vertical motion and energy, move around the low, they collide with warmer air coming north from the Gulf of Mexico. This produces strong surface winds, lots of cold air advection, and extensive wintry precipitation.

In the southern central Great Plains, rapidly intensifying low pressure systems moving out of the Rocky Mountains can cause heavy snows and strong winds to the north, while to the south and east are thunderstorms and rain.

When cold, moist air from the Pacific Ocean makes it over the Rockies and into the Plains and warmer, moist air moves north from the Gulf of Mexico, all that is needed is a cold closed low aloft and a strong polar jet for potential blizzard conditions that may extend from the panhandle of Texas to the Great Lakes.