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![Page 1: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms
Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel KeyserDepartment of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
University at Albany
Northeast Regional Operational Workshop XVI4 November 2015
Supported by the NOAA Collaboration Science, Technology, and Applied Research Program (NA13NWS4680004)
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• Investigate major transition season snowstorms in the northeast U.S. that result in widespread socioeconomic disruption and that are difficult to forecast
Overview
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Motivation
• Major transition season snowstorms have the potential to produce widespread socioeconomic disruption• Infrastructure damage• Transportation delays • Power outages
• Heavy wet snow occurring in major transition season events can be especially damaging when trees arein full leaf
Damage in Belmont, MA, from the 28–30 October 2011 snowstorm. Source: Washington Post
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Objectives
• Project research focuses on documenting:
• Synoptic-to-mesoscale atmospheric conditions occurring prior to and during major transition season Northeast snowstorms, with emphasis on the formation and maintenance of regions of lower-tropospheric cold air that coincide with areas of heavy snowfall
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Objectives
• Project research focuses on documenting:
• Synoptic-scale atmospheric conditions occurring prior to and during major transition season Northeast snowstorms, with emphasis on the role of tropical moisture transport occurring within atmospheric rivers (ARs) in the formation and evolution of this class of snowstorms
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Motivation
• Understand the ingredients of major transition season Northeast snowstorms from a Lagrangian perspective
• What is the source region of the cold air at the surface?• What is the source region of moist parcels in
areas of heavy snowfall?
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Datasets
• General:• Quantum Geographic Information System
(QGIS)• NWS GIS - AWIPS Shapefile Database
• Event compilation:• NY State Department of Environmental
Conservation• NOAA/NCDC Storm Data (SD) Monthly
Publications• PA Tourism Office
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Datasets
• Snowfall accumulation maps:• Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data
2010• NCDC GHCN Daily Summaries
• Case studies:• NEXRAD• Iowa Environmental Mesonet ASOS • NCEP CFSR global reanalysis (Saha et al.
2010)• 6-h time interval• 0.5° grid spacing• 1979–present
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Methodology
• Defined and compiled list of major transition season Northeast snowstorms
• Categorized distinctive types of lower-tropospheric cold air that coincide with areas of heavy snowfall
• Selected a fall event and a spring event that illustrate the following types:• A cold pool type for the 28–30 October 2011
event• A baroclinic zone type for the 8–9 March 2005
event
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Methodology
• Calculated 72-h kinematic backward trajectories using CFSR• Diagnosed evolution of selected
thermodynamic quantities• Identified source regions of moist parcels
• Applied the objective AR identification algorithm of Lavers and Villarini (2015)
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Objective Definition
• To be objectively defined as a major transition season Northeast snowstorm, an event in SD must have at least three separate county warning areas (CWA) report: • “Heavy Snow” (HS)• “Winter Storm”(WS) • “Blizzard” (B) • A combination of
any of the three • WS and B must meet
12-h snow warningcriterion for the reporting CWA
Northeast domain outlined in dark black with thin black CWA borders
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28–30 October 2011 Event
1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa)
• Approximately 3 million power outages
• Significant travel disruptions
• Emergencies declared in multiple states
• Indirect fatalities
0000 UTC 30 October 2011
Snowfall accumulation (shaded, in.) map displayed over terrain for the 28–30 October 2011 event produced from NCDC GHCN Daily Summaries
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0000 UTC 28 October 2011
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 0000 UTC 28 October 2011
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 28 October 2011
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1200 UTC 28 October 2011
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 1200 UTC 28 October 2011
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 1200 UTC 28 October 2011
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0000 UTC 29 October 2011
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 0000 UTC 29 October 2011
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 29 October 2011
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1200 UTC 29 October 2011
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 1200 UTC 29 October 2011
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 1200 UTC 29 October 2011
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0000 UTC 30 October 2011
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011
L
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1200 UTC 30 October 2011
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 1200 UTC 30 October 2011
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 1200 UTC 30 October 2011
L
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1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011
Snowfall accumulation (shaded, in.) map displayed over terrain for the 28–30 October 2011 event produced from NCDC GHCN Daily Summaries
• 1000–850-hPa thickness values support snowfall
0000 UTC 30 October 2011
• Cold pool coincident with snowfall accumulation ≥ 20 in.
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1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011
0000 UTC 30 October 2011
A A’ A A’
Snowfall accumulation (shaded, in.) map displayed over terrain for the 28–30 October 2011 event produced from NCDC GHCN Daily Summaries• Cold pool coincident with
snowfall accumulation ≥ 20 in.
• 1000–850-hPa thickness values support snowfall
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0000 UTC 30 October 2011
A A’
A A’1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (above)
Cross section along 43°N of θ (shaded, K) and temperature (contoured, °C) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (right)
e
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1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (above)
Cross section along 43°N of θ (shaded, K) and temperature (contoured, °C) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (right)
e
0000 UTC 30 October 2011
A A’
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1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (above)
Cross section along 43°N of θ (shaded, K) and temperature (contoured, °C) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (right)
e
0000 UTC 30 October 2011
Level selection based on Fuhrmann and Konrad (2013)
A A’
975-hPa
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850-hPa
1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (above)
Cross section along 43°N of θ (shaded, K) and temperature (contoured, °C) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (right)
e
0000 UTC 30 October 2011
Level selection based on Fuhrmann and Konrad (2013)
A A’
975-hPa
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500-hPa–600-hPa DGZ
850-hPa
1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (above)
Cross section along 43°N of θ (shaded, K) and temperature (contoured, °C) at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 (right)
e
0000 UTC 30 October 2011
Level selection based on Fuhrmann and Konrad (2013)
A A’
975-hPa
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72-h Backward Trajectories (975 hPa)
72-h backward trajectories for 975 hPa (blue) ending at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 with representative trajectories bolded (above) and corresponding time series (right) for the representative trajectories
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72-h Backward Trajectories (850 hPa)
72-h backward trajectories for 975 hPa (blue) and 850 hPa (green) ending at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 with representative trajectories bolded (above) and corresponding time series (right) for the representative trajectories
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72-h Backward Trajectories (DGZ)
72-h backward trajectories for 975 hPa (blue), 850 hPa (green), and DGZ (red) ending at 0000 UTC 30 October 2011 with representative trajectories bolded (above) and corresponding time series (right) for the representative trajectories
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• AR objectively identified at 1200 UTC 30 October 2011
• Precipitation is only occurring over coastal Maine at this time
Vertically integrated water vapor transport (IVT; shaded, kg m−1 s−1), IVT vectors, MSLP (contoured, hPa), and AR axis (blue line) at 1200 UTC 30 October 2011
Atmospheric River: 1200 UTC 30 Oct 2011
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• DGZ trajectories and AR trajectories originate in different locations
• DGZ trajectories originate over the southeastern U.S. and western North Atlantic, and AR trajectories originate in the subtropicsIVT magnitude (shaded, kg m−1 s−1), MSLP
(contoured, hPa), AR axis (black line), and 72-h backward trajectories (red) at 1200 UTC 30 October 2011
Atmospheric River: 1200 UTC 30 Oct 2011
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• The configuration of the trajectories ending over Concord, NH, and the occurrence of heavy snowfall suggest cold pool formation and maintenance through diabatic cooling
• The objective AR identification algorithm and trajectory analysis reveal that an AR did not contribute to the heavy snowfall in Concord, NH• An AR was objectively identified at 1200 UTC
30 October 2011• DGZ trajectories and AR trajectories originate
in different locations
28–30 October 2011 Event Summary
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8–9 March 2005 Event
1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
0000 UTC 9 March 2005
Snowfall accumulation (shaded, in.) map displayed over terrain for the 8–9 March 2005 event produced from NCDC GHCN Daily Summaries• Flash freeze due to ~11°C
temperature change in 3 hoccurred in CT
• Nearly 70,000 power outages• Many forms of travel
disruption
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250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 0000 UTC 7 March 2005
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 7 March 2005
0000 UTC 7 March 2005
L
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L
1200 UTC 7 March 2005
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 1200 UTC 7 March 2005
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 1200 UTC 7 March 2005
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L
0000 UTC 8 March 2005
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 0000 UTC 8 March 2005
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 8 March 2005
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L
1200 UTC 8 March 2005
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 1200 UTC 8 March 2005
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 1200 UTC 8 March 2005
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L
0000 UTC 9 March 2005
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
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L
1200 UTC 9 March 2005
250-hPa wind speed (shaded, m s−1) and 500-hPa geopotential height (contoured, dam) at 1200 UTC 9 March 2005
Precipitable water (shaded, mm) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 1200 UTC 9 March 2005
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0000 UTC 9 March 2005
• Heavy snowfall resulted from a combination of an Arctic frontal passage and secondary coastal cyclogenesis
Snowfall (shaded, in.) accumulation map displayed over terrain for the 8–9 March 2005 event produced from NCDC GHCN Daily Summaries
1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
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B B’
0000 UTC 9 March 2005
B B’
Snowfall (shaded, in.) accumulation map displayed over terrain for the 8–9 March 2005 event produced from NCDC GHCN Daily Summaries
• Heavy snowfall resulted from a combination of an Arctic frontal passage and secondary coastal cyclogenesis
1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
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1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005 (above)
Cross section along 42.5°N of θ (shaded, K) and temperature (contoured, °C) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005 (right)
e
B B’
0000 UTC 9 March 2005
B B’
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950-hPa
850-hPa
1000–850-hPa thickness (shaded, dam) and MSLP (contoured, hPa) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005 (above)
Cross section along 42.5°N of θ (shaded, K) and temperature (contoured, °C) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005 (right)
e Level selection based on Fuhrmann and Konrad (2013)
500-hPa–600-hPa DGZ
B B’
0000 UTC 9 March 2005
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72-h Backward Trajectories (950 hPa)
72-h backward trajectories for 950 hPa (blue) ending at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005 with representative trajectories bolded (above) and corresponding time series (right) for the representative trajectories
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72-h Backward Trajectories (850 hPa)
72-h backward trajectories for 950 hPa (blue) and 850 hPa (green) ending at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005 with representative trajectories bolded (above) and corresponding time series (right) for the representative trajectories
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72-h Backward Trajectories (DGZ)
72-h backward trajectories for 950 hPa (blue), 850 hPa (green), and DGZ (red) ending at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005 with representative trajectories bolded (above) and corresponding time series (right) for the representative trajectories
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IVT magnitude (shaded, kg m−1 s−1), MSLP (contoured, hPa), AR axis (black line), and 72-h backward trajectories for the DGZ (red) at 0600 UTC 8 March 2005
Atmospheric River: 0600 UTC 8 March 2005
• AR objectively identified for entire duration of the event
• DGZ trajectories travel in close proximity to AR axis beginning at 0600 UTC 8 March 2005
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IVT magnitude (shaded, kg m−1 s−1), MSLP (contoured, hPa), AR axis (black line), and 72-h backward trajectories for the DGZ (red) at 1200 UTC 8 March 2005
Atmospheric River: 1200 UTC 8 March 2005
• AR objectively identified for entire duration of the event
• DGZ trajectories travel in close proximity to AR axis beginning at 0600 UTC 8 March 2005
![Page 48: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/48.jpg)
IVT magnitude (shaded, kg m−1 s−1), MSLP (contoured, hPa), AR axis (black line), and 72-h backward trajectories for the DGZ (red) at 1800 UTC 8 March 2005
Atmospheric River: 1800 UTC 8 March 2005
• AR objectively identified for entire duration of the event
• DGZ trajectories travel in close proximity to AR axis beginning at 0600 UTC 8 March 2005
![Page 49: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/49.jpg)
IVT magnitude (shaded, kg m−1 s−1), MSLP (contoured, hPa), AR axis (black line), and 72-h backward trajectories for the DGZ (red) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
Atmospheric River: 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
• AR objectively identified for entire duration of the event
• DGZ trajectories travel in close proximity to AR axis beginning at 0600 UTC 8 March 2005
![Page 50: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/50.jpg)
Atmospheric River: 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
IVT magnitude (shaded, kg m−1 s−1), MSLP (contoured, hPa), AR axis (black line), and 72-h backward trajectories for the DGZ (red) and AR axis (pink) at 0000 UTC 9 March 2005
• DGZ trajectories and AR trajectories originate in the subtropics
![Page 51: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/51.jpg)
• Source of cold air was an Arctic frontal passage
• The objective AR identification algorithm and the trajectory analysis suggest that an AR was an important ingredient for the event• An AR was objectively identified for the
duration of the event• DGZ trajectory parcels travel in close
proximity to the AR axis• AR trajectories and DGZ trajectories originate
in the subtropics
8–9 March 2005 Event Summary
![Page 52: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/52.jpg)
Conclusions
• Source of cold air differed for each event• 28–30 October 2011: cold pool is suggested
to have formed in-situ from diabatic cooling• 8–9 March 2005: advection of cold air
following an Arctic frontal passage
• ARs have differing roles in each event• Not an ingredient for the 28–30 October 2011
event• Important ingredient for the 8–9 March 2005
event
Special thanks to Alicia Bentley and Benjamin Moore
![Page 53: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/53.jpg)
Atmospheric River Objective Identification
• Methodology adopted fromLavers and Villarini (2015)
• Finds maximum IVT at each latitude that exceeds a climatological threshold
• Determines if 13 continuous latitudinal points crossing 40°N exceed the IVT threshold
• Longitudinal differences between points can be no greater than 4°
![Page 54: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/54.jpg)
Atmospheric River Objective Identification
• Methodology adopted fromLavers and Villarini (2015)
• Finds maximum IVT at each latitude that exceeds a climatological threshold
• Determines if 13 continuous latitudinal points crossing 40°N exceed the IVT threshold
• Longitudinal differences between points can be no greater than 4°
![Page 55: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/55.jpg)
Atmospheric River Objective Identification
• Methodology adopted fromLavers and Villarini (2015)
• Finds maximum IVT at each latitude that exceeds a climatological threshold
• Determines if 13 continuous latitudinal points crossing 40°N exceed the IVT threshold
• Longitudinal differences between points can be no greater than 4°
![Page 56: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/56.jpg)
Atmospheric River Objective Identification
• Methodology adopted fromLavers and Villarini (2015)
• Finds maximum IVT at each latitude that exceeds a climatological threshold
• Determines if 13 continuous latitudinal points crossing 40°N exceed the IVT threshold
• Longitudinal differences between points can be no greater than 4°
![Page 57: A Multiscale Analysis of Major Transition Season Northeast Snowstorms Rebecca Steeves, Andrea L. Lang, and Daniel Keyser Department of Atmospheric and.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062519/5697bfb81a28abf838c9f7c1/html5/thumbnails/57.jpg)
12 h Snow Warning Criteria
Source: NWS Forecast Office Philadelphia/Mt Holly