The grips of SDS

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! Welcome all sky fans!!! I truly appreciate your visit and comments. I might not have time to respond to you, but I will try my best to visit!!!

Our hosts: Klaus Sandy Sylvia Wren Louise Fishing Guy

Thanks, also,to Dot and Tom, who were instrumental in the success of this blogging event. You should definitely come fly with us!
I'm so tired of talking about the cold. It's there. It will continue to be there after today. My toes are numb, my fingers feel brittle. I'm running out of winter wear. (My sweaters have to be dried flat.) As a result, I have posted a June shot of yummy juicy boiling cumulus clouds in a nostalgic black and white, remembering the fonder days when Jack Frost wasn't nipping at my nose, and moisture, lift and instability combined in delightful ways to entertain me... Yes, folks, my SDS is bad. What's SDS? Ahhh, it's a common acronym in the storm chasing community, which stands for Supercell (Storm) Deprivation Syndrome. Plenty of storm chasers have written about this syndrome which grips us during the winter months, while storms are but a distant memory. You can see in Steve Miller's (TX) chart here, that we are approaching the time of highest incidence of this suffocating disorder.Unfortunately, during times of El Niño, such as now, the symptoms can be extremely severe. (At least there's severity somewhere right.) Some of my symptoms include, but are not limited to:

1. Innate fascination with the "little tornado" in the bathtub drain
2. Secretly watches videotape of "Twister" repeatedly (and know every line...)
3. Drags feet across carpet and touches metal object just to see the little CG lightning bolt.
4. Constantly testing alert tone on wx radio to make sure it is working
5. Simulates hail by throwing ice cubes up in air allowing them to fall upon the pavement, chase vehicle or the patient him/herself.

Unfortunately, the only known cure is to witness a supercell, in person... given the Dewvoid effect, I might be in big trouble.

OK, OK, I'll talk about the cold now. I woke up to 21°F temps and a hard freeze. Tomorrow, I will awaken to freezing temps. Snow is in the forecast for parts of Georgia, as a second ridiculously intense cold front presses in hot on the heels of the one we are just coming out of... I haven't seen a cloud in DAYS! Nothing but clear skies and teeth chattering cold. Initially, there was talk of snow flurries in my neck of the woods, but the National Weather Service in Tallahassee has done away with that talk, saying only that lagging rain up against the approaching cold front could offer sleet, but that isn't highly likely and the chance for snow is almost nil. Here is what they have said. ...

WITH IT BEING SO COLD THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF INQUIRIES AS TO THE POTENTIAL FOR FROZEN PRECIP. DESPITE THE CONTINUATION OF BELOW-AVERAGE TEMPERATURES TODAY...IT IS ALREADY TOO WARM FOR SLEET OR SNOW AS SIGNIFICANT WARMING HAS BEGUN ABOVE THE SHALLOW COLD BOUNDARY LAYER. THE TROPOSPHERE WILL REMAIN TOO WARM TO SUPPORT FROZEN PRECIP UNTIL THE EARLY MORNING HOURS FRIDAY BEHIND THE ARCTIC COLD FRONT. ALL OF THE GUIDANCE SHOW THIS...AND THERE IS JUST THE SMALLEST OF CHANCES FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHT SLEET WHERE (IF) THE ARCTIC AIR REACHES ANY LAGGING PRECIP. (THE COLD LAYER WILL LIKELY BE TOO SHALLOW FOR SNOW AND NOT COLD ENOUGH FOR ACCUMULATING SLEET).

As for my initial concerns of rain with freezing temps causing an icy mess locally, the Weather Service has addressed that concern as well...

THERE HAS ALSO BEEN SOME CONCERN EXPRESSED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR WATER FROM TONIGHTS RAIN FREEZING ON THE ROADS FRIDAY MORNING IN AL AND GA. BECAUSE THE QPF IS LESS THAN A QUARTER OF AN INCH...AND BECAUSE GUSTY WINDS AND FALLING HUMIDITY ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP QUICKLY AFTER THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH EVAPORATION AND GROUND ABSORPTION TO PREVENT THIS FROM BEING A SIGNIFICANT THREAT. IT WILL BE COLD AND BREEZY FRIDAY WITH HIGHS STRUGGLING TO REACH 40 DEGREES...AND WIND CHILL VALUES NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY.

Try and stay warm,
~Dewdrop