Charleston Weather

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  Jared Smith 2:12 am on February 23, 2010 Permalink
  Tags: admin, chswxextra   

  Introducing @chswxextra 

  In an effort to keep the signal-to-noise ratio on @chswx high, I’ve decided to open a new Twitter account called @chswxextra. @chswxextra is intended as an enhancement to the alerts broadcast on @chswx.

  Why another account? I am constantly thinking about how to make and keep @chswx as useful as possible. Sometimes, less is more — and I find that’s absolutely the case when it comes to @chswx. You shouldn’t hear from it (outside of the periodic forecasts) unless conditions are taking a turn for the worse. I also believe that @chswx should be as accessible of a follow as possible, whether you’re on TweetDeck or receiving SMS tweets on a phone with no data plan. Of course, this is quite limiting, too — in a rapidly-developing situation, I’d often link off to the NWS or this blog with an expanded explanation of what’s going on.

  So, to best serve the widest range of users, I’ve decided to create @chswxextra, which as I described before is an enhancement to the alerts given on @chswx. @chswxextra is inspired by an idea at TheDigitel Charleston: @thedigitelextra, which gives additional commentary on a developing news situation to those who want more than just the regular Digitel Twitter feed. @chswxextra is much in that same vein. It provides the backchannel conversation to an ongoing event, complete with links to blog posts, NWS statements, multimedia, and more. It is not an account you follow over SMS; rather, it’s something you follow when you want more than just the alerts or the forecast — and I know there are plenty of you out there.

  So, check out @chswxextra and be sure to let me know what you think!

   

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  Jared Smith 7:27 pm on February 12, 2010 Permalink
  Tags: snow (4), storm report map, Winter Weather (2)   

  Winter weather event well underway 

  

  Winter weather reports overlaid on RADAR from 6:15PM.

  No doubt about it — the forecast has verified and the Charleston area is well-encompassed in a winter weather event. Reports of snow are coming in from all over the place, primarily from inland locations (particularly in Berkeley County and Summerville). Accumulations of 1″ have been observed in Goose Creek. Snow will continue to push toward the coast — as I write this, there are fresh reports of snow in Shadowmoss in West Ashley — making for quite a fun winter weather Friday for the Lowcountry.

  I strongly discourage travel this evening, as snow will make visibilities very low at times. Also, there was quite a bit of rain that fell today ahead of this event, and there’s a good chance that could refreeze and create very slick spots on the roadways. This is also a concern for Saturday.

  Hopefully I’ll have snow pictures of my own soon!

   
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  Jared Smith 10:19 am on February 12, 2010 Permalink
  Tags: snow (4), winter storm warning   

  Winter Storm Warning begins at noon 

  snOMG! Charleston is looking at its first appreciable snowfall in over ten years this evening as a low pressure system develops and moves northeast, paralleling the coast and drawing in the necessary cold air to create what could be a potentially significant snow event (significant, at least, for our area — this will be no DC blizzard). NWS is forecasting up to 6″ inland — up from the 4″ expected yesterday. It’s very likely the wintry precipitation will reach the coast, so we do expect to see at least a rain/snow mix downtown. Confidence is very high in the forecast, as the forecast models have excellent agreement for a snow event across most of the state.

  While we don’t expect this event to snow people in, it is anticipated that travel will be hairy starting this afternoon through tomorrow. NWS released a safety statement a little while ago with some winter weather safety tips.

  We’ll be watching as the storm approaches throughout the day. Tag your photos and posts with #chswx and they’ll show up in the Collecta widget in the sidebar.

  Jared Smith is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Jared Smith 5:35 pm on February 12, 2010 Permalink

    Snow reports are rolling in throughout the area. We’ve not yet seen anything in Charleston County, but I suspect that will change soon as snow is starting to mix with rain in Goose Creek. It’s been snowing around Moncks Corner and northward for a couple hours now. This transition will continue through 6 PM.

    There are some concerns that inland locations may see even more than 6″ of snow this afternoon, as there are some bits of energy moving east that have enhanced snowfall in some locations in Alabama and Georgia. This situation is continuing to develop and tough to pin.

    Regardless of what happens, travel will be tough over the next day. There may be some freezing drizzle overnight, causing some incredibly slick roads. There also is the potential for black ice and refreezing of melted snow overnight Saturday, as temperatures won’t get very high into the 40s.

    Stay tuned — this is going to be a fascinating Friday!