Incoming upslope snow band

[Dan Robinson]

Post-frontal upslope snow showers are common here in the winter, but today they were more intense than usual. Amazing to watch these bands come in and white out everything within minutes like a thunderstorm core. Here is a timelapse of one of the heavier bands sweeping over west Charleston:

http://wvlightning.com/2007/jan28tl.wmv

 

[Joel Wright]

Very nice timelapse!

Snow showers and squalls are always very fun to watch. It's pretty cool how it can go from sunshine and unlimited visibility to near whiteout conditions in a matter of minutes.

Were there any snow pellets? Many times when convective snow showers/squalls move through they contain the pellets too. Some times almost exclusively.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The band pictured above was so heavy that I expected to hear thunder at any time. Pure white-out at one point, with only the adjacent houses along the street visible. There were no ice/snow pellets, just large flakes.

Another nice band set up last night just after sunset, lasting nearly 3 hours. The band was about 40 miles long and only about 7 miles wide, centered about 6 miles north of downtown Charleston. Downtown received a slight dusting, and most roads were clear. However, driving just north of town (snow squall chasing!) yielded these scenes:

No wonder the roads have so many potholes in the spring.

It was very cool seeing how sharp the boundary was between heavy snow and nearly nothing. Very reminiscent of lake-effect bands!

The snow really brings out the pickup trucks and 'hillbilly natures' of locals, especially when they see a camera. Here is a video clip:
http://wvlightning.com/2007/jan28a.wmv

Fun times.