First accumulating snow…

2006-09-21 05:45:11.000 – Jim Salge,  Observer

First accumulating snow…

A cold front had cleared the White Mountain Region yesterday morning, and temperatures had already dropped about 20 degrees from the evening prior. However, it was a second frontal trough, which moved through towards evening that really changed the weather for the worse.

Clear skies early gave way to thick fog with temperatures in the upper 30s around noon yesterday, and temperatures continued to fall through the afternoon. By evening, the first signs of the second front were becoming evident, with increasing winds into the 30 to 40 mph range with showers on the radar screen. Rain began falling after 7PM, as temperatures fell to 34 degrees. Visibility though low through the afternoon was cut to near zero as the fog became even more dense.

Then around midnight, conditions took a further turn for the worse, as temperatures began to drop rapidly, and snow began to fall. We picked up a few tenths of an inch by the 1AM synoptic, and temperatures have settled at 23 degrees as of this writing. Glaze and rime ice have been accumulating since midnight as well, and a few ice feathers exceed 6 inches in length.

Conditions will not improve much today, and highs on the summits are only expected to top out around 30 degrees. With windchills likely around zero for much of the day, expect full on winter conditions if hiking today on the high peaks!

Here’s two more pictures from this morning:
First snow #1
First snow #2

Jim Salge,  Observer