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Posts Tagged "low pressure"

Where’s the Snow?!

Posted on Jan 4, 2015

Where’s the Snow?!

After above-average to historic snowfall in November it has been a slow late fall and early winter season! Western New York saw some absurd snow totals early in the autumn but it has been tough lately with this latest low pressure system coming over us, the southwest flow dragging temperatures to the 50s, pouring down rain and melting snow. Scenes like these have been difficult to find for many places in the Northeast, but we in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region will be feeling an arctic blast with frigid temperatures coming this week. Snowfall will return thanks to the Great Lakes and a...

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Historic Western New York Snowfall

Posted on Nov 23, 2014

Historic Western New York Snowfall

The past week has been nothing short of historic in Western New York with crippling and dangerous snowfall beyond what even lifelong residents could have imagined. This lake effect snowfall weather event was the culmination of several factors that allowed Lake Erie’s snow machine to turn on full blast and dump feet of snow in very short periods of time, rivaling some all-time American records. While the final totals need to be examined, assessed and fully vetted, once you pass four, five, six, or seven feet, there is really no number that can do the impact justice. It is a tragedy that...

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Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

Posted on Oct 26, 2014

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

There has been an enormous southward movement of Ruby-crowned Kinglets (like this one photographed tonight), Golden-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Hermit Thrushes, Song Sparrows and many other sparrow species this weekend. With a cold front passing through the Northeast tonight we will be set up for a sizable push of more migrants tomorrow, especially diurnal. Get outside and find some songbirds in the morning and raptors in the afternoon!

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Cold front coming

Posted on Sep 9, 2014

Cold front coming

Normally I would love to see this low and cold front coming through in this manner in mid-September, as modeled on today’s 18z GFS for Thursday morning at 9AM, but the high subsequently moves into the Great Plains and the setup will not be as optimal as I would like for hawk migration. For the Northeast sites to really rock it should be centered over the Great Lakes, controlling winds at all levels and keeping them out of the northwest. We’ll see…Friday could still be interesting. But, so far this year, the winds have not cooperated. Perhaps it will be a huge second half of...

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Groundhog (Marmota monax) by Scott Kruitbosch

Posted on Feb 1, 2014

Groundhog (Marmota monax) by Scott Kruitbosch

Tomorrow is Groundhog (Marmota monax) Day! We all know the basics – if the groundhog sees his shadow that means we have six more weeks of winter and if he does not we will have an early spring. While bearing in mind these rodents don’t have meteorological degrees and cannot move the sun to change our seasons it seems that the basic historical notion is rooted in weather observation. If the sun is shining we are likely under high pressure continuing cold or average temperatures and dry conditions, like much of what we had recently. Clouds obscuring the sun entirely are often due...

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