Weather It Is (Winter Weather Warning/Winter Storm Watch (2))

Good Morning:

Thunderstorms have arrived as a week of winter weather is upon us.

The storm actually consists of three parts.

In Part 1, there is strong upper air support (with temperatures at 500 mb below -25 C), but with lower level temperatures moist, but not particularly cool. This means we will have periods of rain/thunderstorms with heaviest amounts from just north of Tel-Aviv, south to Beer-Sheva, and eastward to the Dead Sea area. Part 1 will persist from now until Tuesday night.

Part 2 is from early Wednesday into Thursday morning. At this time, there is some uncertainty about the strength of the upper level support, but lower levels (850 mb) and middle levels (700 mb) are cold enough for a wet snow in the central mountains and other high elevation areas.

Part 3 is from Thursday afternoon into Saturday morning.  There is greater certainty that there will be significantly cold temperatures at all levels of the atmosphere, leading to a prolonged period of accumulating snow.

Barry Lynn