Alert archive / New York / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1952

November 28, 20214 counties in New York; Erie County, McKean County, Warren County, Pennsylvania

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Nov 28, 2021, 6:02 PM EST for 4 counties in New York; Erie County, McKean County, Warren County, Pennsylvania. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Nov 28, 2021, 6:02 PM EST (23:02 UTC)
Expired
Nov 28, 2021, 11:00 PM EST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Heavy snow

Counties Allegany County, NY, Cattaraugus County, NY, Chautauqua County, NY, Steuben County, NY, Erie County, PA, McKean County, PA, Warren County, PA

The radar

The Buffalo radar (KBUF), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:03 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Buffalo Intl Airport, NY (KBUF), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 98 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 2021-11-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Buffalo Intl Airport, NY at 12:00Z on 2021-11-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 1 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
525 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

388 
ACUS11 KWNS 282303
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 282302 
PAZ000-NYZ000-290400-

Mesoscale Discussion 1952
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0502 PM CST Sun Nov 28 2021

Areas affected...Portions of western NY and far northwestern PA

Concerning...Heavy snow 

Valid 282302Z - 290400Z

SUMMARY...A narrow band of lake effect snow capable of producing
heavy snowfall, with rates of 2+ inches per hour, will continue
through the evening while gradually shifting southward.

DISCUSSION...Recent radar imagery from KBUF shows a narrow band of
heavy lake effect snowfall present over parts of southwestern NY
downstream from Lake Erie. This band is well organized, and will
likely persist through the evening while gradually shifting
southward into parts of far northwestern PA. Cold mid-level
temperatures associated with an upper trough/low over the Great
Lakes and seasonably warm water temperatures on Lake Erie are
supporting weak boundary-layer instability, with multiple lighting
flashes noted within the band over the past hour or so. The presence
of steep low/mid-level lapse rates, a saturated moisture profile,
and strong lift associated with the upper trough will help to
maintain this heavy snow band for the next several hours, with
snowfall rates in the band of 2+ inches per hour likely. As the
upper trough continues eastward this evening, low/mid-level winds
will gradually veer to a more northwesterly component versus
westerly, and the band should slowly shift southward accordingly
before eventually weakening late this evening/early Monday morning.

..Gleason.. 11/28/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...BGM...BUF...CTP...CLE...

LAT...LON   42098028 42307958 42497890 42477787 42457715 42347710
            41967757 41657826 41637914 41667986 41868034 41998040
            42098028

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in New York, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Pennsylvania, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.