Saturday Afternoon Rain And TStorms Update

Saturday 8 at 1 PM

We are in a chilly and unstable flow of air this afternoon. Temperatures are struggling for some to reach the 50s, and it is much colder aloft. Any sun is considered self destructive. That means it briefly warms the ground and air, forcing it to rise into that cold layer and quickly produces showers. Some have been heavy and my have ice pellets mixed in.

Temperatures at 1 PM

The freezing level is low enough that some sleet, graupel, or small hail could mix in. See the ice types at the bottom of this post.

Ice In Central Maryland At The Noon Hour

Ice pellets mixing in with showers in central Maryland this afternoon. @NWS_BaltWash https://t.co/5H0wYyTQOx

— Justin Berk (@JustinWeather) May 8, 2021

It is hard to pin down the exact locations of the showers, so I wanted to present you with a snapshot of Doppler Radar at 1 PM and two short range models beginning at that time to compare. These sliders go through this evening, and are not perfect!

I have noticed the trend of short range modeling lagging behind an hour or two with rain timing. See if that is still the case. You can compare and contrast them to the Live Radar Widget below and see which is performing better with timing and location of cells

As the sun gets low, we lose the forcing, so the showers and clouds will break up. We anticipate enough clearing for the rocket launch at Wallops Island later. I will have a follow up report on that.

Doppler Radar Snapshot at 1 PM

Radar Simulations And Live Doppler

I put the live radar between the sliders so it is easier to compare both scrolling up and down.

HRRR Model Radar Simulation —-> slider

Live Radar Widget

NAM 3 Km Model Radar Simulation —-> slider

Did You See Frozen Pellets?

Sunshine State Of Mind

I am done with the cold and snow (for the season). I am embracing my wife’s mantra of Sunshine State of Mind. This was designed by Shannon Berk and we will be wearing it through spring and to the beach.

Double Benefit: Proceeds will be split between our nonprofit Just In Power Kids and the development of my new weather website. That has been scheduled to be ready to launch in May.