Signs you might be suffering the effects of a downslope…
Do you live West of higher terrain? North of higher terrain, South of higher terrain, East of higher terrain?
If yes- the you have in fact at some point had to deal with the effects of a downslope. Where you live in relation to the higher terrain, and wether or not your impacted, depends on the wind direction.
Taconics, Berkshires- Downslope east of the river on a Easterly wind.Gunks and Hudson Highlands- Downslope on a northerly or southerly wind.Catskills- Easterly Winds, Northerly Winds, West winds.Today it’s a NNE flow around our Nor Easter, so our main culperate is the Catskills, Gunks and Hudson Highlands. Impacting areas south of this local topography.
Signs your in a downslope today-
You look at the radar and even though it looks impressive it’s lightly snowing.Everytime the snow let’s up in intensity it changes back to rain.Intensity of snow seems to pulse between heavy and light (snow globe effect)Radar returns seem to not ever reach your area.Birds are chirping.You have very little or substantially less snow than towns a short distance away.If you answered yes to these questions, then you live in a downslope location, it is unlikely your current situation will improve, expect to be on the low end or far below the forecasted amounts. This has and always was part of the forecast. It is one of many microclimates that exist within our region, and the reason why snowfall amounts with this storm, within a single county will range from 1/2” to 30”.
If your expectations are for your weather app’s, HVW, groundhogs or your bad knee to forecast all of these things perfectly then you can exclude us from that list. All we can do is over explain in our “Boom or Bust’s”, hours of live chats, and color coded forecasts with arrows and circles and emoji. We are grateful to everyone who understands this and values the work we try to provide the region.
On the bright side, it means less shoveling of 8-1 ratio, concrete snow, and you likely have heat, power, water.
No one in these parts are complaining!
Downtown Woodstock here. A bit of snow on the grassy areas but everything is mostly slush.
Thank you for educating us about down-sloping.
The Hudson Valley seems to be a rather devious group of microclimates!
Grateful no power out here.
This is exactly what is happening in Gardiner . 3 inches of heavy wet snow with snow showers currently . I’m happy to call it a ‘”bust . “
Eastern Sullivan County. On the mountain west of Wurtsboro. Over a foot with very light snowfall at 11:10. NO wind, still have power. My road is plowed and open.
Eastern Sullivan County. On the mountain west of Wurtsboro. Over a foot with very light snowfall at 11:10. NO wind, still have power. My road is plowed and open.
Great explanation. Always a learning experience to read your forecasts. Keep up the good work!
Thank you guys for the Great educational forecasts you put out.
I hesitate to say YAY in Saugerties with NO (or very little, now melted snow), but, living on a well I dread the lack of monumental snow during the summer when water runs low in wells, ugh. . .
Kingston NY LOTS of snow, 8-10 inches and it just keeps coming!
Understand completely and Appreciate your going into depth for those out there that don’t understand, thank you
What does your term “culperate” mean, please, to us non-weather-specialists? (See your section above, just over the pretty mountain graphic): “Today it’s a NNE flow around our Nor Easter, so our main CULPERATE is the Catskills, Gunks and Hudson Highlands. Impacting areas south of this local topography.”
I believe they mean culperate as in those areas the Catskills, Gunks etc are the main areas effected /targeted . That’s just my two cents lol ? I pray I’m right & thank you for helping me answer my own question on this post earlier I must be in a downslope area ! I never knew what that was till today thank you Alex .
Minnewaska got a foot of snow and our road below and east of it has none. I can look up and see Millbrook Mtn plastered and trees laden with snow and nothing is even sticking here. It didn’t begin to snow here until about 7:30 am. Rain all night.
A pathetic 1½” of slush in Hurley. I understand the effect of “down-sloping”, but we’ve had other nor-easter’s in the past with meaningful snowfall. The geography hasn’t changed. What was different about this particular event that led to such under-performance?