January 22-23 2016 blizzard "big kahuna"

I think that I can speak for all of us when I say we ALL remember this storm...

Everything was in place for a major winter storm to dump feet of snow throughout the region. The storm track was perfect, there was ample cold air, and plenty of moisture, in addition to a well organized and intensifying storm system. A powerful, nearly stationary bomb cyclone sat off the Mid Atlantic coast from the 22nd until the 23rd of January dropping 2-3 feet of snow in our region. This storm may have undergone a process known as "Repeated Cyclogenesis", which is when the center of the low pressure collapses and reforms over and over again. Not only this, but wind gusts reached 50mph in some areas resulting in blizzard conditions, and for this reason, a blizzard warning was in effect. 

It was quite remarkable how consistent and accurate the weather models were in depicting this storm. They started showing a heavy snowstorm about a week in advance. And this time, they were right. Snowfall rates during this storm were in the 2-3" per hour range which is very heavy. Additionally, convective elements developed which resulted in lightning strikes across the Baltimore region. Several days in advance, we posted a forecast calling for 24-30" across the area, and that forecast verified very nicely. At my house in Ellicott City, 30" of snow fell. At BWI, there was just over 29", and the same goes for Dulles. Some areas in northern and western MD saw over 3 FEET of snow. This was one of the largest snowfalls on record for the region. The highest snowfall report came in from Glengary WV, where 42" was recorded. 

Forecaster Jack

Photo 2 credit: NWS Sterling