Posts

Here’s how to see archived model runs of historic storms

The Blizzard of 2006 was a tremendous snowstorm in our local area. While it did fall in the middle of a warm and otherwise uneventful winter, it featured some tremendous dynamics and impressive banding. Do you remember what forecast models were showing prior to that event? Me neither. Up until now, it’s been fairly difficult to find archived model images dating back to the mid 2000’s, and even if you accessed them, the images were coarse and the graphics difficult to comprehend.

That has changed. Unknown to some, there is an easy and simple way to  access model data from the wildly popular free model data website at Penn State University. Known as “Ewall” to meteorologists and hobbyists alike, this website has been around for many years, and has served as a central hub for model data while remaining “new” to the times with upgrades and new graphics. The website also houses a freely accessible archive of model images dating back to 2004.

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Heading into winter, 5 myths about forecast models

As part of our winter forecasting feature this autumn, we’re releasing a few posts with information and tounge-in-cheek opinions about winter and meteorology. The first in the set comes this afternoon, where our forecasters sat down to compile a list of the 5 biggest forecast model myths as we head into winter. You can check them out below, to get a quick primer on what to expect over the next several months.

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