Dec 19/20 2004

[Jeb]

Sunday Dec 19 was cloudy with a low of 27 degrees, a high of 41 degrees, and it had dropped to 38 degrees by 4pm.

 

An Arctic front was approaching that meant business, but I didn't realize it. Not at all.

 

At 2pm it had become partly cloudy, but then it became cloudy at 330pm.

 

At 4pm the skies became darker. By 430pm light rain began to fall.

 

At 450pm I went to the Chinese restaurant to pick up our food. On my way there the rain became moderate. Before I went to the chinese place to pick up the food I stopped and pulled into the parking lot by the Pizza Hut and parked the car in a WNW orientation and watched the front hit, at 505pm. As this Arctic front hit us, a low dark shelf of clouds (very reminiscent of a thunderstorm cloud feature) moved rapidly toward me from the WNW. As this low dark shelf cloud passed over me it began to get windy, N winds 10 to 20mph started to blow. Before the front hit it had been calm to light winds.

 

The front moved through, the rain became moderate and winds turned N at 10 to 20 mph. The prefrontal temperature had been 37 degrees. It only took about 5 to 7 minutes for the rain to mix with wet snow. I was in the car, blasting Rocky IV music, and I saw the slushy rain hit the windshield. I was driving toward the Chinese place, then I parked and went inside to get the food. The N winds were blowing 10 to 20 mph and gusting to 30mph by then. It was about 520pm and we were experiencing rain mixed with snow that was wind-driven. The workers in the Chinese restaurant were very busy, it took 'em a few minutes to help me. I picked up the food and went home, it was nearly all wet snow by then. The wet snow was already coating the forward windshield. It was getting colder, wet snow blew right into my face.