GOES-10 Science Test
Weather Synopsis - 02 April/12UTC to 03 April/12UTC 1998


Synoptic Situation:

A strong closed upper level low moved from the Four Corners region into the southern Plains, while another closed low shifted northeast from the Great Lakes toward New England. A strong jet (110-150 knots) persisted across the southeastern states. Out west, a trough was digging toward the southern California coast.

At the surface, a rapidly deepening low moved from Colorado into Kansas/Oklahoma; a warm front developed eastward across the southern Plains into the Mississippi Valley, while a cold front/dry line moved eastward across Texas.

A broad surface low over the Great Lakes region filled as it slowly moved toward New England. The associated cold front had moved off the Atlantic coast, as the trailing edge stalled along the Gulf coast. In the West, a cold front was approaching the northern California coast.

Weather Conditions:

Strong dynamics, upslope flow, and embedded convection acted to produce heavy snow across much of Colorado. Several inches were reported across eastern Colorado into surrounding parts of Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah; amount in excess of 12 inches fell in the Colorado mountains. Light rains spread into the central Plains.

Low level moisture surging northward toward a developing warm front helped to fuel convection over the southern Plains and Gulf coast states. Hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter was reported in Mississippi, with smaller hail observed in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Alabama. Heavy rain accompanied this convection, with amounts as high as 1.2 inches in Alabama.

Light rain lingered across the Great Lakes region and New England, while a few inches of snow fell over northern Maine.

Rainfall was observed along the West Coast, with amounts up to 0.5 inches in northern California. Heavy snow moved into the Sierra Nevada mountains, with some amounts in excess of 23 inches.