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.