GOES-10 Science Test

Weather Synopsis - 31 March/12UTC - 01 April/12UTC 1998
 

Synoptic Situation:


The dominant upper level features this period were strong
closed lows over the central Plains and near the California
coast. Strong wind fields aloft (90-100 knots) were 
associated with a split polar jet over the mid-Mississippi 
Valley and Great Lakes regions. Unseasonably cold air in 
the mid-levels (-25 to -30 C) accompanied the West Coast low.


At the surface, an occluding low moved across Iowa into
Wisconsin. An associated cold front stretched southward across 
the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys into the Gulf Coast region,
while a stationary front was located across the Great Lakes
into northern Maine. As the cold front began to accelerate 
eastward, a strong northward flow of Gulf moisture was aided
by a low level jet (50-60 knots) ahead of the system.


Weather Conditions:


Within the warm sector ahead of the cold front, a broad
area of 0.50-1.00 inch rains fell between the Mississippi
River and the Appalachians, and from the Gulf Coast to the
Great Lakes. Strong convection produced some small hail
and wind damage across parts of Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi 
and Georgia. Some light rain and snow fell over parts of 
northern New England.



One last day of record high maximum temperatures was found
across the East -- highs included 89 F at Boston and Bedford, 
Massachusetts, and New York City (89 F) and Portland, Maine 
(88 F) tied their record high for the month of March. Union
Village, Vermont set a new state record for March with 88 F.


Behind the cold front, a swath of 1-5 inches of snow fell 
across parts of Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota -- 
some areas within this region reported accumulations as 
high as 6-16 inches, due to convectively-enhanced snow 
ahead of a vorticity lobe/comma head feature moving across
Nebraska and South Dakota. The 8.7 inches of snow at Sioux
Falls, South Dakota set a new snowfall record for the date.


In the West, rain and some thunderstorms were found across
parts of California and Nevada, with some snow in the Sierras.
Snow also fell across parts of the Utah and Colorado mountains.