The heat is on
Posted by Ryan
Temperatures over the New Years holiday were seasonably warm for New England. Temperatures were in the mid 40s on New Year's Day in Burlington, which led to all precipitation in the region to fall as rain. The National Weather Service had the top forecast for Vermont, but the real winners were residents who didn't have to drive through snow after New Year's parties.
Actuals: Saturday - .06 inches of rain, High 39, Low 29
Sunday - .02 inches of rain, High 45. Low 30
Grade: A
Snow Stays Away
Posted by Anthony
In our forecast for Holland, MI, we had rain changing over to snow as cooler air came in behind the low pressure system. However, temperatures managed to stay just high enough for precip to stay as rain during the late evening hours. Also, the precip trailed off before midnight and never reappeared on Saturday, making for a dry New Years Eve. The Weather Channel took home the top spot.
Friday: 0.30" of rain. High 40, Low 34
Saturday: High 44, Low 33.
Forecast Grade: B
Parity in Richmond
Posted by Ryan
The retreating system that had brought a bundle of rain to Richmond on Wednesday was trailed by some clear air and very similar forecasts. Everybody was tightly bunched at the top, with The Weather Channel having the top forecast, thanks mostly to cooler forecast lows. Last verification of the year!
Actuals: Thursday - High 49, Low 25
Friday - High 59, Low 31
Grade: B
Perhaps the eggnog was hit a bit too hard
Posted by Ryan
The eggnog, I suppose, is one excuse to why forecasts were so bad in Corvallis. The temperatures were both warmer and colder than expected as a high and low on Christmas Day, which would otherwise indicate clearer weather than expected. But they saw .12 inches of rain. Yesterday, the temperatures behaved as expected with overcast conditions, but the mean temperatures were much lower than advertised. For example, the high on Monday was one degree warmer than our forecast low... and we weren't even the worst overall forecaster. Oh, and when it was completely clouded over, it didn't rain at all. So the Weather Service had the top forecast, but that doesn't mean they put out a good forecast.
Actuals: Sunday - .12 inches of rain, High 51, Low 28
Monday - High 39, Low 28
Grade: D
A Christmas gift
Posted by Ryan
Nothing else to say for Peoria, but wow. Temperatures int he 40s on Christmas? Doesn't get much better than that for them, does it? The top forecast went to The Weather Channel.
Actuals: Saturday - High 40, Low 20
Sunday - High 45, Low 26
Grade: A
Christmas flurries
Posted by Ryan
Really, if you wanted to paint a picture of Christmas, Saginaw may have been perfect. Light flurries that didn't really delay any travel, temperatures in the 30s. Idyllic. Except there wasn't any snow on the ground, but now you're just nit picking. Victoria Weather had the top forecast. Temperatures were a bit cooler than forecast, which guided us to victory.
Actuals: Friday - Snow reported, not measured High 30, Low 21
Saturday - Snow reported, not measured 35, Low 23
Nice and toasty
Posted by Ryan
Temperatures in Sumter were positively delightful considering we were talking about the first two days of winter. Even after a cold front moved through town, they only dropped to 53 degrees. Before that, they saw temperatures in the mid 70s on Thursday. Hard to complain about that, eh? The Weather Service had the top forecast.
Actuals: Thursday, High 75, Low 55
Friday - Trace of rain, High 71, Low 53
Grade: B
She’s A Good Radiator
Posted by Anthony
With a cold front moving through the Deep South, Gadsden looked to pick up a good amount of rain during its passage. Well over an inch fell on the city over the last couple of days, but the temperatures bottomed out both nights as well, leading to far lower low temps than anybody had forecast. Accuweather took home the win because, well, SOMEbody had to win.
Wednesday: 0.80" of precip in heavy rain showers. High 64, Low 46.
Thursday: 0.79" of precip in a thunderstorm. High 64, Low 44.
Forecast Grade: D
And then…. it rained
Posted by Ryan
Montgomery enjoyed itself a rather pleasant Monday. Temperatures were cool in the morning, dropping down to 32 degrees before it warmed to 62. The clouds came in Tuesday morning though, and the rains came. It started raining around 7AM. And it kept raining. Allllllll day. It only added up to just over a half an inch, but it was persistent. The Weather Channel and Accuweather enjoyed the top forecasts in Alabama's capital.
Monday - High 62, Low 32
Tuesday - .54 inches of rain, High 68, Low 55
Grade: B
Christmas on the beach
Posted by Ryan
There was one prevailing issue with the forecast in Port St. Lucie, and it was a prevailing wind. Easterly flow, even overnight meant that temperatures were moderated, and overnight lows simply didn't bottom out like one may have expected. That was the big problem with the forecast, but let's be honest... I don't think any residents or guests were complaining. The Weather Channel had the top forecast.
Actuals: Sunday - High 75, Low 64
Monday - High 73, Low 68
Grade: B