Favorite and Least (Favorite)Winter Storm

[Curt]

I am so full of posts today so I am continuing to let out some steam. I thought this would be a cool topic to throw around a bit so share your stories as to why you have a fav and least fav winter storm. Here is mine:

Favorite

Late January 1985:
Somewhere around the last day of Jan or so (a Thursday), we started the day off with mid 40s with heavy rain, which turned into thunderstorms and temps dropping to the low 30's overnight.By Friday morning the rain changed to snow with a fresh inch or so on the ground and temps in the teens. The front stalled out over southern MS and central AL, in which 2 more waves moved through over the next 24 hours. The first came through overnight Friday night which started with thunder sleet, then a quick changeover to heavy snow with an additional 4-5 inches. The high temp on Friday was 16. The next and final wave came through Saturday afternoon and night with another round of heavy snow. Parts of southern Arkansas, Pine Bluff, reported thundersnow and SN+, with 3+ inch per hour rates. We added another 3-6 inches area wide for a total of 8-12 inches for a storm total. Temps overnight on Saturday and Sunday were down close to 0. The snow stayed on the ground for a week and melted in time for the last snowstorm of the year in mid Feb(another 3-5 inch storm). Ahhh...the good ole '80s.

Least Favorite (tie)

Mid Jan 1994
A major winter storm was forecast area wide with rain supposedly chaniging to freezing rain and snow, with up to 4 inches total. Temps got stuck at 35 for freakin' 24 hours until the precip moved out. There was a round of breif heavy snow on the back end, but only enough for a dusting in the Metro. Areas just to the north from Covington to Jackson and north got blitzed in a 4 hour period with 4-5 inches. This was followed by bitter cold for a week.

Late December 1997
A winter storm watch was issued for the area with a change from rain to snow expected. Temps got stuck at 33 with rain here in the Metro. Rain did change to snow but it was too late for Memphis. Most of the state got a nice 2-4 inches and even places like B'ham and Atlanta got an inch. There is nothing worse than places further south getting snow while you get rain or nothing for that matter.

[Thundersnow]

January 7th, 1988 has to be included among my favorites.  I was 12 at the time... just the right age to enjoy it the most.  The impacts of that storm have been discussed sufficiently.

I fondly remember some other childhood events, including 1985.

January 16th, 2003 was nice for Nashville as well.

Least favorite?  Possibly the blizzard of '93.  The superstorm/storm of the century/once in a lifetime event basically just barely brushed me with maybe an inch or two of snow.  At one point, something like 10 inches was in the forecast for even Nashville.  It was pretty much a bust here, but of course East TN, much of AL and GA were buried by it.  Also, I had the flu, so I couldn't get out in it much anyway. 

More recently, the busted January 2006 event (you know... the warm finger up the I-65 corridor event).  There have been two or three other recent events I can remember in the last 10 years where southern Middle TN scored major snows, where we were left mostly high and dry around Nashville.

[Kevin]

Good post!

Perhaps your memory on this is better than mine...but do you remember that event where we were forecast to get several inches of snow (a rain changing to snow scenario)...had a Winter Storm Warning out...but never materialized...it ended up being downgraded to an advisory and then totally canceled. I remember we stayed rain the whole night...then had snow the next morning with temperatures above freezing. Perhaps its that 1997 event...but that one isn't ringing the same with me now...

EDIT...one more memory from that night that might help...I fondly remember watching TWC and they had Tom Moore (remember him?) analyzing the event...and he was talking about how Little Rock hadn't made the changeover yet...they were holding in the upper 30s too...so I assume they didn't get much either. That was the first sign of trouble for us...the 97/98 or so timeframe seems right but I can't connect it to the December one you mention.

Either way...that would probably be among the most disappointing for me...whenever that was.

[Charles L.]

The January 2006 bust is stuck in my mind to this day because I remember Jeff Ray getting mad at himself for not being a forecast this and Nashville being held to zilch.

[Thundersnow]

I remember another nice semi-surprise event... I think it was in January 1997.  I recall an icy mix being in the forecast, even an ice storm event.  But, that busted.  WWA took over and changed the precip to rain, which was just as well.

But, there were flurries forecasted on the backside.

Well, the front passed, and the morning after, it was apparent that some signicant snow activity was moving in from the west.

It turned out we received about five inches from that one.

Also, I remember the impressive surprise event of March 1996.  Nashville recorded over 9 inches from that storm.  But, it was a heavy wet snow and knocked out our power.  I seem to remember some places north of town receiving a foot from it.  It was a situation where the rain changed to snow on the back side of an intense low pressure center.  The day before was actually mild and stormy.  But, that soom transitioned to thundersnow with a period of convective bright-banding, evidentally.

So, snow on the back side sometimes does work out.

[shooting70]

Curt,do you remember the midjan 2003 event that busted.There was 6-7 inches of snow in the forecast with a strong low tracking to our south.Everything was fine until the day before and i remember todd demers saying the 12zgfs shifted the low further north,and i knew then we were done.Thats the storm that hit nashville area with whiteout conditions and we stayed hi and dry with some rain. Seems our winters have became more drier overtime.

[Kevin]

I would say my favorite is the March 2008 event. It didn't last long and the rates actualy ended up being heavier with this year's event...but that one was just had a classic winter storm feel with the blowing and drifting...plus it was the first time I had seen 6" of snow (sad as that is to say). Not too many events to recall from of course...

One surprise event that sticks out to me was in I believe January of 1998. We had a cold rain...I believe under an intense ULL...and by evening it changed over to freezing rain and we started getting significant ice accumulations...the power began trying to go out late that evening. But just in time it seemed...it all changed over to sleet and snow...and we got a couple of inches on top of the ice. Completely unexpected from what I recall...

[Snowmachine]

I remember the 1998 snow, it was totally unexpected and I wound up with about 5 inches of wet snow it was awesome!

[Charles L.]

Sorry to add this "post" in here but from looking at these stories what has stuck out to me is that many of the memorable events we have are unexpected ones and the busted ones are ones they forecast days in advance...I think that speaks volumes as to what we may see this winter.

[Thundersnow]

Sorry to add this "post" in here but from looking at these stories what has stuck out to me is that many of the memorable events we have are unexpected ones and the busted ones are ones they forecast days in advance...I think that speaks volumes as to what we may see this winter.

Indeed.  Valid observation.

[kailynleto | Nightwolf]

Most favorite:
For sure - January 16, 2003.  Freakin' awesome.  Snowball fights, snowmen, hot chocolate...it was absolutely amazing.  Best winter storm ever.
Second most favorite:
March 7-8, 2008.  Another incredible storm.  Thundersnow, more hot chocolate, and lots of heavy metal blaring...made it incredible.

Least favorite:
February 9-10, 2006.  Horrific.  6-8" of snow?  Pshhh.  F that.  Rain.  Not even a dusting the next morning.  Please.

[DocB]

Favorite:
Jan 19, 1977 - The first modern day snowfall in Fort Lauderdale, FLORIDA! 
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2002/alm02jan.htm

I was so hoping to have a snowday from school, but the flurries were gone before we knew it. Ahh memories......

[Thundersnow]

1977 has been brought up as an analog for the projected pattern this year.

[shooting70]

1977 was alot more stormy over us during 1977-78 period

[Sbeagles]

March the last two years rank up there on my list of favorites. I was most amazed by the couple of snows we received in southern middle Tennessee that were decent snowfalls while northern middle Tn got very little or none. This was amazing because down here we spend so much time hearing North of I-40 there will be SNOW while south of I-40 you get stuck with rain. I couldn't believe it went the other way those few times. My least favorite and most frustrated I've ever been because of weather was the January 2006 nostorm. We all know and hate the "warm finger," I was ready to watch 6-8" pile up and all I got was rain to snow then quickly back to rain.