Now For Something Relaxing...

Good evening. Well, I was technically right on the nose with my first snowfall forecast from scratch without the aid of TV station weather models. 9.6 inches at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis and 8.7 inches at Columbia Regional Airport a few miles south of Columbia. Ellisville, close to my hometown, saw 5.4 inches but the bulk of the snow stayed along I-70 with areas around O'Fallon, MO getting almost 10 inches of snow.  Again, I like to critique my forecasts but my original forecast for 5.5 to 7 inches wasn't too far off. Turns out there were a few bands of heavy snow that lingered around Lambert and going westward on I-70. With those lasting for quite a few hours, the snowfall really piled up. It could as well be the fact that the snow didn't exactly leave around noon but we said good riddance to the system between 1 and 2 PM this afternoon. I need to get pictures up here soon.

Now, time for something relaxing and kind of cool. Whoever knows me very well knows that I'm really into video games. If I get really stressed, I like to get stress out by relaxing outside if it's mild, listen to classical music, playing sports or video games. Sometimes, the music in some video games can really put me at ease. I've been nostalgic for the '90s and early 2000s (or '00s or double oughts or whatever you would like to call the previous decade) and found that some video game music from those decades really either relax me or want me to go back to fun times.

I easily got lost in this game when I first started playing it with my older sis back in '96 but the music in this game was awesome. Those who frequent the Dire Dire Docks will surely remember this music. Not trying to sound too corny or weird, but the music from this level is pretty cool. Either pop in your copy of Super Mario 64 and spend some time at the Docks or just click on the video so you can go back to a fun time in your memory or just let the music ease your mind.

The original Donkey Kong Country for the SNES is a treasured game for many gamers. For some, it's the original level design, the graphics, or the right balance of easy and challenging difficulty so anyone could pick up the game and play. This game, however, is also known for some of the best music that could come from a 16-bit console. Two of my favorites come from the water levels and from some of the mine levels.

On to Mario Party. The original Mario Party before all the crazy spinoffs. The music from Mario's Rainbow Castle will instantly take me back to the summer of 1999. I was 11, finished with elementary school, thinking I was old enough to move my room into the basement, got to go to California for vacation with my family, hanging out with friends... Oops. Sorry for waxing the nostalgic.

Finally, a piece from a Nintendo GameCube title. Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube was a pretty good action RPG that was known for using a good combat system during battles instead of turn-based battles. The graphics were pretty good in the game and you spent literally hours to complete the game. Yet, even after you finish the game, you want to go back and explore this world. For me, there was some great music in that game especially when you visit Triet. The song is called Desert Flower. One listen will want to take you away to a beautiful oasis or a beach with the waves crashing around your feet.

That's some relaxing video game music I love. Now, I turn to you. Whether it's video game related or not, what's your favorite relaxing music?

Winter Storm Bearing Down on St. Louis

Anybody reading this from Columbia and Jefferson City to St. Louis, listen up. Winter Storm Warnings (colored in magenta) are in effect from 6 PM tonight until 6 PM on Thursday while Winter Weather Advisories are posted for everyone else. The brunt of the storm looks to be along the I-70 corridor between Columbia and St. Louis and along U.S. 50 between Jefferson City and near Union where 50 merges with I-44. While the warning goes in effect at 6 PM tonight, I'm expecting snow to actually start falling between 7 and 8 PM in the St. Louis area and all the snow will wrap up around 7 PM Thursday night.

Here is a map of where the system will be at 12 Z on Thursday (that'll be 7 AM for Missouri). While the low is well off to our southwest, it's strong enough to funnel in moisture over the warm front and into the cold air mass overtaking the state right now. All the levels of the atmosphere are below freezing, so everything that falls will fall as snow. Again, the snow should wrap up before or around 7 PM Thursday as the system continues to scoot off to the east.

How much snow could the St. Louis area and other areas in Missouri see? To get an idea, I look at the QPF (quantifiable precipitation forecast) to see how much liquid will end up falling as the storm system moves through the region. At St. Louis, we're expecting 0.37 inches of liquid falling from the system while areas further west will see 0.47 inches of liquid. To turn that into possible snow amounts, we like to use a snow to liquid ratio. For example, there's a snow to liquid ratio of 15:1. That means for every 15 inches of snow that fell, that would equal 1 inch of rain or liquid precipitation after all of it is melted. This number changes depending on the setup of the storm system and many dynamics affecting weather at the surface and upper levels.

With plenty of cold air in place and little dry air in the upper levels when the snow will begin to fall, a 15:1 or 20:1 ratio isn't too far off with this system. With .37 inches of liquid to work with, that'll mean snowfall accumulations around the St. Louis area between 5.5 and 7 inches. Further west you go towards Columbia and just outside of Kansas City, with a QPF of .47 inches, don't be surprised to see snowfall totals between 7 and 9 inches. This is an impressive storm system and shouldn't be taken lightly. Don't be surprised to hear school closings early tonight and be careful if travel plans are in your immediate future. Stay safe, folks.

Well... Here I Go.

Hello, citizens of Earth and all who dwell on the internets. I have decided to start my own blog finally after a couple of my friends did the same for this year. So... Who am I and what will this be all about? First, my name is Nicholas Kelly (I go by Nick) and I am a meteorologist who graduated from the University of Missouri in May of 2010. Having finally finished school, I've had so much happen while trying to look for a job and I wanted to easily share with those interested any sporadic yet intriguing thoughts I had on my mind. I will certainly author weather posts as interesting events come close to my hometown or if I want to comment on any interesting and/or strange weather phenomena happening on this planet. However, I will do posts that may focus on friends, my life, video games, cars and even a few posts dealing with my take on certain current events. For those who decide to follow me on my new blog, welcome and let's get going.