Weather pictures & report of January 30 2010

 

Snow showers related to trough line.


Synopsis: at 500 hPa, related to a cut-off low near Scandinavia, a short wave trough crossed Belgium in the morning resulting in snow showers producing a deposit of 1 to 5 cm. All pictures were taken at Kampenhout (central Belgium), hours in local time (CET). 

 

Surface analysis of January 30 2010 at 0700 CET. In a N'ly airflow a trough line crossed Belgium during the morning. (Source chart: Belgocontrol)

 
Loop of 6 surface analyses (of 06, 07, 08, 09, 10 and 11 CET) with weather plots. (Source: meteocentre.com)

 
Upper air analysis 500 hPa of January 30 2010 at 0100 CET. Stationary cut-off low near Scandinavia in which a short wave structure crosses the Low Countries. (Source chart: meteocentre.com)

 
Upper air analysis 850 hPa of January 30 2010 at 0100 CET. Depicted besides the geopotential height lines, are temperatures (in the plots) and wet bulb potential temperatures (Tw) as colored zone. Latter is one of the best indicators to have a clue about the form of precipitation (solid or liquid), see table below.  (Source chart: meteocentre.com)
Critical values wet bulb potential temperatures for solid precipitation (snow) in relation with elevation.
Elevation/Tw850  0m 50m 100m 150m 200m 250m 300m 350m
+3°C 50% 60% 65% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95%
+2°C 80% 85% 90% 95% 98% 100% 100% 100%
+1°C 90% 95% 98% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
  0°C 95% 98% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
-1°C 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

 

 
Loop of forecasted soundings for a 36 hours period (in steps of three hours) of Brussels for January 29 2010, 1900 CET onwards. Read off are an unstable and during the night also saturated air column. Just in the lowest level temperature is around 0°C, rest all negative. (Source: weatheronline.co.uk)

 
30/01/2010 0500-0815 CET. Satellite loop in the infra-red channel showing the small, but bright, scattered cloud canopy moving S-wards over Belgium. (Source sat picture: Eumetsat via Sat24.com)

 
30/01/2010 0900-1545 CET. Satellite loop in the visible channel showing initially the mostly cumuliform cloudiness over Belgium and a first glimpse on the snow deposit. (Source sat picture: Eumetsat via Sat24.com)

 

Radar loop (rainfall rate in mm/hr) of January 30 2010 between 0350-1130 CET. The scattered but locally quite intense precipitation belt moved SE-wards, producing 1 to 5 cm of fresh snow in most parts of Belgium. (Source radar picture: Belgocontrol)

 

Some metars (hours in UTC) of Brussels Airport (EBBR). Translation: copy paste each obs via metar-decoder


EBBR 300350Z 26015KT 9999 BKN027 00/M03 Q0990 R25L/510160 R02/510162 R25R/510159 TEMPO 3000 SHSN SCT008 BKN014
EBBR 300420Z 26015KT 9999 BKN024 00/M03 Q0990 R25L/510160 R02/510162 R25R/510159 TEMPO 3000 SHSN SCT008 BKN014
EBBR 300450Z 26015KT 9999 -SHSN FEW013 BKN021 00/M03 Q0990 R25L/510160 R02/510162 R25R/510159 TEMPO 1500 SHSN SCT008 BKN014C
BEBBR 300520Z 27015KT 2000 SHSN FEW002 SCT005 BKN012 M01/M02 Q0990 R25L/510160 R02/510162 R25R/510159 TEMPO 1500 SHSN SCT008 BKN014CB
EBBR 300550Z 28014KT 0800 R25L/1300U R25R/1400N R02/1400N SHSN FEW001 BKN002 M01/M02 Q0991 R25L/510160 R02/510162 R25R/510159 TEMPO 0800 SHSN
EBBR 300620Z 29012KT 260V320 0600 R25L/0550V0900N R25R/0750V1200D R02/1000V1400U SHSN SCT001 BKN003 M01/M01 Q0991 R25L/590437 R02/590444 R25R/590451 NOSIG
EBBR 300650Z 26008KT 2500 R25L/0900N R25R/P1500N R02/P1500N -SHSN SCT003 BKN008 M01/M02 Q0991 R25L/590437 R02/590444 R25R/590451 TEMPO 1200 SHSN SCT008 BKN012
EBBR 300720Z 27009KT 9999 R25L/1000N R25R/P1500N R02/P1500N FEW005 SCT012 BKN040 M01/M02 Q0992 R25L/594019 R02/594099 R25R/594099 NOSIG
EBBR 300750Z 28009KT 9999 FEW013 SCT034 M01/M03 Q0992 R25L/594019 R02/594099 R25R/594099 NOSIG
EBBR 300820Z 28008KT 9999 FEW013 SCT034 M01/M03 Q0993 R25L/594019 R02/594099 R25R/594099 TEMPO 3500 SHSN SCT008 BKN014
EBBR 300850Z 29008KT 9999 FEW013 BKN026 M01/M03 Q0993 R25L/594099 R02/594090 R25R/290001 TEMPO 3500 SHSN SCT008 BKN014
EBBR 300920Z 31008KT 1800 -SHSN FEW010 BKN016 M01/M02 Q0994 R25L/594099 R02/594090 R25R/290001 TEMPO 5000 SHSN BKN014
EBBR 300950Z 33005KT 9999 FEW013 SCT030 M01/M03 Q0995 R25L/594099 R02/594090 R25R/290001 NOSIG

 

Time lapse of webcam images between 0800-1607 CET. Most of the 5 cm snow had already fallen before sunrise. Around 1010 a light snow shower passed by, furthermore mostly sunny conditions in which during the afternoon some light thaw did occur.

 
Remote sense satellite Terra with a view in the visible channel on the snow in Belgium. Especially over the Ardennes a lot of cloudiness is present. Clear indication that western parts of West-Flanders had hardly a snow cover, this due to the smaller amounts of precipitation and also slightly milder air due to the rather strong winds blowing from the Northsea. Pics below were taken from location red "K". (Source: Image courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response Project at NASA/GSFC)

 
Maximal snow heights (in cm) of some official stations taken from synops of different hours.

 
Satellite picture in the visible channel over northwest Europe. Northern & eastern parts of the U.K had a snow cover, just like large parts of the continent. Over the Northsea another intense showery cluster which moved southwards and affected late evening Belgium, but its activity was by then much reduced. (Source: NOAA & University of Bern)

 
30/01/2010. Proof of 5 cm of snow.

 
30/01/2010. Proof of the date.

 
30/01/2010 0858 ESE. Always a pleasure to see this wintry view.

 
30/01/2010 0859 ESE.

 
30/01/2010 0900 N.

 
30/01/2010 0904 ESE. The sun still behind clouds.

 
30/01/2010 0905 SW.

 
30/01/2010 0906 NW. Some postcard views from Kampenhout.

 
30/01/2010 0907 ESE. Some damp on the field.

 
30/01/2010 0908 NE.

 
30/01/2010 0917 NE.

 
30/01/2010 0918 NE.

 
30/01/2010 0928 ESE. Bit later, the sun came out.

 
30/01/2010 0930 ESE.

 
30/01/2010 1007 N. Passage of a final snow shower.

 
30/01/2010 1008 S. Opposite view.

 
30/01/2010 1012 N. Snow shower easing off.

 

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