MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0184
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1119 AM CST SUN MAR 01 2009
   
   AREAS AFFECTED...NRN/CNTRL AL/GA/SC
   
   CONCERNING...HEAVY SNOW 
   
   VALID 011719Z - 012115Z
   
   SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST...GRADUALLY BUILDING
   EWD WITH TIME. IN GENERAL LIGHT TO MODERATE RATES OF ACCUMULATION
   CAN BE EXPECTED. HOWEVER...BANDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WITH INCH
   AN HOUR RATES ARE LIKELY...AS WELL AS BRIEF CONVECTIVE BURSTS OF
   SNOW...MAINLY OVER NRN/CNTRL GA. THIS WILL LEAD TO LOCALIZED AREAS
   OF SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS...ESPECIALLY OVER E CNTRL/NERN GA INTO
   CNTRL/WRN SC. 
   
   AN INTENSE UPPER LOW IS NOW BECOMING MORE NEGATIVELY TILTED OVER THE
   SRN AL/GA BORDERS. STRONG COLD ADVECTION IN ITS WAKE HAS BROUGHT
   SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES AND SNOW INTO THE DEEP SOUTH...WITH RECENT
   OBSERVATIONS IN AL IN BIRMINGHAM AND IN GA AT ATLANTA AND FT BENNING
   REPORTING MDT/HVY SNOWFALL. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO PLUMMET
   INTO GA/SC AS THE UPPER LOW SHIFTS E THEN NE. STRONGEST DEFORMATION
   ZONE REMAINS NORTH AND WEST OF THE UPPER LOW...REFLECTED IN RECENT
   ENHANCEMENT ON WV IMAGERY OVER NRN/W CNTRL GA AND BACK INTO CNTRL
   AL. PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN INTENSIFYING RECENTLY ACROSS THESE
   AREAS...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE ATLANTA METRO WHERE THE UPPER LOW WILL
   INITIALLY BE SLOW TO MOVE EWD...ALLOWING HEAVIER RATES TO LINGER.
   DYNAMIC COOLING MAY ALLOW SOME SITES TO SWITCH TO SNOW EARLIER THAN
   MODEL FORECASTS HAVE ANTICIPATED...WHILE INCREASING ISENTROPIC LIFT
   WITH RELATIVE WARM/MOIST AIRMASS TO THE N AND E BEING LIFTED ATOP
   SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES TO THE S AND W WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ENHANCED
   SNOWFALL RATES IN AN ALREADY SATURATED AIRMASS. AS THE LOW BEGINS TO
   SHIFT EWD THEN NEWD...E CNTRL/NERN GA INTO CNTRL/WRN SC WILL BECOME
   FAVORED. OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING STRIKES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED ACROSS NRN
   GA...AND AN ELEVATED LAYER OF INSTABILITY WILL ALLOW THIS TREND TO
   CONTINUE EWD. AS THIS OCCURS...LOCALIZED BURSTS OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL
   CAN BE ANTICIPATED. DESPITE WARM GROUND/SOIL TEMPERATURES...SNOW HAS
   BEEN ACCUMULATING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. ADDITIONALLY...SHOULD
   BANDING/THUNDERSNOW OCCUR...OVERALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE HIGHER
   THAN MODEL FORECAST WITH RATES OF AN INCH AN HOUR POSSIBLE...WHICH
   HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN THE PAST TWO DAYS.
   
   ..HURLBUT.. 03/01/2009
   
   
   ATTN...WFO...CAE...GSP...FFC...BMX...
   
   LAT...LON   32598361 32188549 32478727 33618699 34348505 34878286
               35108161 34298102 32998262 32598361