It's an active Monday! Perfect for a current events episode of WeatherJazz®!

This system (see the radar loop on WeatherJazz.com) is responsible for depositing over a foot of snow in New York City for the first time in 5 years. Let's examine this system closely and see if we can see any links to the long term pattern.

My new WeatherJazz® Audience Connect line is: 234-525-5888. Call anytime you have a comment or topic suggestion!

It's time to tackle your questions from the week! On deck: News about my cat, Frosty, and a look at what causes rainbows.

Who doesn't remember the snowy film scenes of Frank Kappa's, It's A Wonderful Life?

The fictional town of Bedford Falls gets its inspiration from the little town of Seneca Falls in central New York.

Until this film was shot, artificial snow was white painted corn flakes. This preesented a problem for this film since many of the actors needed to walk, and even run through the fake snow. The crunching would be a big audio problem. Let's explore the new way that Frank Capra made snow so that it could remain quiet.

Don't let the term, "panhandle hook," frighten you. Not every panhandle hook has the same winter flavor and that's the pattern we'll be experiencing for the next few weeks.

I have a ton of great audience questions that I'll address today from stopping lake effect snow to birds hitching a ride on the jet stream. Plus, I have an update from two of my recent guests, both from Iceland. Let's get going in this Open Line edition of WeatherJazz®.

How often has anyone ever seen the dew point go below zero? Is it even possible? Let's explore!

Despite any long-term pattern, in this case a normal winter cooldown, there are smallter atmospheric "eddies" within the overall synoptic flow. Case-in-point Sunday. Take a look at the loops that I posted on WeatherJazz.com. Both the satellite and radar loops show a mesoscale low-pressure system crossing through Illinois. It's this feature that brought enough snow to drape 1-3" of new snow on grassy surfaces and rooftops this Monday morning.

I'll also assess where we are in terms of total snowfall for the season and what lies ahead for the remainder of January.

I had two great questions for the debut of "Open Line Friday," one from Ohio on "snow rollers" and the other from Wisconsin on storm chasing via the WeatherJazz® Podcast Audience Connect Line (234)-525-5888.

Thus far this winter, Lake Erie ice cover is well below normal. However, does that mean we won't see ice develop this winter? Let's explore this using a recent science blog post by FOX 8 morning meteorologist Scott Sabol.

It's Monday, so today, we'll discuss the upcoming short and long term weather pattern for the Ohio Valley... then we'll talk about thge amazing clouds we saw in NEOhio on Sunday. Let's talk about what it takes for the atmosphere to host these amazing clouds as well.

Be sure to take a look at my show notes, graphs, and photos (Episode #139) on WeatherJazz.com