Welcome to the Virtual Blizzard 2010 contest!
This contest runs from December 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010 through WxChat.com.
You must be a member of the forum in order to participate...it's free to join!

Click here to view the location map and list!
Click here to submit your VB entry!


Quick Rules:
Select one location from the location list (click here to view) each day you choose to participate in the contest. You must participate in a minimum of 30 days between December 1 and February 28 in order to be eligible to win the contest. In choosing a location, you are looking for the best combination of snow, low temperatures, and high winds in order to score maximum points. (Complete rules and details on the prize can be found below the current standings.)

Current Standings:


Official Rules:
You are free to participate in this contest at your own pace. The only requirement to be eligible to win the contest is that you must participate on a minimum of 30 days between December 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010, inclusive.

The deadline for entries will be 05z (Midnight EST, 11PM CST) each day. On Monday, you will make a prediction for Tuesday, and so on. You are allowed to make early predictions (if you're going to be away or for any other reason), and you may change (but not cancel) those entries up until each day's deadline.

Each day that you choose to submit an entry, you're looking for the best combination of snow, cold, and wind. As this is a "Virtual Blizzard" contest, most of the weight is put on the snow. But, for example, if International Falls is going to have an extremely cold night, it might be worth the gamble to go that route instead. Daily scores are calculated using the following formula:

(Snow * 10) + HDD + Wind
Snow = Snow amount in inches (rounded to the tenths place)
HDD = Heating Degree Days (65 - Average of High and Low Temps)
Wind = Maximum sustained wind speed (NOT the maximum gust)

For example, if your location received 4.3 inches of snow, had a high of 30°F and a low of 20°F (40 heating degree days), and a highest sustained wind speed of 33 mph, your score for the day would be 43+40+33=116.

You can select your location from any on the map or list. The list includes all locations in the lower 48 states that (to my knowledge) issue a daily CF6 Climate Report and report snowfall. Any reports colored in red on the daily scoresheet are estimates because the official data was missing. You have the right to appeal any estimated data. To make an appeal, send a PM (Personal Message) to me with evidence to support your opinion that my estimate is off, and members of TWB staff will make a final decision.

Please note that a few locations on the list do not report a maximum sustained wind speed. If you choose one of these locations, I will use the wind speed from the nearest station that does report it. This cannot be appealed.

To reward those who participate on more than 30 days, participants will receive a bonus .5 (half of a point) to their average score for each additional day in which they participate. For example, a player who submits an entry for 45 days during the contest period will receive a 7.5-point bonus. Scores tend to be very close throughout this contest, so that bonus could be worth quite a bit. However, anyone who participates on that many days is likely to pick a few that don't give them many points, so it's up to each player to decide whether or not the risk outweighs the reward.

The winner at the end of the contest will be the person (among those who have met the 30-day minimum) with the highest average score. If there is a tie for the win at the end of the contest, the winner will be the person who has participated in the highest number of days. If there is still a tie, the contest will be extended one or more days for only the people involved in the tie until the tie is broken (and each person will be required to participate each day).