Winter Long-term Forecast for 2009-10

[Scoop]

People in my area have been saying for weeks that they just feel it in their bones that this winter is gonna be a bad one. This would seem to confirm it if they are correct! So much for that global warming!

 

[ducks4you]

Ok, folks--time to make the list and get it done ONE MONTH EARLY!!
1) snow shovels - check
2) storm windows - check
3) fuel oil? --nope--switched over the natural gas--underground-YEA!!
4) working snow blower - check
5) chicken feed for SIX MONTHS!! - gotta go--need to buy more!!!

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
Oh my gosh, I hope that doesn't mean another blizzard of '78. Anyone who was in the northeast at that time will know what I am talking about. I was a kid, and I think we were out of school for over a week, if not 2 weeks. Everything shut down, all roads, everything. I remember my dad was in the National Guard and got called up. Next day he came walking in the door. He got stuck on his way to the Cape, and had to walk about 15 miles home in snowdrifts that were almost as tall as him in some places. Boy was he exhausted, I think he slept for about 24 hours.

That was the year I moved from Florida to Chicago. I remember hearing it was the worst blizzards in decades. I was a kid, I loved it! My mom on the other hand was ready to pack up and head back south.

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
You forgot

6) chains

 

[saddina]

And this is why I live in SoCal, I can drive an hour to ski or an hour to the beach.

 

[joebryant]

This is partly why I'm putting all of my chickens in one central location until March for ease of care, comfort, and safety.

 

[The Chicken People]

Yeah anyone want a rooster? I really dont wanna put him in with the hens. May have to break down and eat him!

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

Well, I am not looking forward to a harsh winter. I am in the south and we only see snow like every 10 -15 years here but if it is going to be that cold, it better snow! LOL

I think I am just going to go into hibernation.....

 

[CMV]

AARRGGHHH!!! I am so sick of the harsh N.E. winters! Two years ago we had 10 feet of snow and 6 months of snow on the ground. Last year we had the ice storm that we are still cleaning up from. Good news about the ice storm is that at least we have lots and lots of wood to burn with all the downed trees. We didn't even have a summer this year. I think it got warmish for about 3 weeks this year. The rest of the summer it poured.

It's not fair.

 

[Wifezilla]

That thing is so confusing. How can we have 97" of snow and have normal or less than normal precipitation? Denver area is usually around 61". What will the extra 36" be? Paperwork from Washington?

Here is what the Farmer's almanac says...
"According to the 2010 Farmers’ Almanac, this winter will see more days of shivery conditions: a winter during which temperatures will average below normal for about three-quarters of the nation.

A large area of numbingly cold temperatures will predominate from roughly east of the Continental Divide to west of the Appalachians (see map). The coldest temperatures will be over the northern Great Lakes and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.* But acting almost like the bread of a sandwich, to this swath of unseasonable cold will be two regions with temperatures that will average closer to normal—theWest Coast and the East Coast.

What about snow/rain/ice?

Near-normal amounts of precipitation are expected over the eastern third of the country, as well as over the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains, while drier-than-normal conditions are forecast to occur over the Southwest and the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes.

Only the Central and Southern Plains are expected to receive above-average amounts of precipitation.

Blizzards?

While three-quarters of the country is predicted to see near- or below average precipitation this winter, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any winter storms! On the contrary, significant snowfalls are forecast for parts of every zone. For the Middle Atlantic and Northeast States, for instance, we are predicting a major snowfall in mid-February; possibly even blizzard conditions for New England (indeed, even shovelry is not dead). "
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/a/frigid-2010-forecast-how-cold-will-the-winter-weather-be

Farmers Almanac vs the National Weather Service
" The 2010 Farmer’s Almanac has recently hit the stores and it is forecasting a bitterly cold winter for the Great Lakes area. This includes the months of January, February, and March. It’s predicting the Northeast will be cool and snowy and the North Central States will be cold and snowy. It says the Northwest will be cool, with average precipitation and the Southwest will be mild and dry. It says the Southeast will be wet and mild while the South Central states will be cold and wet.

The almanac, which has been published since 1818, issues annual forecasts using a formula based on solar science, planetary positions and climatology. This publication is written months in advance.
With that in mind, recent activities have been observed in the Pacific ocean. Over the past few months, NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , has been watching for the weak development of an El Nino. An El Niño is a weather event involving the eastward migration of warm water that is normally found in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean. The easterly trade winds in the Pacific calm down, allowing the warm water to drift to the west coast of South America. This pool of warm water appears to affect the jet stream and weather patterns around the world. The El Nino usually occurs every 3 to 7 years.
An El Nino impacts Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio as well. Normally during a strong El Nino, temperatures will be more mild and snowfall will be lower than average. NOAA has yet to determine if the El Nino will be a strong or weak event.

Climatologically, the Fort Wayne area winter temperatures reach their coldest in January. Daytime highs average 30.4 degrees with average lows dropping to 15.3 degrees. The coldest temperature was officially recorded on January 12, 1918 when the mercury plummeted to minus 24 degrees!

The Fort Wayne area normally receives 32.4 inches of snow per year. Around 4 inches of this snow is from Lake Effect. The snow depth rarely exceeds 10 inches. " http://www.wane.com/dpp/weather/weather_1/local_wane__fw_farmers_almanac_versus_national_weather_service_200909091755

*And now you know why I no longer live in Wisconsin