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Mostly Cloudy and Breezy ~ River stage: 23.48 Rising Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010 |
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There is NO conspiracy
Posted Tuesday, February 9, at 9:53 AM
Despite the rumors that might be going around, there is no conspiracy by meteorologists to hype winter storms in order to drum up business at grocery and hardware stores.
There is no conspiracy to exaggerate snowfall predictions in order to support the dairy-and-bakery industrial complex.
There is no conspiracy to ignore computer models predicting only 1-2 inches of snow and to issue scary Winter Storm Warnings in order to improve sales of salt, shovels, and other supplies.
There is no conspiracy by forecasters to receive kickbacks in exchange for hyping winter storms and boosting TV ratings and website hit counters.
There is no conspiracy to trick students into thinking they can blow off their homework believing that tomorrow will be a snow day.
There is no conspiracy.
That is all.
Final wrap-up of Winter Storm "Disco Stu"
Our snowfall totals were low, but "Disco Stu" dropped lots of snow elsewhere.
Central Arkansas, Western Tennessee, and extreme Northern Mississippi received 5-10 inch accumulations. Meanwhile, some areas to our north also received a quality 3-5 inch snowfall. We were stuck in the middle with only an inch or two. Yesterday's computer models suggested this might happen, projecting that a dry slot would pass through the area and put a damper on accumulations.
With snow on the ground in all directions, this week is going to be cold. We're not expected to rise above freezing until Friday (and then just barely). There is a very slight chance of light snow on Friday, but the storm is expected to pass well to the south.
Here's a forecast graphic you don't see very often:
The weather service is forecasting a 40% chance of at least 4 inches of snow for portions of northern Louisiana later in the week. Could some cities in Louisiana have a White Mardi Gras? Maybe.
Run-of-the-mill winter storm "Disco Stu doesn't advertise."-- Pointless catchphrase from The Simpsons Our next weathermaker, Winter Storm "Disco Stu", doesn't appear to be as strong or fearsome as the last big storm. The official forecast calls for about 4 inches at Cape Girardeau. Usually this would be a fairly big deal, but after the 7.7 inch windfall last week, this storm seems ho-hum by comparison...
My forecast for next week: 0-14 inches of snow Today's rain is still expected to change to snow later this evening, but with a temperature of 40°F at 3 PM, it's going to need to get colder in a hurry if any of the snow is going to stick. A Winter Weather Advisory continues for Cape Girardeau with 1-3 inches of accumulation forecasted by the National Weather Service. Looking at the radar, we could see a brief burst of heavy snow this evening, but I'm not convinced that it's going to accumulate much...
Rain changing to snow, then more snow, then rain, followed by snow I thought last week's big snowstorm was difficult to forecast, but the weather for the next few days is even more complicated. Temperatures will hover near freezing through Tuesday, so precipitation will bounce between rain and snow. Sometimes the snow will stick, sometimes it won't. The good is, at least, is that freezing rain (so far) appears to be off the table...
We should declare Feb. 3 as "Dartboard Day" It's time to replace Groundhog Day with a more modern weather-forecasting holiday. The whole concept is ridiculous: A large crowd gathers at some random Pennsylvania town to catch a glimpse of a guy wearing a funny hat hold up a bewildered varmint. How exactly is this supposed to predict the weather?...
Final wrap-up for Winter Storm "Bumblebee Man" Mayor Quimby: "Mr. Plow, for making it possible for people to get where they're going without resorting to public transportation or car-pooling, I give you the key to the city."-- Pointless quote from "The Simpsons" It was starting to look iffy, but Winter Storm "Bumblebee Man" finally delivered the big snow that the computer models were predicting. Here are the snowfall totals for the region (rounded to the nearest inch):...
Welcome to a weekend winter wonderland It seemed to take forever, but the heavy snow finally arrived. During the evening, the snow was piling up at a rate of over 1 inch per hour. Below are the totals reported to the National Weather Service. The winners of the snow sweepstakes appear to be Stoddard and Wayne counties with reports of up to 9.5 inches...
Those wild and crazy computer models The heavier snow has finally reached Cape Girardeau in the last hour. On national radar, the green band of precipitation has managed to push its way northward (as of 2 PM): ...
Sophisticated software simulations still show significant snow Kent Brockman: "Let's check the death count from the killer storm bearing down on us like a shotgun full of snow." Weatherman: "Well, Kent, as of now the death count is zero. But it is ready to shoot right up." -- Random quote from "The Simpsons"...
Forecasters foretell flake-filled fluffy future It's crunch time as Winter Storm "Bumblebee Man" starts to enter far southwestern Missouri. The storm continues to develop into a classic comma-shaped system on radar: ...
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In this blog, weather junkies on the Southeast Missourian staff talk about (what else?) the weather. Give us your observations, folk wisdom and Farmers Almanac tales -- it's a weather free for all.
Hot topics There is NO conspiracy(
Run-of-the-mill winter storm
My forecast for next week: 0-14 inches of snow
Rain changing to snow, then more snow, then rain, followed by snow
We should declare Feb. 3 as "Dartboard Day"
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