I've written before about how I moved from South Carolina and I enjoy living here in Spokane because there are four distinctive seasons here. This place has real winters.
Spokane airport records an average snowfall of 4 feet each year. I never stopped to wonder if Coeur d'Alene is different. Recently the local tv news exposed my ignorance and reported that Coeur d'Alene reports an average of 70 inches per year. Spokane is about 44 inches. Those of you following have seen my images of sunrise and moonrise over a mountain peak outside my patio and to the east and on the other side of that mountain ridge is Coeur d'Alene. I've traveled over there in the past couple years on my bicycle, my only form of transportation and there is no metro bus service connection, and I've been going over there because only very recently did I stop to consider the implications of my '878' competitor number when I successfully finished Ironman triathlon there in 2004. And then it got really weird the further back I've been looking.
So anyway, this winter is interesting to me, as always, because I like to photograph the snowfall.
November has been mild, as I guessed was a possibility, and so far, no snowfall I've seen. Feels more like a Seattle winter. Gloomy, cloudy, can't digitally photograph the stars, cold and rainy, not Spokane cold, but is Seattle cold. Always seems to be around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now the local tv news is reporting a potential weather pattern change.
I've been monitoring a weather-maps source that predicts long-range weather and that source has been all over the map with it long-range forecast of snowfall up to 384-hours out.
The CBS national news is on now. That Ukrainian guy is just aching for a report here from me.
So anyway, as for the point of this pointless note, for one reason because I've really got to stop spending almost every waking hour working at this stupid desk, the tv news weather forecasting hints at a storm that *might* happen next week around Thanksgiving and that reminds me of a few things.
One is what I've noted before about similar forecasts when I lived in South Carolina.
Another is about the big snow-storm that hit here and Seattle in 2008. I was in Seattle and it was memorable even for Seattle, which is largely affected by the ocean and its effect at milding out the weather of the area. To see real snowfall, you've got to drive over 30 miles to Snoqualmie Pass on I-5 or other places.
Here, it's outside your front door.
As for 2008, I've studied a few news articles about that event. They had no idea it was going to happen.
The worst outcome would be an ice-storm.
As for the lack of ability to predict storms, I blame the lack of monitoring stations.
Weather forecasts are based on variables.
If those variables are unknown then the forecasts are less reliable.
If I understand correctly their work then it's mostly software programs that are making guesses about those variables.
This winter so far seems to be dominated by High Pressure. But I'm not sure how different that is from previous years, in terms of day-to-day. I'm looking at it more because High Pressure is better for my digital photography and in these present days I'm more aware of that weather pattern.
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/?model=gfs®ion=nwus&pkg=asnow&runtime=2019111918&fh=384
Lisa on Ice [ The Simpsons internet archive ]
Original airdate in N.A.: 13-Nov-94
Everyone but Marge sits in front of the TV.
Announcer: It's "Channel Six Action News."
[several explosions are shown]
Bart: Ah, Action News. The last place an impressionable kid can go for TV violence.
Announcer: And now, here's your Action Anchor[tm], Kent Brockman.
Kent: [jumping in, panting] Hello, I'm Kent Brockman!
Kent: 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.
Kent: Oh my God.
- posted by Kerry Burgess 5:48 PM Pacific Time Spokane Valley Washington USA Tuesday 11/19/2019
