Snow Falls at Low Elevations - One Last Blast of Winter!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Snow falls locally and at higher elevations around southwest Washington. Snow began falling Monday evening around 7 pm in Clark County and then again Tuesday morning.NOWCAST - Snow and rain showers today . Still a chance of snow again tonight and Wednesday morning and then warming on Thursday as March rolls in.
FORECAST - Today: Showers. Snow level near the surface rising to 500 feet in the afternoon. Snow accumulation 1 inch or less below 500 feet...and 1 to 3 inches above 500 feet. Highs around 45. Southeast wind 10 to 20 mph except east 15 to 25 mph near the gorge in the morning...shifting to the southwest 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Showers likely. Snow level 500 feet. Snow accumulation less than 1 inch. Lows 30 to 35. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday: Showers. Snow level 500 feet. Snow accumulation less than 1 inch. Highs 40 to 45. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Snow level 500 feet. Lows 30 to 35. Northwest wind 10 mph
SEVEN DAY TREND - Chance of rain/snow showers through Wednesday and then perhaps somewhat dry most of Thursday before more rain and warmer temperatures move in. Chance of rain through the extended and back to more seasonal temperatures.
OUTCAST -The snow that fell in the higher elevations of Vancouver between 7-8 pm Monday evening was not really a surprise but was quite a sight to be seen anyways. A little precursor to the next little storm that followed. More snow information from today's storm later on.
The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said the West has been hit particularly hard by global warming, with "prolonged drought, decreased snowfall, increased and earlier snow melt, and more severe and devastating forest and rangeland fires in recent years as a result of changes in the climate." Boy now doesn't that cover about everything? Better keep an eye on this one and dig deeper in your wallet. The governors of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and New Mexico have signed a pact to reduce CO2 emissions from their states because the FEDS aren't doing anything and they need to stop the affects of global climate change in the western states asap. Good luck Govs.
Global warming- Fcat, Ficton, and Political Endgame by Mark AlLexander. He says, "There is no scientifically established correlation between global-warming trends and acceleration of the greenhouse effect due to human production of CO2 -- only broad speculation. Although some politicians and their media shills insist that the primary cause of global warming is the burning of hydrocarbons here in the United States, that government regulation of man-made CO2 will curb this global warming, that our failure to limit CO2 output will have dire consequences, and that the costs of enacting these limitations far outweigh the potential consequences, there is no evidence supporting any of these assertions."
This is an excellent article that you should read. Click here.
Good reason NOT to venture out of protected areas in snow country!
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
1012 PM PST SAT FEB 24 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0214 PM AVALANCHE 16 NE PARADISE 46.95N 121.51W
02/24/2007 PIERCE WA LAW ENFORCEMENT
*** 1 FATAL *** TWO SKIERS WENT UNDER THE ROPE NEAR HIGH
CAMPBELL LIFT ON CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT. ONE OF THE
SKIERS TRIGGERED AN AVALANCHE AND WAS KILLED. SECOND
SKIER WAS UNINJURED.
Satellite photo at 9 pm last night. Nice little curl in the system.
Global Warming Liberals - Click here
Al Gore says "global warming isn't a political issue but a moral issue." I say it is a science issue. When you bring morals, values, and religion into an issue you bring a whole bunch of hash that cannot be digested by many folks. Let's keep it scientific and with the proper facts and perspective. It is not a religion. My take Mr. Al Gore.
OFF TOPIC - I must admit I enjoy good movies on the big screen. I have seen several recently that I would place in the category of very good and must sees. To me a movie is a keeper if I end up tearing up at the end. I guess I am a sentimental guy. Here are my picks:
Miss Potter staring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor is the story of Beatrix Potter who wrote a library of children's tales such as Peter Rabbit. Cinematography is outstanding and the plot is easy to follow. A real good clean fun movie that you will love to see more than once. Zellweger is an excellent actress.
Amazing Grace, newly released is an excellent portrayal of the tragic acts of slave trading by Great Britain. It is based on the life of anti slavery pioneer William Wilberforce. It is a long movie about two hours but holds your interest throughout and will water at least one eyeball at times.
Bridge to Terabithia is a fantasy film that really draws you into it. The only regret I have is the ending. I as a writer would have rewritten the ending but then again it is not my story. Without giving it away, in the last scene showing the kingdom, I wished the boy's girlfriend would have appeared as a princess dressed in white. If you read the book you know what I am talking about. Go see the movie anyways. I know there is imagination in each one of us if we permit ourselves to see it.
Music and Lyrics is a fun comedy with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. I usually don't watch Grant's films as he usually has a foul mouth and as many Brits uses the "F" word like no tomorrow. But in this one, he behaved himself and these two actors made music and synced together quite well. Grant actually didn't do too bad singing either. A chick flick of sorts. Pop Goes my Heart!
Pan's Labyrinth takes place in Spain in 1944 and is rated R for war violence and some pretty bloody scenes. So, no young children are allowed into this movie but the main character throughout is a ten year old girl who finds out she is a princess and must get back home underground to her parents. She must preform several feats to accomplish this. Despite the gory war scenes, it is another fantasy that I really liked and made my imagination runaway with itself. I like the giant frog too. There are several creatures but they are not scary. This is not a film for youngsters. An adult fairy tale they say. It is in English sub-titles and easy to follow.
Freedom Writers was another tear jerker for me and an excellent film acted quite well by Hillary Swank. Of course with my interest in writing I certainly could identify with this one and see how it changed the lives of each and every student she taught. Based on a true story.
I have seen several others that were so so and I will not recommend. The above films I will most likely add to my video library when they are released for home DVD.
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 12:27 AM,
Unsettled Weather to Say the Least
Monday, February 26, 2007NOWCAST - Unsettled weather will continue for the next few days with heavy snows in the mountains, cold showers in the lowlands with possible hail and thunder. Snow levels could drop to 500 feet or lower as the coldest air moves through. Some wet snow or rain/snow mix possible at low elevations. February will go out on a blustery tune. Temperatures will be a bit below seasonal normals.
FORECAST - Today: Showers in the morning...then a chance of showers in the afternoon. Snow level 500-1000 feet. Local snow accumulations less than an inch. Highs around 45. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southeast 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Rain at times. Lows around 35. Southeast wind 10 to 20 mph except 15 to 25 mph near the gorge.
Tuesday: Showers. Highs around 45. Southeast wind 10 to 20 mph except east 15 to 25 mph near the gorge becoming southwest late.
Tuesday Night: Showers likely. Snow level lowering to 500 feet. Lows 30 to 35. West wind 10 to 20 mph.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Unsettled weather through Wednesday with things settling down a bit Thursday and Friday. Warmer temperature's by the weekend with more showers.
OUTCAST -
Uh Huh -After the initial blast of dire predictions by global warming advocates, some estimates of the situation are being "revised". Statistics used by those sounding the global warming alarm were scrutinized by other scientists and now statistics are changing. Take for instance the statistic that the Northwest snow packs have decreased 50 percent in the past 50 years. Well, now the U of W says it was over exaggerated and is closer to 35 percent with some snow fields showing no decrease but increases mainly at higher elevations. The newspaper in Portland had an article over the weekend. To read it click here.
The report issued by climate experts at U of W can be read here
Washington State is in the middle of the global warming issue and it's all politics and commerce. Click here.
If you viewed Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" you'll remember the piece about a couple of Greenland glaciers and how fast they broke apart in 2004 and 2005. Well according to the U of W, "Two of Greenland's largest glaciers shrank dramatically and dumped twice as much ice into the sea during a period of less than a year between 2004 and 2005. And then, less than two years later, they returned to near their previous rates of discharge." Also, "The scientists say what they've learned is that the shape of these two glaciers changed as they surged toward the sea, changes that put the brakes on. The glaciers lost ice as their front edges began calving, became lighter and floated off the bottom, which led to more ice breaking off as the ice was buoyed up by water. The fronts stabilized once the ice had retreated to shallower parts of the fjords and again rested on the bottom."
Just goes to show you that these cases that the doom slayers point to our natural occurrences and you cannot take such a short period of time to make a prediction. Climate evolves over decades and centuries. For their complete article click here.
My prediction is that after everyone reviews the IPCC report and all the other supportive reports, you will see revisions and retractions. You can certainly adjust models and data to substantiate your point but the facts are facts. This will turn out to be the "Convenient Lie" rather than the "Inconvenient Truth" you can count on that one. Enough said.
Children are losing sleep over Global Warming Issue. Click here.Bumble Bees can adjust to any climate change Can you? Click Here.
Oscar Gore - An Inconvenient Truth was picked as best documentary at the Oscars Sunday evening. Did you think it wouldn't?
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 12:51 AM,
Couldn't Be Better For The Mountains!
Thursday, February 22, 2007NOWCAST - Showers tonight and a brief break Friday then a wet, windy weekend with lots of snow in the mountains. This will continue into next week. Snow levels at times could be down to 500-1,000 feet. Could be frosty early Friday morning if we get sustained clearing. Some dusting of snow on the hills but amounts would be very light. NO SNOW at city levels. Sorry.
FORECAST - Tonight: Showers. A slight chance of thunderstorms with small hail. Snow level 500-1,000 feet after midnight. Little snow accumulation. Lows around 30-35. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Partly sunny. A chance of showers in the morning. Snow level 1000 feet. Highs around 45. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Rain. Lows 35 to 40. South wind 10 to 20 mph.
Saturday: Rain. Highs 45 to 50. South wind 15 mph.
Saturday Night: Showers, low snow levels. Lows around 35. Southwest wind 15 mph.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Not bad Friday but rain and blustery Saturday through next Thursday. Heavy snow in mountains and snow level bouncing around between 1,000 feet and 3,000 feet. Possible thunderstorms and hail and snow to 500 feet at times. Cool. March may come in like a lion!
OUTCAST - Here are a few tidbits for you to read -
Wanted: Global Warming Manager, $59,558-$82,162/yr in Aspen, Colorado. APPLY HERE.
Doubt fades on global warming (from the other perspective, fair and balanced you know) Click here.
Cooties and hornet outbreak blamed on, yeah you guessed it, what else? Click Here.
Al Core didn't make president but he may add a DR. title to his name. Yes, he is up for a doctorate in, what else? Climatology! If you can stand it, Click Here.
Oh, and for the direct source, Click Here.
Real Causes of global warming? - Click Here
It's all about money - Click Here
SUGAR IS SWEET AND SO ARE YOU!
Okay, this is me talking here. I think if man is to be blamed for contributing to the so-called global warming event, that I say SUGAR, yes sugar is the real cause of the global climate change. Far more than CO2 emissions. Sugar is a carbohydrate that Americans have been consuming in increasingly great volumes over the past 40-50 years or so. About the time experts say temperatures started rising.
Humans that consume large amounts of simple carbohydrates like refined sugar ( CH2O) cause the body to create gas resulting in belching and flatulence (N, CH4, H2,) far more than those on more complex carbohydrates and protein diets. These emissions filter into the atmosphere contributing to the warm up. And eventually these resulting gases are released by humans into the atmosphere and mixed with water vapor (the gas state of H2O) and of course carbon dioxide (CO2) . The amounts of gases caused by consumption of sugars and emitted into the atmosphere are far greater than CO2 emissions. This lethal combination increases the steaming affect of water vapor which by the way is the natural greenhouse effect that covers the planet.
Water vapor creates clouds, more clouds, more rain, more storms, and warmer overnight temperatures which I feel is the main factor in any mean temperature rises.
And back to the CO2 emissions, of course you most likely are packing around a few extra pounds which contribute to extra fuel consumption to transport you around. And not to mention the energy consumed in making crowns and fillings for your teeth. Plus the extra energy consumption with midnight withdrawals associated with the opening and closing of the refrigerator door.
Can't you see how such a simple thing over time can get way out of hand? So do your part and reduce these unnecessary emissions into our atmosphere. Lay off the sugars (there are many kinds, for details click here)
And before I go, yes human flatulence can cause the release of nitrogen, methane, and hydrogen. At times it can be flammable as well. The methane is the real culprit some experts say. After I found this out two weeks ago, I haven't had any sugar since.
Cant youi tell i Am duing mush beter in me writings?
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 7:32 PM,
Spring Is Still A Few Weeks Away
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Heavy snows in the Cascades have done wonders for the snow pack with much, much, more coming up in the next week or so. These trees are bending over with fresh snow as Mt. Hood peaks through them during a sun break. Fresh snow amounts below.NOWCAST - Sunny skies this morning were a welcome sight with frosty streets and patchy fog as well. Showers will increase later today as a band of clouds move inland. Expect more of the same tonight and Thursday. Could have hail, snow, and rain in the showers at any time and location. Even a thunderstorm.
FORECAST -Today: Mostly cloudy with showers and possible hail in the late afternoon and evening. Highs 45 to 50. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Showers likely. Lows around 30-35. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms. Highs 45 to 50. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy with decreasing showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Lows 25-30 with possible icy streets and patchy fog. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Showers and cool today and Thursday. Brief break Friday and then more rain and cool showers over the weekend with low snow levels. Same for Monday through Wednesday. Snow level could drop to 500 feet or lower.
OUTCAST - El Nino Over? Weather authorities down under say so. Click here.
One advantage of warmer weather are oil prices. Click here.
More gloom and doom -"There are ominous signs that the earth's weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production with serious political implications for just about every nation on earth. The drop in food output could begin quite soon, perhaps only ten years from now." - Newsweek, April 28, 1975
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PORTLAND OR
908 AM PST WED FEB 21 2007
...STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS REPORTED FOR THE MONDAY AND TUESDAY
WINTER STORM THAT MOVED THROUGH THE CASCADES...
A STRONG MOISTURE LADEN SYSTEM BROUGHT ROUGHLY 1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW TO THE
OREGON AND WASHINGTON CASCADES WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS TO SOME AREAS.
REPORTS FROM THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS GIVE STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS AS OF 900 AM WEDNESDAY:
LOCATION SNOWFALL AMOUNT (INCHES)
=========================================================
...OREGON...
BENNETT PASS............................... 32
TIMBERLINE................................. 29
BLUE BOX PASS.............................. 28
MOUNT HOOD MEADOWS......................... 27
TIMBERLINE LODGE........................... 21
GOVERNMENT CAMP............................ 19
SKIBOWL.................................... 19
WHITE RIVER................................ 19
HOODOO..................................... 18
TOMBSTONE SUMMIT........................... 18
...WASHINGTON...
SHEEP CANYON............................... 17
LONE PINE.................................. 16
SWIFT CREEK................................ 16
JUNE LAKE.................................. 15
SPENCER MEADOW............................. 15
SPIRIT LAKE................................ 14
SURPRISE LAKES............................. 14
COOPER SPUR................................ 14 (AS OF 7 AM TUESDAY)
SANTIAM PASS SUMMIT........................ 13
SANTIAM JUNCTION........................... 12
=========================================================
OFF TOPIC - Well, this is sort of on and off topic so bear with me. If you do a GOOGLE search for global warming you will find over 65,700,000 references. With YAHOO you'll find 70,300,000 references. Amazing! You will find everything from both sides of the issue. Items such as your diet could be contributing to global warming, click here.
Then there are those about Dr. Al Gore and his rants and waves about the issue. Take this from the DRUDGE REPORT, " The message is serious. So serious in fact, the DRUDGE REPORT has calculated that Vice President Al Gore is burning more than 439,500 pounds of fuel, or 65,600 gallons, at a cost of more than $131,000 on his 16,000 mile day trip, just to deliver the warning."
FOX NEWS HOST SEAN HANNITY has much more to say about that one. Click here.
Go ahead and click here just for the GOOGLE NEWS link and take a gander for yourself. Some of the entries are just hours old. It goes from the scary to the ridiculous.
Which brings me to my thoughts. The scary thing far more than global warming or climate change are the consequences of what government does (or doesn't do) to react to both sides of the issue. I mean, I worked for the FEDS for 35 years and I certainly know the bureaucracy and how once an issue gets going there is no stopping it. People get awards for making ridiculous decisions. And we have to live with them for years. It will NOT be the results of the climate change that will, economically bring this nation down, it will be the ridiculous things that governments do in reacting to a somewhat not so exact science of climate change. Do what we have to do to be environmentally friendly and responsible as stewards of the planet but don't go overboard.
Just look how the state government across the river is handling things. They are about to outlaw just about anything someone thinks is objectable, hazardous, or otherwise. It appears to me to be runaway government to the point of demise. I was born in the Beaver state and still love to travel there but I would never live there again.
This hot topic will not go away and will divide this nation in two. Politicians are already saying to those that deny the issue to lead, follow, or get out of the way. I say to elected officials to listen to both sides, and then take a "Middle of the Road" approach. We have already done tons of work in cleaning up our planet over the years and are continuing to improve them. Yes, there are more things that we can do and some economically and easy. Let's do them first. This global climate change is not a life or death matter that has to be solved in the next ten years as doom slayers will tell you. Global warming and cooling has been part of the planet's history since day one. Many factors contribute to the earth's temperatures change including the earth itself with or without man. Let's just have some common sense and think things through without over reacting and be civil about it. If it goes the way it appears it will go, the least worry is not that we will leave a disaster to our children and grandchildren, we won't be able to afford to have children to leave anything to. We as a country all need to be together on this if we are ever to remain the "United States of America."
MY Quote for the Day - "It is good for your muscles to twist and turn your neck from time to time, it also gives you a wider field of vision." - Pat Timm
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 9:45 AM,
Rain, Snow, Sleet, and Hail
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
A few scattered ice pellet showers were followed by rainbows today as a cold pool of air moved inland. Heavy snow fell in the Cascades and snow was falling down to 1,000 feet in the Coast Range. Typical late winter, early spring type weather I would say!
NOWCAST - Cool showery weather will continue Wednesday and Thursday with rain, hail, wet snow, thunder, and rainbows continuing. Intensity will pick up late Wednesday and again Thursday before drying on Friday. Then, more cool showery weather over the weekend and most of next week. Temperatures slightly below average overall. Good snow pack build up.
FORECAST - Wednesday: Mostly cloudy scattered showers. Highs 45 to 50. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Showers likely. Lows 35 to 40. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Scattered showers with hail and a chance of thunderstorms. Highs 45 to 50. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy with decreasing showers and possible thunderstorms in the evening. Scattered frost. Lows around 30. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Showers Wednesday/Thursday, drying Friday and then cool showery weather Saturday through Tuesday. Snow levels 1,000 feet at times, perhaps 500 feet. Temperatures 28-52.
OUTCAST - With the cool wet pattern remaining for the next week or so and each impulse to add significant snows to the mountains, the Seattle National Weather Service says it will be "Good glacier building weather."
YOU WILL LIKE THIS ONE - Want to read more about the Inconvenient Truth concerning global warming? Click here. Be sure and scroll all the way down the page and read the bottom indices.
I mentioned yesterday about the frogs and their loud chanting already. Well, local weather Observer Larry Lebsack of NE Hazel Dell passed along a bit of record keeping that he has logged on the frogs. Ok Larry, tell us -
"I went back into my records and brought up the first dates that I heard the frogs(peepers). There's a swamp about a half mile from my house.
2002=Feb 18
And in 2002, 2004, and 2005, there were some flowering cherries and plums starting to bloom.And there you have it; if there's no ice in the swamp, the come out in full chorus."
So, according to these records, it is the earliest that these frogs have begun to croak in the past six years. I wonder what that foretells? I also wonder if the frogs that were reported last fall entering patio BBQ's have emerged? Anyone, let me know.
SNOW HEADING OUR WAY ? Okay, I am getting lots of mail concerning snowfall in the lowlands next week. Accu-Weather for one is forecasting snow at sea level locations early next week, but they also had predicted that for this as well (Not So ACCU-WEATHER) . Next week there are a couple of computer models indicating the possibility of low levels snow at that time. A few others, cool but not real cold. Bottom line is the usual case. If we get a decent shot of cold air and moisture, it may end up being another nowcast type of thing like we had last month. Too early for sure but as always a possibility. Just too far out to accurately predict it. Too many variables so as always, stay tuned.
Deadly Tornadoes- According tho the SPC there have been 65 tornadoes so far this year with 23 fatalities far ahead on the three-year average of 23 and 2. Check it out.
Global Warming and Bottled Water - Better read this before you open that next bottle of water. Remember Al Gore and your morals.
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 7:54 PM,
Winter Storm Warnings Posted for the Cascades
Monday, February 19, 2007NOWCAST - Winter returns this week with lots of showers and cool temperatures. Snow will fall in the mountains and will be measured by the foot with 2-4 feet expected this week. Lowlands will see rain heavy at times, perhaps some hail and thunder with sun breaks. Snow could fall to 1,000 feet in heavier showers which means the coast ranges will get a little white and perhaps the surrounding foothills. Blustery Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures 35-50.
FORECAST - Tonight: Rain at times...then rain increasing late...breezy. Lows 35 to 40. South wind 15 to 25 mph gusts to 35 mph after midnight.
Tuesday: Rain in the morning...then showers in the afternoon. Breezy. Rain may be heavy at times in the morning. Highs around 45. South wind 15 to 25 mph gusts to 35 mph before daybreak.
Tuesday Night: Showers likely in the evening...then a chance of showers after midnight. Lows around 35. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Highs around 45. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Showers likely. Lows in the mid to upper 30s. South wind 5 to 15 mph.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Rainy with a possible dry day Friday and then showers over the weekend. Cool. Good snows in the mountains.
OUTCAST - Snow briefly fell on
Interesting article entitled, "Global Warming Is Our Friend". To read click here.
And okay from the other side click here.
I have heard from inside sources that the yet released IPCC global climate change report may be a bit over exaggerated so stay tuned for that tidbit.
I have been hearing frogs for about a week now, almost a sure sign of spring but it still is February.Trouble Waters? Interesting article about the south pole ice cap. Click here.
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 1:21 PM,
Wet, Warm, Wet, Cold, on the Way in the Seven Day
Thursday, February 15, 2007
This scene is in Waterbury (should be called Snowbury) Vermont taken on Valentine's Day with over two feet of snow and it was still falling. And yes, those are automobiles under all the white stuff. Real snowmobiles!NOWCAST - Rain today with slow drying on Friday and Saturday with some fog at night. Mild Saturday then clouds return and next week looks wet and cool.
FORECAST - Today: Rain. Highs around 55. South wind 10 to 20 mph.
Tonight: Rain. Lows around 45. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light after midnight.
Friday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Highs 50 to 55. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows around 40. Light wind.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Drying Friday and Saturday and then chance of rain Sunday through Friday turning cooler with very low snow levels at times. Temperatures in the 60's Saturday then 45-55 with lows 30-40.
OUTCAST - SPOKANE, Wash. Despite a drier than normal January, snowpack conditions throughout Washington are near- to above-average, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced on Monday. For the complete report, click here.
Yeah, a couple of years ago I was talking about the warm up. Here is an old column of mine:
Sunday, August 22, 2004
I mentioned in Friday's column about global warming and a very
interesting section about it in the September issue of National
Geographic.
The magazine makes for good reading and is a book worth keeping
and sharing with your children. Then in their lifetime they can
compare the predictions and current trends.
I have heard in the past couple of years in climate and weather
discussions that the climate of southern Oregon, Medford will in 20
years or so be the average in the Vancouver-Portland area. Our
overnight lows have been warmer for many years now, and our summers
and falls are increasingly getting warmer. Hotter summers and half the
annual rainfall would definitely have an impact on our region.
In Barrow, Alaska, the average annual temperature has risen 4.16
degrees in the past 30 years. Alaska has had a fourfold increase in
wildfires this summer. In a few decades, Glacier National Park may be
void of any glaciers at all. The park has seen a decline of the ice
packs by three-fourths from the early 1900s. And, of course, while it
is very warm and dry in one region, it is very wet and cool in another
due to the changing jet stream and weather patterns. While the Western
U.S. is dry and dusty, the Midwest is getting soaked this summer.
From everything that I have read, and from my own observations
over the past 30 years, the facts tell me that it has gotten warmer in
our area. Old-timers (and now myself!) tell stories of a frozen-over
Columbia River or severe blizzards and ice storms that once made their
annual visits to Clark County. Extended periods of cold weather and
ice are few and far between locally. Last winter, we got just a taste
of old times.I still believe weather occurs in cycles. We are in a warm phase but a cold one may be just around the corner. Time will tell. Not much talk in the media lately about global warming during all the snow and ice across the nation. I had to chuckle because yesterday in St. Louis, Maryville University had to cancel the screening of Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth because of the snowstorm. I wonder what he thinks when he looks out the window? I wonder if he shovels his walkways?FAR OUT - Okay, here is another view on global warming presented four years ago entitled "Aliens Cause Global Warming" ,A lecture by Michael Crichton at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA on January 17, 2003. If you have some time and want to read his paper, click here.
MY Quote of the Day - "Traveling down the road of life, you'll get to the end just as fast even if you make many stops along the way." - Pat Timm
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 9:00 AM,
Heavy Snow Predicted for February 22-26
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours. I hope cupid finds you today and you get shot with a bit of love.NOWCAST - Clouds are on the increase and so will be the rain as a large low pressure center moves our way today and tomorrow. Rain heavy at times especially in the mountains and windy as well. About 36 hours of pretty much non-stop precipitation. Weekend looks dry with highs Saturday into the 60's.
FORECAST - Today: Rain developing. Highs 45 to 50. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
Tonight: Rain possible heavy. Lows around 45. South wind 10 to 20 mph.
Thursday: Rain...breezy. Highs around 55. Southwest wind 15 to 25 mph. Thursday night:
Rain then showers likely after midnight. Breezy. Lows 40 to 45. Southwest wind 10 to 25 mph shifting to the west 10 to 15 mph after midnight.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Nice weekend hopefully and then clouds and rain back later Sunday and all of next week with lowering freezing levels and fresh powder in the mountains. Low elevation snow possible by the end of next week.
OUTCAST - SNOW? Todays blog title get your attention? Thought it would, it got mine. Okay, The Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting cold and snow later next week for the Pacific Northwest and that coincides with computer models indicating lowering snow levels as we transition to a cold trough of low pressure off our coast with the flow of air coming down from the north. On the chilly side of things. So with this pattern change anything is possible. Whether it develops into something like last December or recently last month stay tuned. Certainly will be an active weather week. Watch for the East Coast to warm up, if it does, the West Coast usually cools down. Odds are against snow in the lowlands in late February but has occurred in the past a few times. Of course I said the other day I thought we wouldn't see anymore cold and snow. So if it snows do I get credit?
Governor Ted - You'll remember recently the governor of Oregon asked Sen. Brad Avakian, D-Bethany, to draft legislation allowing Kulongoski to appoint an official state climatologist. The senator now says that proposal is dead. Apparently the governor and George Taylor's boss at OSU have "worked out" a deal. Taylor is to get a new title and could be more in the weather information business than climate business. His boss Mark Abbott, dean of OSU's School of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, said a center for climate change has been under discussion for some time now and this deal with the governor could provide the funding. Abbott is on Ted's task forces on climate change. If this comes to pass they would seek a PHD researcher to head the unit and be the official sate climatologist. Interesting that Taylor's contract expires June 30 but we can still call him state climatologist until then according to his boss.
Interesting that the governor changed his blatant tune after the citizens of his state in an unofficial poll were 8 to 1 against his statements about Taylor. And, all the national press that caused him undue attention. I bet he wishes this would all blow away quickly and didn't think it would be such a big deal making the statements he did. Perhaps he needs to listen to the citizens of his state that he serves. Politicians bend with the wind folks, keep the pressure on.
Our dear legislature in Olympia have introduced a bill to declare, "The office of Washington state climatologist is created," with extensive climate information responsibilities, and the climatologist to be "appointed jointly by the president of Washington State University and the president of the University of Washington." Wasn't any mention about Phil Mote in all this recent press that he isn't the "official" state climatologist either. Even though his web site says so just like Taylor's. This is the case with most state climatologists if you browse their web sites. I think other states will be quietly passing laws to make them official and appoint those that share the political views of the state. Maybe the state climatologist should be an elected position? Now that would really be a hot seat. Hummm....
Wait for another warm day - Here is a headline from Washington DC hot off the presses:
HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER ICE 
STORM
The Subcommitte on Energy and Air Quality scheduled for today, February 14 is postponed due to inclement cold weather. The hearing was entitled " Climate Change: Are greenhouse gas emissions from Human Activities contributing to global warming of the Planet?" I guess officials will have to wait for a warmer day to discuss this as Washington DC is currently in a deep freeze.
BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 13 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests two of Greenland's largest glaciers are melting at variable rates and not at an increasing trend.
The study, led by Ian Howat, a researcher with the University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center and the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory, shows the glaciers shrank dramatically and dumped twice as much ice into the sea during a period of less than a year between 2004 and 2005.
But then, fewer than two years later, they returned to near their previous rates of discharge.
Howat says such variability during such a short time underlines the problem in assuming glacial melting and sea level rise will necessarily occur at a steady upward trajectory.
"Our main point is that the behavior of these glaciers can change a lot from year to year, so we can't assume to know the future behavior from short records of recent changes," he said. "Future warming may lead to rapid pulses of retreat and increased discharge rather than a long, steady draw down."
The research is online in the journal Science Express.
I guess I will stay off my OFF TOPIC soapbox today unless something really strikes me. Enjoy your day!
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 8:58 AM,
And the Beat Goes On
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Couldn't resist posting this photo from down under. Wow! No need to explain this one. Courtesy of Australia Severe Weather NOWCAST - Decent shot of rain for Wednesday and Thursday, drying Friday and Saturday with mild conditions. Rainfall could reach an inch or two in the two days locally with 2-4 inches in the mountains. Will be breezy at times too.
FORECAST - Wednesday: Increasing clouds. Areas of fog in the morning. Rain developing in the afternoon. Highs 45 to 50. Southeast wind 10 to 20 mph.
Wednesday night: Rain. Breezy. Lows around 45. South wind 15 to 25 mph.
Thursday: Rain. Breezy. Highs around 55. South wind 15 to 30 mph.
Thursday night: Rain in the evening...then showers likely after midnight. Lows 40 to 45. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Brief break Friday Saturday and I still think we will top 60 degrees on Saturday. More showers after that with a possible cool down later next week but that is beyond the seven day. Farmer's Almanac predicts cold and snow the last week of the month so stay tuned.
OUTCAST - Okay, I don't mind everyone writing about the fallout of the great global warming debate and expressing their opinions. I try to be civil and at least present some of both sides so you can decide for yourself. But, lately some writers are referring to those that don't agree with the IPCC report and man caused global warming some very nasty names. The Boston Globe columnist, Ellen Goodman compares global warming skeptics with Holocaust deniers. Pete Conrad, local weather observer and faithful reader sent me these comments: What bugs me is that they call us 'deniers' which is absolutely wrong. We don't deny that global warming [ a fact ] is occurring ... what we say is that it isn't caused by man and that statements to that effect are 'opinions' not scientific fact! Main stream media and politicians continually misrepresent the debate. So what else is new!!! As you said in your last 'outcast', "Man should worry and take care of more immediate issues troubling our society" to which I would add "issues that man can do something about".
I will be fair and give you the link to one of her articles, No Change in Political Climate
and a rebuttal by James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal Denying the Future
And along those same lines I'll pass along this article:
Global-warming skeptics cite being 'treated like a pariah'
By Eric Pfeiffer
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
February 12, 2007
Scientists skeptical of climate-change theories say they are increasingly coming under attack -- treatment that may make other analysts less likely to present contrarian views about global warming.
"In general, if you do not agree with the consensus that we are headed toward disaster, you are treated like a pariah," said William O'Keefe, chief executive officer of the Marshall Institute, which assesses scientific issues that shape public policy.
"It's ironic that a field based on challenging unproven theories attacks skeptics in a very unhealthy way."
Two climatologists in Democrat-leaning states, David Legates in Delaware and George Taylor in Oregon, have come under fire for expressing skepticism about the origins of climate change. Oregon Gov. Theodore R. Kulongoski is publicly seeking to strip Mr. Taylor, widely known as the state's climatologist, of his position because of his stance.
"There has been a broad, concerted effort to intimidate and silence them," said Myron Ebell, director of energy and global-warming policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. "It's the typical politics of the hard left at work. I think these are real threats."
CEI, which previously listed Mr. Legates as an "adjunct scholar," has published multiple reports questioning the science behind global-warming theories and has been criticized for accepting donations from companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp.
Mr. O'Keefe said his organization doesn't deny the existence of global warming but questions the methods used by individuals and groups advocating for new government restrictions to combat the phenomenon.
"We have never said that global warming isn't real," Mr. O'Keefe said. "No self-respecting think tank would accept money to support preconceived notions. We make sure what we are saying is both scientifically and analytically defensible."
In an interview with local NBC affiliate KGW-TV, Mr. Kulongoski, a Democrat, said he hopes to take away Mr. Taylor's job title because his views do not mesh with the political opinions of most lawmakers in Oregon, including the governor.
"He is Oregon State University's climatologist. He is not the state of Oregon's climatologist," Mr. Kulongoski said. "I just think there has to be somebody that says, 'This is the state position on this.' "
Mr. Taylor was appointed to the position in 1991, when Oregon's legislature created a state climate office at the college. Mr. Kulongoski wants to change the position to a governor-appointed one. State Sen. Brad Avakian, a Democrat, is sponsoring a bill supporting such a move.
Read "More from the Hot Air Department" from 02/09/2007 Digest of the Patriot Post
You can open these as they are safe. Couldn't resist passing these tunes along so see, I'm fair!
I hope you don't feel guilty about those Valentine Day flowers. Better ask where they came from before you buy them. Read this piece from NEWSBUSTERSIf the shoe fits wear it I guess from reading this article. Can you believe Harper's magazine says that overweight people driving SUV's are contributing to global warming? Read and Weep here.
Good thing I'm on a diet so I am doing my part, now on to looking for a new vehicle. No wonder so many drivers of SUV's have dark windows so you can't see who is driving. Oh, and I didn't buy any flowers for Valentine's Day.
If it wasn't enough already, the heavy snow zones of western New York will pile up more snow tomorrow. A report from the area here.
OFF TOPIC - What's Up Doc? You must of heard about the lady last October that was arrested in Hillsboro after police seized about 150 rabbits at the residence of Miriam Sakewitz and discovered another 100 dead ones in freezers. Her trial is pending however she sneaked into the facility where authorities had impounded the bunnies and stole them back. So police went out for yet another rabbit hunt in Washington state and got them back (must keep them for evidence you know.) She is back in the slammer (new charges). Now of course with this great escape, the bunnies were integrated again and it could prove interesting in about 29 days or so. It is costing tax payers about $200 a day to keep these rabbits in custody. This will be one to remember for the Hillsboro Police Department I'm sure. What gets me is the logic of spending public funds to keep these critters until her trail. Holding one or two or three rabbits is one thing but 150? And maybe a few hundred more on the way? This ordeal is multiplying by the day. I mean think of it. Couldn't the police just video tape these bunnies, footprint them and then dispose of them in some humane way? They certainly have enough good luck charms for the Washington County Prosecutor to win this animal abuse case. Gads! These bunnies have been under police care for months now and even the Easter bunny only comes around once a year. Enough is enough I say. Next they will be building a great wall to keep the bunnies out of Washington County. Hey, you know why they built the Great Wall of China don't you? Watch this short video clip.
MY Quote of the Day - "Some things are just hard to believe but so is the truth." - Pat Timm
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 10:00 PM,
We Can't Complain Here!
Monday, February 12, 2007
So we had a few raindrops the past few days, no big deal compared to the rest of the country. We'll see more raindrops especially Wednesday and Thursday. At least they are liquid and not frozen!NOWCAST - Could be some showers Tuesday but the heaviest rainfall this week is slated for later Wednesday and Thursday but of course the timing could be a bit off as usual. Anyway, rain then a day or two of mild and sunny weather Friday and Saturday where highs could be in the 60's!
FORECAST - Tonight: Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s. Southeast wind to 10 mph this evening then light wind.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers. Highs in the lower 50s. Light wind...becoming southwest to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tuesday night: Decreasing clouds. A slight chance of showers in the evening. Lows in the mid to upper 30s light wind..
Wednesday: Rain. Highs around 50. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph...except east 10 to 20 mph near the Columbia gorge.
Wednesday night: Rain. Lows in the mid 40s. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Rainy Wednesday and Thursday clearing Friday and nice Saturday with continued mild temperatures. Temperatures 35-65 degrees.
OUTCAST - So much to talk about in the weather department in the rest of the country not much to write home about locally.
Mount Washington Weather click here.
(It was minus 18 degrees with 80 mph winds at 5 pm Monday Pacific Time)
Big Valentine's Day winter storm developing across the country click here.
Heavy snow fall reports from western New York click here.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani endorses global warming click here.
February 19, 2007
Monday, 7 pm
Flavia Salon, Marylhurst campus
Free and open to the public
Free parking
The Science Department at Marylhurst University presents a free public talk about one of the most important places on Earth – the earth’s south polar regions.
Titled Antarctica and Global Warming or Why We Don’t Want the South Pole to Melt, the lecture is being given by Christina Hulbe, Ph.D. Dr. Hulbe is a glaciologist from Portland State University. She spent the months of October, November and December in Antarctica and will share her experiences working in one of the coldest places on earth. Her research is focused on monitoring and modeling of ice sheet break ups.
Dr. Hulbe will explore questions about the Antarctic in light of global warming:
- Is global warming melting Antarctica?
- Are the ice sheets breaking up?
- Is this irreversible?
- Why is the ice important?
- Should the penguins be worried?
- Should the rest of us be worried?
Marylhurst University
17600 Pacific Highway (Hwy 43) /Marylhurst, OR 97036-0261
Phone: 503.636.8141 / Toll-free: 800.634.9982 /
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 4:53 PM,
Weekend Edition - El Nino Pattern Continues and the Snow Piles up Back East With More on the Way
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Standing tall on North Dakota snow, a March blizzard nearly buried utility poles. Caption jokingly read "I believe there is a train under here somewhere!" If the snows keep falling in western New York, we could see similar pictures as the drifts pile up. This photo was taken on March 9, 1966 at Jamestown, North Dakota by Bill Koch, ND Hwy Dept. Courtesy of Dr. Herbert Kroehl, NGDCNOWCAST - Our El Nino type pattern continues as weather systems split off the coastline with most energy heading south and wrap around moisture reaching us with lighter rainfall amounts. Light rain or showers with seasonal to above temperatures are on tap all next week.
FORECAST - Tonight: Showers. Lows 40 to 45. East wind 10 to 15 mph except 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph near the Columbia gorge..decreasing late.. Sunday: Chance of showers. Highs around 50. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Sunday night: Showers likely. Lows around 40. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming light after midnight. Monday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Highs around 50. South wind 5 to 10 mph. SEVEN DAY TREND - Periods of light rain or showers with dry periods as well. Temperatures 35-55 degrees.
OUTCAST - This photo by the AP shows the snow to be quite deep in western NY with some communities reporting ten feet of snowfall with 2-4 feet more expected over this weekend before all is said and done. Officials are running out of places to put all that snow and are hauling truckloads of th
e white stuff to vacant lots and dumping it. some of these man made mountains of snow could reach 75 feet high! Enough to last a good share of the summer. Some folks say this rivals the blizzard of 1966. Residents of these lake effect snows usually deal with 5-6 feet of snow with no problem but this is too much! First Alaska had too much snow which caused big problems for Anchorage a while back and now this. I watched a National Geographic show the other day and they said we could be about ready to enter another big cool down or ice age caused by . . . global warming! As the ice melts the ice at the north pole, the cold water flows south to the equator causing severe weather patterns, this deep cold water affects the global conveyor belt thermohaline circulation . Not to be caught up in the global climate change 
alarm that is blaring right now as this has occurred in the past long before man walked these parts. The program said volcanic eruptions and the earth's not so perfect orbit around the sun can cause great swings in temperatures on the planet. Bottom line is that there will be more severe weather events caused by these natural changes in our climate. Man should worry and take care of more immediate issues troubling our society.On the down side of things, thanks to Al Gore and company, the way children are taught about climate are changing, at least in England. read this:
Reading, Writing, and Global Warming for British Students
By Kevin McCandless
CNSNews.com Correspondent
February 09, 2007
London (CNSNews.com) - Students at state-funded schools in Britain will learn about global warming, the government announced this week -- and former Vice President Al Gore's provocative views on the issue will get maximum exposure.
As part of the new school curriculum for 11- to 14-year-olds, the government said students will be taught about how the earth's climate is changing and about the importance of "sustainable development."
(Other new subjects being introduced include Arabic and Mandarin, healthy cooking and the history of Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.)
A government spokeswoman said Friday that all state schools and all faith-based school getting state funding -- most of them do -- are required to follow the curriculum. Private schools are "strongly encouraged" to do so.
A spokesman for the UK government's Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) told Cybercast News Service that under the new plan, teachers will not be given a set number of hours each week to teach about global warming.
The new curriculum is a guideline, which individual schools and teachers will use in the formation of their lesson plans, he said.
For example, a class might take a field trip to the hills of north Wales and study the evidence of previous ice ages to be found in the rocks there. From this, he said, students will learn firsthand about how the earth's temperature has changed through the ages.
Although many scientists still question the extent of the climate-change threat - and whether human activity plays a role in it -- the spokesman called it an "uncontentious issue" and said the "evidence was already in."
The National Union of Teachers warned this week that students might be overloaded from the new curriculum, but the QCA spokesman said he doubted there would be many complaints over the global warming classes.
"Not from parents," he said. "Not on an issue like this. The controversial issues in the English school system are sex, drugs, alcohol, and religion."
In addition to the new curriculum, the government also announced that it will send a copy of Gore's global warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, to every high school in England.
The movie charges that the global environment has been drastically changed by the burning of fossil fuels and suggests in a variety of ways how viewers can change their behavior to save the planet.
Government ministers said the debate on global warming had been settled and that by watching Gore's documentary, young students will be inspired to live less environmentally damaging lives.
"Children are the key to changing society's long-term attitudes to the environment," Education Minister Alan Johnson said. "Not only are they passionate about saving the planet, but children also have a big influence over their own families' lifestyles and behavior."
The Gore documentary will form part of a year-long environmental program in state schools, although the QCA spokesman said it was not part of the new curriculum.
Politics questioned
Greenpeace and the British Green Party applauded the move but the conservative U.K. Independence Party charged that it violated education laws which prohibited the airing of partisan political views in schools.
"This is political propaganda at its worst," said deputy party leader David Campbell Bannerman. "The climate change argument is ongoing and for the government to sponsor one side of the debate is a disgrace."
In recent months, European critics of the film have charged that Gore exaggerates and distorts facts in his films to fit his argument.
For example, Danish writers such as Flemming Rose and Bjorn Lomborg -- the latter, the author of the Skeptical Environmentalist -- have attacked Gore for showing a sea-rise of 20 feet while the U.N.'s climate body has only postulated a rise of one foot over this century.
A spokesman for the government's environmental department brushed these concerns aside Thursday.
"We're not going to get into a discussion on the merits of the film," he said.
And the debate goes on - George Taylor (right) and Phil Mote (left) recently discussed their views on global climate change at OMSI. And no, George is not giving the peace sign or is he? Nice
gesture anyway.
Just goes to show you that there are always two sides to every issue. You have to decide for yourself based on the facts presented.BIG SNOWSTORM COMING? - AccuWeather is predicting a big snowstorm for the mid Atlantic states on Tuesday. Read their special report here.
THIS IS AWFUL - I can't leave you without showing you this video clip of a poor weather man back east. I will warn you it is three minutes long and you may not be able to stand it. Click here.
My Quote of the Day - " If you don't know which way to turn, turn to a friend for help." - Pat Timm
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 4:53 PM,
Same Old, Same Old
Thursday, February 08, 2007
NOWCAST - Not much new today as a low pressure system is off our coast to the southwest with most energy going into California. We'll get some rain from this on Friday and showers remain in the forecast for the next five days. There will be some sun breaks as well. Temperatures from the upper 30's to 40 and upper 40's to near 50 degrees the next five days.FORECAST - Tonight: Cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows around 40. East wind 5 to 15 mph. Near the gorge...east wind 10 to 20 mph increasing to 15 to 25 mph after midnight.
Friday: Rain likely. Highs 50 to 55. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.. Except east wind 15 to 30 mph near the gorge.
Friday night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows 35 to 40. East wind 5 to 10 mph...except east wind 15 to 25 mph near the gorge.
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 10:16 AM,
Global Climate Change - Predicting the Fallout in our Society
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Global Warming or Global Climate Change as I would say is really heating up even locally. Better check with your employer and see their stance on it before you are too outspoken as you may place your job in jeopardy. What is this country coming to anyways?
NOWCAST - More of the same, some clouds, chance of light rain, and sun breaks for the next several days. I could just copy yesterdays nowcast. Nothing to write home about.
FORECAST - Today: Rain likely. Highs around 50. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph...except east wind 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon near Troutdale. Tonight...showers likely. Lows around 40. South wind 10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Highs 50 to 55. Southeast wind 10 mph.
Thursday night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows around 40. East wind 10 to 15 mph.
OUTCAST - Oregon Governor is I'm sorry, a bit irrational over this global warming bit - Now Ted wants to take George Taylor out of the state climate business because Mr. Taylor expresses his scientific opinion on global climate change and it isn't the position of the state. The Governor said, "I just think there has to be somebody that says, 'this is the state position on this'." Well Mr. Kulongoski, I'm sorry but haven't YOU already said this a dozen times or so? Okay, just add the position to the other couple thousand of state employees you want to create. Are we going back to a dictator sate of government or what? Mr. Taylor is not alone, he has a few other comrades that are also in the governors hot seats in other states over their views.
KGW TV had an exclusive brief interview with the Oregon chief, see KGW
They also have a online survey whether Taylor should lose his title. As of Wednesday morning the results were running 7 to 1 against the governor. Cast your vote!
The Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine has this to say about man-caused global warming - for a video go to OISM.org
From the BBC News Desk -"Oily yellow and orange snowflakes fell over an area of more than 1,500sq km (570sq miles) in the Omsk region on Wednesday [31 Jan], Russian officials said. Chemical tests were under way to determine the cause, they said. Residents have been advised not to use the snow for household tasks or let animals graze on it."So far we cannot explain the snow, which is oily to the touch and has a pronounced rotten smell," said Omsk environmental prosecutor Anton German, quoted by the Russian news agency Itar-Tass on Thursday. "We are waiting for the results of a thorough test on samples."But Vladimir Gurzhey, an official with the civil defense ministry in Omsk, told the Russia TV channel that the snow had four times the normal levels of iron in it. The TV also reported that colored snow had fallen in the neighboring regions of Tomsk and Tyumen. Omsk, in western Siberia, is a center of Russia's oil industry. About 27,000 people live in the areas affected by the snow, Russian officials said."
MY thought is that it was fallout from the old Iron Curtain! Ha!
MY Quote of the Day - "Funny that those of us against man-caused global warming are now the hotheads." - Pat Timm
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 9:55 AM,
Buy Two, Get One Free
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Temperatures to 42 degrees below zero in Minnesota and heavy lake effect snows in New York. Could it get any worse? Read the cold weather headlines, just click on Wxnation .NOWCAST - More of the same, clouds, sun breaks and light rain. By Friday we could get a bit heavier rain and finally get rid of this inversion with snow in the ski areas. No cold nor snow for the lowlands any time soon.
FORECAST - Tonight: Mostly cloudy. A slight chance of showers in the evening...then a chance of rain after midnight. Lows around 40. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Rain likely. Highs around 50. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday night: Showers likely. Lows around 40. South wind 10 mph.
SEVEN DAY TREND - Clouds and periods of rain with near seasonal highs and above seasonal lows. Highs 48-55 and lows, 38-45.
OUTCAST - Climate Prediction Center extended forecast for the Pacific Northwest:
The Climate Prediction Center's outlook for February-March-April is for a greater than 33% chance of warmer temperatures than normal for western Washington and central and western Oregon, and a greater than 40% chance of warmer than normal temperatures in Idaho, eastern Washington, and eastern Oregon. The precipitation forecast is for a greater than 33% chance of drier than normal conditions in Idaho. The temperature forecast is typical of a warm ENSO episode. The forecasts should be interpreted as the tilting of odds towards warmer and drier conditions, and not viewed as a guarantee.
Make mine baloney and cheese please- This is from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page - The latest U.N. report shows the "warming" debate is far from settled.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Last week's headlines about the United Nations' latest report on global warming were typically breathless, predicting doom and human damnation like the most fervent religious evangelical. Yet the real news in the fourth assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) may be how far it is backpedaling on some key issues. Beware claims that the science of global warming is settled.
The document that caused such a stir was only a short policy report, a summary of the full scientific report due in May. Written mainly by policymakers (not scientists) who have a stake in the issue, the summary was long on dire predictions. The press reported the bullet points, noting that this latest summary pronounced with more than "90% confidence" that humans have been the main drivers of warming since the 1950s, and that higher temperatures and rising sea levels would result.
More pertinent is the underlying scientific report. And according to people who have seen that draft, it contains startling revisions of previous U.N. predictions. For example, the Center for Science and Public Policy has just released an illuminating analysis written by Lord Christopher Monckton, a one-time adviser to Margaret Thatcher who has become a voice of sanity on global warming.
Take rising sea levels. In its 2001 report, the U.N.'s best high-end estimate of the rise in sea levels by 2100 was three feet. Lord Monckton notes that the upcoming report's high-end best estimate is 17 inches, or half the previous prediction. Similarly, the new report shows that the 2001 assessment had overestimated the human influence on climate change since the Industrial Revolution by at least one-third.
Such reversals (and there are more) are remarkable, given that the IPCC's previous reports, in 1990, 1995 and 2001, have been steadily more urgent in their scientific claims and political tone. It's worth noting that many of the policymakers who tinker with the IPCC reports work for governments that have promoted climate fears as a way of justifying carbon-restriction policies. More skeptical scientists are routinely vetoed from contributing to the panel's work. The Pasteur Institute's Paul Reiter, a malaria expert who thinks global warming would have little impact on the spread of that disease, is one example.
U.N. scientists have relied heavily on computer models to predict future climate change, and these crystal balls are notoriously inaccurate. According to the models, for instance, global temperatures were supposed to have risen in recent years. Yet according to the U.S. National Climate Data Center, the world in 2006 was only 0.03 degrees Celsius warmer than it was in 2001--in the range of measurement error and thus not statistically significant.
The models also predicted that sea levels would rise much faster than they actually have. The models didn't predict the significant cooling the oceans have undergone since 2003--which is the opposite of what you'd expect with global warming. Cooler oceans have also put a damper on claims that global warming is the cause of more frequent or intense hurricanes. The models also failed to predict falling concentrations of methane in the atmosphere, another surprise.
Meanwhile, new scientific evidence keeps challenging previous assumptions. The latest report, for instance, takes greater note of the role of pollutant particles, which are thought to reflect sunlight back to space, supplying a cooling effect. More scientists are also studying the effect of solar activity on climate, and some believe it alone is responsible for recent warming.
All this appears to be resulting in a more cautious scientific approach, which is largely good news. We're told that the upcoming report is also missing any reference to the infamous "hockey stick," a study by Michael Mann that purported to show 900 years of minor fluctuations in temperature, followed by a dramatic spike over the past century. The IPCC featured the graph in 2001, but it has since been widely rebutted.
While everyone concedes that the Earth is about a degree Celsius warmer than it was a century ago, the debate continues over the cause and consequences. We don't deny that carbon emissions may play a role, but we don't believe that the case is sufficiently proven to justify a revolution in global energy use. The economic dislocations of such an abrupt policy change could be far more severe than warming itself, especially if it reduces the growth and innovation that would help the world cope with, say, rising sea levels. There are also other problems--AIDS, malaria and clean drinking water, for example--whose claims on scarce resources are at least as urgent as climate change.
The IPCC report should be understood as one more contribution to the warming debate, not some definitive last word that justifies radical policy change. It can be hard to keep one's head when everyone else is predicting the Apocalypse, but that's all the more reason to keep cool and focus on the actual science.
ME AGAIN - The items mentioned in this editorial are those that the IPCC DOES NOT report and those that they do not want the public to know about. The IPCC knows less of man's contributions to the global climate change than they know what lies beneath the vast ocean floors.
MY Quote of the Day - "What is: 'the first thing you know and it's over?' - a vacation." - Pat Timm
-- posted by Pat Timm @ 5:53 PM,
60 Degrees Today? Milder, Wetter, February Weather Headed Our Way
Monday, February 05, 2007
We went from a red sunrise Saturday followed by several hours of light rain to a red sunset Sunday to be followed by fair weather on Monday. Sunday I recorded 59 degrees, could we reach 60 degrees Monday? More rain is on tap for this week.
NOWCAST - Fair weather today and Tuesday and then clouds and rain are back in the forecast the remainder of the week. Could start as early as late Tuesday. Hard to pinpoint exact periods of rain but rain it will. Temperatures remaining mild with high freezing levels.
FORECAST - Monday: Partly sunny. Areas of fog in the morning. Highs 55 to 60. Light wind...except east wind 10 to 20 mph near the gorge.
Monday night: Partly cloudy in the evening...then mostly cloudy with areas of fog after midnight. Lows 35 to 40. Light wind except east 10 to 15 mph near the gorge.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. Areas of fog in the morning. A slight chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs around 50 light wind..
Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows around 40. East wind 10 to 15 mph.
OUTCAST - Okay the fallout from last Friday's IPCC report about global warming is causing quite a stir. Remember what I said in my point of view that we are all going to pay for it? Well, it certainly didn't take long for officials to start talking about how to pay for it. Read this article issued from the Seattle Times a day later on Saturday: Seattle Times
Here is a piece from the Washington State Climatologist's web site (link is on my blog side bar):
"The world is unquestionably warming - the more difficult question to answer is whether human activity (chiefly the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas) is responsible. Dozens of scientific studies have demonstrated that the increase in globally averaged temperature since about 1950 cannot be explained as a natural cycle or the result of changes in solar output or cosmic rays or volcanoes, but can be explained as a result of rising greenhouse gases. For detailed answers see realclimate.org. On smaller scales like eastern or western Washington, though, it is not yet possible to show conclusively that the observed warming is a result of human activity, though it is unlikely natural causes can explain all of the observed warming."
Notice the disclaimer in the last sentence? Is this over the hedge or what? If you wish to read about what that means for us check out this link at the Climate Impacts Group.
First off I want to be sure we all understand that most everyone myself included, agree that we are in a warming period of climate change. The debate is whether man is the main cause of it. To that end
, I will report and place links to both sides of the debate rather than be one sided and let you decide. Either way, there is some interesting reading affecting the Pacific Northwest with potential outcomes if things continue to warm up at the above link .For those of you older enough you may remember back in the 1960's and 1970's officials were talking about a pending cool down in climate and perhaps a mini ice age coming our way. They said if we didn't clean up air pollution especially over our cities gloom and doom was on the horizon. You may remember those stinking black smoke polluting buses and trucks and stinky car exhaust. By the mid 1970's we placed catalytic converters on vehicles, switched to unleaded gas, put scrubbers on industrial smoke stakes etc. Well, now that we have all these clean running vehicles, we are headed into a massive warm up. Instead of global cooling we have global warming. Do some web searching and you can read articles and reports from this time era. They was saying the opposite then folks.
January rainfall from around the local area:
Let us review just how wet it was from your friends and neighbors around the region for January. Vancouver Pearson field measured 3.26 inches and I recorded 3.59 inches here in north Salmon Creek; Dan Hein, north Camas, 4.84 inches;