West: Crazy weather report

Comment   Email   Print
Related Articles

By MIKE WEST

Talk about some crazy weather...
It's the New Year and spring is here. Or is it summer?
At any rate, the air conditioner was on most of the Christmas holiday week. While we managed to avoid most of the truly bad weather, it certainly was wet and stormy.
Typically this time of year, we are bundled up and wishing for warm weather. But while it was warm in Tennessee, it was snowing in Texas. So what's a feller gonna do?
I checked my Farmers Almanac and discovered all sorts of predictions dealing with Christmas week.
If there's thunder during Christmas week, the winter will be anything but meek.
That doesn't sound good.
If it rains on Christmas, there will be four weeks with no sun.
Yuck! That's depressing.
But most of the news from Farmers Almanac was good and uplifting.
A windy Christmas is a sign of a good year to come.
If there is much wind on Christmas Day, trees will bear much fruit.
A green Christmas brings a heavy harvest.
Yep, that is all good news.
Unfortunately on Monday (December 28), the cold , gloomy weather began to return.
So probably as 2016 wanders in, the weather will return to typical January conditions. Hopefully, I will be able to find my gloves and winter coat. (Surely I didn't toss them?) They're probably in the backseat of my car after I ditched them.
Wonder if it will snow this winter?
If Christmas day be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year.
Well anyway, wasn't that rare full moon pretty on Christmas Eve?
The nearer the New Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the winter.
Durn it!
We'll just have to wait and see what this winter will bring.
***
Ever notice how those lite and brite Christmas songs sound horrible after the holiday is past? Heck, I even enjoyed the TV spots featuring that little bearded goggle-head car dealer.
The same is true with those TV commercials that caught your attention before Christmas. You can't switch the channel quick enough. Or at least I can't. Give me that remote!
***
All of this rain, what would it have measured if the weather was freezing and the rain was snow?
That's an interesting question. Most of us have heard the old statement that one inch of snow would equal a foot of snow. Well that's not necessarily true.
The National Weather Service says on average, 13 inches of snow equals one inch of rain in the US, although this ratio can vary from two inches for sleet to nearly 50 inches for very dry, powdery snow under certain conditions.
On Christmas Day, Woodbury received 2.46 inches of rain. So when you throw in the national average that would equal nearly 32 inches of snow. You know what its like when we get 1 or 2 inches of snow in Middle Tennessee. The area is paralyzed. There's a rush for milk and loaf bread. Cars and trucks wreck left and right.
Now think what it would be like if we got 32 inches of powdery white stuff? We would be struck with winter paralysis. We would be stuck until good, ol' Tennessee weather flopped it around again.
Man-o-man, but can't you just imagine Snowmageddon in the Volunteer State.
Read more from:
OPINIONS
Tags: 
Mike West
Share: 
Comment   Email   Print
Powered by Bondware
News Publishing Software

The browser you are using is outdated!

You may not be getting all you can out of your browsing experience
and may be open to security risks!

Consider upgrading to the latest version of your browser or choose on below: