Enjoy season 2 of Bill’s Vacation!

Bill’s Video Vacation Blog: Season 2

Last year it was Panama City Beach, FL. This year it’s Sunset Beach, NC. Join us on a daily basis through the Memorial Day weekend to see what Bill and the “rest of the crew” are up to!

From here on out, all Global Warming news, stories, videos will be posted here rather than on the website. This is in an effort to “clean up” MCWC a bit! Thanks!

From An Article Bill McMillan Wrote Feb. 28, 2008: “Let me first state that I’m certainly not disputing the fact that our planet is currently going through a warming stage.  The issue I have is with the whole idea that humans are sole to blame for this warming.  Sure, we’re not helping matters, but I certainly don’t believe we’re hurting matters nearly to the extent of what some (most of these “some” people are politicians and celebrities) want you to believe.  My take is that we’re in a climate cycle.  If one would actually do some research into the global warming subject, he or she would easily and quickly find out that our planet is notorious for going through NATURAL climate cycles.  Heck, most of the “pro” man made global warming fanatics out there only look at data 10, 50, or 100 years ago.  People, climate cycles began much earlier than some 100 years ago, how about trying 10,000 years ago and before??”

“Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for reducing litter, reducing the amount of CO2 (and other junk) that’s released into our atmosphere, and just taking a much better and more educated approach to keeping our wonderful planet clean.  I strongly encourage you, the viewer, to read all of the material out there on this subject- both FOR and AGAINST man made global warming (and believe you me, it would take YEARS to read all of it), but just make sure you pay attention to the source of where the information is coming from.  Chances are, if the material is from a politician or some sort of journalist trying to better his or her self financially, a lot of the facts may not be true.”

Denver Post link to Dr. Bill Gray’s Piece: Chill Out Over Global Warming

http://www.denverpost.com/harsanyi/ci_3899807

It’s AMAZING How Much False Information Is Out There:

When you have time please copy and paste this link into your web browser.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D91GE9LG0

I encourage you to read that piece. That said, you have to understand that a lot of the information in that article is FLAT OUT WRONG. Yesterday I posted a piece on the INCREASING sea ice around Antartica. Want some more TRUTHFUL information? The Earth has been cooling since the late 1990s (research this stuff folks, don’t just buy into the garbage that’s thrown our way by the majority of the media these days). Want some more TRUTHFUL information? The temperature pattern (and overall weather pattern) that we’ve experienced over the past couple decades is very similar to that experienced back in the 1930s and 40s.

BTW, here’s that link to the increasing sea ice.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=10302

Elevation And Temperature: Here in the southern Appalachians, elevation is key in the temperature department and, during the cold season months, resulting weather conditions. On average, for every 1k feet in elevation you gain, you lose 3 degrees off the old thermometer. Of course with radiational cooling events at night, valleys can feature colder conditions than the higher ridge tops, but on average, the higher in elevation one gets, the cooler the temperature!

Here in the southern Appalachian region, elevations range from as low as around 1k feet to close to 7k feet above sea level. More specifically, in Johnson County, lowest elevations are around the Butler community (Watauga Lake) with areas around 1700 feet above sea level, with highest elevations obviously directly along the divide, with Snake Mountain climbing close to 6,000 feet. You can do the math, but when forecasting in this area, various elevation differences certainly pose a challenge to the forecaster!

THAT SAID, if you think this area is tough forecasting, think about the Colorado Rockies! With elevations as low as 4k feet (I know, to most, 4,000 feet above sea level is considered quite high) in the high plains of the eastern part of the state, to as high as 14k feet in the southern and central Rockies, temperature and weather patterns are vastly different. During my stay in Breckenridge, typically there was a 20 degree temperature difference between Breckenridge and Denver- only 70 miles a part, but close to 5,000 feet difference in elevation, and a lot less “urban heat island” effects (more on that on another day).

Just thought I’d go into “professor mode” today for lunch, and educate those that might not understand the whole added challenge of temperature differences with elevation.�

Monday evening will mark a rather special night for those folks who love to watch The Weather Channel.  The company is set to debut it’s brand spankin’ new High Definition television set.  Along with the new set, it’s been reported that TWC will debut a brand new set of HD-friendly graphics, as well.

Now it’ll take some time for local cable companies to snatch up the new TWC HD, however, those with HD sets should begin recieving TWC-HD within this year.

Below is a link to further information from The Weather Channel on the new HD set.

http://www.weather.com/tv/studio/index.html?from=homepage_pp

I was blessed with the chance to live in Colorado for about 6 months last year- Breckenridge to be exact. During my time out there, it sure was interesting getting an opportunity to study the weather across such a rugged area. While weather forecasting in any location is certainly a challenge, trying to forecast the weather in the Rockies (directly along the continental divide) was particularly rough.

When you consider the fact that the eastern part of the state (roughly from Denver east to the KS border) is flat as a pancake, though high in elevation (around 5k feet on average) and the western half of the state features some of the most rugged mountains in the country (with elevations soaring close to 15k feet in some places), you have the makings for some “fun” forecasting and weather events.

I spoke with several friends from CO yesterday. At the same time tornadoes were dropping on the eastern half of CO, snow was flying in Breckenridge (the town sits at an elevation of 9600 feet), and accumulating! At the same time, of course, damaging tornadoes were wrecking havoc on the eastern communities, along with extremely large hail storms (baseball sized hail was reported). All in all, however, this was just another day in Colorado, and really not that out of the ordinary!

Below I’ve posted a few links to the rough weather that plagued “my second home” yesterday. If you get some time, read over these stories…some of the weather reports are quite impressive.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/22/colorado.tornado.video/index.html
http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=severe_reports_052208

http://icecap.us/images/uploads/ANURGENTSIGNALFORTHECOMINGICEAGE.pdf

Read if you dare (and if you have some time on your hands)! - Bet you won’t see this on The Weather Channel’s Planet Earth series, which brings me back to the whole problem I have with the Global Warming issue. The ENTIRE story should be told, not just the biased warmer belief.

Boy, I sure don’t like our timing with this weather pattern that we’ve been in for seemingly the last month or so.  I’m not sure when the last nice weekend was!  Oh well, while we’re not looking at a total wash out this weekend, conditions are certainly going to be far less than ideal!

Our first round of showers and embedded thunderstorms will move through the region during mainly the daytime hours Saturday.  Rainfall amounts of .25 to .50 are possible with round 1.

After a break in the precipitation Saturday evening into the majority of the daytime hours Sunday, a strong upper trough and associated strong cold front will crash in here Sunday evening, crossing the mountains around midday Monday.  Some strong storms and heavy rain should accompany this round of precipitation, with rainfall amounts of .5 to 1″ not uncommon across a large portion of the region.

Once the front passes through the mountains, a MUCH colder air mass will build in with falling PM temps. Monday.  I’m still looking at the possibility of some kind of upper level disturbance possibly providing some light precipitation to the region Monday evening, and if this is indeed the case, some of the precipitation could fall in the form of some light snow.  Of course, we’re not talking about any kind of accumulations, but it’ll be one heck of a change from the recent summer-like warmth!

The more serious news Monday night and Tuesday night will be the threat of a frost or freeze across the entire county.  Temperatures are likely headed for the 20s by Tuesday or Wednesday morning so definitely hold off on that gardening!

Askmen.com published a survey some time ago with the top 10 locations (across the globe) for the snow enthusiast. Of the 10 global top winter weather destinations, the following were located in the United States.

#10 Anchorage/ Fairbanks, AK: Ice Fishing, Dog Sledding, Ice Hockey, Skiing, and a variety of Winter Carnivals make this a popular destination.

#2 Vail, CO: Amazing amounts of terrain make this a winter haven for winter weather sports enthusiasts. The ski slopes are very diverse and the snow is great!

To me, a perfect winter weather destination would include two things. LOTS of snow, but a good bit of sunshine, as well. That’s why Breckenridge, CO (about 25 min. east of Vail, BTW) was so appealing to me. The town averages 300 inches of snowfall a year, however, also averages 300 days of sunshine each year. The combination of snow, sun, low humidity, and lack of icy precipitation makes this a spectacular location to spend a winter. If you ever have the chance to visit, definitely take advantage of it!

Not only do you have the popular winter weather sports of ice skating, snow shoeing, skiing, snow boarding, ice hockey, etc., but a variety of festivals make this a “happening” location all winter. The Budweiser Snow Sculpting competition is simply amazing. The Christmas and New Year’s celebrations throughout the town always get you in the holiday mood!

While the southeast, and southern Appalachian region in particular dealt with well below normal snowfall this season, other areas of the country have experienced a banner year in the snowfall department.  Of course, record snowfall accumulated in the upper Midwest, however, the Rocky Mountain communities have had a particularly snowy and cold time of things this season as well.

Below is an article out of the Summit Daily (Breckenridge, Colorado’s daily newspaper).  Check www.summitdaily.com for additional reports.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

SUMMIT COUNTY — As much as High Country locals love powder, this year’s combination of cold temperatures, gloomy skies and continuing April snowstorms have had a somewhat less than positive impact on the overall mood of the community.

“You hear it everywhere,” Breckenridge resident Guy Natanel said. “Even people who are hard-core winter enthusiasts are breaking.”

Local psychologist Dr. Bryan Austill agrees with Natanel’s observation.

“I’ve seen more Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) this year, and more severe episodes of depression in general,” he said.

According to Austill, several factors contributed to this year’s spike in negative mood. Regular sufferers of SAD are particularly susceptible to the decrease in light that naturally occurs with the brief days of winter. When the days shorten, their bodies produce more of the sleep hormone melatonin, rendering them sleepy throughout the day.

“They sleep much more. They feel like eating more carbohydrates and sugar, and they drink more alcohol,” he said.

Short days are only part of the problem, though, Austill added. Weather events such as frequent snowstorms only serve to reinforce feelings of helplessness and hopelessness — both major contributors to depression. Coupled with the potential social isolation encouraged by the dark and cold of winter, these feelings can be devastating to those predisposed to any kind of depression — seasonal or otherwise.

Normally, SAD symptoms start to clear up in the spring, when days lengthen and the sun emerges.

“People with SAD will simply feel better,” Austill said. “Even people with major depressive disorders tend to feel better as the sun comes out.”

In Summit County this year, however, the days may be getting longer, but the other features of winter have yet to ease up.

“It just feels that this winter is never-ending,” Natanel observed. “It’s depressing. You need the sun.”

Although not a sufferer of SAD, Natanel’s reaction to the recent spate of sunless days is reminiscent of a phenomenon seen by Austill in his practice: the attraction of Colorado’s usually sunny climate for those with problems with depression.

“I see people here with mood disorders who have moved out of gray climates — particularly the upper Midwest — in order to treat their symptoms,” he said. For these people, this year’s higher than usual number of gloomy days has been particularly challenging.

An unusual year
And it has been gloomy this year.

“No one measures actual sunshine,” Breckenridge weather-watcher Rick Bly admitted. The measurable precipitation numbers he’s been collecting for the past 30 years, though, give a pretty good indication of what’s been different about this year’s weather.

“Normally, between Oct. 1 and April 1 we see 50 days of measurable precipitation,” he said. This winter, precipitation occurred on 92 days — the equivalent of three straight months — during the same period.

In Bly’s opinion, unusually low temperatures exacerbated this nearly 100 percent increase in cloudy days. According to his readings, Breckenridge recorded only three days above freezing between Dec. 3 and Feb. 14.

“It seemed even more gloomy because of the cold,” he said.

This year’s snow amounts have also been out of the ordinary. With projected totals of around 180 inches, Bly expects 2007-2008 will turn out to be the eighth snowiest winter on record for Breckenridge. The last time the town experienced this much snow was in 1996 — the third snowiest year in history — when he measured 240 inches.

Breckenridge’s peak snow year occurred in 1898-1899, when 398 inches fell in town, with 120 inches in March alone.

Bly’s long-time weather focus has allowed him to put this year in perspective. While he acknowledged that unusual cold temperatures cost him customers in his retail business despite the above average snow, it could’ve been a lot worse.

“In 1980-81, we only got 57 inches of snow,” he said. “It was sunny and nice all winter, but it was depressing because a lot of people went broke.”

A different perspective
While he hasn’t seen an increase in actual SAD in his Breckenridge office, family practice physician Dr. Kendrick Adnan credits this year’s unusual snow accumulation with creating a general “crankiness” in his patients.

“I saw a lot of locals who love the skiing, but they’re sick of doing all the snow removal,” he said. “Some living up on Hoosier Pass are almost living in snow caves.”

In terms of the actual medical effects of the cold and snowy winter, Adnan says he’s seen more frequent and more severe upper respiratory infections, a “really bad” flu season, and, because of the frequency of low pressure weather fronts, an increased number of high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) cases.

“We saw seven HAPEs in one day this winter,” he said.

Adnan’s training in other modalities besides traditional Western medicine has given him a somewhat different attitude toward the long winter.

“In the West, we push, push, push,” he said. “We get cranky because we reject the seasons. In Chinese medicine, we try to embrace them. The dead of winter is the time to retreat and replenish our energy.”

Although generally philosophical about the weather, Natanel, like many locals, has had enough.

“We’re going to Moab this weekend,” he said. “Then next week we’ll go to Israel for a month. Hopefully the snow will be gone by the time we get back.”

Harriet Hamilton can be reached at (970) 668-4651, or at hhamilton@summitdaily.com.

Seasonal Affective Disorder facts
• First described by Hippocrates in the fifth century B.C.
• Officially named SAD in 1984
• Rarely seen south of the 30th parallel (which runs through Houston)
• About 5 percent of New York State residents and 10 percent of those living in Alaska suffer from some form of SAD
• Causes may include disruption of the body’s internal clock, an increase in production of the sleep hormone melatonin, and/or a drop in the body’s secretion of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin — all because of a decrease in sunlight
• Symptoms include depression, loss of energy, social withdrawal, oversleeping, carbohydrate craving, and weight gain
• Treatments include light therapy, exercise, getting outdoors, maintaining social involvement, and, of course, waiting for spring
• For more information on SAD, visit the Mayo Clinic’s website at www.mayoclinic.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder

StormTracker, Brandon Massey, was in western TN last week and took some photos of the horrific severe weather outbreak that slammed western TN in early February.  The damage is still evident, as you can see.  A bit later, we’ll post photos of the MS River flooding. 

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