Brrr: Thanksgiving Week Record Cold, Snow, & Blizzards Across US Northwest… Will These Break Cold & Snowfall Records Set Last Winter? (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on November 24, 2010
Incoming snowstorm, Layton, Utah, Nov. 23, 2010 | Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt
More global cooling… the records being set for snowfall and cold in parts of the country may break those records for snowfall and cold that were set last year.
Travel warnings have been issued, so if you must drive in these areas, be extremely careful.
From Missoulian, Billings sees record snowfall:
BILLINGS – The National Weather service says a record amount of snow fell on Billings on Saturday.
Billings-based meteorologist Sean Campbell tells the Billings Gazette that a foot of snow fell on the city between midnight and 6 p.m., eclipsing the previous one-day record of 2.5 inches set in 2007.
Campbell says the storm covered most of Montana except for the northwest corner.
Red Lodge received 13 inches of snow on Saturday, and 20 inches fell a mile outside of Cooke City.
Cooke City and nearby Silver Gate also suffered power outages starting on Thursday when the storm moved in, and wintery driving conditions delayed repair crews trying to restore power on Saturday.
Poorly Timed Salt Lake City Blizzard | November 23, 2010
From KSL News, UHP stays busy trying to keep drivers safe during blizzard:
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Highway Patrol troopers were out in force Tuesday night in an effort to keep drivers safe during the blizzard.
Heavy snow and strong winds made visibility on the roads very low, but troopers say the silver lining was the fact that for the most part people listened to the warnings and stayed off the roads.
The I-80 corridor was one of the hardest hit areas and troopers stayed busy with single car accidents.
“It’s very difficult. I can barely see too far ahead of me. I can’t even see on and off ramps,” said Lt. Steve Winward with UHP. “We’ve had some pretty bad storms, but this is kind of the perfect storm with the wind and the white out conditions.”
From Utah Skier Online, Kirkwood Ski Resort Open for Thanksgiving with Record Snow:
KIRKWOOD, Calif. — After weeks of faithful pre-season “pray for snow” rituals and festivities, six feet of fresh snow has fallen over the weekend allowing Kirkwood Mountain Resort to open for the 2010/11 ski and ride season on Wednesday, Nov 24.
According to Kirkwood, Chairs 5 (Solitude) and 6 (Cornice Express) will be first to turn; Chairs 1 (Snowkirk) and 11 (The Reut) will follow suit as soon as conditions and snow safety allow, accessing an enormous amount of skiing and riding and beginner to expert terrain by Friday, Nov. 26.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort has been hit hard by the weather systems coming through the Sierra’s resulting in record snowfalls over the past four days. “I have been at Kirkwood for over 30 years and this is the most snow and best conditions we have ever had in November” states Dave Meyers, V.P. of Operation for Kirkwood Mountain Resort. “Skier and riders are in for exceptional powder conditions for opening day and throughout Thanksgiving weekend,” continues Meyers.
From Billings Gazette, Big, early snow has Wyoming ski resorts opening:
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A big, early snowfall — more than 100 inches already in some places — has Wyoming ski resort operators ecstatic and opening slopes in record time.
“There’s nothing you can do for a ski resort that’s better than snow, and we’re getting it this year,” said Jim Sullivan, general manager of the White Pine Ski Resort near Pinedale. “No amount of advertising or new equipment or whatever is going to make it better than snow.”
Grand Targhee Ski Resort in Teton County opened Saturday.
“This is the first time in the history of the resort that we’ve been able to open this early and keep the resort open through the week,” resort spokeswoman Shannon Brooks Hamby said.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort announced Tuesday that for the first time since it opened in 1966, it will have all its lifts and runs open for its first day of skiing this Saturday.
“It’s historic. We’ve never been able to do that in November,” spokeswoman Anna Olson said. “And we have an enormous amount of snow.”
Seattle’s KOMO4 Storm Special: Snow, Wind, Cold… & What’s Next | Nov. 23, 2010
From KOMO News, Tough travel day ahead as record cold sets in:
SEATTLE — It’s one of the busiest travel days of the year, but many people in Western Washington may still have trouble getting out of their neighborhoods.
Frigid arctic air set in over the region, meaning snow that fell on Monday wasn’t going anywhere. While most freeways and main arterial streets were clear, side streets throughout much of the Puget Sound area remain covered in ice.
In Kitsap County, more than 32,000 customers are still without power, and Puget Sound Energy had more than 90 crews scrambling to restore electicity.
The temperature dropped to 14 degrees early Wednesday at Sea-Tac Airport, breaking the old record of 16 from 1985, as arctic air put Washington in a deep freeze.
Other areas saw temperatures in the single digits, and the wind chill made it seem even colder.
Seattle officials said 17 trucks are still out spreading salt and the designated snow route roads were mostly bare and dry. Crews are also working to re-open roads closed by ice and snow.
From Associated Press, Storm shuts roads in Rockies; Utah blizzard looms:
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A hectic, hard-hitting storm shut down highways in Idaho and Wyoming and threatened much of Utah with a blizzard Wednesday as travelers in the Rockies dealt with canceled flights and windy, snow-covered roads a day before Thanksgiving.
Numerous schools, governments and businesses in Utah closed hours earlier than normal Tuesday because of the storm, with state traffic officials warning the evening commute could take four times longer than usual.
Highway officials told holiday travelers earlier in the day to get out of town now or risk being stranded on Thanksgiving.
The storm crippled much of the Pacific Northwest Monday and Tuesday, and at least three deaths in Washington state have been blamed on the storm, including a man struck and killed outside his car Monday night on snowy Interstate 5 in Tacoma.
Officials in Portland, Ore., also were investigating whether a man whose body was found along the Willamette River died from the cold.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for Utah, where Interstate 84 into Idaho and Interstate 15 were temporarily shut down in northern Utah because of windy, snowy conditions that led two tractor-trailers to jackknife and block traffic.
Even once the roads were reopened, visibility was still very limited there and elsewhere in the state as many commuters made their way home on snow-covered roads.
In the western part of Utah on Tuesday, empty eastbound semitrailers on Interstate 80 were being held near the Nevada line to prevent them from tipping over in the windy salt flats.
In Wyoming, a 40 mile-section of Interstate 80 near the Utah border was closed, and a large section of Interstate 15 in Idaho — from Idaho Falls to the Montana border — was also shut down.
In Seattle, icy roads kept airline crews from getting to the airport, and people who missed their flights because of the dangerous drive were trying to rebook on already crowded planes.
Of the nearly 300 flights scheduled to take off from Salt Lake City International Airport Tuesday evening, nine had been canceled, although it wasn’t immediately clear if all of those were caused by the storm.
From Miami Herald, Storm shuts roads in Rockies; Utah blizzard looms:
SALT LAKE CITY — A powerful snowstorm pummeled the Rockies on Wednesday, bringing white-out conditions to parts of the region and closing roads on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The hectic storm that buried Seattle in snow and shut down highways in Idaho, Wyoming and Utah earlier in the week was expected to push a strong cold front south and east across New Mexico, where wind speeds were to increase steadily through the morning. In northern Arizona, drivers were warned to prepare for wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph with drastically reduced visibility in blowing snow.
A blizzard warning was in effect for the Vail, Aspen and Telluride areas in Colorado, with six to 12 inches of snow forecast and winds gusting up to 60 mph in the forecast. The storm moved east to the Colorado mountains Wednesday, leaving northern Utah in frigid temperatures with little traffic on the roads after a night of 118 traffic collisions and 119 slide-offs, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Todd Johnson said.
“A lot of people heeded the message, stayed off the road and cut down on a lot of problems,” Johnson said Wednesday. “The crash figures – they’re not as high as I expected them to be.”
Reported on Monday by Idaho Press Tribune, Weather Service: Winter storm on its way, record cold to follow:
TREASURE VALLEY – The National Weather Service in Boise said a major winter storm is imminent, followed by record cold temperatures.
The storm warning begins at 5 p.m. today. There will be snow and blowing snow throughout the Treasure Valley and other areas of southern Idaho and Oregon. About 2-4 four inches of snow will accumulate in the valley and 5-10 inches in the mountains.
Sustained winds of 15-25 mph with gust up to 40 mph will create areas of blowing snow.
Snow and blowing snow will increase this evening. A strong cold front will pass through the Treasure Valley between midnight and 8 a.m. Tuesday, accompanied by the strongest wind and brief white-out conditions. Snow will taper off late Tuesday morning over the valley.
Roads will be slick and snow-covered and visibility will be low due to blowing snow. Cold and breezy conditions will cause below-zero wind chills late tonight and Tuesday.
About the author
Comments