Weather By The Numbers 1/12/09

* 11.60 inches is how much rain Birmingham has received in the last six weeks. January, so far, 5.50 inches. We now have a surplus of 3.58 for 2009.

* 50+ mph is how strong the wind gusts are over North Kansas as the colder air pushes south. Someone coined the name “Alberta Clipper” for those fast moving cold front years ago and it became a household word. Out at the NWS at 11 West Oxmoor Road, Birmingham, we used to come up with other names on the midnight shifts. (Yes, I know this is silly) Some of those were:

Bismarck Bite
Winnipeg Windjammer
Fargo Freight Train
Wyoming Roamer

* 59 is how many cars, trucks and buses were in a big pileup on a Vermont interstate over the weekend due to ice and snow covered roads. They are supposed to know how to drive on snow and ice. I still get a chuckle when I think of the gentleman that moved to Birmingham about 25 years ago and volunteered for a local TV station to film him showing us how it is done during a snow and ice event here. He slid off Shades Crest Road in the first quarter mile.

* 80 inches! Poor Spokane. That is their snow score for this season so far. That is 55 inches above average. I have a brother-in-law who lives in Spokane. I need to call and see if his roof has caved in and interview him about the situation.

* 37 inches is the Chicago snow total so far this season. More than double what they should have by this time. Now they have a Blizzard Warning to contend with. It may start as early as midnight tonight and extend through late Wednesday night. They should get well over 1/2 foot of snow during the next several days. They will also suffer through some below zero temperatures and a wind chill as low as minus 20.

* 126 inches is how much snow good ole Marquette has received already. They are located in Upper Michigan on the South Shore of Lake Superior. They are known for their big winter snow totals. The Great Lakes, combined, form the world’s largest body of fresh water. Far more than Lake Purdy! Michigan became a state on January 26, 1837–the 26th state. Michigan population currently is 10,079,985.

* 51 below zero is the coldest official temperature ever recorded in Michigan. t was at Vanderbilt, Mich., on February 9, 1934.

* 113 degrees is the forecast high for Curtin, West Australia later this week. Remember, they are in mid-summer. Just had to throw that one into get your mind off cold and snow!

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