Winter: mild or harsh?

[Tiamat]

Are you one of those folks who can look at the squirrels hiding nuts, the geese's formations overhead, the thickness of the beaver's dams to know what the upcoming winter will be like? Any old fashioned, well versed mountain men and or women these parts? Any wagers? This last one was long on the wet stuff, short on the white stuff. I think I can live without too much white stuff though. Just a day or two for novelty factor, and then I'm good.

[Crone]

Are you one of those folks who can look at the squirrels hiding nuts, the geese's formations overhead, the thickness of the beaver's dams to know what the upcoming winter will be like? Any old fashioned, well versed mountain men and or women these parts? Any wagers? This last one was long on the wet stuff, short on the white stuff. I think I can live without too much white stuff though. Just a day or two for novelty factor, and then I'm good.

Sounds good to me, I'll drink to that.
I kinda like the wet stuff 'cause it makes for good waterfalls and full lakes.

[Tiamat]

It's the white stuff that fills the lakes and rivers eventually. But I'm a mere lowlander and don't have the same kind of weather issues others have to contend with.

[Scrapper]

I love the white stuff. Not so fond of the wet stuff. Prefer the sunshine.

[Queue]

Are you one of those folks who can look at the squirrels hiding nuts, the geese's formations overhead, the thickness of the beaver's dams to know what the upcoming winter will be like? Any old fashioned, well versed mountain men and or women these parts? Any wagers? This last one was long on the wet stuff, short on the white stuff. I think I can live without too much white stuff though. Just a day or two for novelty factor, and then I'm good.

You desribe last winter incorrectly.

I would describe it as a time lag. Peak snow AND rain was late (wettest and close to coldest March and April ever), and strange. It brought a late beginning of fire season. It dragged Spring starting into late May and perhaps even early June. Everything but the animals lagged so far this year.

It was followed by a late summer ... the hottest weather arriving in September.

What does that mean for next Winter. Not a damned thing. ODF is threatening to end the fire seson early!

Take it as it comes. Forecasters that brag use their last forecast to brag on.

[GoCometsGo]

I'm not sure what it will be like but whatever it is; wetter, drier, warmer, cooler or anything else that is even slightly out of the norm... it will be due to man-made global warming.

[Tiamat]

Are you one of those folks who can look at the squirrels hiding nuts, the geese's formations overhead, the thickness of the beaver's dams to know what the upcoming winter will be like? Any old fashioned, well versed mountain men and or women these parts? Any wagers? This last one was long on the wet stuff, short on the white stuff. I think I can live without too much white stuff though. Just a day or two for novelty factor, and then I'm good.

You desribe last winter incorrectly.

I would describe it as a time lag. Peak snow AND rain was late (wettest and close to coldest March and April ever), and strange. It brought a late beginning of fire season. It dragged Spring starting into late May and perhaps even early June. Everything but the animals lagged so far this year.

It was followed by a late summer ... the hottest weather arriving in September.

What does that mean for next Winter. Not a damned thing. ODF is threatening to end the fire seson early!

Take it as it comes. Forecasters that brag use their last forecast to brag on.

Nit Picker. OK, have it your way. Just wondering what folks thought about predicting.

[rainylady]

I think there is a Farmer's Almanac that people like to go by.

[Queue]

Are you one of those folks who can look at the squirrels hiding nuts, the geese's formations overhead, the thickness of the beaver's dams to know what the upcoming winter will be like? Any old fashioned, well versed mountain men and or women these parts? Any wagers? This last one was long on the wet stuff, short on the white stuff. I think I can live without too much white stuff though. Just a day or two for novelty factor, and then I'm good.

You desribe last winter incorrectly.

I would describe it as a time lag. Peak snow AND rain was late (wettest and close to coldest March and April ever), and strange. It brought a late beginning of fire season. It dragged Spring starting into late May and perhaps even early June. Everything but the animals lagged so far this year.

It was followed by a late summer ... the hottest weather arriving in September.

What does that mean for next Winter. Not a damned thing. ODF is threatening to end the fire seson early!

Take it as it comes. Forecasters that brag use their last forecast to brag on.

Nit Picker. OK, have it your way. Just wondering what folks thought about predicting.

I'll admit, I was just a tad outrageously PUI.

[oregon 67]

Indian Winter
It was October and the Indians on a remote reservation asked their new Chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a Chief in a modern society he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared. But being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"

"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold," the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared. A week later he called the National Weather Service again. "Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."

The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find. Two weeks later the Chief called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely," the man replied. "It's looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever."

"How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked.

The weatherman replied, "The Indians are collecting firewood like crazy."


I could not resist.

[rainylady]

That one was told on here before but it was nice to hear it again!

[Valuesize]

Snowsports Industries Association Forecast for the 2011-12 Season

LA NIÑA IS BACK! 2011/2012 WEATHER OUTLOOK
La Niña has returned! La Niña is the weather condition that brought us an epic winter last season resulting in record sales and participation. On September 8th, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that La Niña conditions were back after a four month hiatus and were expected to strengthen throughout the 2011/2012 winter. The coming winter may not be a carbon copy of last season, which brought in almost 30% higher than average snowfall and had enough snow on the 4th of July to gain 50,000 skier/rider visits, but it is excellent news for most regions. Generally speaking, a La Niña winter brings an active northern Pacific storm track with a less active southern Pacific storm track. But persistent storminess in the Northwest and Northern Rockies could result in the threat of flooding in lower elevations and enough mountain snow, when combined with temperature fluctuations, to result in a deep and unstable snow pack.

Pacific Northwest – Lower than average temperatures and higher than average precipitation again this winter. This region will get a wealth of snow this winter as La Niña drives colder temperatures and moisture off of the Pacific resulting in higher than average snowfall.

http://www.mtashland.com/News.asp?NewsID=260

[Crone]

We'd better start stacking up more firewood!

[Wonky]

We'd better start stacking up more firewood!

Not to worry Crone, darlin'.
The acorns at my place are small, greener that usual, and not falling in the amounts of previous years. Mild winter. Count on it. (Just don't bet any money)

[Crone]

We'd better start stacking up more firewood!

Not to worry Crone, darlin'.
The acorns at my place are small, greener that usual, and not falling in the amounts of previous years. Mild winter. Count on it. (Just don't bet any money)

That's good!
I'm a winter lover myself...as long as we have provisions laid in.

[PonderThis]

Not to worry Crone, darlin'.
The acorns at my place are small, greener that usual, and not falling in the amounts of previous years.

Not much reason for a tree to put energy into making seeds when it knows we're in for catastrophic weather.

[Wonky]

We'd better start stacking up more firewood!

Not to worry Crone, darlin'.
The acorns at my place are small, greener that usual, and not falling in the amounts of previous years. Mild winter. Count on it. (Just don't bet any money)

That's good!
I'm a winter lover myself...as long as we have provisions laid in.

My ex-wife was laid in a few times.
I asked her once if she was Irish and she said no but she had a little German in her once.
...only with her friends. Didn't have any enemies.
But one hell of a fine mother. Turned out to be even a better grandmother.
I credit it all to my time with her teaching her how to use a knife and folk.

[Tiamat]

I think there is a Farmer's Almanac that people like to go by.

A lot of people differe over the Falmers Almanac, when it chose to stop using the wisdom and knowledge of old timers, patterns and indicators, and went to the main US weather system calcualated by Noa and other programs and give essentially a prettified, 21.st century version of an 18th century version of prediton and forecaste, but market in some old timey wrapping.

[Crone]

My ex-wife was laid in a few times.
I asked her once if she was Irish and she said no but she had a little German in her once.
...only with her friends. Didn't have any enemies.
But one hell of a fine mother. Turned out to be even a better grandmother.
I credit it all to my time with her teaching her how to use a knife and folk.

OMG.....Good one, Wonk!
I wonder if I had that same little German!

[chuck white]

It will be a dark winter
Lots of wind