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Winter makes its first appearance
Published Monday, October 27, 2008
Photo by Trisha Marczak
Mildred Miller braves the wind Sunday as she shovels the sidewalk in front of Miller’s Radio and TV on Lincoln Avenue in Fergus Falls. A winter weather belt veered farther west than anticipated, causing blizzard-like conditions and dumping a couple inches of snow in the Fergus Falls area.
Fergus Falls residents were in for a surprise Sunday, as high winds and 2 inches of snowfall put to rest the idea of a prolonged autumn season.
The National Weather Service out of Grand Forks, N.D., had predicted weekend snowfall for northern portions of Minnesota — but initial readings indicated storms would veer east.
“We were expecting these kinds of winter and hazardous conditions,” said meteorologist Tom Grafenauer, “but we weren’t expecting the location to be that far west.”
The switch in the forecast had many Fergus Falls residents wondering what happened.
“The energy from Canada was just a bit further west than what the indications were from the guidance that we use,” Grafenauer said. “Sometimes the observation that works up there isn’t as dense as we would like it to be.”
The National Weather Service recorded two inches of snowfall Sunday in the Fergus Falls area, but Grafenauer admits those numbers could vary depending on the exact location.
“Those early season precipitation events are tricky, because sometimes some areas will be rain and some will be snow,” he said.
A wind advisory was initially issued for the Fergus Falls area Sunday morning around 4 a.m.
When it was apparent that the path of the storm had switched previously-predicted directions, a winter weather advisory was issued around 9:30 a.m., which remained effective until 7 p.m. Sunday.
Grafenauer says warmer temperatures throughout the week will likely cause snow to melt, with temperatures expected to reach 60 by Thursday.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by davieboy (anonymous) on October 27, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So was anyone else a little surprised when they opened their blinds on Sunday Morning? Was it a happy surprise? I couldn't help it, but 15 seconds after I woke up Sunday morning.........I broke a commandment......I didn't keep the Lord's Day holy for about 10 words. I did recover and tried to salvage the rest of the day, but I was a little upset. You see, when I went to bed at 3:30am Sunday morning, there was a High Wind Advisory and a 20% chance for snow showers for Sunday. That's not what I saw when I woke up.
"Those early season precipitation events are tricky, because sometimes some areas will be rain and some will be snow.” Ok, I'll give them that one.........but what's their excuse for the rest of the year? Can you imagine any other profession where you can get your work right about 50% of the time and still have a job... especially where it involves life and death? People base travel plans on the Weather Gazers "Predicions". For those of us who live in this neck of the woods, accurate weather forecasts are a must. If you happened to be on the road based on Saturday nights predictions and found the storm had switched because:" “Sometimes the observation that works up there isn’t as dense as we would like it to be.” HUH???? You could have been in a real mess. I'm 57 years old. I grew up in a time that if the Weather People said it was going to storm for 3 days.......it did. There weren't approximately 150 Doppler radar sites spread throughout the country that covered 250 miles in every direction....but they still managed to get it right. It would appear that the only denseness that is involved here is on the part of todays "Forecasters". It sure must be easy to become a meteorologist these days because they're everywhere. Noone's a "weatherman [or woman] anymore....they're all meteorologists. Maybe they should just go back to using the Farmers Almanac. We all might be better off. By the way.....today's forecast calls for about 10 hours of daylight, followed by an extended period of darkness. Lets see them goof that one up.
Posted by currentresident (anonymous) on October 27, 2008 at 1:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What's even more un-nerving is that you will listen to one forecaster and their forecast is quite a bit different than some others. I have seen this on quite a few occasions. You would think they would be somewhat in sync.
Posted by SmartOne (anonymous) on October 27, 2008 at 3:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's one area where technology didn't help, it hurt!
Posted by davieboy (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 8:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Can't wait for the election to be over......Skip. Your add campaign is a real Pain!
Posted by TKay (anonymous) on October 28, 2008 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, I suppose the upside is that we were not told by the Mallas ad campaign that Skip could control the weather altho he was not surprised by the snow!
With you, davieboy looking forward to the election being done altho will the ad campaign end then??....who knows!
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