October Storms & Winter Weather Forecast

Does October Snow Signal A Wild Winter Ahead?

by Brett Israel
Date: 01 November 2011 Time: 06:05
october 2011 snowstorm
Snowtober’s wrath, seen from space.
CREDIT: NOAA/NASA

Between a second impending snowstorm in Denver and last weekend’s ‘Snowtober’ storm in the Northeast, there’s been a lot of early show across the United States. With so much snow so soon, it may seem like we’re in for a long, snowy winter. But don’t panic yet,weather forecasters say.

“There’s no correlation or patterns that we’re aware of that correlate October snow storms and how brutal a winter will be,” said Carl Erickson, meteorologist with AccuWeather.

Erickson said this winter’s forecast shows the main storm track focusing more to the west than last season. The big cities along the I-95 corridor should see a fairly typical winter, with a few big snow events, but nothing like two years ago where the East Coast had big snowstorms every few weeks. This year the Great Lakes region, including Chicago and much of Indiana will see the heavy snows

Unfortunately, the Southwest and Southern Plains aren’t likely to see any relief from the extreme drought conditions they have experienced this year, with warmer and drier than normal conditions expected to continue through the winter.

As a result of the Snowtober storm, more than 2 million people lost power and the storm has been blamed for at least 13 deaths. New York City set an October snow record with 2.9 inches (7.4 centimeters) accumulating, and towns in western Massachusetts piled up more than 30 inches (76 cmof snow.

The historic nor’easter was the remnants of a storm that brought an October snow oddity to Denver earlier last week. The city went from a record daily high of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) to several inches of snow in 24 hours.

For the Frontal Range, the October snow, as wild of a weather swing as it was, isn’t all that unusual, said Matthew Kelsch, a hydrometeorologist at the University Corp. of Atmospheric Research, in Boulder, Colo.

And that wild weather swing that is repeating today.

“Now we’re seeing much of the east quieting down and more activity firing up across the Rockies,” Erickson told OurAmazingPlanet.

The latest storm is already moving through the region today (Nov. 1). Snow is starting to accumulate in Wyoming and a blizzard warning has been issued for the south side of Denver tonightThe temperature was 74 F (23 C) yesterday and now the region is expecting 10 inches (25 cm)of snow.

“That’s the continental climate for you,” Kelsch said.

from:    http://www.livescience.com/16828-october-snow-signal-wild-winter.html

Mt. Ranier Rock Slides

Huge rock avalanches rumble down Mount Rainier

Some of the biggest rock avalanches in years have been roaring off Mount Rainier the past several days, kicking up billowing clouds of dust and propelling rivers of muddy debris nearly two miles down the volcano’s flanks.

By Sandi Doughton

Seattle Times science reporter

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A large rock/snow slide is photographed on Mount Rainier, originating above the Nisqually Glacier and traveling nearly two miles.

Enlarge this photoSpecial to The Seattle Times / A. Blagoveshchenskaya and F. Kaye

A large rock/snow slide is photographed on Mount Rainier, originating above the Nisqually Glacier and traveling nearly two miles.

Some of the biggest rock avalanches in years have been roaring off Mount Rainier the past several days, kicking up billowing clouds of dust and propelling rivers of muddy debris nearly two miles down the volcano’s flanks.

No one has been injured, but one group of climbers fled as dust descended on their tent after a rockfall Saturday afternoon.

“From my standpoint of looking at the mountain for 20 years, we’ve probably had rockfalls like this once every five or 10 years,” said Stefan Lofgren, lead climbing ranger for Mount Rainier National Park.

Since Friday, at least three major rockfalls and several smaller ones have sloughed off the rocky ridge called Nisqually Cleaver, at an elevation of about 12,800 feet. The one that let loose Saturday afternoon was the biggest.

to read more, go to:    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015453613_rainier29m.html