Spring Imitates Winter [Tulsa, Oklahoma Snowstorm]

By KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writer
Published: 3/21/2010 2:28 AM
Last Modified: 3/21/2010 4:12 AM

Less than 24 hours after Tulsans saw temperatures rise to 73 degrees on Friday, spring arrived Saturday with hour after hour of rain, sleet, snow and wind.

Before it all ends Sunday evening, the blanket of snow covering the area could be 8 to 10 inches deep, forecasters said Saturday. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for northeastern Oklahoma until 7 p.m. Sunday.

"It may be a little later than we will typically see this amount of snow," said Craig Sullivan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tulsa. "But we saw 9 inches of snow on March 28 last year."

Sullivan said the drastic change in weather from Friday to Saturday was the result of a strong cold front from Canada meeting up with a strong low-pressure system that drew moisture from the south.

"This still being fairly early in the season, it (a cold front) doesn't have too much trouble getting too far south this time of year," he said.

The Tulsa area received 3 to 5 inches of snow by about 8 p.m. Saturday, with another surge in snowfall expected overnight and into Sunday afternoon. The precipitation will be heavier to the northeast, but about 8 inches total is likely for the weekend in Tulsa, with more possible, meteorologist Steve Anburn said.

The snowfall should wrap up Sunday evening, and the weather will return to more normal conditions Monday.

"Monday, this should be pushing out of the area, and we can see mostly sunny skies with temperatures rebounding into the mid-50s," said David Jankowski, another meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa.

One weather-related fatality was reported in Logan County, when the driver of a car with five passengers lost control on Interstate 35. Cheyanne Rhodes, 7, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, according to a report from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The driver was also distracted by a cell phone at the time of the accident, according to the report.

By early Saturday evening, OHP had responded to 165 crashes around the state — 55 of which involved injuries. OHP officials also went to about 500 vehicles that slid off roadways because of the snowy conditions.

Conditions worsened rapidly Saturday night as bridges began to freeze. All interstates were deemed "extremely slick" and hazardous by about 8 p.m., according to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety.

Tulsa Police reported more than 20 weather-related accidents through Saturday afternoon with a handful involving injuries.

Cpt. Paul Fields said officers were responding only to injury accidents and hit-and-runs and that traffic seemed to lessen by mid-afternoon.

About 30 non-injury accidents occurred on state highways in the Tulsa area, said Lt. George Brown of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Another three to five accidents involved minor injuries.

Emergency crews in Tulsa were busier than usual from about 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. EMSA workers treated 14 people injured in car wrecks and four people who fell on slick surfaces, spokeswoman Tina Wells said.

Eight city trucks began clearing streets Saturday morning with an emphasis on bridges, which tend to freeze first.

By late afternoon, the total number of snow plows and sand trucks had reached 45.

"We will work until it's finished," said Darren Stefanek, manager of street maintenance for the Public Works Department. "I anticipate going into the evening Sunday, if everything unfolds the way we are told it is going to."

Meanwhile, at Tulsa International Airport, passengers were met with delays but few cancellations.

"We had a few cancellations, but for the most part flights are operating," Alexis Higgins, spokeswoman for the Tulsa Airport Authority, said Saturday afternoon. "At this point I think four or five flights were canceled, and some of those were caused by weather outside of Tulsa."

Oklahoma remained under a state of emergency Saturday evening. The declaration was made in advance of the winter storm late Friday.

This has been a bad winter, and the numbers bear it out. As of midnight Friday, before the current frozen precipitation began, 17.1 inches of snow had fallen in Tulsa this winter. That’s the seventh-largest annual snowfall in Tulsa since the National Weather Service began keeping such records.

But we’ve still got a ways to go if we’re going to catch the year 1921, when 22.6 inches of snow fell in the city.

If we end up with the 10 inches of snow that forecasters are predicting, 2010 would be a record-breaking year.

Flaky Weather

The Weather Channel lists OKC in the Top 10 of U.S. bad-winter cities.

By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Published: 3/19/2010 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 3/19/2010 4:58 AM

With nearly 21 inches of snow already recorded this winter season, Oklahoma City was among the Weather Channel's 10 worst winter-weather cities for 2009-10.

Robert Eliot waits on a tow truck after he lost control of his car on U.S. 75 near the 46th Street North exit on March 28, 2009. Tulsa, within reach of a record this year, could see snow Saturday. STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa World file

Oklahoma City, only 100 miles from Tulsa, has had nearly 4 more inches of snow than Tulsa this winter, said Chuck Hodges, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The biggest difference was Oklahoma City's 13.5 inches of snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas compared with the nearly 6 inches Tulsa saw.

The Weather Channel based its rankings on weather conditions and socioeconomic-related variables from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28 compared with averages of 30-year climatological data.

But meteorologists know that despite spring's official start Saturday, snow totals for both cities this season aren't set in stone yet.

National Weather Service meteorologist Kenneth Jackson said, "Some of our biggest snowstorms come in March."

Last year in Tulsa, 10.4 inches of snow fell in March, 6 inches of that in one day. In 1994, more than 14 inches of snow fell in the city in March.

"Every year, we've had something — either a trace (of snow) or a couple inches," Jackson said.

Snow is likely in Oklahoma in early spring because more moisture makes its way north from the Gulf of Mexico while northern cold fronts still come this far south, Jackson said.

And even though it happens every year, snow in March still surprises Oklahomans.

"We warm up to the 50s and 60s (and) you think winter's over," Jackson said. "It can swing from one extreme to another. It's Oklahoma weather."

The temperature extremes will be evident this weekend. Friday's springlike temperatures are expected to give way to thunderstorms and a cold front Saturday with a chance for snow, according to the National Weather Service.

The warm, fast southern winds from the Gulf of Mexico could actually increase the chance of snow because of all the moisture they bring, Jackson said.

After so much snow this winter, it might as well keep coming, he said.

"We might as well break the record if we can," Jackson said of Tulsa's 25.6-inch record, which was set in the winter of 1923-24. "It would have to be like last March."

With Tulsa sitting on 17.1 inches of snow this season, it would take more than 8 inches for that to happen. Official snowfall is measured at Tulsa International Airport.

If snow does accumulate Saturday, don't expect school to be closed Monday, Jackson said. Spring snowfalls rarely stick around.

"It's there, and the next day it's gone," he said.

10 worst winter-weather cities of 2009-10

1: Miami Beach, Fla., which recorded its second-coldest winter since 1927
2: Baltimore, which saw record snowfalls of 77 inches*
2: Washington, D.C.*
4: Philadelphia
5: Dallas, which saw snow fall on Christmas Eve
6: Oklahoma City
7: Atlantic City, N.J.
8: Fargo, N.D.
9: Atlanta
10: Des Moines, Iowa

* tied

Source: The Weather Channel

Snow relief could bring city $1 million

The disaster relief reimbursement would help offset the cost of the Christmas blizzard.

By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Published: 3/18/2010 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 3/18/2010 4:18 AM

Tulsa likely will end up seeking more than $1 million in reimbursement from the federal and state governments for its efforts in dealing with the Christmas blizzard that blanketed the city.

City officials met Wednesday with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to go over the parameters of what expenses are and are not covered by the federal major disaster declaration for the Dec. 24-25 snowstorm.

Tulsa County was one of 29 Oklahoma counties included in the declaration, which was issued in late February by President Barack Obama.

Now the city will go through the process of totaling everything up and submitting its application, said Paul Strizek, Public Works Department manager of planning and contracts.

"We have a lot of number crunching to do," he said. "It comes down to every single man-hour that was used and every piece of equipment that was used to respond to the storm. The documentation we have to pull together is very specific."

The city spent $896,760 in Public Works employee time, materials and equipment use, Strizek said.

But still to be calculated are costs associated with the airport and police and fire forces that can be attributed to the storm, and any water line breaks that happened in its aftermath, among other expenses, he said.

Although the snow hit over two days, the process of dealing with it and cleaning up took as long as a week, Strizek said.

Up to 75 percent of the costs will be reimbursed by the federal government, and the state will cover 12.5 percent, he said.

Once the application is turned in within the next few weeks, it will take several months before the city receives the money, Strizek said. It won't arrive before the end of this fiscal year on June 30.

The reimbursed money will go into the city's general operating fund, unless it was originally paid out of one of the enterprise funds, such as the water fund, he said.

Budget Director Pat Connelly told the City Council earlier this month that a budget amendment to balance the Public Works Department's books likely would be needed because of the costs accrued from winter storms.

From December through February, the city was hit with a total of more than 17 inches of snow.

Although only $65,000 was budgeted for storm-related overtime, $212,000 has been spent.

And although $200,000 was budgeted for salt to spread on the streets, $567,000 has been spent this season.

It's possible the city may need to dip into the general fund operating reserve to cover the extra storm costs for the fiscal year, Connelly said.

To help make up for the overruns, Public Works officials said they have reduced pending purchase orders for other street-related materials, such as those for filling potholes.

Although parts of the state have received other federal disaster declarations this winter, the Christmas storm is the only one covered for Tulsa.

More snow coming through Tulsa area

By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer

Published: 3/21/2010 10:14 AM
Last Modified: 3/21/2010 10:14 AM

The Tulsa area remains under a winter storm warning until 7 p.m. as a second band of snow is making its way through the region.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is discouraging all unnecessary travel. Many roadways froze overnight and accidents continue to occur regularly.

As much as 5 inches of snow fell Saturday - the first day of spring - and another 3 to 5 inches is expected this afternoon.

The National Weather Service says the snow will keep falling across much of eastern Oklahoma and into northwest Arkansas on Sunday, with up to 6 more inches possible. That means some part of the two states will have gotten more than a foot of snow since the storm began Saturday.

Authorities have attributed at least three deaths in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma to the weather. The storm also disrupted travel on the roads and in the air.

Office of Governor Brad Henry
State of Oklahoma
State Capitol - Oklahoma City OK 73105
(405) 521-2342

State of Emergency Declared in Preparation for Winter Storm
March 19, 2010

Oklahoma City — State officials declared a state of emergency late Friday in all 77 of Oklahoma’s counties in preparation for a blizzard forecast in Oklahoma expected to bring snow and frigid temperatures to much of the state, as well as the potential for ice or flooding in some areas.

At the request of Gov. Henry, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins approved the paperwork declaring the emergency.

The declaration provides a formal mechanism for local governments to seek reimbursement for recovery costs through the state’s disaster public assistance program should conditions warrant. The executive order is also the first step toward seeking federal aid should it be necessary.

Gov. Henry is on a family trip to Colorado and is returning to the state on Saturday.

The State Emergency Operations Center will be activated by the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.

For more information contact:

Michelann Ooten, Oklahoma Emergency Management, 405-205-1879

Thomas Larson, Press Secretary for Gov. Brad Henry, 405-301-6357

City receives 5 inches of snow [Topeka, Kansas]

BY TIM HRENCHIR, KEVIN ELLIOTT
Created March 20, 2010 at 8:47pm
Updated March 21, 2010 at 12:28am

A late winter storm this weekend that ushered in the start of spring dropped more than 5 inches of snow in Topeka by Saturday night, nearly doubling the average snowfall for the month of March.

John Woynick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Topeka, said additional accumulations were expected Saturday as another wave of snow moved toward the capital city from south-central Kansas.

Snow accumulation at 8 p.m. measured 5.2 inches at Topeka's Phillip Billard Municipal Airport, surpassing the area's 2.8-inch average for the entire month of March, according to the weather service.

Top 5 snowfalls
This weekend’s snow storm raises Topeka’s snowfall total for the 2009-2010 cold weather season to 40.7 inches by 5 p.m. Saturday, moving it from 10th to eighth on the city’s snowiest winters on record.

47.9 inches in 1912
44.4 inches in 1960
43.2 inhes in 1993
42.9 inches in 1979
42.5 inches in 1915

Source: National Weather Service

As much as 7 inches of snow had fallen by 8 p.m. in parts of Shawnee, Douglas, Jefferson, Wabaunsee, Jackson and Osage counties. The weather service estimated about 4 inches of snow by 8 p.m. Saturday in the Manhattan area and 2 or 3 inches of snow in parts of Geary and Lyon counties.

The weather service estimated an additional 1 to 3 inches were possible by Sunday morning along and southeast of a line from Lawrence to Emporia.

The snowfall attracted sledders to Quinton Heights hill just west of S.W. 24th and Topeka Boulevard, where Vernon Neff and his 7-year-old son, Nate, were among about 25 people taking trips down the hill using sleds or other means.

When asked about the sledding conditions, Vernon Neff said they were "a little windy," while Nate said he thought they were good.

"It doesn't seem to affect them," Vernon Neff said, gesturing toward his son and another child who was nearby.

City spokesman David Bevens said the city had 10 road crews working to clear streets but planned to call it a day at 7 p.m. Saturday. He said someone would be on call overnight if authorities made any requests.

Slick roadways helped precipitate what a Kansas Highway Patrol dispatcher described as "numerous slide-offs" in the Topeka area.

The Kansas Highway Patrol on Saturday morning said slick conditions caused a temporarily closure of Interstate 70 just west of Topeka, near S.W. Valencia Road. Dispatchers said the move was made in an effort to avoid serious problems linked to semi-trailers having trouble climbing ice-packed hills on I-70 in that area. The roadway was reopened at 9:43 a.m.

Injuries from a weather-related crash Saturday morning claimed the life of an Overland Park man when his vehicle struck the back of a tow truck in Johnson County, the patrol said.

Troopers said the man, Courtney Smith, 21, lost control of his 2004 Chevrolet Impala about 4:18 a.m. and struck the rear of a tow truck that was pulling a vehicle out of the median on southbound US-169 highway at 175th Street.

Shawnee County emergency dispatchers said sheriff's deputies responded to 20 accidents between 10 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday, including one injury accident. Topeka police responded to 22 accidents, including one injury wreck and three hit-and-runs.

Topeka police at 6 p.m. Saturday remained in its Phase III accident reporting stage, meaning officers respond to injury accidents, hit-and-run crashes and disabling vehicle wrecks. Motorists involved in minor, non-injury accidents are advised to exchange information and file a report when weather improves.

Tim Hrenchir can be reached at (785) 295-1184 or tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com. Kevin Elliott can be reached at (785) 295-1192 or kevin.elliott@cjonline.com.

Here's some Global Warming and Global Cooling that has happened here on earth -- for real... and yes, Global Warming is a very real phenomenon... :-) ...

Global Temperature Trends From 2500 B.C. To 2040 A.D.

Until recently, global temperatures were more than a degree Fahrenheit warmer when compared to the overall 20th Century mean. From August of 2007 through February of 2008, the Earth’s mean reading dropped to near the 200-year average temperature of 57 degrees. Since that time, the mean reading has been fluctuating.

We, Cliff Harris and Randy Mann, believe that the warming and even the cooling of global temperatures are the result of long-term climatic cycles, solar activity, sea-surface temperature patterns and more. However, Mankind’s activities of the burning of fossil fuels, massive deforestations, the replacing of grassy surfaces with asphalt and concrete, the ‘Urban Heat Island Effect,’ are making conditions ‘worse’ and this will ultimately enhance the Earth’s warming process down the meteorological roadway in the next several decades.

From the late 1940s through the early 1970s, a climate research organization called the Weather Science Foundation of Crystal Lake, Illinois, determined that the planet’s warm, cold, wet and dry periods were the result of alternating short-term and long-term climatic cycles. These researchers and scientists also concluded that the Earth’s ever-changing climate likewise has influenced global and regional economies, human and animal migrations, science, religion and the arts as well as shifting forms of government and strength of leadership.

Much of this data was based upon thousands of hours of research done by Dr. Raymond H. Wheeler and his associates during the 1930s and 1940s at the University of Kansas. Dr. Wheeler was well-known for his discovery of various climate cycles, including his highly-regarded ‘510-Year Drought Clock’ that he detailed at the end of the ‘Dust Bowl’ era in the late 1930s.

During the early 1970s, our planet was in the midst of a colder and drier weather cycle. Inflationary recessions and oil shortages led to rationing and long gas lines at service stations worldwide. The situation at that time was far worse than it is now, at least for the time being.

The Weather Science Foundation also predicted, based on these various climate cycles, that our planet would turn much warmer and wetter by the early 2000s, resulting in general global prosperity. They also said that we would be seeing at this time widespread weather ‘extremes.’ There’s little doubt that most of their early predictions came true.

Our recent decline in the Earth’s temperature may be a combination of both long-term and short-term climate cycles, decreased solar activity and the development of a strong long-lasting La Nina, the current cooler than normal sea-surface temperature event in the south-central Pacific Ocean. Sunspot activity in the past 18 months has decreased to the lowest levels since ‘The Little Ice Age’ ended in the mid-to late 1800s. This "cool spell," though, may only be a brief interruption to the Earth’s overall warming trend. Only time will tell.

Based on these predictions, it appears that much warmer readings may be expected for Planet Earth, especially by the 2030s, that will eventually top 1998's global highest reading of 58.3 degrees. It’s quite possible we could see an average temperature in the low 60s. Until then, this ‘cooling period’ may last from just a few months to as long as several years, especially if sunspot activity remains very low.

We at Harris-Mann Climatology, www.LongRangeWeather.com, believe that our prolonged cycle of wide weather ‘extremes,’ the worst in at least 1,000 years, will continue and perhaps become even more severe, especially by the mid 2010s. We should see more powerful storms, including major hurricanes and increasing deadly tornadoes. There will likewise be widespread flooding, crop-destroying droughts and freezes and violent weather of all types including ice storms, large-sized hail and torrential downpours.

We are already seeing on virtually every continent an almost Biblical weather scenario of increasing droughts and floods. In both the southwestern and southeastern corners of the U.S, there are severe water shortage problems associated with chronic long-term dryness. In some cases, the water deficits are the worst in at least 400 years.

Dr. Wheeler also discovered that approximately every 102 years, a much warmer and drier climatic cycle affects our planet. The last such ‘warm and dry’ peak occurred in 1936, at the end of the infamous ‘Dust Bowl’ period. During that time, extreme heat and dryness, combined with a multitude of problems during the ‘Great Depression,’ made living conditions practically intolerable.

The next ‘warm and dry’ climatic phase is scheduled to arrive in the early 2030s, probably peaking around 2038. It is expected to produce even hotter and drier weather patterns than we saw during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

But, we should remember, that the Earth’s coldest periods have usually followed excessive warmth. Such was the case when our planet moved from the Medieval Warm Period between 900 and 1300 A.D. to the sudden ‘Little Ice Age,’ which peaked in the 17th Century.

By the end of this 21st Century, a big cool down may occur that could ultimately lead to expanding glaciers worldwide, even in the mid-latitudes. We could possibly see even a new Great Ice Age. Based on long-term climatic data, these major ice ages have recurred about every 11,500 years. Well, you guessed it. The last extensive ice age was approximately 11,500 years ago, so we may be due. Again, only time will tell.

I was saying, in Post #13 ...

In fact, I see a different process at work which is creating the Global Warming that we've had in the past.

Here is a documentary which will show you the processes that actually cause Global Warming (yes, a very real phenomenon... and not to be dismissed).

The thing that is not real and has no real science behind it -- is -- "Anthropogenic Global Warming"... so do distinguish between the two, and see the documentary to understand how Global Warming happens on this earth. :-)

It’s one thing to gripe and complain about these things and disagree with it, but it’s quite another to convince your friends and neighbors and relatives and coworkers...

THEREFORE..., it’s also absolutely necessary for people to know the information in the following documentary. If there were simply one video that you could see and/or show people you know... this would be the one...

The following is an excellent video documentary on the so-called “Global Warming” I would recommend it to all FReepers. It’s a very well-made documentary.

“The Great Global Warming Swindle”

If you want to download it, via a BitTorrent site (using a BitTorrent client), you can get it at the following link. Information about BitTorrent protocol and BitTorrent clients and their comparison at these three links (in this sentence). Some additional BitTorrent information here and here.

Download it here...
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/3635222/The_Great_Global_Warming_Swindle
[This is a high-quality copy, of about a gigabyte in size. This link is the information about it, and you have to click the download link to get it on your BitTorrent client software. You'll also find users' comments here, too.]

It’s worth seeing and having for relatives, friends, neighbors and coworkers to see.

Also, see it online here...
http://www.moviesfoundonline.com/great_global_warming_swindle.php
[this one is considerably lower quality, is a flash video and viewable online, of course..., and also, you can download flash video on a website either yourself or some software doing it.]

Buy it on DVD here...
[this would be the very highest quality version, on a DVD disk, of several gigabytes in size...] At Amazon, it seems to be high-priced now and have only a few copies right now.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WLUXZE

At WAGtv (a UK shop), but don't know about shipping. The price is reasonable, though.
https://www.wagtv.com/product/The-Great-Global-Warming-Swindle-322.html
[And..., some information from WAGtv about this item.]

Also, in split parts on YouTube...

The Great Global Warming Swindle (Part 1 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TqqWJugXzs

The Great Global Warming Swindle (Part 2 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5rGpDMN8lw

The Great Global Warming Swindle (Part 3 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzFL6Ixe_bo

The Great Global Warming Swindle (Part 4 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNQy2rT_dvU

The Great Global Warming Swindle (Part 5 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dzIMXGI6k8

The Great Global Warming Swindle (Part 6 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GjOgQN1Jco

The Great Global Warming Swindle (Part 7 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHI2GfbfrYw

The Great Global Warming Swindle (Part 8 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N9benJh3Lw

The Great Global Warming Swindle - Credits (Part 9 of 9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_1ifP-ri58

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