Meek winter may last awhile
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Ahmet Sahinoz, 22, a graduate student of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, practices his balance on a slacklining rope on Tuesday, when the temperature reached 60 degrees, 24 degrees above normal.
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Once again we are reminded that a furry varmint who holes up in Jefferson County can match wits with modern science when it comes to long-range weather forecasting.
Some experts' warnings that the Pittsburgh district was in for another snowy, frigid winter have melted in the light of reality. January produced 13 days on which the temperature exceeded the normal high by 10 or more degrees. On only eight days did the temperature fail to rise above freezing; a typical January has 25 such days.
Snowfall was actually 4 inches above normal, but it was not the best of months for sellers of rock salt, shovels, snow blowers and ice scrapers. There were only three days of snow deeper than 2 inches. Perhaps they made up for it with washer fluid sales on the 18 rainy days that spread briny mist onto drivers' windshields.
What Punxsutawney Phil will see this morning is anyone's guess, but if he gets spooked, someone might want to edit the "more" out of "six more weeks of winter."
For now, winter seems inclined to stay in hibernation.
"We could still have some cold outbreaks and winter episodes. But there's nothing right now that we foresee that's going to cause the pattern to change," said Lee Hendricks, National Weather Service meteorologist.
The pattern, called La Nina, results from abnormally cold surface temperatures in the western Pacific, he said. It has rearranged the conventional winter weather setup, producing more of a west-to-east air flow that has mostly blocked the icy haymakers that Canada usually throws at us.
It results in warmer, wetter weather here, and Mr. Hendricks said it could persist through the first half of spring. "We're going to remain relatively mild and relatively wet," he said.
The winter has been kind to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation so far. Weather-related expenditures as of the end of January were $6.1 million in the district comprising Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties, nearly $3.5 million less than last year at this time.
First Published February 2, 2012 12:00 am
