Bringing Down The House
In the world of the performing arts, bringing down the house is a good thing. It means you turned in a world-class performance. In the real world, it might mean something else. Like maybe the snow just collapsed you home or business. Which is what has been happening in Idaho today.
DENVER - A powerful storm system pounded a large swath of the nation Tuesday, spawning everything from heavy snow and numbing cold to thunderstorms and possible tornadoes, and forecasters warned more bad weather was on the way.
High winds associated with thunderstorms may have killed two people in Indiana, authorities said. Snow forced the closure of schools and highways in many areas, and avalanche warnings were issued for some Western mountainous regions.Authorities received phone text messages from at least two snowmobilers lost in the mountains west of Denver on Tuesday but weren't sure whether a third missing man was with them.
Summit County sheriff's spokeswoman Paulette Horr said searchers believed they were closing in on the men's location but were having trouble deciphering the shorthand language used in the messages.
"They're really close," Horr said.
Efforts were delayed by bad weather and avalanche danger, Horr said.
About 3 feet of snow has fallen in the area since Sunday morning, said Kyle Fredin of the National Weather Service. Snow began to taper off Tuesday, but up to a foot more was expected before the weekend, Fredin said.
The system also dragged bitterly cold air across the northern Plains, with the Weather Service reporting a midday temperature of minus 24 at Glasgow, Mont. North Dakota registered wind chill factors of minus 54 at Garrison, with an actual low of minus 24 at Williston.
"Now's when you need to have your winter survival kit," North Dakota Highway Patrol Sgt. Aaron Hummel said.
Heavy snow Monday pummeled mountain areas from Washington state to northern Arizona as two storms converged, one from hard-hit California and another from the Gulf of Alaska, meteorologists said.
"It's very unusual," said Doug Abromeit, director of the U.S. Forest Service's National Avalanche Center in Ketchum, Idaho. "Typically the storm is not this widespread."
Those storms were followed Tuesday by a third that threatened up to 20 inches of snow in Idaho's mountains into Wednesday, said Jay Breidenbach of the Weather Service office in Boise.
A fourth storm was on the way. "By Thursday, the next storm will be right on our doorstep. This is quite a storm system," Breidenbach said.
Snow collapsed the roofs of several businesses Monday in northern Idaho, while avalanches forced the evacuation of dozens of homes. There were no injuries.
Where I am it is bitterly cold and dropping (rapidly) with high winds that make it feel even worse. We have only had a small amount of snow, but it is evil outside right now. The last puppy walk was a race to see who could get back inside first (she won - I let her - she's still little). It has been a really cold and nasty winter here in the Midwest.
Environment | Gaius Tuesday, 29 January , 2008
By OldeForce, Wednesday, 30 January , 2008 @ 12:41 am
In Colorado, two of the snowmobilers were found alive, the third had died.
By TimF, Wednesday, 30 January , 2008 @ 11:56 am
Mt. Baker Ski Area (WA - holder of the World Record for seasonal snowfall) just had the most snowfall from a single storm cycle…8 feet (2.44m, eh).
http://www.komoradio.com/home/ondemand/podcasts/audio/4765096.html
Mt. Hood (OR) also has the biggest base in over 10 years.
By Gaius, Wednesday, 30 January , 2008 @ 12:08 pm
That is a lot of snow. I can’t even imagine what the drifts must be like.
By Sam, Wednesday, 30 January , 2008 @ 12:57 pm
I have used my snowblower more this winter than in at least the last 5 years - and the weather man keeps predicting another storm every couple of days. The good thing is that the skiing is fantastic, “The Greatest Snow on Earth”.