Castform's Weather Report
Canada Winter Forecast: Could Be Coldest in 20 Years for Western ProvincesIt’s going to be a cold winter across a chunk of western Canada. Several arctic air masses should come down through British Columbia and Alberta. This winter could be one of the top three coldest winters in the past 20 years for Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Edmonton, Alberta, will likely be in the deep freeze for the fifth consecutive winter.
Texas Bat Colonies Plagued by DroughtMore than 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats migrate from Mexico to Bracken, Texas every year to give birth, according to the Associated Press.
Texas suffered from severe drought conditions throughout the summer. “It is the worst drought in over 50 years in general,” said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. “This was probably the hottest and driest summer on record for the state.”
Because of these conditions, the bats’ food supply is declining in Texas. Usually, the bats head out to feed around 8:30 p.m. The bats are now heading out to forage for food roughly two hours earlier, before sunset, according to the Associated Press.
Early Winter May Pack a Punch for New York CityLast winter went down in history as one of New York City’s worst with two monster blizzards that virtually brought the city to a standstill and made a nightmare out of air travel. In total, 62 inches of snow fell in the Big Apple last winter, making it the third snowiest on record.
Needless to say, residents may be a bit wary about this year’s forecast.
AccuWeather.com Winter 2011-2012 Forecast: Another Brutal OneThe AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team is predicting another brutally cold and snowy winter for a large part of the country, thanks in large part to La Niña… yet again.
The way the jet stream is expected to be positioned during this winter’s La Niña will tend to drive storms through the Midwest and Great Lakes. Last year, the jet stream steered storms farther east along the Northeast coast, hammering the Interstate 95 corridor.
Therefore, instead of New York City enduring the worst of winter this year, it will likely be Chicago.
Giant African Land Snails Infesting South FloridaThe first incident of the snails in Florida is reported to be in 1966. A young boy visiting Hawaii decided to take a few of the snails home to Florida to keep as pets. A some later time, the family released the snails into the family garden. The infestation that resulted took nearly 10 years and more than one million dollars to completely eradicate.
Today, the snails have been found in the U.S. in coastal areas of Southern states, as well as Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.
If the giant African land snails are able to rapidly infest an area, it can take years and many millions of dollars to eradicate them.
Winter Wonderland in October?!Parts of the Appalachians looked like a winter wonderland during the few two days of October with snow and gusty winds howling.
Elevations of 3,000 to 3,500 feet in West Virginia got 1-3 inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday morning. Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia picked up nearly 4 inches of snow through Sunday afternoon!
East Drowns in August, September 2011he rain just keeps coming in the East since the last part of summer. Anyone for 3 feet of rain? The rain has not quit in the East in the wakes of Irene and Lee.
Most recently a nearly stationary low pressure area over the Midwest has been working to funnel moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico and in from the Atlantic Ocean, producing rounds of heavy rainfall.
As of last week, several cities, including Philadelphia, New York City, Allentown and Baltimore, have had record rainfall for two consecutive months.
Rain Bad News for Washington MonumentThe National Park Service said Monday that the Aug. 23 5.8-magnitude quake damaged the Washington Monument more seriously than originally reported.
The earthquake left cracks wider than an inch in the monument. Water from rainstorms and Hurricane Irene damaged the monument even more, the NPS said.
“It’s imperative that they seal out future water before prolonged freezing temperatures hit,” said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. “When water freezes, it expands. So if water remains in any cracks and freezes, that expansion could cause more damage.”
Giant Pumpkins Struggle from Excessive RainAndy Wolf estimates his giant pumpkin is around 1,300 pounds. He will know for sure when he weighs it at a contest on Oct. 2. – but that’s about 100 pounds less than the one he grew last year, which weighed 1,426 pounds.
While Hurricane Irene took out pumpkin patches in the East, the effects of a cold, wet spring season in general are hurting giant pumpkins across the country. Growing giant pumpkins is normally as “big” of a fall tradition as buying apple cider and taking a hay ride, especially in states like Iowa and Wisconsin.
You Can Walk on Water–If Jellyfish Can Hold Your WeightThe jellyfish population has grown so big it’s keeping Mississippi fishermen out of the water. Swimmers can still swim (moon jellyfish don’t really sting) if they’re cool with floating in a pile of goo.
Fishermen and swimmers looking for relief from the jellies should keep crossing their fingers that a tropical storm in the Gulf stirs up the waters. Unlike fish, which can motor around on their own, jellyfish drift with the ocean currents.
