No one has to remind me how troublesome travel can be over Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas. The first time I ever slid into the ditch was on my way back to Wichita State from a holiday trip to the family farm back in central Kansas in the early ’80s.
I knew the roads would be slick, so I tried to be careful. But I must have been traveling a bit too fast for one of the curves on K-96 east of Hutchinson, because I suddenly started a slow spin as if my car had decided to do a skating maneuver…and I was just along for the ride. The car spun a full circle and came to stop just off the edge of the road.
K-96 was just a two-lane road then, and my car was sitting on gently sloping grass. If anyone had seen me, they might have thought I simply pulled over for a break. I was instantly aware of how fortunate I was – that there was no other traffic on the highway at that time and that my car didn’t flip or hit anything in the ditch.
I put the car in park for a moment to collect myself, then shifted it into low. The tires took hold and I pulled back onto the highway. The rest of the trip passed without incident, but I’ll never forget that little holiday spin.
It’s just one reason I have never taken trips of any consequence for granted in winter.
Be careful out there.
It may be more of a challenge to be grateful this Thanksgiving, with the economy a shambles and layoffs seemingly as numerous as the falling leaves. But if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us don’t have to look far to find things for which we can give thanks.
Among the items on my list are clear roads in winter and cool days in summer; for early warnings in tornado season and sunshine in the fall.
I’m grateful we’re finding more ways to recharge the equus beds when the rains overwhelm soaked soil, and for snows that melt slowly on the High Plains.
I’m grateful for those who donate coats to families who need them to ward off winter’s cold and to those who donate fans for those who need them to ward off summer’s heat and those who help stock food pantries or places such as the Lord’s Diner, because hunger knows no season.
I’m grateful that the worst of weather can bring out the best in people.
I’m glad more and more people are talking about the climate and the weather, even if they disagree, because if nothing else it means we’re more aware and hopefully more prepared for the challenges and opportunities that the weather offers.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone…..
November’s not known as a snowy month in Wichita – on average, only 1.6 inches of snow fall this month, according to the National Weather Service.
But a look at the 10 snowiest Novembers in Wichita shows some respectable totals:
1888: 9″
1906: 8.7″
1951: 8.1″
1984: 6.8″
1952: 6.8″
1987: 6.2″
2006: 5.5″
1975: 5.5″
1937: 4.9″
1996: 4.6″
That heavy snow in 1888 fell on Nov. 8 and 9, according to weather service records. As they were hitching up their horses and wagons, I’m sure Wichitans were wondering what kind of winter lay ahead for them.
…I thought it would be good to take another look at how much snowfall Wichita and other parts of Kansas receive each winter.
Wichita has averaged 16.7 inches of snow a year between 1971 and 2000, according to the National Weather Service. Salina averages 18.8 inches, Chanute 16.8 inches, Dodge City 20.4 inches and Russell 25.3 inches.
Goodland trumps them all, however, with 41.8 inches of snow a year. Not surprisingly, Goodland’s already dealt with a blizzard this winter.
Longtime meteorologist Cecil Carrier died last month at the age of 88.
I grew up on a farm in central Kansas, so I didn’t discover Cecil’s weather forecasts until I arrived in Wichita to attend Wichita State University in the fall of 1979.
But he sounded like home: a down-to-earth, straight-talking forecaster who could have been the farmer down the road – except he knew better than most what those dark clouds in the southwest could do or that sharp north wind in December foretold.
I came to appreciate how calm Cecil stayed even as the weather around us seemed to unravel. For many residents of the Wichita area, he was weather’s Walter Cronkite: a voice you could trust in the midst of the confusion. If Cecil told us it was going to be OK, then by golly it would be. And if he told us to take shelter…
Technology has transformed how meteorologists can forecast weather and severe storms. Thanks to the Internet and highly evolved radars, it’s much more easy for us to see and understand the weather around us.
That wasn’t the case when Cecil was on duty. That’s why his knowledge – and his approach – meant so much to so many for so long.
Rest well, Cecil.
We’re still several days away from Thanksgiving, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center offers some clues to the holiday weekend weather around the nation.
Computer models suggest the weather will be drier than normal in Kansas, but temperatures are likely to be pretty close to normal. Normal highs in the Wichita area for late November are the upper 40s.
The CPC’s outlook for the Wichita area – and the rest of Kansas, for that matter – suggests a chilly, dry holiday weekend. And that’s good news for holiday drivers…as long as they remember their coats.
Now that we’re on the downhill side of November, we’re going to be hearing a lot about wind chill for the next several months. The wind chill is what it feels like outside, factoring in the temperature and the wind speed. Here’s a handy wind chill calculator, courtesy of the National Weather Service.
The weather service tinkered with the wind chill formula a few years ago to more accurately reflect conditions closer to ground level. I doubt I could explain it very well, but I’m not sure many people would care much about the distinctions.
I just know that whenever I hear the term “wind chill,” that tells me it’s going to be cold.
Kelly Larson read my story in today’s paper about preparing for winter weather, and shared her experiences from a life of traveling in several states. With her permission, I’m sharing a portion of her e-mail:
“I have lived in a few different states including Kansas. I resided in Burr Oak from March of ‘06 to June of ‘06. It was very cold when I first arrived at a friend’s house, but you are absolutely right, people just don’t slow down and take the proper precautions for the conditions. The same here in Michigan…several accidents with the first good snow, which we just went through with 8 inches. Black ice was a huge problem.
“I have also lived in Texas and they have a hard time driving if it is raining out. Believe it or not, Arizona folks have a hard time driving because of the heat. They break the speed limits if their car doesn’t have air, just to get home in a hurry.”
The Wichita branch of the National Weather Service has produced “Storms of 2008,” a free CD that takes a look at five of the most significant weather events from last spring and summer in and near the Wichita area.
Forget garden-variety thunderstorms. This DVD focuses on “severe weather episodes” of 2008. The DVD includes a short video on how to create a disaster safety kit.
Families in Kansas can also order free safety videos from the weather service on the same web page. But don’t dawdle. Chance Hayes, warning coordination meteorologist with the weather service, said the agency has a limited number of DVDs and videos, and when they’re gone they’re gone.
The forecast called for sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 60s. I’m just not buying it.
Maybe it’s the fact that the steady winds are making me shiver – even with my leather jacket on – as noon knocks on the door. Maybe it’s the overcast skies.
Oh, the skies may well clear and the mercury could flirt with 70 after all this afternoon. Just color me skeptical.
Forecasters may have simply whiffed on this one. It happens. Meteorologists will tell you there are times when computer models indicate one thing and Mother Nature ignores it completely.
I just like it much better when the unexpected surprise results in nicer-than-expected weather….not when you’re expecting a warm day in mid-November, and it…never…quite…happens.