BRRRADFORD: OK, we did it again. We got a mention on TV for
being among the coldest spots in the nation.
Brandon Abbott dropped us an e-line at 8:37 a.m. Monday to tell
us Willard Scott had mentioned Bradford as one of the cold spots in
the country on the Today Show.
We’ve really been racking up the mentions lately.
All this, of course, plays in nicely with a question a reader
posed recently asking for an explanation for Bradford’s singularly
cold weather. We got some interesting responses.
Mark Zampogna of Bradford writes, “Brrrrradford?
Rrrrrridiculous. On Friday morning (Aug. 11), Bradford was actually
the hot spot of the Twin Tiers. Our low was 56.2 degrees, according
to the AWS weather station at the high school, which happens to be
in Bradford, you know.”
“Lows around the area were 52.1 at Northern Potter High School,
52.8 in Cuba, 53.6 in Wellsville, 53.9 in Johnsonburg, 54.3 in
Olean, 55 in Smethport and at the airport, and 55.7 in Warren.
“Unless last night was unusual, I think I’m onto something – or
maybe just on something.
“I believe it’s the temperature at National Weather Service
stations that is used to determine the nation’s cold spot, and the
closest sites in Pennsylvania to the one at the airport are Clarion
and DuBois, well to the south and naturally warmer.”
“Next time you hear that ‘Bradford’ was the coldest spot in the
nation, check out aws.com and see how many towns around us were
actually colder. The bitter truth is that we all live in a cool
region of the country, in more ways than one.
“Who cccccares? Everyone in Bradford should, because ‘cold spot’
is just one more undeserved rap that we have to suffer.”
And we heard from Mark this past Sunday morning when, again,
Bradford was relatively “balmy.” The airport was at 39.9 but
Bradford was 44.2; Olean, 39.4; Wellsville, 41; and Ulysses,
41.1.
“I think debunking this myth will become my life’s work. The
first step will be to get the National Weather Service to call its
station at Mount Alton … Mount Alton. Second will be to get rid of
our town motto. Third will be to get metereologists in Buffalo,
Erie and Pittsburgh to use the AWS temperature actually recorded in
Bradford on their maps. Wish me luck.”
More tomorrow.
