WINTER WOE: Guess what, folks? It’s going to be a cold and snowy
winter. Surprised?[neWLine]

One woolly bear caterpillar we’ve seen so far indicated a mild
winter but the experts as AccuWeather tell us the season will start
out mild but turn significantly colder in January and
February.[neWLine]

Joe Bastardi, chief long-range forecaster for AccuWeather,
predicts that the coming winter is shaping up to be quite different
than last year’s unusually mild season.[neWLine]

An El Niio pattern that has noticeably impacted the 2006
hurricane season will lead to colder temperatures for the
northeastern U.S. and Midwest, and a milder winter for the West
Coast.[neWLine]

Mind you, this is only his preliminary seasonal outlook – we can
look for a full forecast in mid-October.[neWLine]

The forecaster’s look ahead is based on a pattern created by an
El Niio that formed this summer and was identified by Bastardi in
the late spring.[neWLine]

Here’s the scoop:[neWLine]

An El Niio – a cyclical warming of Pacific Ocean waters –
directs strong wind currents that tend to hinder hurricane
development in the Atlantic Basin during the summer, and lead to a
more active southern jet stream in the winter, which creates a
wetter-than-normal pattern for the South and Southeast
U.S.[neWLine]

This precipitation works its way up the East Coast, bringing
more storms to the region. “”While the East Coast will most likely
experience more precipitation, it is too early to tell whether the
majority of this precipitation will be in the form of rain or
snow,”” said Bastardi. “”Timing will be the key in the major cities
of the East Coast. Cold air from the north arriving too early or
too late would lead to more rain and less snow.””[neWLine]

He added, “”Given the overall pattern and the water temperature
profile we expect, the region will likely see one or two major
Nor’easters.””[neWLine]

While we dislike the prospect of a “”normal”” winter, at least
we can look forward to putting a few miles on the new cross-country
skis – something impossible last winter. Of course, we had all
hoped for two nice winters in a row but, let’s remember, this is
Bradford.[neWLine]

[neWLine]

IT’S A GAS: Tom Brinkley writes: “”In response to gas prices,
yesterday (9/20) gas in Houston, Texas, was selling at $1.97.9.
Rumor has it that gas will go down to $1.50 by later next
week.””