Western States Smothered In Snow

Snow Blankets Swath From Washington To Arizona, Causing Havoc On Roads

(AP)  Heavy snow pummeled Western states from Washington to Arizona, leaving thousands without power, causing widespread havoc on roads and even overwhelming one ski resort.

The roofs of several businesses collapsed under the weight of snow Monday in northern Idaho, while avalanches forced the evacuations of dozens of homes. There were no injuries.

The Navajo Nation declared an emergency on its sprawling reservation.

About 20 inches of snow fell around Coeur d'Alene. "They got clobbered," John Livingston, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said of residents of that northern city.

The storm system arrived from hard-hit California and combined with another emerging from the Gulf of Alaska, stalling over eastern Washington and northern Idaho, said Livingston.

Forecasters predicted a new storm could roll in on Tuesday, bringing 1 to 3 more inches of snow in low-lying areas of Idaho and 2 to 4 inches in the mountains. The weather service posted heavy snow warnings for parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

The snow closed Coeur d'Alene schools on Monday, the first time since November 1996 that a winter storm closed the city's schools, officials said.

About 2,800 Idaho customers lost power during the storm but officials said service to most was restored by late Monday.

Colorado's San Juan Mountains were socked with 30 inches of snow and wind gusts as high as 100 mph. In Durango, Colo., about 340 miles southwest of Denver, even the sledding hills were at risk of avalanches after 18 inches of snow fell.

"Anybody who's going out sledding should be letting their parents know where they are, and parents be aware of the slide potential, particularly on north-facing slopes," La Plata County sheriff's Lt. Dan Bender said.

A record 13.7 inches of snow fell at Spokane, Wash. Officials closed City Hall, urged residents to stay home Monday to give snowplows a chance to catch up, and told nonessential city and county workers to stay home.

In eastern Oregon's Wallowa Mountains, authorities found two snowmobilers missing over the weekend in the 4 feet of snow that fell there.

Avalanches in Idaho damaged four houses and a garage northwest of Ketchum and police evacuated 71 homes in the area as a precaution for much of Monday, said police spokeswoman Kim Rogers.

The storm caused hundreds of wrecks all over Utah and Idaho, and multiple road closures, including Interstate 84 at the Idaho-Utah line.

Skiers were stuck at Utah's Snowbird resort because Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed to traffic for avalanche control, spokeswoman Laura Schaffer.

The threat of flooding as heavy snow melted brought an emergency declaration on the Navajo reservation - sprawling across parts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.

"Protecting life, limb and property is always our first priority," said Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. "Real dangers exists in our remote areas miles from paved roads."

At lower elevations of Arizona, heavy rain flooded some creeks and rivers. Some residents of the town of Carrizo fled for a time because of fear that two dams might fail. The evacuations were canceled after water levels lowered and an inspection found no apparent damage to the dams.

California finally saw clearing weather Monday after a week of downpours and heavy snowfall, but the reprieve might not last long. There was a 20 percent chance of rain Wednesday, and two more storms, weaker than the storms that hit during the past weekend, were forecast to reach the region on Friday.

[nv4me]

Pocono Community News. Com
January 30, 2008 Body parts litter Interstates 80/380 .....
www.pocono communitynews.com

[beehive21-2009]

We like snow,let it snow,snow,snow.

[rgmiron]

Something unusual is happening to the weather. Global warming.... Global cooling, Heck I don''t know. But if it continues there are going to be major changes to be delt with.

[hawksprings]

bobnjersey,

The entire premise of man-made global warming disaster RESTS ENTIRELY on the unproven assumption that because of a small increase of ONE single gas, CO2, there will be climatic disaster of biblical proportions.

Aside from the FACT that it has not been proven that an increase in CO2 concentrations will raise the global temps, the climate is INFINITELY more complex than we even know.

That''s why our computer models are a joke, and why weather forecasters are barely 50% accurate predicting less than 24 hours out.

This whole CO2 thing is laughable.

[bobnjersey]

[Is it disturbing to anyone that some are willing to accept a model''''s 100 year future projections down to a couple of degrees when we can''''t even predict tomorrow''''s temperature to within one degree?]
[Posted by squidly8 at 05:46 PM : Jan 29, 2008]

also disturbing is the thought that there are those that would discount the possibility that a complex model like that which defines our ecosystem would not be affected by minor variations to one or more of it''s key elements.

[hawksprings]

ibzjem,

There-in lies the problem.
Whenever there''s a heat wave or drought or hurricane or such, the Global Warming Sheep point to that as proof of man-made global warming.

But if us "deniers" point out a cold spell or large snow fall, we are immediately chastized by the comment: "You can''t look at one weather incident."

There''s no arguing with them. Man-made Global Warming is a religion, a belief system.

[ibzjem]

Welcome, once again, to the great global warming debate.

Global warming is based on the average annual GLOBAL temperature trends. (Granted this is difficult to define.) It is NOT the temperature in YOUR back yard at any given TIME of year.

[squidly8]

Is it disturbing to anyone that some are willing to accept a model''s 100 year future projections down to a couple of degrees when we can''t even predict tomorrow''s temperature to within one degree?

[lloydbest1]

This does seem to be a pretty wild January. There have been well documented stretches of rotten winter weather in the west before and all sorts of temperature, rain/snow fall and wind data to back them up.

The climate wonks take such data and use number of models to guestimate what our climate will do in response to a stimulus (such as incresed CO2 or Methane concentration). Based on the results they extrapolate what any particular region''s weather will likely to be in the next 10, 20, 50 or whatever years. The results vary with the model.
These climate modelers can also take a set of present weather data (such as this month''s harsh weather), run through it, and working backwards alter what ever patrameters the they wish (again CO2 or Methane as an example) and tell us how much more severe; or even how much less severe our present winter weather would have been if CO2 or Methane were the levels they were in 1900.

Anybody out there who knows how to do that stuff and has the data set care to give it a try?

[rushlimpdrug]

Posted by hawksprings at 05:14 PM

thanks, I just collected on a bet.