Wooly bear caterpillars, acorns and thoughts about winter
You usually see them everywhere at this time of the year 鈥揵rown, black and a few all-white caterpillars. But the more common brown-and-black varieties are the caterpillars people swear by as a reliable indicator of the coming winter weather.
Mostly black caterpillars mean a long, cold, snowy winter.
The more brown you see, the milder the upcoming winter.
Lots of all-brown ones and you can cancel your winter trip to Florida.
Actually the black and brown bands have a lot to do with the caterpillar蘑菇视频 age and nothing to do with its ability to forecast the winter weather.
The lack or abundance of acorns also has nothing to do with the coming weather and a whole lot to do with last spring蘑菇视频 frost and cold weather.
Furry animals are always furrier as winter approaches since they are adept at preparing for the colder season. Lastly, the almanac and the TV weather prophets are all trying to convince us they have the correct forecast. The truth of the matter is that they all sound so convincing. However, most years they get it wrong.
Nobody got the mild winter of previous year correct. Simply put, the science is getting better, but we are not there yet.
The Old Farmer蘑菇视频 Almanac is forecasting a mild and snowy winter for our region. AccuWeather says frequent storms in the area with bitter cold north of us and mild weather in the south. The Weather Channel appears to offer a similar forecast of cold north and mild south but with average temperatures and precipitation for our region. The Climate Prediction Center which is part of the National Weather Service are also forecasting cold north, mild south and average temperature and precipitation for our area. It looks like a bit of a consensus about winter being on the normal side this year. Remember last year was so mild and the year before we were frequently visited by the Polar Vortex which brought lots of bitter cold and snow. My thoughts suggest that we are due for a normal winter, with average temperatures and snowfall.
Average winter temperatures in the Uniontown area are 40 degrees for the high and 20 for the morning low. Of course these are just averages and we will still see a few days in the teens and several mornings below zero. With this type of pattern we should also see a few days in the 60ies and perhaps a 70 degree reading.
Most winters we experience a January thaw which is a few days of balmy temperatures and melting snow. More than likely a repeat of last year蘑菇视频 extremely mild temperatures is not in the cards and a prolonged visit of Polar vortex is also unlikely. Snowfall averages 40 inches in Uniontown and 88 inches in the mountains.
We will still have winter with plenty of cold and snow. With lower costs for fuel, now is a good time to stock up for the coming season. Check the tires and battery on your car and lastly don鈥檛 forget to stock up on milk, bread, toilet paper and be ready to make peace with winter. When all the preparations are completed we can sit back and enjoy one of those bright crisp days after a fresh snowfall. It蘑菇视频 also the season of the holidays and a time to be indoors and enjoy the warmth of family, friends and the comfort of home.