Recently I met a retired educator, who earned a Ph.D in his field. This gentleman attended Bowdoin for his undergraduate work, Brown for his master’s, and I believe he told me M.I.T. for his doctorate. And guess what else he told me? That out of all of the instructors he’s ever had, the best were at Presque Isle High!
Now THAT is some high praise, indeed!
To other matters.
The days are getting shorter, and an astonishing pace! I’ve been working on my winter forecast. Many folks are aware that the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a rather severe winter, perhaps like last winter … but my early thoughts are running counter to that. Stay tuned!
This would be a good place to mention early season snowfalls. These often occur when the temperatures are marginal for snow. However, since temps cool with height, just traveling from Caribou, up 161, to Jacobson Hill, an elevation gain of about 400 feet, can take you from wet pavement in Caribou, to a couple of inches of slushy snow as you gain that elevation.
Interestingly, for really cold temperatures, it’s kind of the opposite. Really cold temperatures occur with crystal clear skies, super-dry air, dead calm wind and a freshly fallen snow. In winter, these conditions will produce the lowest overnight lows that a given airmass can deliver.
Because cold air is dense (like good maple syrup!), it settles down into the low spots … so the “coldest of the cold” will always be at lower elevations, like river valleys, or along streams.
Maine’s record low was set back in 2009, the -50 F at Big Black River (the old record was at Van Buren, -48 F in 1925)
Say, one safety note as we get into the time of most rapid leaf-drop, is to remember that when it rains, those leaves get slippery, and it is easy to slide right out into an intersection. So ease into those stop signs!
A final note about winter weather words (now that’s good alliteration!). In winter, you will hear the terms, “sleet”, and “freezing rain”.
A refresher: Sleet is little BBs of ice, often clear. Freezing rain, on the other hand, is the glaze of ice over everything. It looks just like rain when it is falling, but it then freezes on contact with everything.
Freezing rain is extremely dangerous to drive on, and it can be incredibly destructive. Look up “Ice Storm of 1998” if you have never heard of it. (or even if you have!)
Ted Shapiro holds the Broadcast Seal of Approval from both the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association. An Alexandria, Va. native, he has been chief meteorologist at WAGM-TV since 2006. Email him at tshapiro@wagmtv.com.
