Wind, Snow And A Guy Named Chuck

October 14, 2005

By Bump Diamond
Man About Town

    Just got back in, and is the wind picking up out there or what?
    The temperature is starting to drop, too. The dog says she can smell snow coming our way.
    Meanwhile, across the street, we ran into a really friendly guy named Chuck. Maybe too friendly. Anyway, this man Chuck was walking up the sidewalk, flanked on both sides by bright yellow aspen. The sun was warm on our backs and, like I said, the wind was still more of a breeze than anything else.
    "This is just great!" he said, meaning what, I did not know. "I've never been here except in the winter! There isn't anybody here!"
    I wanted to say that was partly the season, but there were some other reasons why people weren't here this weekend, such as the HIGH WIND WARNING for tonight and the SNOW ABOVE 7,000 FEET for tomorrow and tomorrow night.
    Who'd want to come up here? Actually, Nook Logan says yet another team has forfeited to the University of Mammoth (Team Cheer: "Ummmmm.") this weekend, unwilling to get hit by crosswinds that, on the ridges, are going to hit 100 miles an hour.
    For the record, the National Weather Service moved this urgent message over the wire late this morning, and pardon the capital letters. the Weather Service seems to be locked in to 1942 Western Union telegraph style.

    SOUTHWEST WINDS FROM 20 TO 40 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS WILL DEVELOP EARLY THIS EVENING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. AS THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE REGION...LOCAL GUSTS TO 60 MPH WILL OCCUR. EVEN STRONGER GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE IN WINDPRONE AREAS ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 395. RIDGE WINDS OVER 100 MPH ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE SIERRA CREST OVERNIGHT. PATIO FURNITURE AND OTHER LOOSE OBJECTS SHOULD BE SECURED FROM THE STRONG WINDS. BOATERS ON AREA LAKES SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR ROUGH
WATERS AS WINDS INCREASE THIS EVENING. A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE AND VERY DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR HIGH-PROFILE VEHICLES.

    So. Everyone gets that.  What I still don't get is how the Weather Service pinpointed 58 miles an hour as the break point for property damage.  That will be for another day.
    As for the snow, read it and weep:

    Saturday: Partly cloudy with a chance of showers. Snow level 7500 feet. Highs 52 to 62. Southwest winds 15 to 30 mph shifting to the northwest in the afternoon. Gusts up to 40 mph in the afternoon.
    Saturday night: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Snow level 7000 feet. Lows 24 to 34. North winds 15 to 20 mph becoming northeast 10 to 15 mph after midnight.

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