[Bristol-Birds] Fw: Snow, Snow, and more Snow

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-Birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:35:04 +0000
Bristol Birders Subscribers:

This message was posted to the Carolinabirds listserve by Merill Lynch, who 
with his wife Gabby Call, was the speaker for the Bristol Bird Club's 2008 
annual banquet.  They are subscribed to Bristol Birds Net.  Read every word of 
this astonishing snow report from their mountain home just east of Mountain 
City, TN.  It will blow your mind.  

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
-----Original Message-----
From: "J. Merrill Lynch" <jmerrilllynch@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:28:46 
To: Carolinabirds listserve<carolinabirds@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Snow, Snow, and more Snow

Carolinabirders:

I haven't posted to carolinabirds recently because there hasn't been much to
report.  I've read some of the recent posts, mostly from folks in SC, about
sightings suggesting spring has arrived.  Well, other than cardinals,
chickadees, juncos, and song sparrows starting to sing, there is no hint of
spring in the northwestern mountains.  This post has more to do with
meteorology than ornithology but I thought readers might be interested in
the unusually harsh winter those of us in the mountains, particularly in the
Boone area, are experiencing.  This is a winter that is shaping up to be one
of the snowiest on record.  I have copied below an email I sent out to some
friends describing what it's like up here this winter.  I don't want to hear
any more reports from lowlanders complaining about cold and a few piddly
snow showers!

As far as birds go, the most interesting thing I've seen is a flock of a
dozen Wild Turkeys that have been coming to my yard daily, feeding on
scratch corn that I've put out.  In addition to the turkeys I've had a group
of six deer that are also hanging around the yard.  The resident pair of
Carolina Wrens have not fared well.  Two birds dropped to one a few weeks
ago and the single wren that came to feed on suet disappeared after one
of the blizzards last week.  I assume both perished.  A paucity of food and
an almost constant snowpack the entire winter is, I'm sure, stressing many
of the birds (and mammals) that winter in the area.

Here is the snow report:
SNOW has been on my mind a lot lately.  Surfing the internet I found a paper
describing the greatest snowy period in recorded history in NC.  Here is a
link to the paper:
http://www.easternsnow.org/proceedings/2006/perry_and_konrad.pdf.  It
happened between Feb 13-Mar 26, 1960 and Watauga County received the brunt
of it, recording 83 inches during this period.  Watauga County was actually
declared a disaster area with food, fuel, and hay having to be airlifted
into the county.  Drifts up to 20 feet deep stranded many residents.

At our house near Trade, TN we are located where Northwest Slope Snow (NWS)
events have their maximum effect.  These snows are caused by uplifting of
moisture-laden clouds as they rise abruptly in elevation on northwest winds,
often winds associated with low pressure systems in New England that wrap
around the Great Lakes and transport moisture all the way down to the
Southern Apps.

I'm beginning to think we are in a situation now that might rival the
1959-60 season.  At our house I have conservatively measured a total of 110"
for the season which includes 65" just in the month of February.  To put
that in perspective, that exceeds the 98" annual snowfall mean for 6,000'
peaks such as Mt. Mitchell and Mt. LeConte.  We have consistently received
50% + more snow in each snowfall than what is reported in Boone--they get 5
inches, we get 7.5+ inches, etc.  This can be attributed to the infamous NWS
effect on the mountains right along the TN-NC line.  Contrast this year's
total so far with the total of 55" we got during the 2008-09 season.  We
have already doubled the amount of snow we had last year and we have at
least three more weeks of winter to go.

I now know what it's like to live in Minnesota.  We have had a constant
snowpack (100% groundcover) since December 18, interrupted only by about 10
days of relatively warm weather in January when the ground was exposed.

-- 
J. Merrill Lynch
Echo Valley Farm
Watauga County, NC
[Bristol-Birds] Fw: Snow, Snow, and more Snow

Other related posts:
