Mountaineer Chronicles

Here I am again, that right, its me, your local weather nerd. Hi. I couldn't miss the opportunity to create a post about spring on the first day of spring (that's today if you didn't know). It looks very spring-like today, bright sun, blue skies, but all that is from inside looking out. Venturing outside may give you the idea of warm day in late January, as the temps are still quite chilly. We are definitely going through a little cold snap. None of the high temps in the long term forecast break the 50 degree mark. The daily average high for March 20 in Morgantown is 53°F. The record high is 79°F and the record low is 15°F, so even though we are a little cooler than average, we are still well within the expected range of temps for this time of year (high temp today is about 41°F). I feel like some folks think that as soon as the calendar flips to March, that winter is over and it should at least be in the 60's everyday. That's fine, and I'm probably in the m

Tomorrow is the first day of March and according to weather folklore, if it comes in like a "lamb" it will go out like a "lion" and vice versa. The forecast for tomorrow is currently: mostly cloudy with flurries and snow showers, high temperature of 36, north-northwest winds at 10mph. Nothing too crazy about that forecast. In checking out the national weather map (below), the weather is pretty quiet across the entire country as we head into March. Wonder if that means we are in for some crazy weather as March winds down? Pretty quiet weather going into March While we've seen a few glimpses that spring isn't too far away, it is certainly still winter. As I write this, I'm looking out the window as the snow falls at a pretty good rate. Today's snow probably isn't going to accumulate much because the temps are just a little too warm in town, although the mountains should get a light coating. The days are getting longer though, the avera

I feel like people either love or hate this guy. There is no middle ground for the most part. Personally, I like the guy. The only problem I have is when he shows up late and then won't leave. As long as he's punctual I have no problem. I mention him because he's doing what he does this week.

For those that may not know, I'm fairly infatuated with weather, and I will likely throw around some weather terms from time to time. My wife calls me a weather geek/nerd, and I proudly accept that title. I've always kept a fairly close eye on the weather, as many of my favorite activities (fishing, hunting, softball, etc) are all done outside and weather is integrally tied to when I'm able to enjoy each different activity. My observations of predicted weather has turned into a "need-to-know" type of inquiry as to why certain weather features produce certain types of weather. Now, I can tell you why we had so much cold, snowy weather two winters ago for example. (That would be a weather phenomena called a Greenland Block - a strong, immovable high pressure system that sets up over Greenland and causes the jet stream to dip dramatically southward over the middle and eastern US, which in turn causes colder temps there and sets up the winds for continued lake-e