Snowman Mike Announces New Web Site

Snowman Mike in Anchorage

Tucson Weather – Calm Before the Storm

Tucson Weather: Sunny today with a high near 65.  Partly cloudy tonight with a low near 38.  Mostly sunny on Sunday with a high near 64.

Great news from the National Weather Service.  Our typical December weather is fixin’ ta give way to valley rain and “significant mountain snow” by Monday night and Tuesday!  By significant, the National Weather Service office in Tucson is estimating 6-12 inches between 6,000 and 7,000 feet with snow totals 12-18 inches possible above 7,000.  Great news indeed if it comes true.  This might be enough to jump start the ski season at Ski Valley on the top of Mt. Lemmon.  If that doesn’t, then there is a chance for more “significant mountain snow” Thursday/Friday time frame.

Of course I am hopeful that Mt. Lemmon can get the maximum from each storm.  If that is the case, we could be looking at over 3 feet of snow up there by next weekend!  Even if there is less than a third of that, there will be plenty of snow to sled on and build snowmen with.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch above 6,000 feet for much of southeastern Arizona for Monday night and Tuesday.  That’s on top of this morning’s Freeze Warning that expires at 9am.

So, what is happening?  You can read about it in this morning’s Forecast Discussion from the National Weather Service.  (note:  the link will take you to the latest discussion, so if you click it this afternoon it will be an updated discussion.  If you click it next July you will read about heat and maybe Monsoon :-)

Currently, southeastern Arizona is on the western edge of a cold Canadian airmass.  Cold dry air is giving us freezing temperatures this morning.  The quiet weather this weekend will give way to a storm that is expected to drop south out of Canada along the California coast and into the Great Basin.  The trough of low pressure that forms will allow moisture, and an upper level low in the pacific, to be pulled into Arizona.  That should bring us this good chance of rain and mountain snow by Monday night.

After that, the jet stream becomes more “zonal” or east to west across Arizona.  That should bring us an unsettled weather week with another storm moving in perhaps as early as Thursday with more rain and snow!

I love El Nino Winters in the southwest.  Looks like the AccuWeather Winter forecast is on track.  At least so far!

Snowman Mike in Carlsbad, NM

With thanx to Brad Light’s Cam Page, here I am in Carlsbad, NM!

Snowkids

Taken in Roswell, New Mexico in late 1992 (I think). The kids came over to my small place on Kentucky Ave. and we made a snowman. Michael’s mittens got soaked and he managed without them after that. Great job kids!

Dreaming of a White Thanksgiving

I’m leaving Tucson on Thanksgiving morning to drive 640 miles to Lubbock to visit Mom. The fun new twist is the forecast. Chance of snow Thanksgiving afternoon/evening! Did I mention I LOVE SNOW! Judging from the forecast it shouldn’t be too bad, so driving shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, it’s still a couple days away and forecasts can change. It would be perfect if it starts to snow in the afternoon, but no real road problems until I arrive at Mom’s that evening with enough for a snowman by Friday!

I LOVE SNOW!

I really do. Always have for as long as I can remember. Maybe it’s because I’ve never lived where I had to spend all Winter shoveling it. Could be. I think my favorite thing about snow is it’s just so pretty! Next in line would be it’s slippery. I love sliding around on the snow!!! Next would probably be building snowmen and having snowball fights. I even like the way the air smells when it snows!

I have way too many snow stories to tell. Some of them are on my web site, www.mikeshaw.tv. I think my love for snow is why I was looking forward to living in Alaska when I was a teenager. I was accepted to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks! Anchorage wasn’t cold enough for me :-) I was going to study Meteorology and Communications. Unfortunately, I wasn’t mature enough to make it happen. I still ended up being a weatherman, but I took the longer, poorer, more southern route. Who knows what would have been? As much as I used to drink back then, being that far away from home in a state where the drinking age was 19 and the outside temperature in Winter is usually below zero, it could have gone badly.  Perhaps God was protecting me!

I still like to visit web cams in Alaska to look at the snow. AlaskaCam is probably the most famous overlooking downtown Anchorage. I just found another with a really nice view! Here’s a capture from earlier this afternoon. Perty, huh?

So, I’ve lived in frigid places like Western Oregon where a chilly rain is much more common than a snowstorm. Roswell, NM where it does get cold and snowy some years! Most though, not so much. Lubbock like Roswell can have some snowy years, but it usually doesn’t last long. In Odessa, Texas I think it snowed once in the two years I lived there and even then it was like an inch. Here in Tucson we had snow last year! Three inches downtown, but here in Oro Valley just a dusting of slush :-)

I think for now I am resigned to visiting the snow. Mt. Lemmon is about an hour drive away. They even have a little ski area at the top! Earlier this year in March when Micheal was visiting we drove up there and they still had snow! It was cold too :-) I’m hoping to go skiing up there sometime, although I’m not optimistic about this year. La Nina is forming in the Pacific. That usually means warm and dry for the Southwest. Oh well, maybe next year :-)

Election Day Snowman

November 2, 2004

It was an early season wet snow for Lubbock.  Problem was, I was living in Odessa where it was a chilly rain (and not all that much rain).  So I made the short 2 1/2 hour drive to make a snowman with my Mom.

Probably the best part was the bowl of spaghetti before I had to drive back. We sure had fun!

Birthday Snow! 1999

January 30, 1999

We woke up on my birthday to 5 inches of fresh snow!
	The birds were thankful for a stocked bird feeder
Michael gives Popcorn a hug after putting finishing touches on birthday snowman.
	“Look Popcorn! It’s a masterpiece!”
Pretty tall snowman if you think about it.
	Birthday snow really is the best kind…