Allegheny Almanac

Lake Effect Snow makes for hazardous driving conditions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced a snow advisory for Warren County for January 28 and 29:

THE LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM EST
FRIDAY.

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION DURING THE LATE MORNING
HOURS TODAY ACCOMPANIED BY OCCASIONAL SNOW SHOWERS AND SCATTERED
HEAVY SNOW SQUALLS. MORE PERSISTENT...LAKE EFFECT SNOWS WILL BEGIN
THIS AFTERNOON AND LAST THROUGH THE NIGHT. THE WEST TO NORTHWEST
WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL GUST UP TO 40 MPH AT TIMES CREATING
BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE SNOW.

SNOWFALL WILL ACCUMULATE 2 TO 3 INCHES BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...
AND ANOTHER 2 TO 5 INCHES OVERNIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THE
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE HIGHEST IN THE SNOW BELT NORTH AND WEST
OF THE CITY OF WARREN.

IN ADDITION...VERY POOR VISIBILITY IN FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW IS
POSSIBLE. WIND CHILLS WILL DROP TO AROUND 10 DEGREES BELOW ZERO
EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY MEANS LAKE-EFFECT SNOW IS FORECAST
THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT IN SOME AREAS. LAKE-EFFECT SNOW
TYPICALLY FALLS AS NARROW BANDS OF HEAVY SNOW WITHIN A LARGER
AREA OF LIGHTER SNOWFALL. GIVEN THE NATURE OF LAKE EFFECT SNOW...
VISIBILITIES CAN BECOME REDUCED VERY RAPIDLY...SOMETIMES TO NEAR
ZERO OVER ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE. PLAN ON EXTRA TRAVEL TIME
BECAUSE CONDITIONS WILL REQUIRE YOU TO SLOW DOWN. STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION
FOR THE LATEST UPDATES. ADDITIONAL DETAILS CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT...
WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE.

January Thaw

by Reg Darling

My Aunt Gert (Gertrude Miner) died on January 5, 2010. She was ninety years old.

 One of the many great good fortunes of Gert’s life and one of the most important lessons she taught me was the extraordinary depth and wholeness of her sense of home. She taught me that a relationship with a place—with a creek, a rock, a tree, or a little village in Forest County—could have the same passionate intensity and spiritual commitment as a relationship with a lover or child.

Trout fishing was a form of prayer for Gert.

When spring comes, I’ll drive out Route 337 and take Heart’s Content Road to Forest Road 116. I’ll follow 116 down Bobb’s Creek to Mayburg and park near the bridge. I’ll spend an hour or two or three fishing there—or perhaps just sit a while. Then I’ll drive down Route 666 to Cougar Bob’s. I’ll ask for a Jack Daniels and water and tell the bartender to go heavy on the Jack Daniels and light on the water. I’ll drink a toast to Gert, venison, brook trout, campfires, and the music of creek water flowing over polished rocks. Gert will be there with me, smiling.

Reg Darling is the author of two novelistic memoirs about our area. You can enjoy more of his writing or buy one of his books at his web site.

Photo of Windhound Farm from 1974 is copyright 2010 by Reg Darling

 

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