La Niña: Big snows in December and January?
October 16, 2010
From the Summit County Citizens Voice (Bob Berwyn):
Joe Ramey, a climatologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, went out on a limb last weekend to forecast a snowy winter, beginning in December and lasting at least through January, and possibly into February. The early part of the ski season might stay dry and warm a little longer than most eager skiers and snowboarders would like, but odds are the dumps should arrive for the heart of the season, he said. “The weather flip-flop in 2010 gives us a high level of confidence … but don’t bet the ranch,” Ramey said, speaking last week at the annual Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop in Leadville.
He based his forecast on the dramatic shift away from El Niño to La Niña, with much cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific. Based on those temperature readings, this year’s La Niña is shaping up to be one of the strongest in several decades, but that alone doesn’t guarantee a big winter.
