winter (Page 3)

For most of the United States, winter 2001-02 will be a lot like a last year?s, with sharp swings in temperature and precipitation, including heavy snows in the Northeast and Midwest, cold air in the South, and blizzards along the East Coast. The absence of a strong El Nino or La Nina climate pattern means we will have a “typical” winter with a full range of extremes.

?We don’t expect a repeat of the record-breaking cold temperatures of November-December of last year, but this winter should be cooler than the warm winters of the late 1990s,? says Scott Gudes, NOAA?s acting administrator. ?Citizens should prepare for the full range of winter weather.?
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Can bugs predict the weather? Some people think so, and they expect a cold winter this year. ?The bees have been out early, and they have been very aggressive for this time of year,? says Stacy Schuster, marketing director for Crystal Mountain Ski Area. ?A lot of mountain folk contend that?s a big sign that something?s coming.?

This bug-based winter wisdom is echoed by the observations of Mike McFarland, a forecaster with the National Weather Service?s Seattle office. McFarland says woolly bear caterpillars in his driveway have thick orange and black coats with wide bands. ?The first two I saw, they were definitely suited up for some snowy, cold weather. I saw those guys and, boy, right away I knew.?
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