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Top 5 Snowmelt Contest Winners for 2012

The day has finally arrived for drawing and revealing the top 5 prize-winners for the Snowmelt Contest in 2012. As you read late last week, we ended up with 43 people who predicted the correct date this year – which was May 30th. It was an earlier than average melt date, but it was not the earliest ever. That was in 2007 when the snow melted on May 25th. May 30th (this year) was much later than I expected and that most people predicted – so winners, pat yourself on the back. You can see the list of winners in this past blog post.

This morning on Wake-Up Wisconsin we held the random drawing to decide who would take home the big R-store gift cards. Here are the results:

  • 1st Place: $250 R-Store Gift Card – Tracy Steiner
  • 2nd Place: $150 R-Store Gift Card – Brittnay Adamski
  • 3rd Place: $100 R-Store Gift Card – Brenda Swan
  • 4th Place: $50 R-Store Gift Card – Donna Schrameyer
  • 5th Place: $25 R-Store Gift Card – Adele Treml

Everyone else (38 remaining winners) wins a R-Store car wash coupon. All the prizes will be mailed out this week, so keep your eye out for some mail from WAOW-TV. A big thanks to the R-Store for providing the wonderful prizes. Also, thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s contest. I didn’t get an exact count of the entries but it was around a couple thousand which makes it one of the biggest years ever for the Snowmelt Contest. I hope everyone had fun!

Have a nice Monday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Snowmelt 2012

This post was written by jloew on June 4, 2012

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Snowmelt Winners 2012!

The date has finally arrived! Late in the evening yesterday I hiked up Rib Mountain one last time. In the near dark I found a damp patch of grass and dirt that used to be the remaining snow (see here for a picture from yesterday morning). That means the 2012 snowmelt contest is now over! May 30th is the winning date. It turns out we had 43 people predict the correct date. Listed below are the fabulous forecasters, the cream of the crop, the top snowmelt sleuths this year:

  • Brittnay Adamski
  • Jerry Kitzrow
  • Norbert Mroczenski
  • Cheryl Steffen
  • Randy Pfantz
  • Adele Treml
  • Terrie Kozey
  • Dennis Kwasny
  • Marilyn LaPointe
  • Gary Zolp
  • Sharyn Thompson
  • Lori Thomas
  • Scott Gress
  • Tim Jari
  • Carissa Hasenfang
  • Nancy Grochmal
  • Mary Skrzeczkoski
  • Brenda Swan
  • Sue Janz
  • Jason Moss
  • Duwayne Revie
  • Eileen Wadzinski
  • Denise Brillowski
  • Ronald Ament
  • Sally Sommers
  • Carla Kniech
  • Sandy Stroyny
  • Sue Lehmann
  • Carissa Solimene
  • Shannon Rosenow
  • Mary Jo Fochs
  • Sue Priebe
  • Donna Schrameyer
  • Sue Schultz
  • Tracy Steiner
  • Mary Marquardt
  • Kristin Woller
  • Candie Smetak
  • Kris Carson
  •  Heather (text entry)

There are three other text entries on the list that we have not heard back from yet. If we don’t hear back from them on before Monday then we will enter the last 4 digits of their phone number into the big drawing.

The drawing for the top 5 prizes will be held on Monday June 4th on Wake-Up Wisconsin. The names will be drawn at 5:40 am and at that point we will reveal the 4th and 5th place winner. At approximately 6:40am we will reveal the top 3 prize winners. Everyone whose name is not drawn in the top 5 will win a consolation prize of a free car wash coupon from the R-stores of Northcentral Wisconsin. A big THANK YOU to the R-stores for providing the big prizes this year. Just a reminder, these are the gift card values for the top randomly drawn winners:

  • 1st prize: $250 R-store gift card
  • 2nd prize: $150 R-store gift card
  • 3rd prize $100 R-store gift card
  • 4th prize: $50 R-store gift card
  • 5th prize: $25 R-store gift card

Someone listed above is going to take home a $250 gift card next week. Exciting!

Damp Ground Where There Used to be Snow

And I finally here is the picture of the final demise of the snow in 2012. For those of you who entered May 31st, I want to let you know I checked the spot over very well to see if there were any small pieces of ice or snow left hiding on that patch of ground, but there was none. As such, the winning date for this year’s contest is May 30th, much later than what I forecast, which was May 15th.

One other special note: Tune in to the Big Cheese Morning show on Monday to hear Trav do the morning weather segment while breathing helium. We had a little side bet about the snowmelt date and I was closer. For losing this little side bet he is going to breathe in a little helium before talking with me about the weather on the radio. You can hear this at approximately 7:49 am on the radio dial at 107.9 FM. It should be funny.

Have a good Thursday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

 

Posted under Snowmelt 2012

This post was written by jloew on May 31, 2012

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May 30th Snowmelt Update

I apologize to regular blog readers for not posting more intriguing commentary about recent weather and science events, but computer upgrades, various presentations, special events, and the snowmelt contest have taken up all of my time. Hopefully I will be able to get on a more regular routine of posting in the near future.

Speaking of the snowmelt contest, it is getting very close to the end and for those of you who predicted today May 30th or tomorrow May 31st, you can thank the cool weather for your shot at winning the R-store gift cards. If the sun had been out all day yesterday and the temperature had topped 70 degrees, then I am certain the snow would have melted on the 29th. Instead, it hung on through the night and the tiny bit that remains is melting quite slowly today. Right now it is just a little disc of ice about 3 feet in diameter. I will be checking it again this evening, so stay tuned. Whether the final melt is today or tomorrow, we will draw for the winners on Wake-up Wisconsin early next week, most likely on Monday.

May 30th SnowMay 30th Snow

Have a nice Wednesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Snowmelt 2012

This post was written by jloew on May 30, 2012

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May 29th Snowmelt 2012 Update

I took another trip up to the mountain this morning and the snow pile was about one third the size it was yesterday but I cannot guarantee it will melt today. I have included the latest pictures in this blog post. It will be so close to finally melting today that I will have to take another trip out there this evening and monitor the situation. There might be just enough sunshine to melt it today. Stay tuned!

Have a nice Tuesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Snowmelt 2012

This post was written by jloew on May 29, 2012

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Getting Close to the Final Melt

As expected, the 80 degree weather really put a dent in the remaining snow on Rib Mountain. Another 80s degree day today should just about finish it off. I suspect we will have the final snow melt off of Rib Mountain either Tuesday or Wednesday. I am amazed that it has lasted this long, but the snow piles Granite Peak makes during the winter are very deep and they take a long time to melt. If the temperatures had not been so warm for much of this Spring, the snow might have lasted until the middle of June. In any case, good luck to everyone who picked dates for this week. You have a good shot at winning. Here are a few pictures from earlier today (Monday). I will be posting daily updates for the rest of this week. If the snow melts on Tuesday or Wednesday, we will likely hold the drawing for the top five prizes on Thursday on Wake-up Wisconsin.

Have a pleasant Memorial Day, Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Snowmelt 2012

This post was written by jloew on May 28, 2012

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Maybe a hot Summer. Maybe not.

Temperatures have been well above normal for the last few months, since November 2011, and it looks like that trend will continue for the next few days, but it might not continue for the entire Summer. I say “might not” because the weather is of course known to be quite temperamental and highly changeable here in Northcentral Wisconsin, but also because the CPC outlook does not indicate a strong trend toward the warm weather continuing. If I had too stick my neck out, I would say the Summer months ARE going to average above normal. How far above, I am not sure. I suspect we will have a couple of heat waves where the high temperature stays in the 90s for 2 or 3 days in a row, but I don’t think it will be super-hot all Summer long like a few people have told me (just in casual conversation on the street).

Summer CPC Forecast

The CPC has the northern half of the country in the “Equal Chances” category once again for the month of June and for the 3 month (June-July-August) period. The higher chance of above normal temps is expected to be in the southern half of the country. Precipitation for us is all indicated as “Equal Chances”.

With the warm weather we have had as of late, you would think that the snow on Rib Mountain would be gone. That is not the case. I you entered the contest back in April and are anxiously waiting because you picked a date toward the end of May, you are in luck. The snow is melting pretty fast. I think it will be gone or very close, over the holiday weekend. Here are a couple of pictures taken today – May 23rd. Have a nice Wednesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under CPC Outlook, Snowmelt 2012

This post was written by jloew on May 23, 2012

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Warm Weekend But Snow Remains

It was warm over the weekend. We had a record high temperature of 88 in Wausau on Saturday. We beat the old record by 1 degree. Highs were in the 80s on Friday and Sunday as well, but it was not enough heat to melt all the snow out on Rib Mountain. When the snowmelt contest began, I felt quite certain that the snow would melt on a record early date this year. Now I am not so certain. It will most likely melt in May but it will probably not be the earliest melt we have ever observed. The heat did a number on the remaining snowpile, but it was not enough to get rid of it. I have included a picture taken yesterday – May 20th.

Snow Picture - May 20th

Besides the warm weather over the weekend, some thunderstorms developed on Sunday as we expected, but they were not very widespread. Most of the rain and heavy weather developed north of Marathon county. Trees and power lines were downed near Tripoli, Antigo, and Florence, as well as a few other spots. Hail up to 1 inch in diameter was reported in Conover and Sugar Camp in Vilas county.

For gardeners out there, you will probably need to plan a little watering because it doesn’t look like too much rain in the forecast this week. Another cold front will be moving through the area on Thursday and it will produce at least a 30% chance of thunderstorms. However, as things look now, any rain on Thursday will be hit-or-miss, not too widespread. If we don’t get rain on Thursday we might have to wait until Sunday or Monday (Memorial Day). I am not too concerned about drought development as of yet, but I know things are getting a little dry out there. The weather pattern is still pretty active so at least we will have opportunities for rain. It would be worse if we had a stagnant or blocked weather (or jet stream) pattern, which usually leads to several days up to a couple of weeks of no signs of precipitation.

Have a good Monday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Severe Weather, Snowmelt 2012, Storms

This post was written by jloew on May 21, 2012

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Another Snowmelt 2012 Update

May 16th Remaining SnowMay 16th Remaining Snow

Some new pictures from up on the “mountain”. I konw it doesn’t look like all that much has melted but is is probably half the size it was last week and melting quickly. Will it last through this weekend? It will be quite warm on Friday and Saturday. Good luck to everyone who entered.

Have a fine Wednesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Snowmelt 2012

This post was written by jloew on May 16, 2012

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The Case of Natural Gas 2

Just a couple weeks ago I was extolling the virtues of natural gas as a bridge fuel to the future. Sure, from the perspective of AGW, it is not the perfect long term solution, but it is better than coal or oil and it is much cheaper (right now). I was heartened to read the other day that natural gas electric power generation in the U.S. has surged so much in recent years that it is getting close to even with coal. Coal currently generates 36.7% of our electricity while natural gas generates 29.4%. A revelation of the data is that the oft-cited statement that the U.S generates 50% of its electricity from coal is no longer true – not by a long shot. We are not a coal-electric country anymore. The electric cars on the road cannot accurately described as coal cars. Now I hope that we will also move away from fossil-fuel cars altogether, but that is a bigger challenge because electric cars are still quite expensive. The good news is that the technology works! Exibit A is the Tesla Model S sedan that achieves over 300 miles per charge – and it looks gorgeous. Add in future autonomous vehicles and road travel will not only be cleaner and more efficient but safer as well (cool video of the google car). Not everyone is all “jazzed” about more electronics coming too vehicles. Along with autonomous cars perhaps coming to roads near you, the U.S. government will require that all vehicles come installed with a black box starting in the year 2015. I agree it is kind-of creepy, that the government will be able to monitor your driving habits and where you are at all times in your vehicle. I know that the point is not to monitor people, but some authoritarian governments have been known to abuse spying powers throughout history, it is just a fact. So maybe the fact that more and more younger people are not driving and buying cars is a good thing. They can save a ton of money by not owning a car. Most urban centers have plenty of means for getting around town. Not moving out into the suburbs and buying a car means that you will not have to spend so much of your life stuck in traffic jams. Hopefully this trend will continue and there will be less pollution and smog from automobiles in the future. I get the fact that freedom and cars have seemingly gone hand-in-hand throughout much of American history, but things change, and I think this change (younger generations not buying carts) is one for the better. Here are a couple of more articles about the possible decline of the United States of Suburbia, often labeled by yours truly as sprawling environmental disasters. Article 1. Article 2.

But I digress. Back to the natural gas story, the main reason why power companies are switching to natural gas is because the price is quite low and the U.S. has a HUGE supply that could easily last decades (maybe peak oil is not such a big threat - something I have argued for years). People prefer low prices. An interesting survey recently found that a majority of Americans wouldn’t mind paying up to 13% more for electricity, if they knew it came from alternative sources. I doubt it. The reality is in the market. People want cheaper prices for the most part. That is why power companies are using nat gas more right now. If people were so willing to pay 13% more, power companies would have already made more of a move toward wind and solar.

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Now an update on the snowmelt contest. I walked up Rib Mountain to get a picture of the snow yesterday. There is still a sizable pile of snow but it is noticeably shrinking. The pictures probably do not do the melting justice. That being said, we are most likely a few days away from the winning date. Good luck to everyone who predicted dates in mid to late May.

Snow Picture from May 13thSnow Picture from May 13th

Have a nice Monday! Meteorologist Justin Loew

Posted under AGW, Alternative Energy, Peak Oil, Pollution, Snowmelt 2012

This post was written by jloew on May 14, 2012

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Snowmelt 2012 – Getting Closer

I just got back from Rib Mountain with a few pictures of the remaining snow. There are still a couple of pretty healthy piles of snow left, so if you picked today or tomorrow, you are probably out of luck. It looks like a few more days before we find out who is going to win the big R-store gift cards. I have included a couple of pictures for your perusing. These pictures might look a lot like last week Friday but they are new pictures and I could notice a significant difference in the volume of snow left. The warmer weather pattern developing over the next few days should accelerate the melting a bit.

Snow pile on Rib MountainSnow pile on Rib Mountain

Also, I apologize for not blogging as much recently. I have been a little too busy with some new things and some presentations. One presentation I am working on that you might consider attending is “Space & Weather” which will occur at the Woodson Art Museum in Wausau this coming Saturday (May 12th) from 1 to 2 pm. I will explore the nature of the weather from the surface of the earth, up and out of the atmosphere, and on to other planets. The presentation is free and open to the public and is timed with the current NASA-themed art exhibit.

Also, in case you haven’t noticed yet, there is a new FOX morning show that airs live from 7am to 8am, Monday through Friday. Yours truly and Cami Mountain host the show on Fox 55. This has added a little extra work of course, so it cuts into my blog writing time a bit. In combination, the presentations, the snowmelt contest, and the new show have taken up a lot of time lately. I hope continue providing quality blog content on a more regular basis again in the near future.

Have a good Wednesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Snowmelt 2012, Space

This post was written by jloew on May 9, 2012

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