Due to the weather today, I thought this week I would blog about the winter of 2008-2009.
Did anyone else notice how amazingly freezing it was last month? In North Dakota, the average high temperature during the month of February was 19.9 degrees, according to Bruce Dougherty, national weather observer, Lisbon. This is four degrees below the normal average for the month, which is 23.2 degrees. The overall average temperature for February was 11.7, which was only a couple degrees colder that the normal average temperature for the month, 13 degrees.
Not only was the temperature brutal the last few months, but it has been recorded that the total snowfall so far for 2009 has been 24.5 inches, and the total for the winter of 2008-2009 to 60.4 inches.This winter has had the most snowfall since the winter of 1996-1997.
Personally, I remember the blizzard of ’97 fondly. I was about eight years old, and the storm lasted forever . . . which meant that school was cancelled for quite some time. However, I also remember one of the Fargo News Stations travelling to elementary school a few weeks later to do a story on our school. Why? Because we all had to attend on a Saturday to make up for all the school we missed because of the storm.
My family lives in rural Sheldon, ND. The storm knocked out power at our house for over a week. The storm knocked out power and phone service for nearly every town and city in the Red River Valley. The storm also poured freezing rain and snow all throughout the Red River Valley.
The winter of 96-97 was followed by one of the worst springs in North Dakota history. Anyone who remembers that winter also remembers the flooding in North Dakota, especially in Grand Forks. After all the rain and snow piled into the already high river waters, the flooding that happened after was insane.
This leads people to believe that this spring could be similar because of all of the snowfall.
Right now I am waiting for classes to be cancelled, much like I did when I was eight years old. I get more annoyed with the weather now that I am old enough to drive and have a job I am responsible for. It will be interesting to see what the spring will be!
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Sami,
ReplyDeleteI thought right away, once I saw your title, that you were going to focus on 1996-1997, or at least make reference to it. I remember it well as well (okay, not that well, but I know the jist of it). One day, while working at the grocery store in December, a customer and I debated whether or not we would have a flood in April. I swore we would because I had never seen a winter like this, but he was still saying that 96-97 was way worse. Either way, this weather is really dampening my mood and probably everyone elses. Most of Valley City is ready for Spring! I know I am!
I am going to start off with what most people are probably thinking too. I am unbelievably sick of all this snow we are getting. As I sit here an wait for spring and then summer to come, I also wonder if I should just go buy myself a canoe to get around this spring. I also remember 1996-1997 and waiting for school to be cancelled as I do still today.
ReplyDeleteI totally remember having to makeup for school. Instead of attending schools on saturdays we had to stay late in the evenings with the storms of '97. I wish I could remember it more but do not. I live in this small country town north of Valley City. Its terrible here today the weather is absolutely awful. My husband got stuck three or four times in the snow. And since were on the outside of tokwn were catching a lot of the windy drift. Its awful! I cannot walk out the door with out getting slammed in the face by blinding snow. I think everybody is sick of this weather! It seems to me every year there is always once last bang of the season. I am hoping this is it!
ReplyDeleteI too remember the great winter of '97. It's quite a topic of discussion lately. I remember not having power and heat at our house for a few days. It was awful! I don't ever recall going to school on a Saturday, though. (I probably would've remembered something awful like that!) I'm sure we just had days taken away from our vacations.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think it will flood in the spring. I wonder how bad it will be...
I would like to offer a counter – SAND, SAND, SAND!
ReplyDeleteNo matter what part of the country you live in a one point you get tired of the weather.
Living in Florida it wonderful yet the weather doesn’t change much. We get some cold days were we can break out those wonderful comfy sweaters but for the most part we get 75 – 95 temperatures all year long.
It doesn’t change much.
Sometimes you want some variety; I have a friend in Connecticut that is nice enough to send me leaves in the fall so I can picture the trees with their hues of brown, gold, red and green.
Then there is Christmas – lets just say when they sing White Christmas in Florida then mean white beaches not snowflakes. Not to mention that a lot of friends I know put up palm trees to decorate!
Regardless of where you are sometimes you just need a change of weather