December 2009 Weather News!
What the Fuck! I reported that November weather was boring and Old Man Winter sticks his fat muddy cold foot up my feathered ass! Arizona weather made national news with Flagstaff shattering an old record for single most snowfall in a day. The storm was expected but no one thought the amount of snow accumulations would occur like they did. Fifty separate hunters from Williams north to the Grand Canyon were stranded and had to be rescued. A freak weather related accident killed a Tempe firefighter.
December was an exceptionally cold month for parts of Arizona, especially the Land. There were four consecutive days later in the month the morning lows were between 25 and 27 degrees. The average temperature at the Land for the month was only 50.11 degrees. One morning the dew point was -2 degrees making the air feel bone chilling; way below freezing but no moisture to create any ice. Wintering snow birds and tourists out here in our “warm” desert said “the hell with it” and went back home where it was warmer.
In this special year end edition of BlueDuck Weather you will be astounded at the amount of information my fine staff labored tirelessly to report and give to me to compile for my fine readers all around the world. You will find out what was found on a California hiking trail, why December 4th was a highly unusual weather day, A Thanksgiving day waste to report from last month, the definition of a Blizzard Warning, that “acts of cow” are not covered by homeowner’s insurance. You will also learn what “The Eddie” is, A MURDERED DUCK, bad weather seems to equal good fishing, U.S. joins other countries in cloud seeding, woman caught smuggling animal parts in an airport, the fate of the wild Mustang , a two legged dog named “Faith” and snow records shattered over parts of the United States.
It was 9.5 degrees cooler at the Land at the end of the month than the beginning. At talking Trees and Antelope Hill it was 13 degrees cooler.
The average temperature there was an ooshy 27.81 degrees.
The average humidity at The Land was 46%. The average dew point was 26.19 degrees.
The average wind speed was 4.17mph.
The rainfall for the year at The Land was 4.56 inches with .18 inches for the month. Phoenix recorded 3.26 inches for the year.
Little rain and the lake levels keep dropping. Lake Mead is at 40% capacity, Pleasant at 63%, Powell at 61% and Roosevelt stands at 76% full.
12-1- The first Lake Effect snow storm of the season has hit western New York.
Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, has started to bombard clouds now that Cuba has provided help with cloud seeding equipment and planes.
A Burmese python is found on a hiking trail in California. (I would rather deal with a rattler!)
12-2- RyDuck reports from his secluded Colorado position that at 2:15 p.m. it is 15 degrees with a wind of five to fifteen mph.
The phenomenon of warmer surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, known as El Nino, strengthens considerably. This could create drought and flooding around the world until May according to the U.N.
12-3- Freeze Warnings posted for Mohave County in Arizona. -1 degree at the Grand Canyon.
Zero at Talking Trees and Antelope Hill with an average temperature of only 15.50 degrees.
12-4. First freeze of the year at The Land.
Houston receives the earliest snowfall on record and may receive three to five inches. Since 1895 it has only snowed in Houston thirty three times.
The North East receives strong winds and driving rain knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses. After the storm the weather cleared and record high temperatures occurred. Boston reached 69 degrees breaking the old record of 65 set back in 1932. Portland got up to 68 degrees crushing the old record of 55 degrees for the date.
Parts of North and South Carolina are under a Tornado Watch. Three inches of rain have fallen in North Carolina.
Moscow has the warmest day on record reaching 50 degrees. The average temperature there in December is 24.8 degrees. Zoo bears are not going into hibernation it is so warm.
An Oregon couple, looking for a Christmas tree, spent two days stuck in their vehicle in a foot of snow. The vehicle high centered on a remote road. They finally placed rocks under the wheels and got free. (They should have brought along the Griswold’s.)
The Arizona Fish and Game Department is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the illegal killing of an adult Mule deer on Thanksgiving Day. The incident happened near Welton. The deer was shot and left to waste in the desert. Beer cans and trash were left behind.
China is taking Panda bear from the Washington Zoo as it was loaned to the United States. (Perhaps they are worried about our debt?)
12-5- 26 degree low at The Land. Weather Alert issued for northern Arizona.
Snow in the South and North East with four inches of snow in Louisiana, earliest on record. Record lows from Texas to New England. Twenty six degrees in Houston breaks a record set in 1851.
Syracuse, New York has gone 283 days without snow breaking a record.
Brazil rains cause deadly mudslides in Sao Paulo. Twenty dead with rivers rising to roof tops and thousands homeless. Some rivers crested to thirty feet above normal.
12-6- A Blizzard Warning is issued for Flagstaff and the Rim country. High winds and blowing snow above 6000’. A “lock down situation” (first time I have heard of this term for weather) may be needed for residents. Blizzard warnings are rare in northern Arizona because usually the criteria is not met; extremely low visibility, strong winds and heavy snow for more than three hours.
A Tucson judge has threatened to sentence a man twenty five days in jail for leaving jugs of water in the desert for migrants to drink. In August a judge ordered the same man to pick up trash for three hundred hours and banned from Buenos Aires National Wildlife Preserve where he had been “littering.”
12-7- A Blizzard Warning is still in effect for northern Arizona. There is one foot of snow in Flagstaff already, shattering and old record of five inches set back in 1956. The snow level is expected to drop down to 4000’.
A Flash Flood Watch is posted for the Phoenix metro area. One inch of rain in Cave Creek and roads in New River are washed out.
The biggest waves in recent memory are happening in Hawaii. Swells could reach 50’ high and surfers from around the world are traveling there. (Must be nice to just pick up and go to where the waves are.)
12-8- Last night’s storm in Phoenix has left 85,000 without power. 74mph winds reported at Deer Valley Airport (Category 1 hurricane winds.) Two inches of rain fell in Cave Creek and Flagstaff has received two feet of snow in 24 hours. I-40 closed east and west of Flagstaff. An Avalanche Warning has been posted for the San Francisco Peaks.
A freak accident takes the life of a firefighter in last night’s storm. He was camping and hunting elk near Payson. A tree snapped and crushed him in his tent. His partner was uninjured.
A 70’ tall tree in Phoenix was blown over and crushed two vehicles. It took two cranes to remove the trees.
You read about it first right here in BlueDuck Weather last year; a “pet” chimpanzee mauled and blinded a woman. No charges have been filed on the pet owner but a fifty million dollar civil law suit has been filed.
A Tennessee man files a report that cows licking his house have caused damage. The insurance claim is denied. The cows ripped off a window screen, cracking the glass and pulling down a gutter. A deputy’s report did not indicate “what made the house taste so good.” (wah, wah.)
Pet frogs in the Atlanta area are being blamed for the latest outbreak of Salmonella. (?)
12-9- Ten Search and Rescue teams are searching for thirty missing hunters in Coconino County who have not returned home. Some back roads have three feet of snow.
The storm that hit Arizona two days ago thunders through the Mid West and up into New England. Eight states have posted Blizzard Warnings. One foot of snow has fallen in Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. There are fifteen foot deep snow drifts with 50mph winds. Minnesota drops to twenty below zero.
According to the United Nations the past decade, worldwide, has been the warmest on record.
A Boise, Idaho boy got his tongue stuck to a frozen metal pole, perhaps on a dare. A passer by called 9-11 and firefighters poured warm water on the pole to free the boy. (Editor’s note: Although I am a desert duck, and the closest thing I have ever got my tongue stuck on is a popsicle, I am sure some of you cold weather folks have tried the dare in your youth. Were firefighters deployed to your rescue?)
Legendary surfing contest takes place in Hawaii due to massive waves. Known as “The Eddie” this competition can only be held when waves reach twenty feet high or higher. This is only the eighth time conditions have been right since the contest began in 1984. The strong surf is being caused by two large storms northwest of the island.
12-10- 29 degree low at The Land.
The missing hunters in Arizona make the national news. Ten people near the Grand Canyon were rescued last night. Two dozen have been rescued this morning. Six people are still stranded and with this being the last day of the elk hunt more may become stranded as they try to leave their campsites.
Five below zero in Flagstaff a new record. It was two below in 1956.
12-11- Arizona Search and Rescue teams are still pulling stranded hunters out of Coconino County. With 18,000 square miles to cover this is the biggest operation ever for that county. Rescued hunters had to leave their vehicles, camping gear and even their elk behind. They will have to figure out how to retrieve their equipment after conditions improve. National news reports “Az. Hunters all accounted for.”
This past week’s storm is moving out of the United States but causing temperatures to be below freezing in thirteen states with wind gusts dropping temps to twenty five degrees below zero. Seventeen deaths in the northern U.S. blamed on the weather.
While most people in Arizona stayed out of the weather on December 7th, a man caught a record Striper on Lake Pleasant. The fish weighed 28.58 pounds and was 45.7 inches long. He was the only one on the lake fishing that day and said “they were hitting top water all day long.”
A Bedford, Massachusetts man received a year’s probation for intentionally killing a duck with his vehicle. Witnesses said the driver headed directly for a mother duck walking her twelve ducklings last spring. (Get a rope!)
12-12- Winter Storm Warning in affect for northern Arizona. Four to seven inches of snow forecast.
One hundred motorists stranded in snow in western New York.
Cloud seeding in the United States beginning to grow, another nation desperate for rain in some states. Government agencies and utility companies are spending fifteen million dollars on cloud seeding. The projects have increased by a third in the past decade. China spends one million dollars a year to seed its clouds.
In Reno, Nevada investigators are looking into the shooting death of five wild Mustangs. There is a possible link to the heated debate over the future of the horses in Nevada with the BLM.
Three climbers are being search for on Oregon’s Mount Hood.
12-13- Phoenix 4.67’’ below normal rainfall for the year.
A Wind Advisory is posted for the White Mountains. A Winter Storm Advisory is posted for Safford. Whiteout conditions in Flagstaff.
More winter storms bring rain, snow and mud to California. Ninety vehicles were stranded after rocks and mud flowed down a hillside onto the highway north of Los Angeles.
One climber on Mount Hood in Oregon is found dead on a glacier at nine thousand feet. The other two are still missing but the search is called off due to avalanche threats.
Five Sperm whales die beached on Italy’s southern coast. It is rare and mysterious for a mass beaching of such a large species.
A New York City woman was caught smuggling monkey meat through customs. The primate parts were hidden inside a package of smoked fish. She was charged with smuggling an Endangered Species.
12-14- The San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona received 37’’ of snow last week.
Avalanche Warnings call off search again for missing climbers on Mount Hood. An un-manned drone is sent up to look for signs of life. The group had a personal location beacon but so far no signals have been received. Experts warn that beacons can give a false sense of security but all three climbers are experienced.
12-15- Heavy rain in the South with seven inches in New Orleans in twenty four hours. Parts of south west Alabama received a record ten inches of rain. Roads and schools are closed.
With another storm barreling down on Mount Hood, rescuers raced to find the two remaining climbers. For the climber who died an autopsy showed “a long slow fall and was able to walk and crawl several hundred yards before dying of hypothermia.” (You gave it your best brother.)
The BLM has approved the removal of twenty five hundred Mustangs from a range near Reno. They claim removal of the horses is needed to prevent habitat deterioration. (Where was this department when they let fucking cows ruin countless acres of land?) Opposition grows and a federal judge will hear arguments in a lawsuit filed to block the roundup.
12-16- A “sick” Bobcat attacked a man north of Lake Pleasant. The man was not armed but managed to pin the cat with his knees, crushing its air passage. The man felt his hands were not strong enough to choke the cat.
The ground search is called off for the two missing climbers on Mount Hood in Oregon. There is almost no chance they survived for five days and avalanche threats are too dangerous for rescuers.
The new LED traffic lights save energy but don’t generate enough heat to keep ice and snow form freezing to them eliminating visibility. Many car crashes recently have been linked to this. “Researchers” are looking to install heat sources in the lights. ( Give me a fucking break! Research my ass. It wasn’t broke and you can’t fix it.)(In my car searching I found out that most new cars now have heated outside mirrors...this must be why! - Mrs. BD)
12-17- A record TWENTY FIVE. SEVEN THREE INCHES of rain have fallen in New Orleans in the last month. Some homes have eight inches of standing water in them.
The California drought forces more farmers to drill for water. Satellite data of underground reservoirs show that the rate of water consumption is unsustainable.
12-18- Health Watch issued for Phoenix for the next twenty four hours due to fine particulates in the air.
A crumbling cliff in Pacifica, California has forced evacuations of a hillside apartment. Chunks of the cliff have tumbled into the ocean leaving the structure just ten feet from the edge. The cliff has been saturated by recent heavy rains.
A Blizzard Warning is issued for New Jersey.
“FDA ok’s Pepsi plant despite a frog in a soda can.” A consumer found a five inch frog inside a can of Diet Pepsi after opening the can.
Maricopa county animal shelters are filling up with Chihuahuas. In the past two months shelters have received 286. That is 230 more than all of last year. It could be due to recent media popularity or over breeding. (Twinki duck will now be taking DNA prints to make sure Scrappy's younguns aren't involved....Mom Duck)
12-19- Winter Storm Warning issued from the Carolinas to Rhode Island. With twenty inches of snow in the forecast Virginia and Philadelphia declare states of emergency. 750 flights are cancelled in New York. Wind gusts of 50mph and a record fourteen inches of snow in Washington, DC. This is the snowiest December on record for that city. A forty year old snow record is shattered in Roanoke, West Virginia with sixteen inches of snow.
The drought in East Africa has millions of people in need of food and water. European Union has sent seventy five million dollars in aid. Some areas have received less than 5% of normal rainfall in November. Cattle prices have fallen from two hundred dollars to four dollars as families try to sell the starving animals to buy a small amount of corn. 1.5 million cows have died.
Ten deer have been found dead in piles near Sitka, Alaska. Only choice cuts were removed and the rest of the meat left to waste or carnage.
12-20- Extreme cold in Europe kills people. The deadliest is in Poland where 29 people froze to death as temperatures fall to four below zero. Most of the dead are homeless people unable to find shelter.
12-21- A Winter Storm Advisory is issued for northern Arizona. The first day of winter began at 11:41 a.m. in Phoenix and this is the shortest day of the year.
12-22- Dust storm on I-10 near Casa Grande causes a twenty two car pile up. Fourteen are airlifted and three killed. There was no warning and the dust storm did not even show up on Doppler radar. Farm fields had recently been plowed and strong winds kicked up blinding dirt. Wind Advisory issued in Phoenix until midnight. I-17 closed north of Camp Verde due to whiteout conditions.
More storms from Memphis to Atlanta. Coupled with last week’s storms in the North East many flights to be cancelled. Many people will not make their Christmas destinations.
12-23- Due to heavy snow flights cancelled or delayed in Denver, Chicago and Newark.
More snow falls in Europe. One hundred, mostly homeless have died. A record of sixteen thousand cars in Britain either stuck or in accidents.
12-24- Twenty eight degree low at The Land. A no burn day was issued for Maricopa County (you fucking scrooges.)
The National Weather Service has issued Blizzard Warnings for parts of Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Texas. Winter Storm Warnings in effect across the Plains and the Mid West. One hundred flights are cancelled from Minneapolis. Two feet of snow in Fargo, North Dakota.
A tornado touches down in Louisiana.
Flooding and high tide effects 60% of Venice with flooded buildings.
Major roads closed in southern England due to icy roads.
12-25- Twenty five degree low at The Land. One degree low at Talking Trees and Antelope Hill. Eight below reported at the Grand Canyon. A Freeze Warning is issued for the Phoenix metro area. High Pollution Advisory is issued for the next two days and a no burn day is posted in Maricopa County. (I am proud to say that the DudeDuck and yours truly made sure this did not happen today.)
Christmas weather strands travelers in the Mid West. An Ice Storm Warning is issued for West Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thirty degrees below zero in parts of Montana.
12-26- Twenty six degree low at The Land.
In New Jersey rain bean to fall last night and is expected to continue through tomorrow morning. Flood Warnings have been issued.
Blizzard Warnings have never been issued in Dallas since weather recording began. One was issued today. Thirty inches of snow, a new record, falls in South Dakota.
Summer at the South Pole is sixteen below zero.
In Wyoming a slow migration hinders Buffalo hunting season. One hundred fewer animals have been taken this year. Mild weather in the summer and fall and abundant forage has kept the animals from migrating.
12-27- Twenty five degree low at The Land.
Winter storm leaves Flood Alerts has temperatures warm in the East.
Storms from Texas to the upper Mid West have dumped almost twenty four inches of now in Grand Forks, North Dakota and eighteen inches near Norfolk, Nebraska.
12-28- Twenty inches of snow in western Iowa with drifts fifteen feet high. One farmer said he has never seen anything like this in his life. His tractor snow plow is useless.
A two legged dog named “Faith” was born without front legs. She was adopted and learned to walk upright by being coaxed with peanut butter. Faith has been on talk shows (?), toured with Ozzy Osbourne (?) and named an honorary Army sergeant. (?). She has been an inspiration to many who suffer disabilities.
One hundred and twenty Pilot whales beached and died in New Zealand. Forty three others were helped back to sea.
A man in Mexico tried his skill in an improvised bull fight. The bull gorged him in the throat and killed him.
Arizona authorities have found a dead Bobcat that may be the one that attacked a man near Oracle. The man was bitten on the thigh.
A website can help the public in Maricopa County learn how to deal with feral cats. ( Just ask Ryduck about the many tricks used to “deal” with cats.)(DO NOT ask RyBoy shit about cat control...he is a violent duck and should not be giving advise. Mrs. D)
12-29- Apparently residents in Maricopa County ignored a no burn day on Christmas day. Although no one called in to complain about neighbors burning, the particulates from smoke were so high the county may be fined by the EPA.
North East receives more snow and strong winds making it seventeen below zero in some areas.
A railroad snow plow is used in parts of Nebraska. It is normally used only on mountain passes.
Seven are killed in an avalanche in the Alps. Four of them were rescuers.
Using a vehicle GPS strands a couple for three days in the snow in Oregon. They chose the shortest route but not the safest one. They turned onto a forest road off of the highway.
12-30- A Rabies Advisory is posted for eastern and southern Pinal County.(bobcats and skunks...or maricopa new residents)
A Winter Storm Advisory is posted for northern Arizona. Three inches of snow in Williams.
Heavy snow in California with some areas receiving nine inches.
Black ice on roads in Oklahoma. People are warned not to drive at all until it melts.
12-31- Another no burn day is posted for Maricopa County.
After heavy rain mudslides kill eighteen in Brazil.
Near freezing temperatures have killed sixteen homeless people in northern India. Uttar Pradesh is one of India’s poorest states and nearly one fifth of its one hundred and eighty million people are homeless.
A Wyoming man shoots and kills a mountain lion that killed and partially ate one of his Llamas. Another is missing.
Two climbers killed in Britain and two in Poland due to avalanches.
Two full moons in December this year. The last time was twenty years ago and the next time will be twenty six years.
In New York City at midnight they will drop a ball. In one town in Pennsylvania they will drop a carp (?). In a town in Arkansas they will drop an Opossum in a cage. (?) Happy New Year!
TwinkyDuck elaborated on the blue moon phenomenon with the following facts: “The solar calendar has eleven more days than a calendar year so every three years there is an extra full moon in a given month. When a blue moon is called that it’s because in some places it appears blue. That is caused by particulates in the sky.”
The Mighty Broaduck quote for the month is “Times are tough, the country is broke. Here is your heartfelt Christmas quote. The love a person has for his family members can’t be measured by any standards. All are loved differently but the same amount in their own special ways. (He is so full of shit. I like the first line the best and think I will steal it for a down and out country song.)
The RyDuck observation from his secluded post in Colorado is fitting given all of the storms the country has recently experienced. “Wind from the south usually precedes a storm.”
And since most of the country would probably like to see some more sun right now the song of the month is “Good day Sunshine” by the Beatles.
Keep your eyes open for black ice, avalanches, snow slides, mud slides, rock slides and frozen fingers and toes. Until next month remember Pioneers took bullets, Settlers took land.
The Amazing, Distinguished, Scholarly, Professor of Quackery and Duckitzer Award Winner MR BlueDuck.
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