The predictions of a significant snowfall over the Christmas holiday weekend came true this morning as the storm dumped 8 and a half inches of snow on East Raleigh. When we woke at 7:30 there was about five inches already on the ground. Two hours later we were up to 8 inches. Our final count was 8 and a half of solid snow. Areas just east of us got close to a foot of snow!
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December 2010
Mysterious call from 876-350-7034
I got a call on my cellphone this afternoon from a number I didn’t recognize, 876-350-7034, so I let it go to voicemail. The caller didn’t leave a message but a little sleuthing on the Internet says that the number is from Jamaica. Further sleuthing says that some folks in Jamaica are using their toll-free-looking area code to scam people.
I don’t know if the call I missed is about a scam or not but it would be wise to be wary of calls from an 876 area code.
Update 27 Dec: Looks like I covered this scam in February.
Significant snow back in forecast
Flakes haven’t fallen here yet but right now we’re on the edge of the 5″-9″ band of snow, according to the latest from WRAL. Every forecast model keeps adding snow. What once seemed light is now looking significant.
Here’s the NWS Winter Storm Warning from noon:
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Update on potential weekend snow
With the latest forecast models out, the weather geeks are now saying this weekend snow is looking more to be on the lighter side. This is good news for travelers, not so good news for sledders!
…LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE IS TRENDING TOWARD A LESS SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA ON SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY…. TWO DIFFERENT MECHANISMS ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SOME WINTRY PRECIPITATION ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH SUNDAY. THE FIRST AND WEAKER SYSTEM IS A MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORT WAVE IN THE NORTHERN STREAM THAT MOVES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY/SOUTH APPALACHIANS ON SATURDAY. THE OTHER AND POTENTIALLY MORE SIGNIFICANT SYSTEM IS A SURFACE LOW THAT DEVELOPS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO ON SATURDAY AND THEM MOVES UP THE EAST COAST SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY.
Vintage 1970s Lunch Boxes Revisited
For kids in the ’70s, the cartoon characters and pop stars on their metal lunch boxes were more important than the sliced apples and PB&Js inside. In fact, the coolness of your lunch box could determine your social status for the whole year. In this interview, painter and graphic designer Dee Adams explains how lunch boxes affected playground politics when she was kid, and how she puts her collection of vintage metal ones to use in a think-outside-the-lunch-box way. To learn more about Adams, visit her blog or Flickr page.
via Vintage 1970s Lunch Boxes Revisited: When Pop Culture Ruled the Playground | Collectors Weekly.
I’m Dreaming of a Blue Sunset
It’s not exactly a Christmas song but you can take a peek at what a Martian sunset looks like this time of year, courtesy of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Opportunity rover, still humming along on the surface of Mars.
There’s something comforting to me about seeing our sun set from the vantage point of a different planet.
Highlights coming up
It’s about time for my annual highlights list, where I look back on my year. The trend has been to wrap up the list in early January, so as to cover everything properly. It has been a full year, no doubt.
Immigration equals congressional seats
The official Census apportionment took place this week. While North Carolina grew at an 18.5% clip this past decade, it was not enough to gain us an additional seat in the House of Representatives. We missed that landmark by fewer than 16,000 people.
One thing I noticed is that the states which gained the most in population are also the ones known for attracting immigrants (documented or otherwise). Since the Census doesn’t care whether someone is a citizen or not the states that made big gains in population benefited from at least some so-called “illegal” immigration. Do you think that these states might now change their tune about immigration?
N&O runs another ethically-questionable ad
Wow, that didn’t take long.
The News and Observer has gone to the bottom the barrel again by running yet another advertisement that misleads its readers into thinking they can get something for nothing. In spite of me calling the newspaper out earlier for the misleading “free $2” ad, the paper has continued to take money from the shady Universal Syndications company for its misleading ads.
As with the $2 bill ad, there are plenty of consumer complaints about this advertisement. One only has to check the websites of Consumer Reports and the Better Business Bureau to find them. Bloggers have documented the issues with these ads. Consumer Affairs has covered them. The Columbus Dispatch dig deeper into the story, interviewing the poor people who were duped by the deal:
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White Christmas on the way?
Our weather forecast is calling for a significant chance of snow on Christmas Day in Raleigh. Currently the forecast shows a 60% chance of snow the afternoon and evening of Christmas Day. My forecaster friend Jeff Orrock says this snow could be significant.
We could be looking at a White Christmas and then some. Stay tuned!
A STORM SYSTEM WILL TRACK ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH CHRISTMAS DAY…BEFORE MAKING A TURN TO THE NORTHEAST AND MOVING ALONG THE SOUTHEAST AND MID ATLANTIC COAST CHRISTMAS NIGHT AND SUNDAY. WHILE THERE REMAINS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE EXACT TRACK AND TIMING OF THIS STORM…CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA WILL SEE ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL.
via National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary.
Update 10:30 AM: News14 meterologist Lee Ringer says this storm has major potential, though the track and timing are not certain. Adjust your travel plans accordingly!
While a lot of folks are dreaming of a white Christmas, this storm has the potential to become a major snowstorm from the Carolinas to the northeast. This would create dangerous or impossible travel conditions.