Snowfall totals

The National Weather Service’s Raleigh office collected unofficial spotter reports for snowfall totals after yesterday’s snowstorm. I wanted to post this before it disappeared from the net (the report for Raleigh is mine, by the way).

000
NOUS42 KRAH 262059
PNSRAH
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-270859-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
SPOTTER REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
359 PM EST SUN DEC 26 2010

THE FOLLOWING ARE UNOFFICIAL OBSERVATIONS TAKEN DURING THE PAST 8 HOURS FOR THE STORM THAT HAS BEEN AFFECTING OUR REGION. APPRECIATION IS EXTENDED TO HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS…COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS…SKYWARN SPOTTERS AND MEDIA FOR THESE REPORTS. THIS SUMMARY IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON OUR HOME PAGE AT WEATHER.GOV/RALEIGH.

********************STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL********************
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Fossil DNA points to new branch of humanity

Truly fascinating.

A finger bone from Siberia now reveals that a previously unknown group of ancient humans once existed there, one neither like us nor Neanderthals.

Bizarrely, the DNA from these extinct Siberians seems unusually similar to that of Pacific Islanders from tropical Melanesia.

The 30,000-year-old fossil was found in Denisova Cave in southern Siberia in 2008, a bone fragment that likely came from a fingertip of a young girl. It was discovered along with microblades (small stone blades used as tools), body ornaments of polished stone, and a molar shaped very differently from those of Neanderthals and modern humans, resembling that of much older human species, such as Homo habilis and Homo erectus. (The tooth and the finger bone apparently came from different members of the same population.)

via Fossil DNA points to new branch of humanity – Technology & science – Science – msnbc.com.

Storm crews did great job

I should also say that the state and local officials did a great job managing today’s storm. Salt brine was on the roads days earlier, making the snow that fell very easy to plow. Streets in my neighborhood were wet but clear by mid-day, which is no mean feat for a storm this size.

I give the government crews an A for their efforts. The state missed getting an A+ from me only because the governor neglected to publicize on the state websites the state of emergency she declared. Fortunately most people already knew there was snow on the way so it wasn’t a big deal.

Overall, I’m impressed. A huge swath of the state received snow and I think it was managed effectively.

Huge snowfall!

Snow in Raleigh, Dec 2010

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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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.

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.

via National Weather Service Text Product Display.

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.

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.