Signs of Winter 11/10/08 according to The Old Farmers Almanac

[ticka1]

Signs of Winter
Few things concern the gardener more than the first warning signs of winter. At The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we employ scientific disciplines to predict the weather (http://www.almanac.com/weathercenter/howwepredict.php) but also believe in keeping a close eye on nature. The following are all considered traditional signs of a severe winter ahead:

Geese fly south at a high altitude.
Oak trees bear many acorns.
Chipmunks are abundant.
Lakes and rivers freeze later than usual.
Onions grow thicker skins than usual.
Squirrels are gathering a large supply of nuts.
Woodpeckers appear early.
Lots of berries.
Corn husks are thicker and stronger.


We saw some geese flying south yesterday at my parents house and they were way high - didn't think birds could get that high altitude. You could hear them but very hard to see them flying so high.

My parents have so many squirrels and they are stealing my parents pecans before my mom can pick them up off the ground.

[fredhopkinsiii]

I remembered hearing Galveston History stories about Galveston Bay freezing over
When I googled it I came up with an 1895 Valentines day storm that dropped 20 inches and froze the bay

An indication of the same thing (bay freezeover) in 1886 also came up

This year I think August there were no - zero - sunspots for over 30 days

Radio hams


When I was nozing through I came up with this which ties in with the "Maunder Minimum" and "The Little Ice Age"

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23583376-7583,00.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006184638.htm


My recollection is that Galveston got 2" the winter after Alecia and that I was able to make a snowman [of sorts] in Dickinson


That snow was overnite and was melted out by midafternoon


Science 25 November 1977:
Vol. 198. no. 4319, pp. 824 - 829
DOI: 10.1126/science.198.4319.824
Prev (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/198/4319/820) | Table of Contents (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol198/issue4319/index.dtl) | Next (http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/198/4319/829)

Articles


Anomalous Solar Rotation in the Early 17th Century

JOHN A. EDDY 1, PETER A. GILMAN 1, and DOROTHY E. TROTTER 1
1 High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80307

The character of solar rotation has been examined for two periods in the early 17th century for which detailed sunspot drawings are available: A.D. 1625 through 1626 and 1642 through 1644. The first period occurred 20 years before the start of the Maunder sunspot minimum, 1645 through 1715; the second occurred just at its commencement. Solar rotation in the earlier period was much like that of today. In the later period, the equatorial velocity of the sun was faster by 3 to 5 percent and the differential rotation was enhanced by a factor of 3. The equatorial acceleration with declining solar activity is in the same sense as that found in recent Doppler data. It seems likely that the change in rotation of the solar surface between 1625 and 1645 was associated with the onset of the Maunder Minimum.



:pepsi2:


And this is notable...............http://www.eworldvu.com/imported-data/2008/10/2/the-year-of-the-missing-sunspot.html

[BaytownWeatherWatcher]

Hey, Ticka. I saw those geese yesterday, too. There were 2 flocks flying in a "V" formation toward the south. I heard them before I spotted them, and they were definitely high in the air. I don't recall seeing geese this early.

[fredhopkinsiii]

I remember Geese formations in this area about a month ago (or more) but my attention was on....other things

Theres a flyway along the Delaware and Chesapeake bays and also Inland near Dulles Airport

I would guess when they're flying high it's maybe 5 thousand to 8 thousand feet altitude and they're on long range cruise control.

My "Gulf Coast" question is whether you've seen them stop and feed alot this late in the season?

[Texas SpeedDiva]

I know the squirrels have really been very very active. They are ripping my potted plants and yard to shreds burying acorns and pecans. And don't know about chipmunks, but the squirrels are abundant. Noticed the geese also, could hear them but never did spot them.

And for what it's worth, the coat on my black Lab is getting very thick.

Damn this global warming. :halo:

[Texas SpeedDiva]

Spent Thanksgiving up in Central Texas (just west of Waco) and there was another sign of a potentially cold winter. There was already some evidence with lots of acorns. But this trip there was a common complaint both in the town where our farm is and the town where my grandmother lives. Mice. People across the board are beginning to have a big problem with mice in their homes.

[fredhopkinsiii]

We had our 'first snow' last week - one of those 'lots of giant wet sticky flakes'

Three things I've noticed recently:

The media focus inside the US has shifted from the "Global Warming" Mantra [ Gregorian Chant ] to Global Climate Change