Wednesday, January 12, 2000
Golfers, skiers enjoy wacky weather
More of the same is the forecast
BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
On Tuesday, the Tristate's golf courses and ski slopes were open and busy. It's been that kind of winter.
The jet steam's position over Canada has brought the Tristate region warmer air, which has led to some wacky weather, said Mark Tobin, a meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc., a weather-monitoring and forecasting service in State College, Pa.
On Jan. 4 the high temperature was 56 degrees; the next day the high was 31. On Jan. 3 the region received as much as 6.5 inches of rain; the next day it got a trace of snow.
“Except for maybe the people who were skiing out in the rain, it's been pretty good,” said Mike Mettler, director of skiing at Perfect North Slopes near Lawrenceburg, Ind. The center's 126 snow-making machines have made sure warm weather does not interfere with the winter sport.
According to weather watchers, a weather system known as the North Atlantic Oscillation has produced relatively high atmospheric pressure off Greenland. This also forces the jet stream on a more northerly course, bringing warmer temperatures into the Tristate and much of the United States.
“It's keeping the colder air trapped up in Canada, rather than allowing it to pour down” into the United States, said Brian Coniglio, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio.
Much of the East Coast has yet to have any significant snowfall.
In Cincinnati, the winter so far has been tame. Since Dec. 21, the region has gotten 2.2 inches of snowfall, most of that around Christmas Day. Normally, the region would have gotten 3.5 inches between the beginning of winter and Jan. 11, according to AccuWeather. Temperatures averaged about three degrees above normal as well.
But in January, it has been downright balmy. There has been only a trace of snow, and temperatures are averaging nearly 12 degrees above nor mal, according to the National Weather Service.
Along with the spring-like temperatures, the Tristate has been whipped by gusty winds, more than 25 mph early Tuesday. The wind should taper off today.
“It's definitely not like last year,” said Ted Osmundson, the golf pro and general manager at Cincinnati's Avon Field Golf Center. The start of 1999 had sub-zero temperatures and several inches of snow.
“All I could do was come in and pick up the mail,” he said.
This year is a different story. Since Jan. 1, area golfers had played 654 rounds at Avon Field, Mr. Osmundson said. If temperatures are above 30 degrees and there is no snow on the ground, Avon Field will be open.
Golfers and skiers alike can expect more of the same mild weather into next week, Mr. Tobin said, though some cold er air will move into the region for the weekend.
“This is going to persist for a while, Mr. Tobin said.
Local weather forecast at Cincinnati.com/weather
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