Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Today's Weather Brought to You by 'Mt. Weather'
Dan Stillman @ 2:00 AM
10:30 AM update: Precipitation is now moving off to the east and south. Moderate snow accumulated up to an inch, mostly on grassy areas, north and west of downtown. Further north and west, outside the beltway, accumulations reached 1-2" with some slick spots on side streets. The forecast for the rest of today and this week continues below. Also below, note the newly added epilogue to the Mt. Weather saga. Finally, check out the comment area for additional details on this morning's precipitation from the CapitalWeather.com team and community ...
Today: We'll see a mixture of light rain and nonaccumulating snow in the area today -- probably more rain than snow -- between 6 a.m. and early afternoon. Outlying colder areas could see a few slick spots if the precipitation gets in here early enough. But for the most part this will be no big deal as temperatures will quickly surpass the freezing mark on their way to a high in the low-to-mid 40s under overcast skies.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy early, then partial clearing toward dawn. Lows in the low 30s. Tomorrow: Partly sunny and warmer. Highs around 50. Tomorrow night: A flurry is possible north of town. Otherwise, partly cloudy with lows once again in the low 30s. Friday: Sunny but colder, courtesy of winds from the northwest at about 15 mph. Highs in the low 40s.
The Feb. 27 issue of Newsweek has a story about a curious, nearby government installation that I never heard of until now: Mt. Weather.
The article describes Mt. Weather -- or, more officially, the Mount Weather Emergency Assistance Center -- as "a huge government bunker under the Blue Ridge Mountains west of Washington, D.C." that was "originally built as a nuclear-war refuge for top federal officials -- reportedly including the president." Run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it is now considered "one of the government's key communications centers in a crisis."
Now let me get this straight. We're expected to believe that FEMA has an entire campus devoted to communicating during a crisis? FEMA may have a variety of expertise, but I think we can all agree that communication is not one of them. Yet, according to the FEMA Web site, Mt. Weather's only real connection to weather (besides supporting emergency response to weather-related disasters) is that it was "first used by the Department of Agriculture's Weather Bureau as a meteorological balloon and kite launch facility in 1902."
I don't buy it. Not for a second. You and I both know Mt. Weather has more to do with the weather than that. Let's not kid ourselves. It's clear that these are the people who are controlling our weather in ways that could otherwise not be explained. Remember when we had thunder and lightning during the snowstorm two weekends ago? Thunder and lighting, in the middle of winter? Like that could really happen without government intervention. Then a few days later the temperature is suddenly approaching 70 degrees? Good one, Mt. Weather. I bet they're still laughing about that little prank. Oh, and don't forget how ridiculously warm it was in January. Go ahead, blame it on global warming. I won't say "I told you so" when the real truth is revealed.
What irks me most is that they have managed to keep Mt. Weather a secret from me all this time ... ME! A meteorologist who has lived almost his whole life in the D.C. area, less than 60 miles away from the alleged location of the weather-controlling bunker. Obviously this has taken a dedicated effort by the government to prevent me from ever becoming aware of this place. Newsweek says that Mt. Weather has been unclassified since the end of the cold war. But, like I said, this is this first I've heard of it.
Why now? Why have I finally been allowed to learn of this nerve center that is most likely responsible for every "incorrect" weather forecast I've ever made? Well, I don't know for sure. But I do know that even up until this exact moment they are still trying to keep me from telling you about it. Do you know what happened just as I was about to go live with this blog entry? My internet went down. First time in over a year my internet goes down -- I kid you not. I had to go to an undisclosed location to complete the publishing process.
Nice try, Mt. Weather. Nice try.
Pictured: Mt. Weather, which the government claims is a communications center, courtesy FEMA.
Epilogue: Well folks, Mt. Weather made an impressive last stand against me. First, my Internet goes down last night. Then, I wake up this morning to heavy snow and 32 degrees outside my window in the Bethesda-Rockville area. Sure, many of you won't believe me. You'll say that where you were it was 35 degrees and rain. But you'll probably never believe me. You'll never believe me when I tell you the great lengths to which Mt. Weather will go to ruin my life. And that's all part of their perfectly executed plan. Yet, I vow this fight is not over. I'm on to you, Mt. Weather, and soon everyone else will be, too.
Next Chance of Accumulating Snow: Saturday Night Feb. 25 - Sunday Feb. 26
Probability: 20%
Potential Impact:
Commentary: We have one model that's trying to turn a clipper system into a coastal storm. This would give us a chance at some snow Saturday night into Sunday, but at the moment there is not much support from any of the other models. Nothing to get excited about yet, but we'll keep an eye on it.
Forecast First
Today: We'll see a mixture of light rain and nonaccumulating snow in the area today -- probably more rain than snow -- between 6 a.m. and early afternoon. Outlying colder areas could see a few slick spots if the precipitation gets in here early enough. But for the most part this will be no big deal as temperatures will quickly surpass the freezing mark on their way to a high in the low-to-mid 40s under overcast skies.Tonight: Mostly cloudy early, then partial clearing toward dawn. Lows in the low 30s. Tomorrow: Partly sunny and warmer. Highs around 50. Tomorrow night: A flurry is possible north of town. Otherwise, partly cloudy with lows once again in the low 30s. Friday: Sunny but colder, courtesy of winds from the northwest at about 15 mph. Highs in the low 40s.On Top of Mt. Weather
The Feb. 27 issue of Newsweek has a story about a curious, nearby government installation that I never heard of until now: Mt. Weather.
The article describes Mt. Weather -- or, more officially, the Mount Weather Emergency Assistance Center -- as "a huge government bunker under the Blue Ridge Mountains west of Washington, D.C." that was "originally built as a nuclear-war refuge for top federal officials -- reportedly including the president." Run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it is now considered "one of the government's key communications centers in a crisis."
Now let me get this straight. We're expected to believe that FEMA has an entire campus devoted to communicating during a crisis? FEMA may have a variety of expertise, but I think we can all agree that communication is not one of them. Yet, according to the FEMA Web site, Mt. Weather's only real connection to weather (besides supporting emergency response to weather-related disasters) is that it was "first used by the Department of Agriculture's Weather Bureau as a meteorological balloon and kite launch facility in 1902."
I don't buy it. Not for a second. You and I both know Mt. Weather has more to do with the weather than that. Let's not kid ourselves. It's clear that these are the people who are controlling our weather in ways that could otherwise not be explained. Remember when we had thunder and lightning during the snowstorm two weekends ago? Thunder and lighting, in the middle of winter? Like that could really happen without government intervention. Then a few days later the temperature is suddenly approaching 70 degrees? Good one, Mt. Weather. I bet they're still laughing about that little prank. Oh, and don't forget how ridiculously warm it was in January. Go ahead, blame it on global warming. I won't say "I told you so" when the real truth is revealed.What irks me most is that they have managed to keep Mt. Weather a secret from me all this time ... ME! A meteorologist who has lived almost his whole life in the D.C. area, less than 60 miles away from the alleged location of the weather-controlling bunker. Obviously this has taken a dedicated effort by the government to prevent me from ever becoming aware of this place. Newsweek says that Mt. Weather has been unclassified since the end of the cold war. But, like I said, this is this first I've heard of it.
Why now? Why have I finally been allowed to learn of this nerve center that is most likely responsible for every "incorrect" weather forecast I've ever made? Well, I don't know for sure. But I do know that even up until this exact moment they are still trying to keep me from telling you about it. Do you know what happened just as I was about to go live with this blog entry? My internet went down. First time in over a year my internet goes down -- I kid you not. I had to go to an undisclosed location to complete the publishing process.
Nice try, Mt. Weather. Nice try.
Pictured: Mt. Weather, which the government claims is a communications center, courtesy FEMA.
Epilogue: Well folks, Mt. Weather made an impressive last stand against me. First, my Internet goes down last night. Then, I wake up this morning to heavy snow and 32 degrees outside my window in the Bethesda-Rockville area. Sure, many of you won't believe me. You'll say that where you were it was 35 degrees and rain. But you'll probably never believe me. You'll never believe me when I tell you the great lengths to which Mt. Weather will go to ruin my life. And that's all part of their perfectly executed plan. Yet, I vow this fight is not over. I'm on to you, Mt. Weather, and soon everyone else will be, too.
Snow Lover's Crystal Ball
Next Chance of Accumulating Snow: Saturday Night Feb. 25 - Sunday Feb. 26
Probability: 20%
Potential Impact:
Commentary: We have one model that's trying to turn a clipper system into a coastal storm. This would give us a chance at some snow Saturday night into Sunday, but at the moment there is not much support from any of the other models. Nothing to get excited about yet, but we'll keep an eye on it.
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