Experts predict colder winter
Climatologists predict 40 percent chance of chillier-than-average year
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
Klickitat County residents should brace themselves for more of the harsh weather conditions that hit the region this week, weather experts said on Monday.
In fact, winter will be colder than average throughout the state of Washington this year, climatologists predicted.
“The temperatures for the entire state of Washington are looking like they’re going to be below normal as compared to other winters,” said Karin Bumbaco, assistant state climatologist with the Washington Climate Office.
Models from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC), Bumaco said, indicate the chance of a colder-than-average winter to be 40 percent. She added that 30-year averages show January to be the coldest month.
The first snow of the year hit the Gorge over the weekend, covering towns from Bickleton to White Salmon in blankets of white powder.
Between Friday and Monday afternoon, the Pendleton Weather Forecast Office recorded 10.9 inches of snow and temperatures fell to single digits in the evenings.
On Monday, the Goldendale School District announced a full closure and other county districts had delayed openings, including Centerville, Roosevelt, White Salmon, and Wishram. In Klickitat, buses were put on snow routes.
The arctic-blown system stretched across other parts of the state as well, and into Oregon and Idaho. Near Puget Sound, all-time low temperatures were recorded for this time of year.
Climatologists forecast another storm to hit Wednesday and Thursday.
In terms of snowfall for the rest of the year, meteorologists are still undecided about how much 2009 will bring. The CPC outlook for January-February-March has chances of below, equal to, or above average snowfall, listed as the same.
“We’re still trying to figure out what system we’re in,” said Doug Weber, meteorologist with Pendleton’s National Weather Service office. “It’s hard to predict that right now.”
Weber said last year’s La Niña pattern brought large amounts of precipitation, but whether or not that pattern will reemerge is unclear.
Although a few CPC models have suggested cooler ENSO conditions (EL Niño-Southern Oscillation) could develop and “result in a weak La Niña,” according to the state climate office website, it was dubbed “very unlikely.”
The majority of forecasts show neutral conditions continuing through spring, according to the website.
Last month, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation District installed a snow and precipitation monitoring device called a SNOTEL outside Goldendale on Satus Pass, near the headwaters of the Klickitat River.
The site, which stands at 5,300 feet and is called Indian Rock, monitors snow depth, precipitation, and temperature. This week, it recorded lows reaching four degrees below zero.
“The system that’s coming down is a very, very cold, arctic system,” said Weber on Friday, just before the storm. “They’re going to get plenty of snow from this system, that’s for sure, and that’s going to stay around for awhile, even if it does warm up.”
As for how severe the colder temperatures will be compared to average, experts could not say.
“Only time will tell,” said Bumbaco.
Woman crashes car in snow after alleged Oxycontin binge
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
A woman ran off the road in the snow outside Goldendale Monday evening after allegedly ingesting multiple Oxycontin prescription painkillers.
According to the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), they received a call just before 5:00 p.m from a woman who didn’t know where she was. The caller, later identified as Angel Tippen, 35, thought she was somewhere near Box Canyon Rd.
Over the next 40 minutes, officers lost contact several times with Tippen, who was in and out of cell phone range. It was dark and temperatures were in the low teens and dropping.
They eventually located her on England Rd., just off Woodland.
KCSO Undersheriff Erik Anderson confirmed either she, relatives, or acquaintances said she had take Oxycontin prescription pills. At one point, a dispatcher was heard over the police scanner saying she had said she took nine, although Anderson could not confirm that number.
“The case is under investigation for DUI [Driving Under the Influence] and toxicology reports are pending,” said Anderson. “An investigation showed she had actually had several other collisions leading up to that...She had been crashing into several other objects out there.”
When she finally went off the road completely, Tippen crashed into a boulder, Anderson said. She was taken to the Klickitat Valley Health (KVH) hospital where her condition is unknown, although Anderson said it was not critical.
With the colder temperatures and snow, the undersheriff noted the potential for something more serious to have happened.
“A simple collision could turn fatal if it results in someone going unconscious or unable to call for help,” said Anderson. “[The cold] exacerbated the problem and the potential for it to turn bad.”
It is unclear where Tippen is from or if she had family or friends in Goldendale.
Clinton completes certification
A Bickleton educator has passed a rigorous exam to become nationally certified as a teacher of mathematics.
Ric Palmer, superintendent of the Bickleton School District, made the announcement last week that Kim Clinton passed the National Board Certification program.
The move is historic for the town of Bickleton, Palmer said, which has never had a teacher complete the course.
According to the superintendent, Clinton spent a year developing and assessing mathematical thinking and reasoning, taking part in instructional analysis, and completing over 100 pages of portfolio data.
She then took a comprehensive set of exams on higher order mathematics.
Nationally, only 33 percent of candidates pass the certification requirements and exams, Palmer said.
“This is a wonderful accomplishment for Mrs. Clinton and for the Bickleton schools,” he said, in a written statement.
Clinton is a former Bickleton graduate with a degree with honors in mathematics and education from Washington State University and a Master’s Degree from City University.
Clinton teaches and coaches for the Bickleton schools and lives with her husband and two children.
There, they own and operate the family farm where she grew up.
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