Pronounced The Way It Is Spelled

Dalhart Weather Review

By Aaron Graves

Last week’s “dust-capade” delivered its grand finale on Tuesday, March 18, the third dust storm in a week. Locally, it did not blot out the horizon like the previous one did. However, the storm was so widespread it garnered national attention. 

The leading edge of last Saturday's dust storm (haboob?)
as it approached town.

NBC news ran this headline on it’s website: “West Texas Hit With 1,000-Foot-High Dust Storm.” The article said the storm measured 200 miles across. It also used the word “haboob” in reference to the event. 

Haboob. Now that is an interesting word. I looked it up. Merriam-Webster told me it is “a violent dust storm or sandstorm especially of Sudan” - a country in Africa, located south of Egypt. It is a word derived from Arabic, like “tornado” is taken from Spanish. And yes, you pronounce it “HUH - boob” - with a straight face. 

I also found the word in the American Meteorological Society's "Glossary of Meteorology". It says a haboob is "a strong wind and sandstorm or duststorm in northern and central Sudan." The glossary does not use the word in connection with American dust storms. 

Still, NOAA has an online article here that makes haboob the word of choice for those monster dust storms in Arizona. Likewise, the Lubbock office of the National Weather Service used it in reference to the March 18 dust storm. 

"The Arizona Republic" newspaper published a great article here regarding the first use of the word haboob in America. "Forty years ago, a group of scientists witnessed an Arizona dust storm so huge that they proposed calling it a haboob, the term used for the infamous dust storms in Sudan," the article reads. 

Those scientists wrote about it in the October 1972 issue of the "Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society": "In the arid southwestern United States, dust storms of a very similar nature often occur. Although less frequent than the Sudanese haboobs... they are equally as dramatic." Apparently the use of the word has spread from Arizona since then. 

Our last haboob (seriously, it's a fun word to say) registered a peak wind gust of 52 mph. Since then, we have had a couple of windy days that stirred up some dust, but nothing like last week. However, since we are in our windy season during the third year of drought, I thought it might be a good idea to review dust storm/haboob safety tips. 

The real danger comes from being in a vehicle. A dust storm can strike “with little warning, making driving conditions hazardous,” reads a NWS brochure on the subject. “Blinding, choking dust can quickly reduce visibility, causing accidents…”

The NWS urges motorists to pull off the pavement as far as possible if you see a haboob bearing down on you. If you cannot pull off the highway, proceed at a safe speed with your car lights on until you can. 

Once off the road, turn your car lights off. Drivers behind you, fighting low visibility, might see your lights and mistakenly try to follow you. 

Our warmest day last week was March 20, with a high of 79. Most days, however, we stayed in the mid 50s. Overnight lows continue to dip below freezing. 

UPDATED: For the rest of the week, expect mostly clear and sunny skies through Saturday. The wind is forecast to return Sunday, with gusts up to 40 mph. Temperatures will get near 80 degrees by Sunday. No rain is in the forecast. 

A robin at the park.

BIRD REPORT: It has been a while since I did some serious birding, however I have kept my eyes open. The Robins are back, spotted at Rita Blanca Lake park and around town. On the lake itself, Northern Shoveler ducks have arrived. They are very colorful and have noticeably big beaks.  I also had the pleasure of running across a Blue Jay in town, and an Eastern Bluebird at the lake dam. 

High and low temps the past week: 

Mar 18: 59, 32

Mar 19: 57, 25

Mar 20: 79, 22

Mar 21: 61, 40

Mar 22: 58, 25

Mar 23: 53, 24

Mar 24: 54, 28

Intense dust storms raise question: is a new Dust Bowl around the corner?

Dalhart Weather Review

By Aaron Graves

Saturday's dust storm was so think you could barely see
the Dairy Queen sign just down the road. 

Three dust storms in one week! Such is the month of March on the Texas panhandle. It is a case of March Madness, and I don’t mean basketball. Let’s review, shall we? 

First, we went from a bone chilling low of 4 degrees on the March 3, to a high of 80 degrees under calm, clear, blue skies on March 10. And just when we thought the beautiful weather was here to stay - dust storms! 

A cold front blew into town just after lunch on Tuesday, March 11. Our winds averaged an impressive 23.9 mph, with a peak gust of 56 mph recorded at the airport, according to the Amarillo office of the National Weather Service. The air was full of dirt, but the nasty part of the storm stayed south. By the time it reached Amarillo, there was a rolling dust cloud ahead of the front. 

Saturday’s storm was not as nice to us. Once again, a cold front pushed through the area, and this time it literally ripped the dirt from beneath our feet and threw it at our faces. At one point, a sustained wind of 43 mph was recorded. Overall, our winds for the day averaged 19.9 mph, with a peak gust of 58 mph. 

As I was writing this article on Tuesday, March 18, for the Wednesday "The County Times Two" newsletter, we were forecast to undergo yet another day of high winds and blowing dust. Sure enough, the northern sky turned brown around 2 p.m., and the beginnings of a massive dust storm rolled through Dalhart. 

Instead of purple and orange hues, Saturday's sunset
was an eerie shade of gray, thanks to the dust storm
and some low clouds.

Since 2005, the Amarillo NWS has issued five "dust storm warnings" for the Texas panhandle. Three of those five were issued over the past week, this according to the Amarillo NWS Facebook page. So, what is up? Why the sudden shift from blue skies to brown? Is this normal, or a sign of something more sinister? 

Well, don’t panic yet. As long-term residents know, we are entering our “windy season”. That’s right, we actually have such a thing according to Todd Lindley, Science and Operations Officer at the Amarillo NWS office. “The spring season is the windiest time of year here on the southern Great Plains,” Lindley explained, and March is just the beginning. 

“April has the highest average monthly wind speed at Dalhart with 13.7 mph,” Lindley continued. “A local study we have done shows that high wind events - those with sustained winds equal or greater than 40 mph and some of which bring blowing dust - occur most frequently during the month of April, so the peak of the wind season is really just around the corner!” 

In addition, not all cold fronts are created equal. Some generate stronger winds than others. To understand this, just think of how you get toothpaste out of its tube every morning. You squeeze. The harder you squeeze, the faster the toothpaste comes out. 

Likewise, cold air sinks, and the pool of cold air behind a front ends up squeezing the air at the ground. Naturally, the air at the surface rushes away from the pressure, creating wind. Still “these recent cold fronts associated with dust storms have not been tremendously different from the many other cold fronts that have swept across the panhandle this season,” Lindley said. 

Basically, we are experiencing normal cold fronts during a normally windy time of year. So, why the dirt? Could it be the drought? Are we losing grassland to the north? 

“Great question!” Lindley answered. “It does seem that the deep and very persistent drought has reduced ground cover over parts of the High Plains, especially in southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, as well as over parts of northeastern New Mexico and the western Oklahoma panhandle. Local agricultural experts have been reporting this to us for some time, and late last year we started seeing remarkable images of dust storms from that corner of the High Plains.” 

Now can we panic? Should we be preparing for a new Dust Bowl?  

“I do not think we are headed toward anything like the 1930's Dust Bowl,” Lindley answered. “Generally, improved agricultural and land use practices make the likelihood of 1930-type dust storms very unlikely, at least with respect to frequency, widespread intensity and duration. That is not to say that during periods of very deep drought, such as now, localized dust storms reminiscent of that period will not occur, and in fact, they have.”

No need to pack up the family and head for California. Just remember that blowing dust can create problems when traveling, and conditions can go from good to bad in a short amount of time. 

UPDATE: The University of Wisconsin-Madison posted a detailed write up on the March 18th dust storm. Follow this link and click on the top satellite image to watch what a dust storm looks like from space.

 http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/archives/15152

UPDATED FORECAST: Talk about an ever-changing forecast, this one did a complete 180 since Tuesday. Look for a high in the 60's on Friday with breezy conditions (yep, I said breezy, gusts up to 35 mph). Saturday and Sunday will see a cool down, possibly into the upper 40s, and we have a chance of freezing drizzle Saturday night. 

High and low temps the past week:

Mar 10: 80, 27

Mar 11: 69, 35

Mar 12: 54, 24

Mar 13: 69, 25

Mar 14: 63, 41

Mar 15: 67, 32

Mar 16: 54, 29

This blog original appears every Wednesday in "The County Times Two" newsletter. To subscribe, contact Robin Scott at thecountytimestwo@live.com. This Blogspot edition might include updated forecasts and additional information than appeared in the newsletter. 

Follow me on Facebook at "Dalhart Cloud Chasing" and on Google+ at "Aaron Graves (Dalhart Cloud Chasing)" to view photos of local weather and wildlife. Thanks to all of you who already do!

A Walk at the Lake

Dalhart Weather Review

By Aaron Graves

The black of the night sky is quickly retreating to the west, ahead of deep purple and pink hues. The first colors of the sun’s light to reach over the eastern horizon illuminate previously invisible clouds to the west. These catch the color and resemble giant swirls of cotton candy. 

It is early Monday morning, and I start walking away from my car and towards the lake dam. It will be near 70 degrees later this afternoon, but the morning air is cool and crisp. My shoes make a scuffing sound as they move across the surface of the dirt road. No one else is within earshot, except for my two small canine companions and thousands of snow geese who spent the night on the water. 

Well, I’m not really sure how many geese there are. I cannot even begin to count them. But this is by far the largest assemblage I have seen. They float together in two groups, connected at the middle to create a type of hour-glass shape. The white mass of geese is set against the lake surface, which is reflecting the purple and pink color of the sky. 

I pause on the dam to look behind me, to the spot where the sun itself will soon appear. Already, the eastern sky glows olive-green near the horizon, and light blue a bit higher up. Two elongated clouds drift lazily through the sky. The first is draped like a valance directly above the spot where the sun will appear. It glows a brilliant golden color in anticipation. To the side, the other cloud catches and reflects a deeper red-orange. 

I watch these clouds as if standing in front of the actual Mona Lisa in a museum. Every sunrise and sunset is a different divine work of art, no two ever the same. However, this is not a static painting, but is slowly changing every minute. In a way, it creates a type of quite music in the morning air, music you cannot hear, but can feel.  

Suddenly, the silence breaks. Thousands of wings beat the air in unison as the every last snow goose rises from the lake surface behind me. The flock splits in midair, half of them veering away and flying directly overhead. 

I have tried, in vain, to capture moments like these with a camera. The scene, however, is usually too vast, and the lens too small. You have to be in the middle of it to truly appreciate it. What I have seen so far, just in the opening minutes of my walk, will set the pace for the day ahead. It will be a more relaxed day, one focused on the small joys in life and the beauty around me. 

Dalhart’s Rita Blanca Lake is a treasure. Please, take time to go and enjoy it. And please, take care of it. Teach your children to value it as well.

UPDATED: look for sunny skies and highs near 60 on Friday and Saturday. We have a 50% chance of rain showers Saturday evening. Sunday's high will be in the mid 50s. Monday could see a high in the 70s.  

High and low temps the past week  

Mar 3: 50, 4

Mar 4: 67, 23

Mar 5: 53, 26

Mar 6: 71, 26

Mar 7: 67, 37

Mar 8: 53, 30

Mar 9: 68, 24

This blog first appears in "The County Times Two" newsletter. To subscribe, contact Robin Scott at thecountytimestwo@live.com. 

Follow me on Facebook at "Dalhart Cloud Chasing" or on Google+ at "Aaron Graves (Dalhart Cloud Chasing)" to see more photos of local weather and wildlife.

Meteorological Spring Begins With Winter Blast

Dalhart Weather Review

by Aaron Graves

We "enjoyed" 14 inches of snow during the last part of March 2009, as
seen in the above photo. Another 8 inches fell during the last part of
March 2010. Will we see another late snow storm this year?

It sure is nice to know that Old Man Winter reads this weekly column. He read about our spring-like weather last week, and decided to come to town and see what all the fuss was about. In his wake, he left 1.1" of sleet/snow and cold, cold temperatures. A high of 73 degrees on Feb. 28 gave way to a high of 14 on March 2. The snow and sleet translated into 0.09" of moisture, according to records posted online from the National Weather Service.

Old Man Winter is a bit grumpy it seems, and he has no regard for the beginning of spring. March 1 was actually the first day of "meteorological spring", though it was hard to tell around here.  What is “meteorological spring? To understand that, you need to know what “astronomical spring” is.  

"Astronomical spring", the official beginning of the season, is on March 20, the date of the vernal equinox. This is the day in which we have about the same amount of daylight as we have of darkness because the sun is right over the equator. 

"Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun, whereas the meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle," explains an article on NOAA's website. "Variations in season length and season start would make it very difficult to consistently compare climatological statistics for a particular season from one year to the next. Thus, the meteorological seasons were born."

A snowdrift reaches for the top of the fence after the
March blizzard of 2009. 

In other words, we expect more spring-like weather once March begins. So, from a weather-observing standpoint, spring starts March 1 and runs through the end of May. That does not mean, however, that Old Man Winter will go quietly. Far from it. Back in 2009 and 2010, we got hit hard by big snowfalls late in the month. A total of 8.1" inches fell March 24 and 25 in 2010. The year before, we saw 14" on March 26 and 27. 

Since the drought began in 2011, we haven't seen much snow or rain in March. Maybe this year will be different. In fact, Old Man Winter might be back in town as soon as Friday night.  

UPDATED: We have a 40% chance of rain and snow in the forecast for Friday evening and Saturday. An inch or two of accumulation is possible. The high on Saturday will only reach the mid 40s. Expect this blast to be short-lived, as temperatures should get into the low 60s on Sunday. 

February 2014 ended with an average high of 53.4 degrees and an average low of 22.8 degrees. We enjoyed 2.8" of snow, which translated into 0.08" inch of moisture. That is 0.32" of precipitation below our monthly average for February.

High and low temps the past week

Feb 25: 45, 17

Feb 26: 44, 16

Feb 27: 71, 18

Feb 28: 73, 42

Mar 1: 52, 14

Mar 2: 14, 8

Mar 3: 50, 4

Comparing March over the past 5 years: average high, average low, snowfall, precipitation

2013: 64.5, 30.7, 3.3", 0.6"

2012: 71.7, 35.3, 0", .35" 

2011: 67.0, 30.1, 0", 0.01" 

2010: 60.9 31.6, 14.1", 1.22"

2009: 65.5, 30.7, 16", 1.19"

This blog first appeared in "The County Times Two" newsletter. To subscribe, contact Robin Scott at thecountytimestwo@live.com.

Follow me on Facebook at "Dalhart Cloud Chasing" to see photos of weather and wildlife from the Dalhart area, or on Google+ at "Aaron Graves (Dalhart Cloud Chasing)".