Page 4 The Lion’s Eye December 10, 2008 Eye on World &Local Winter Weather Preview By Pat Grant — Lion’s Eye Staff Writer - peg5021@psu.edu Last winter, the Philadelphia area re- ceived below average snow. The average winter total is 18.9 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport. In the winter of 2007-2008 Philly only re- ceived 6.3 inches of snow. The highest snowfall total last year was only 3.2 inches.” Most of the snowfalls last year turned into ice storms and then eventually rain through- out the Philadelphia area. Last winter we .also had a strong La Nina, which contributed to our lower than normal snowfall and warmer than normal tem- peratures. Now for this winter, we have had a very cool October and Novem- ber on average, especially late October and late No- - vember, those score one for a cold and snowy win- ter. Also we have had a lot of coastal storms since August which is another point for a cold winter. Another point that gives us a snowy winter is the fact that winters with be- low average snowfall are usually followed by win- ters with above average snowfall. oe : Another thing is, last winter we had a strong ‘La Nina in the Pacific, but this year there are much more normal conditions out there which would contribute to a snowy winter here. Finally we have more snow cover in Canada at this time then last year, which also fa- vors a snowy winter. So most of the trends used to forecast weather favor a snowy, cold winter. Already some of these predictions are com- ing true. We had a small storm on Friday Novem- ber 21st. On that morning at around 4 AM, a band of light to moderate snow set up from the great lakes all the way down to parts of Chester County and Dela- ware County. The band was maintained from Coates- ville to West Chester to Media and then just southwest of the Airport in Wallingford, PA. By 7 AM West Chester was a Winter Wonderland with 2 inches of snow. By 8 AM it was still snowing hard and the area from West Chester to Wallingford had 2-3 inches of snow, also at 8 AM major road- ways started to become congested like Route 3 in West Chester which was backed up for 6 miles go- ing east towards Radnor. Also.. 352 "at Gradyville Rd. which is about 3 miles north of Penn State, was closed for about an hour and that made it very difficult for people to get to work and school. By 8:30 the band in West Chester had start- ed to lighten up though it had started to snow in the city of Philadelphia more. The Philadelphia Airport received 1.0 inches, West Chester got 4 inches, Me- dia got 4.2 and 3.3 inches in Wallingford, PA Dela- ware County. Now for my forecast, December will be colder than average with around 2-4 inches of snow. Janu- ary will be a couple of degrees warmer than av- erage with also 2-4 inches of snow. February will become colder by a large margin and could have 8-12 inches of snow with the potential for a 6-10 inch snowfall and an ice storm. March will also be cold with 3-6 more inches of snow. Don’t forget about April, we could have our last inch of snow during that month. That brings my final totals to be temperatures at 2 degrees below average for the en- tire winter with snowfall at Philadelphia Airport. reaching anywhere from 20-26 inches. That is not as high as NBC 10 and CBS 3 who both Fore- casted 25-35 inches. But on the other side the Na- tional has forecasted a warmer and less snowy winter then average. Hopefully we have some snow days in our future; the signs are looking up for that. The Lion’s Eve Christmas A [olV (BBE *A Rugrats Hannukah 2 NO R () ERRSY (o] $Y *A Muppet Christmas Carol * Charlie Brown’s Christmas *EIf *Gremlins! illo [0] 1) =H 21 0]4]= *How the Grinch Stole Christmas ll 0 TY Vo] To [Tut {V] BO (= *Nestor the Long-eared Christmas Donkey *The Muppet Family Christmas * The Santa Clause HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! - Fashioned Christmas celebra- Weather Service Old Fashioned Christmas in West Chester By Christina Felizzi - Editor-in-Chief clf5050@psu.edu ~ Would you believe that in the small town of West Chester, PA there is more than 40 events being held as a part of West Chester’s annual Old tion? Even though I live there, I still didn’t believe it, but it’s true and they’ve been doing it for 29 years. : This Christmas extravaganza is held annually during the first week of December, the 4th through the 7th, and is made possible by the Chamber of Commerce of Greater West Chester. The town goes all out in decoration and spirit, hosting events all day and all week for people of all ages. Probably the most popular event a part of the Old Fashioned Christ- mas is the Holiday Parade which begins at 6:45pm on Friday, December 5th and starts at Market and New Street. The town of West Chester becomes packed with people from all over, so make sure you get a good parking spot early because parking won’t be fun. A festive display of costumes, floats, music and performances waltz down the streets of West Chester for the parade, ending with | Santa lighting the Community Tree in front of the Courthouse on High Street. In addition to the Christmas celebration, West Chester East High School-held their annual Prescott Alley Art show, showcasing art work from oil © paintings, watercolors, wire sculpture, and photography, in a festively decorated garage in Prescott Alley. But don’t forget about the Art displayed at Prescott Alley - Photo courtesy of Christina Felizzi compilation of over 40 activities oc- curring throughout the Old Fashioned Christmas celebration. There are too many to list, but to highlight a few would include A Charlie Brown Christ- mas event, in which Journey Church invites all to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on a 9ft by 13ft screen providing hot chocolate and apple cider, A Breakfast with Santa, which includes a full hot breakfast for children and adults at the Chester County Histori- cal Society, the Chester County Youth Orchestra Pops Concert performance, and the Santa Express where anyone can ride with Santa in a heated, lighted and decorated train with treats and holiday entertainment provide for all aboard the train. For a complete list of all the events being held go to http://www. greaterwestchester.com/christmas_ events name.php If you are stumped on holiday plans this year, don’t miss out on West Chester’s Old Fashioned Christmas. Not only is it a wonderful event for families, this festive celebration is perfect for couples and friends alike to start off your holiday season. Chords for a Cure: Seasons Greeting and Salutations By Christian Varalli — Lion’s Eye Staff Writer - cpv5019@psu.edu The season of giving is well under way and one of Penn State Brandy- wine’s own, senior Matt Kelly, is put- ting in his own time to do so. Matt was inspired to put a Christmas Charity show together his freshmen year at Penn State Brandywine when one of his best friends was sadly diagnosed with cancer. This show started off as a small acoustic show to help raise money for his friend and his treatments. Then, an idea to hold a charity show during the Christmas season to help raise money for sick and needy kids came from one of his fellow classmates, Sara, and Matt made it a Success and named it, “Chords for a Cure.” This year, he has very high hopes to spread cheers around. Matt use all proceeds to buy toys from Toys R Us and then deliver them to The DuPont Children’s Hospital in Delaware. Matt has very high hopes for this year’s show but without people to join in and come to make a difference for the needy, he will not be able to do so. So please come and make a difference for a sick or needy child. This year’s show is being held at West Chester’s Union Ramp Skate Park (540 E. Union Street) from 6pm-11pm. It just costs just $6 to get in and you get to enjoy the sounds of Racing kites, Rosetta, From the Balcony, Saint Mort, Goodbye Etc and ~The March Hare and more. Please go out and show your support to Matt and make a child’s dreams come true this holiday season.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers