Spokesman.com | This winter's not for wimps | Jan 3, 2009

Even by grizzled Spokane old-timer standards, we’re dealing with one humongous pile of snow.

For perspective, we offer the following Spokesman-Review headline from the days when winter was winter and men were men:

Feb. 22, 1936: “DEEPEST 24-HOUR SNOW SINCE 1923 – HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT USES ALL EQUIPMENT TO BATTLE STORM.”

And how much snow were they talking about?

“6.6 INCHES OFFICIALLY RECORDED!”

Oh, please. We’ve got a news flash from the future for you, 1936 Spokane. During a 24-hour period on Dec. 17 and 18 of 2008, we had 19.4 inches, easily plowing our way past your lousy 6.6 inches, and then right on past the all-time 24-hour record of 13 inches set in 1950.

Our archives are laden with similar headlines from other winters. In all but a handful of cases, these “giant” snowstorms look positively wimpy by comparison.

Comic Relief: Meteorologist blames Kuwaits brutal cold on...global warming!

KUWAIT: The extremely cold weather continues to persist, and people can expect historically cold temperatures this season. Yesterday, the temperature reached five degrees below zero at Salmi and Bubyan Island. The temperature at Mina Abdullah reached minus 2 degree. People should be careful these days. "The very cold weather will remain this month, and people should stay at home as much as possible. If they go out, they should wear thermal innerwear to protect themselves from the wind and they should also cover their heads and faces if possible as the wind may carry viruses and bacteria that may be in the air," said meteorologist Eisa Ramadan.
...
Extreme temperature changes around the world have been commonplace for many years. "For instance, the heavy rains that took place last April here in Kuwait were caused by very strong winds that reached the power of hurricanes. Storms of that nature have not been seen in Kuwait for more than ten years. Also, Saudi Arabia witnessed heavy rains two months ago, and now it's completely dry. The greenhouse effect, which can be blamed on modern industry, is responsible for these changes, and this problem will continue to develop in the coming years," Eisa Ramadan said. [Via Marc Morano]