By Beth Christian Broschart
The Parsons Advocate
PARSONS – Any anticipation of ‘dashing through the snow’ has been just that – dashed – as local temperatures have been unseasonably warm and nearly devoid of snow this December.
“It looks like you will get a couple of snow showers over the New Year weekend, but it does not look like it will amount to anything,” NWS Meteorologist Michael Charnick said. “There will be a cold front coming through over the weekend, and that will help bring temperatures down to a more seasonable level.”
Charnick said the temperatures should drop into the upper 30s and lower 40, and said folks could expect a few snow showers here and there. He said not to expect any real accumulation of snow and said that would be the pattern for a while.
He said the Climate Prediction Center indicates January will show a return to more normal winter conditions, which are just a little bit above average.
According to U.S. Climate Data, the normal December high temperature is 41 degrees and the normal low temperature is 22 degrees. Normal snow accumulations for Dec. are 3.81 inches. December 2015 has had high temperatures of 64 degrees, more than 20 degrees above the normal.
In Parsons, the warm weather added to the annual Christmas Parade, where more than 70 entries processed past the hundreds gathered to enjoy a River City Christmas Story. Officials said it was a ‘banner year’ for the event, noting they believed the warmer weather brought more folks out to enjoy the parade.
The warmer temperatures and lack of snow caused Canaan Valley Resort to make a shift in their holiday schedule. The resort reopened the back nine holes of its golf course during the Christmas/New Year’s holidays through Jan. 3, weather permitting. Additionally, they reopened their sporting clay range as well.
A press release from Canaan indicated they did have several solid days of snowmaking that resulted in the resort’s ski hill opening Dec. 19.
“We have found that ‘sweet spot’ where the weather has been warm enough to reopen nine holes for golf while we still have skiers making turns on the hill,” said Steve Drumheller, general manager of the resort. “With the forecast for daytime temperatures to be high enough to hit the links, we figured our holiday guests would like more activity options.”
The release said the championship golf course was designed by Geoffrey Cornish, is rated four stars by Golf Digest and was named one of the top 10 courses in West Virginia. The resort’s newest outdoor activity is clay shooting with various packages providing shells, pigeons, safety equipment and instruction. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 1-304-866-4121, ext. 92612.
During the holidays, the resort will featured family activities at the Main Lodge including live entertainment featuring a variety of artists.
