tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12693364861581132042024-03-13T16:04:11.406-04:00New York State Golden Snowball AwardThe Golden Snowball Award is a contest between 5 cities in CNY - Upstate New York. The contest is based on which city receives the most snowfall for the snow season. The cities that compete are Albany, Buffalo, Binghamton, Rochester and last years Champion, Syracuse. A trophy is awarded to the winning city every year.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.comBlogger358125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-9585368687707464852011-10-28T09:55:00.003-04:002011-10-28T10:03:21.963-04:00Golden Snowball Has Moved to Goldensnowball.comI've been moving the site back to the original website for this past week. You can now start going directly to <a href="http://goldensnowball.com">www.goldensnowball.com</a> once again. I didn't like the fact that using blogger, the site had to be hosted on their server and not mine. Sorry for the inconvenience but please update your bookmarks.<br /><br />The new site is up to date as of last night and the contest has begun thanks to Binghamton. Check it out at <a href="http://goldensnowball.com">goldensnowball.com</a> We won't be posting at the blogger website anymore but we will leave it up for a little while for our visitors to see that we moved. Let the Snow Games Begin!!!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-60447992795842341202011-10-17T16:05:00.002-04:002011-10-17T16:13:18.927-04:00New Design Coming - Back to Goldensnowball.comJust a heads up that it's getting close to that time love it or hate it. I'm going to be switching over to wordpress if everything goes right and once the new design is ready it will be back to www.goldensnowball.com . Hopefully I don't wipe the entire site and posts out from the last several years while trying to change it over.<br /><br />I think we can do a little more with the site and snow contest using wordpress rather than blogger. A lot will still be the same like posting comments and so on but hopefully some extras like having you who visit being able to upload some snow pictures and a more visitor friendly site for all of us. Keeping my fingers crossed that even though I have the blogger backed up that I don't lose everything.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />PatrickPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-27350326966786246132011-09-06T18:07:00.002-04:002011-09-06T18:32:25.983-04:00Halloween Costumes Means Snows ComingI'm trying to think how last Halloween was here in Central New York. It almost always seems to be a little bit cold with a light drizzle don't it. Of course every now and then we get a decent Halloween night for the kids to do their trick or treating on. Let's hope it's that way this Halloween.<br /><br />OK, now for another shameless plug of my sites that sell Halloween costumes. I came up with several this year and tried to break them down to individuals. In other words a site for just men's costumes, women's Halloween costumes, costumes for teens, toddlers Halloween costumes, baby costumes, costumes for just boys and costumes for little girls.<br /><br />What I did was take all of the Halloween costumes from several merchants that I deal with and added them to each site. This way rather than visiting several costume stores you can browse on one site. If there is a coupon for the Halloween merchant you should see it when you click on a costume you like. Just visit any of the sites below and for best results use the search box on the page. No need to type in costume you can just type in whatever you're searching for such as batman, fairy, witch, vampire, etc... Of course any store that you end up with will also have other specials and deals running besides the coupons we have on our sites. Plus all of the merchants will have plenty of costumes for the whole family also.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.menscostumesonline.com/">Mens Halloween Costumes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.womenscostumesonline.com/">Womens Costumes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.teenscostumesonline.com/">Costumes for Teens and Tweens</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.boyscostumesonline.com/">Boys Costumes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://girlscostumesonline.com/">Girls Halloween Costumes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.toddlerscostumesonline.com/">Toddlers Costumes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://babycostumesonline.com/">Baby Halloween Costumes</a><br /><br />Oh, and thanks for shopping for your costumes and <a href="http://www.halloweeninflatables.info/category/New-Halloween-Inflatables-and-Blowups/">Halloween inflatables</a> and yard decorations through our sites. It helps keep golden snowball going believe it or not. Have a great Halloween everyone!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-37149719376990877202011-09-06T16:36:00.005-04:002011-09-06T18:06:49.166-04:00Football, Bowling Balls and Snow<div align="left">Just a quick hello to anyone that still stops here every now and then. The last couple of days has had me thinking about the contest once again. With SU starting and winning the first football game of the season along with the cool rainy couple of days I think we all know that summer is coming to an end. Hopefully plenty of nice weather is still in the forecast before that naughty S word gets mentioned :). What a comeback game it was too. Way to go Syracuse and let’s keep that never give up spirit going all season long.<br /><br />I figure I'll spend a little time posting some shameless plugs for my shopping websites that are relevant for this time of the year. Several of my Halloween sites and a bowling site that seems to be starting to pick up now. So if you’re looking for <a href="http://www.bowlingballstores.com/search.php?q=bowling+balls">bowling balls</a>, <a href="http://www.bowlingballstores.com/search.php?q=shirt&page=2&sort=relevance">bowling shirts</a> and bowling shoes I have a site that has a few of the best bowling merchants on it. The prices are competitive even after you consider having your ball drilled. All the newest bowling balls for both dry and oily lanes. The bowling shirt merchant has some great prices on shirts for your whole bowling team. They have one of the largest selection of bowling shirts in all sizes. They also have a great selection of bowling shirt styles to choose from. You should also find good prices on new styles of <a href="http://www.bowlingballstores.com/search.php?q=bowling+shoes">bowling shoes</a> for men, kids and women.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bowlingballstores.com/">Click here for our bowling ball stores!</a></div><br /><div align="left"></div>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-18270747988475310702011-05-29T14:48:00.001-04:002011-05-29T14:48:00.206-04:00Shot In The Dark Forecasts: Winter 2011 Wrap UpYes, I know, it's the end of May, not really time to be thinking about snow right now. That's why now is the perfect time to have the SITD Wrap Up!<br /><br />Up first is the April forecast, which involved rankings for the five GSB cities. Below are the rankings as of the end of April, with the range I had given them in parenthesis.<br /><br />Albany: 9th (5-9)<br />Binghamton: 6th (3-6)<br />Buffalo: 15th (13-19)<br />Rochester: 12th (8-12)<br />Syracuse: 4th (3-4)<br /><br /><font color="green"><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> All five GSB cities are within the given ranges.</font><br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Three or four are in the given ranges.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Two or fewer are in the given ranges.<br /><br />All five were in range, with 4 of them being just making it. That's a Bull's Eye!<br /><br />Finally, it's the Season outlook, which was made in the beginning of January. It involved the rankings of the five cities in this contest. Below are the cities' placements with my predicted rank in parenthesis.<br /><br />1. Syracuse (1)<br />2. Rochester (2)<br />3. Binghamton (3)<br />4. Buffalo (4)<br />5. Albany (5)<br /><br /><font color="green"><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> The standings at the end of April will be Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton, Buffalo and Albany.</font><br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Three are in the forecast spots.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Two or fewer are in the forecast spots.<br /><br />All five were in the position I had predicted, so that is another Bull's Eye!<br /><br />Unfortunately, these two Bull's Eye forecasts were not enough to reach my 1.00 goal. The April and Season forecasts over on GSG were Complete Miss outlooks, so my average for the season is 0.90, the same as the Point Blank Range! This time, it was the GSG forecasts that let me down, as only one forecast was a Bull's Eye while three were of the Complete Miss category. On the GSB side, three were Bull's Eyes and two were Complete Misses.<br /><br />So, the goal for next season will be the same this one, 1.00 or better.<br /><br />Speaking of next season, I have some changes in mind that I'd like to get for the 2011-12 snow season. First and foremost, I got off to a late start, so I want to get the forecasts started in December and go through March instead of January through April like I did this season. Another idea floating around in my head is to have some sort of video forecast with these, instead of just text. I'll have to play around with that during the off season. If I can get it to work, it'll be here next season, if not, then it won't. I don't want to change it from text to video mid-season. All this been said, I feel like the current forecast structure is a keeper, so I will not be changing it next season.<br /><br />Enjoy the off season everyone!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-86882626304891930062011-05-01T13:03:00.002-04:002011-05-01T13:12:51.430-04:00It's a Wrap - Syracuse Wins the 2010 - 2011 Golden Snowball Award!It's May 1st which means one thing, It's time to wrap up the 2010 - 2011 snow season here in CNY!!! It's official, Syracuse with another repeat victory wins the Golden Snowball trophy once again. What's that like 7 - 8 times in a row now. Whose counting huh? December really set the pace and there really was no looking back. <br /><br />We kept hoping that the GSB contest would get close but everytime Rochester or Binghamton made a move on the snow hill Syracuse would just bounce back with even more snow. As for Buffalo it was all around them just not hitting in the right spot and Binghamton was able to slip past them.<br /><br />I'll have to see how many times since we restarted the contest that Bingo has beaten Buffalo. Most likely not too many times. Stephen or I will put together a summary of how the 2010 - 2011 snow season went. For now I'm out to enjoy this nice run of weather that we are having. Congrats once again to Syracuse :)<br /><br />Enjoy the rest of the weekend all!<br /><br /><a href="http://goodonlinestores.com"><strong>Shop and Save at Good Online Stores</strong></a>!<br><br>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-55930722444890293312011-04-21T20:51:00.003-04:002011-04-21T21:16:19.877-04:00I Think It's Time for a NO Snow DanceSnowflakes were flying around once again in some of the Golden Snowball cities today :( I think we are at that point, make that past that point where it's time to say enough already. Don't get me wrong! I would still love to see some more records broken instead of the cold rain but I don't think it's going to happen this late in the game.<br /><br />So I think it's time to throw in the beach towel (beach sounds good huh) and do a No Snow Dance to see if we can get the spring weather going. These cold and rainy with snowflakes days are getting old pretty fast. Not to mention my grass is as high as a few of the good snowfalls we've had this season. Nine more days and the 2010 - 2011 snow season will be just a memory. If it ever decides to end that is.<br /><br />Here is Binghamton's latest season at a glance:<br /><br />1. 1993-1994 (131.3)<br />2. 1995-1996 (131.2)<br />3. 1992-1993 (122.7)<br />4. 1955-1956 (122.6)<br />5. 2002-2003 (117.6)<br /><strong>6. 2010-2011 (117.5 so far)</strong><br />7. 1977-1978 (115.3)<br />8. 1969-1970 (114.0)<br />9. 1970-1971 (108.6)<br />10. 1957-1958 (108.3)<br /><br /><br /><br />Have a Super Weekend All!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-50949806971297921022011-04-10T12:44:00.003-04:002011-05-29T13:00:32.103-04:00Shot In The Dark Forecasts: Winter 2011 UpdateGot a bit behind where I wanted the updates to be, but here it is now. In this update, I'll be looking back at the March results, and see where the April outlook stands. It's about 3 weeks before the SITD Wrap Up, in which the April results will be final, as well as the forecast made at the beginning of the season. The goal is 1.00, when both Golden Snowball and Golden Snow Globe are combined.<br /><br />The March forecast involved snowfall for the month compared to the historical average. Below are the snowfall totals for the five cities, with their respective averages in parenthesis.<br /><br />Albany: 8.8 (10.9)<br />Binghamton: 25.9 (14.2)<br />Buffalo: 13.3 (12.4)<br />Rochester: 15.1 (16.6)<br />Syracuse: 18.5 (18.8)<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> All five GSB cities will have above average snowfall for March.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Three GSB cities will have above average snowfall in March.<br /><font color="red"><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Two or less GSB cities will have above average snowfall in March.</font><br /><br />I know there were some comments at the beginning of the month that basically said this was a no-brainer. Well, this season, there is no such thing as a no-brainer this season as only 2 of the 5 were above average for March.<br /><br />With both GSB and GSG giving me Complete Miss outlooks for March, my average has now dropped to 0.83, below the goal of 1.00. Of the four remaining results, it looks like I'll be needing at least 2 Bull's Eye predictions to get to the goal.<br /><br />With that in mind, here's a look at April so far. I had ranges for where I believed each of the 5 GSB cities would be for the end of April, basically the end of the snow season. Below are their current rankings (as of the 9th), with the range I had given them in parenthesis.<br /><br />Albany: 9th (5-9)<br />Binghamton: 6th (3-6)<br />Buffalo: 16th (13-19)<br />Rochester: 12th (8-12)<br />Syracuse: 4th (3-4)<br /><br />Right now, all five are in the ranges I set. The best way for me to get a Bull's Eye with this forecast is for there to be no more snow for the next few weeks. I'm sure most people would be fine with that!<br /><br />Hey, have a great week everyone!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-26895890025013061432011-04-03T15:35:00.001-04:002011-04-03T15:35:00.709-04:00Point Blank Range Forecasts: Winter 2011 Wrap UpWith the silliness that comes with the start of April out of the way (yes, the last post was an April Fool's Day joke!), it's time to see just how much of a joke this season's Point Blank Range Forecasts were.<br /><br />To start, it's a look at the final forecast of the season: temperatures, and their relation to average. Below are the number of days the GSB cities had high temperatures below average from the 29th to the 30th.<br /><br />Albany: 1<br />Binghamton: 1<br />Buffalo: 2<br />Rochester: 2<br />Syracuse: 1<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> All five GSB cities have below average highs both days.<br /><font color="blue"><strong>On Target:</strong> All five GSB cities have below average highs in one day.</font><br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Any GSB city has above average highs both days.<br /><br />All five were below average on the 29th, but only Buffalo and Rochester were below average on the 30th. So, the final PBR Forecast of the season was On Target.<br /><br />As a result, I do not meet the 1.00 average goal set at the beginning of the season. It was these forecasts that did me in this season, as of the 10 forecasts, only 1 was a Bull's Eye while 5 earned the Complete Miss designation. Golden Snow Globe forecasts were almost the exact opposite: 1 was a Complete Miss while 3 were in the Bull's Eye category. For the grand total, it's 18 points out of 20 forecasts, a 0.90 average.<br /><br />So, the goal for next season will be the same as this season: 1.00 or better.<br /><br />Tomorrow, I will try to get the Shot In The Dark Forecast results in for March. The SITD have 2 forecasts waiting for verification: the April outlook and the one done back in January for the entire Winter season. I'll try to get the full SITD wrap up done in the next few weeks.<br /><br />Have a great week everyone!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-68405654256029501622011-04-01T04:01:00.007-04:002011-04-01T04:01:00.981-04:00New feature for 2011-12!While the snow may still be coming down in some parts of the state, I figured now would be a good time to announce a new feature on the site, starting with the 2011-12 season.<br /><br />Syracuse may be the snowiest among the five GSB cities, but where is Upstate NY's snowiest residence? That's where you come in! Yes, you! Unless of course, you don't live in Upstate NY, then this has nothing to do with you. Sorry. Starting with next season, we will be asking for our readers to state how much snow they've had every day. We'll add up the totals throughout the season, and the winner will be given the golden shovel! While we're still dealing with the remnants of this season, we are looking forward to the next one, and hope you all are too!<br /><br />In other exciting news...<br /><br><br><br></br><br></br><br></br><br /><b>April Fool's!</b><br /><br />Have a great day everyone!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-60847379515226763632011-03-27T13:37:00.001-04:002011-03-27T13:37:00.140-04:00Point Blank Range Forecasts: Mar. 29-30It's the last Point Blank Range Forecast of the season, and the way the forecasts have been, the end couldn't have come soon enough. Details on the last forecast to come, but first, as always, is the look back at the last outlook.<br /><br />The previous prediction involved snowfall on the 23rd and 24th. Below are the totals for those 2 days.<br /><br />Albany: 0.6<br />Binghamton: 5.2<br />Buffalo: 7.0<br />Rochester: 6.8<br />Syracuse: 3.9<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> Binghamton has more snow than any other GSB city.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Binghamton has more snow than 3 of the other GSB cities.<br /><font color="red"><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Any other result.</font><br /><br />Oh look! Another Complete Miss! That's 5 for the season. Combined with the On Target over at Golden Snow Globe, I'm below the 1.00 goal set before the season. The only way I can reach it now is with 2 Bull's Eye predictions. With 1 forecast left, it's all or nothing: both GSB and GSG forecasts must be Bull's Eyes or it is an unsuccessful season for me, at least as far as the PBR Forecasts are concerned.<br /><br />Now on to this forecast, which will focus on temperatures. Hey, I need to give myself some chance at a Bull's Eye. Temperatures were the only Bull's Eye here, so that's what I'm going with when I need it most.<br /><br />Cooler temperatures are in store for the GSB cities for most of the week. Temperatures should be below average for all GSB cities in at least one of the days.<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> All five GSB cities have below average highs both days.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> All five GSB cities have below average highs in one day.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Any GSB city has above average highs both days.<br /><br />Remember to check out Golden Snow Globe for the forecast over there as well. Enjoy the week everyone!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-61124839454244359552011-03-24T12:30:00.006-04:002011-03-24T13:30:50.813-04:00Good Bye Winter Hello Springter and Where is Done Day AlreadyWell spring is here but spring is definitely not in the air. Just a bunch of that white fluffy stuff that we call white gold in the winter months. In the spring I think most of us call it the white #%&% that just won't go away. All I can say is sooner or later it has to stop.<br /><br />------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Our fun snow contest was mentioned across America on the <a href="http://www.jimbotalk.net/">America in The Morning radio show and the Jim Bohannon show</a> both hosted by Jimbo. As hesitant as I am to post the clip for the fact that I am a sissy man when it comes to speaking I will. Keep in mind this was on a few hours sleep along with fighting bronchitis. As always I do try to give credit to Stephen butttt :( You can <a href="http://goldensnowball.com/radio-interview.mp3"><strong>listen to the clip here</strong> </a>which will open up whatever program you have on your comp that plays audio. A big thanks to Jim and Tom for the chance to make the normal fool of myself on over 500 radio stations across the country ;)<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />I like Jeff Kramer's idea to celebrate Done Day. Jeff who writes for the Syracuse Post Standard idea is to celebrate the first day that it reaches 65 degrees in CNY. Of course this is something that all of the Golden Snowball cities could celebrate. Ummm, scratch that! Albany really can't because isn't it something like 65 degrees most of the winter there?<br /><br /><strong>Anyways check out Jeff Kramer's article on Done Day at <a href="http://www.syracuse.com/kramer/index.ssf/2011/03/happy_spring_get_ready_to_cele.html">http://www.syracuse.com/kramer/index.ssf/2011/03/happy_spring_get_ready_to_cele.html</a></strong><br /><br />According to Stephens stats it looks like Binghamton has moved up to it's 7th snowiest season on record with this last snowfall. <br /><br />1. 1993-1994 (131.3)<br />2. 1995-1996 (131.2)<br />3. 1992-1993 (122.7)<br />4. 1955-1956 (122.6)<br />5. 2002-2003 (117.6)<br />6. 1977-1978 (115.3)<br />7. 2010-2011 (114.4 so far)<br />8. 1969-1970 (114.0)<br />9. 1970-1971 (108.6)<br />10. 1957-1958 (108.3)<br /><br />Buffalo broke a date record yesterday with 6.8 inches beating the old record of 3.8 back in 1974 and Rochester beat theirs with 6.3 beating the old snow record of 5.6 which went way back to 1965. <br /><br />Have a Super Day All!!!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-87475633117509574992011-03-22T21:25:00.001-04:002011-03-22T21:25:00.479-04:00Point Blank Range Forecasts: Mar. 23-24Happy Spring everyone! Ah, but just because the calendar says it's a new season, doesn't mean the weather has to go with it. One more push of snow is coming to the GSB cities. My forecast on that is to come, but first a look back at the last prediction.<br /><br />The previous PBR forecast involved temperatures for the GSB cities. Below is the low temperatures for the two days, 11th first with 13th in parenthesis.<br /><br />Albany: 53 (43)<br />Binghamton: 44 (38)<br />Buffalo: 34 (34)<br />Rochester: 49 (38)<br />Syracuse: 43 (40)<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> Friday's high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday's for all five GSB cities.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Friday's high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday's for 3 of the five GSB cities.<br /><font color="red"><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Friday's high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday's less than 3 of the five GSB cities.</font><br /><br />Only two cities had double digit differences, so this is a Complete Miss, the 4th of the season.<br /><br />Despite this, my average went up, thanks to a Bull's Eye on Golden Snow Globe. Is it weird that I can forecast better for different parts of the U.S. than I can for my home state? Maybe it's just the nature of our weather, or the forecasts themselves. I'm still below the 1.00 goal though, and with 2 forecasts left, there is not much room for another Complete Miss.<br /><br />Now on to this forecast which involves snowfall. It looks like Binghamton will be the hardest hit among the GSB cities. In previous forecasts, I would take one city over the combined totals of the other four. Those would backfire badly. I've finally learned my lesson, going a little more cautious this time.<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> Binghamton has more snow than any other GSB city.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Binghamton has more snow than 3 of the other GSB cities.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Any other result.<br /><br />Be sure to check out the Golden Snow Globe site to see the forecast there as well.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-46116666307715495702011-03-22T16:04:00.002-04:002011-03-22T16:12:48.820-04:002010-11 cracks Binghamton's Top 10 snowiest seasonsYesterday, Binghamton reported 2.8 inches of snowfall, making this season their 8th snowiest so far with 109.2 inches. The 2001-02 season, with 107.2 inches, is now out of the Top 10. Here are Binghamton's top 10 snowiest seasons.<br /><br />1. 1993-1994 (131.3)<br />2. 1995-1996 (131.2)<br />3. 1992-1993 (122.7)<br />4. 1955-1956 (122.6)<br />5. 2002-2003 (117.6)<br />6. 1977-1978 (115.3)<br />7. 1969-1970 (114.0)<br /><b>8. 2010-2011 (109.2 so far)</b><br />9. 1970-1971 (108.6)<br />10. 1957-1958 (108.3)<br /><br />This season now ranks in the Top 10 for three of the GSB cities since 1951-52. Buffalo and Rochester still are behind the pace, sitting at 22nd and 15th respectively.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-75547898020955004772011-03-21T21:49:00.003-04:002011-04-23T08:04:09.156-04:00Shot In The Dark Forecasts: April 2011While it's still March, I wanted to get the April forecast in now. Before I do that though, I'll give a quick update on the March forecast.<br /><br />If you recall, the outlook for the month involved snowfall compared to average. Below are the snowfall totals for the month so far, with monthly average in parenthesis.<br /><br />Albany: 6.6 (10.9)<br />Binghamton: 20.2 (14.2)<br />Buffalo: 4.1 (12.4)<br />Rochester: 8.0 (16.6)<br />Syracuse: 14.1 (18.8)<br /><br />Right now, only Binghamton is over their monthly average. I need at least 2 more to do the same to get the On Target spot, with all four meaning a Bull's Eye prediction.<br /><br />Now on to April's outlook. I believe that the snow machine is coming to an end. There will be snow this week (more on that tomorrow!), but I believe that will be the final push. With that in mind, I'm giving a range for how this season will rank for each city at the end of April.<br /><br />Albany: 5-9<br />Binghamton: 3-6<br />Buffalo: 13-19<br />Rochester: 8-12<br />Syracuse: 3-4<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> All five GSB cities are within the given ranges.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Three or four are in the given ranges.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Two or fewer are in the given ranges.<br /><br />Happy Spring everyone! Be sure to check out the SITD forecast over on Golden Snow Globe as well.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-84834214663088846502011-03-12T21:56:00.002-05:002011-03-12T22:17:23.822-05:00What's Your Pros and Cons About WinterI'm just curious and have only 2 questions to ask. OK, maybe a few buttt....<br /><br />First off are you ready to move on from the winter weather? No doubt it's been a pretty tough one but would ya rather see the 200 mark hit for Syracuse? Something none of the Golden Snowball cities have been able to accomplish yet. Buffalo was close with their record 199 inches butttt.... So is it lets move on or nah, lets have another storm or two to push us over the 200 mark is OK with me?<br /><br />Second, if I were to try and sell our winter to someone outside of the city of Syracuse and the Mayor, who by the way isn't a sissy lady and grasps the winters we have here, What would your pros and cons be? LEAVE A COMMENT!<br /><br />Obviously we have the winter fest and snow is good for that, really. Skiing, sledding and so on. Cons I suppose would be driving in the snow, over budget with plowing and so on. Leave some comments as what you think the pros and cons are about our snowfall season.<br /><br />Have a Super Week Everyone!!!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-7198880162953220332011-03-12T09:18:00.003-05:002011-03-12T09:31:09.790-05:00Tips and Tales of St Patty's Day Downtown - Re PostFirst off Thank You Syracuse for a great regular season of college hoops and a good showing in the BE tourney. No doubt some good practice games as you get ready to snow storm your way to the national champions ;)<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------<br /><br />We'll be heading downtown in a bit and here is a re post of how the day normally goes. Not saying I'm proud of it but I am saying it's a blast :)<br /><br />The St Patrick's Day Parade Weekend is here in Syracuse. Unfortunately only one of the few times I get to get out and enjoy Downtown Syracuse. A bunch of us every year, about 20 or more of us which is a mix of men and women normally hit a local soda pop bar early in the day. OK day meaning morning what can I say? Yes in the morning and don't be coming to any conclusions. It's only once a year we do this. Anyways family and friends come to town just for this day downtown. From Virginia, Poughkeepsie, Boston and so on. St Patty's Day downtown is so much fun that people come from all over the country for it.<br /><br />Here is how the whole day plays out or should I say is suppose to play out. It hardly ever goes as planned which makes it even more fun. We normally start out at the Park Hill Tavern in East Syracuse where we get dropped off by our designated driver for the day. Normally one of our kids who BTW get paid well for for driving us but it is well worth it. Don't drink pop and drive. We catch the bus from the Park Hill to the city. So far in the 15 years give or take that we have been doing this I don't think we have ever caught the bus we intended to. Either all of us aren't there yet or we weren't watching for the bus and we miss the one intended. Once we even got on the wrong bus and ended up in NYC. Well not NYC but definitely the wrong bus that had a lot of detours on the way. It would of been faster walking there that year.<br /><br />Finally we end up downtown for the Parade. Once we were even fortunate enough to see the parade. That was only because when we got off the bus the parade happened to be right there. Don't get me wrong, we do see the parade it's just that we watch it from inside the fine city bars that are heated and by the way are always packed when we arrive there. I just wanted to point out that we are not the only ones that start out early in the morning on St Patty's Day . One thing we do before we start is we each pitch in 20 bucks a person and elect two people to be in charge of buying the drinks all day. The bars are crowded so it would be foolish for 20 + people to go in together and stand at the bar, or should I say attempt to stand at the bar. Another note is that the first 20.00 we pitch in won't be the last and when I say drinks I'm talking soda pops of course . Tip - One thing I have learned about being elected to the Most important job of the day which is by far buying the drinks is that the first round you buy make sure you order the opposite of what the people wanted. You'll be the bad guy for a little while but it is well worth the shame, the boos and dirty looks of not being able to order a round of drinks correctly when they impeach you from that position and you get out of ordering the drinks for the rest of the day. Trust me, someone else will take over As for being the bad guy, sooner or later someone else will do something stupid to earn the title of bad guy so you'll be off the hook in no time. <br /><br />Most of the day pretty much consists of freezing our tails off but having a Super time in the process. The way we do St Patty's day is pretty much just bar hop all day and test out all some of the different variety's of brews that are on tap at the bars. I suppose you could say that we aren't there so much as to have fun but let's say we are doing research work on the brews. Maybe this year we will even take notes on our research. I do know that most of the men with us prefer the darker soda pops. Another good tip is to elect a leader to lead your group to the different bars. Someone who actually knows their way around the city of Syracuse. Remember, most of the time it is pretty cold out and for some reason almost always without fail the wind is blowing pretty good. The worse thing is to make a wrong turn and walk for a half a mile or so only to find out you have to go back the other way. For that my Brother in-law normally gets elected and does a fine job most of the time but every now and then he makes a wrong turn. That's normally a good thing for who ever is the bad guy at the time enabling him to pass the title over to my brother in-law for getting us lost. Like I said the "bad guy or gal" gets passed along throughout the day and always has a ton of laughs to go along with it. Jeez, now that I am typing and keep seeing the word elected. I'm starting to see that St Patty's Day is actually a fine example of the democracy in progress with all the elections we have going on. Most of the time the person being elected isn't and to be frank doesn't want to be elected <br /><br />All in all we hit maybe 5 - 7 soda pop shops. We'll normally order appetizers, wings or something at one of the bars early and then end up at Clarks sooner or later for one of their great roast beef sandwiches. Normally we hit Clarks for a roast beef sandwich butttt.... I wish I could plug all the bars that we hit but to be honest with you I'm just a follower the whole day hoping I don't get lost or left behind and never really check out the names of the bars we hit. I can only guess that any bar you end up in you'll have a great time. One thing that bothered me a bit last year is that during the day a lot of the bars weren't playing Irish songs. I don't know what was up with that. To the bar owners Please at least play Irish music in the daytime.<br /><br />The biggest tip I can give is to dress warm. When your ready to leave the house and feel that your dressed up warm enough, go back and grab 3 extra coats. Only then will you be prepared for a great St Patty's day downtown. Then again I think it was a couple of years ago when the temps went up to 60 degrees and here was the Golden Snowball dude carrying a coat and 2 sweatshirts around looking like a fool. I did try the "can you hold this for a second while I do whatever" trick but that only worked for so long. I should of trusted the weatherman that time.<br /><br />The day downtown or sometimes night downtown (depending on how much research some of us have done) will end with one of us calling our designated drivers to come pick us up. We use to try and catch or call a couple of taxis to get home but that is another story or two in itself. The last time we called for two taxis only one showed up. Being the gentlemen that we are (yes only gentlemen in our group ) we told the ladies to go ahead and we would suffer and wait it out until the next taxi shows up. Well what are the chances of not one of us having a watch on and you all know how time flies. Before we knew it almost a couple of hours went by. Anyways I'm sure you already figured out that the ladies weren't too happy with the men. Something to this day I haven't figured out because we all thought the women would of been impressed with how patient we were waiting for the taxi to arrive. Everyone knows men aren't known to be patient and so what if our patience was being displayed at a hopping bar. That shouldn't even come in to the picture should it That was the end to taxi's being used for the ride back to town.<br /><br />Summary Finally - Sorry about the rant. I really could of kept going on. To sum it up I always thought St Patrick's day was a great big party downtown. After typing this up I discovered it's actually a democracy process in the works with all the electing we do in our group along with research work. Research on the different brews of beer downtown. The research work by far is the hardest part of the day. Now knowing that it's not the Big Party that I always thought it was I probably won't be able to enjoy it like I have in the past. I'll give it my best shot though <br /><br /> Have a Great Weekend All!!!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-45596371409986204232011-03-11T06:06:00.001-05:002011-03-11T06:07:19.259-05:00A Bit Off Topic: Mario MarathonOver on Golden Snow Globe, I mentioned that I would explain why I wanted to forecast for Indiana, regardless of what conditions they'd have, this weekend. So I figured I might as well hit both sites with it.<br /><br />In 15 weeks, Mario Marathon begins their 4th edition. The idea is simple, a few guys play games from the Super Mario series. The more people donate, the longer they play. All of the proceeds go to a charity called Child's Play, which gives toys, games, and such to various children's hospitals. Last year, Mario Marathon raised over $80,000.<br /><br />Last year was the first year that I started watching the event. When I first heard about it, I thought it was pretty silly. And, I was right, but not for the right reasons. It simply is a lot of fun, and for a good cause. Obviously, you don't have to watch the whole thing, as it goes on for a few days straight, but I'm sure if you like to play and watch others play video games, any time you spend there will be worth your while.<br /><br />I mentioned that the event does not start for another 15 weeks. There are a few reasons why I wanted to mention the event now. First off, since this is a site that is really focused on the winter months (we better not get snow in June!!!!), I wanted to at least mention it when we'd get more people here. The second reason is that the Mario Marathon crew will be holding a sort of mini event this Saturday afternoon. They don't have an official start time yet, as they will be testing their equipment before going live. The website is <a href="http://mariomarathon.com"></a> and you can <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/mariomarathon">follow them on Twitter</a> as well.<br /><br />Have a great weekend everyone!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-54560130904223102142011-03-10T19:38:00.002-05:002011-03-22T20:21:16.185-04:00Point Blank Range Forecasts: Mar. 11-13, 2011Mild temperatures have been the story for the later part of the week, but they are not going to stay this way for long. More details on that to come, but first is the look back at the last forecast.<br /><br />The previous outlook involved snowfall for Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. Here are their snow totals from the 25th through the 27th of February.<br /><br />Buffalo: 11.1<br />Rochester: 10.0<br />Syracuse: 9.3<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> All three get at least 8 inches, with at least one getting a foot, of snow this weekend.<br /><font color="blue"><strong>On Target:</strong> All three get at least 8 inches of snow.</font><br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> At least one of the three gets under 8 inches of snow.<br /><br />Neither could quite get to the foot mark over the three days, so it is an On Target forecast.<br /><br />With this and the GSG forecast being On Target, my average remains below 1.00 for the season, now at 0.93. Just 3 forecasts remain, enough to either finish out strong or end with a whimper.<br /><br />Now on to this forecast, which as hinted at before, focuses on temperatures. In particular, it compares Friday highs with Sunday's low for all GSB cities. I am expecting double digit differences for at least a majority of the region.<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> Friday's high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday's for all five GSB cities.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Friday's high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday's for 3 of the five GSB cities.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Friday's high will be at least 10 degrees warmer than Sunday's less than 3 of the five GSB cities.<br /><br />Be sure to check out the forecast on Golden Snow Globe as well!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-87127568246619105022011-03-07T17:55:00.004-05:002011-03-07T19:31:29.796-05:00This is Albany's 10th snowiest season since 1951-52With the latest storm, Albany has moved into the top ten of their snowfall seasons (since 1951-52). Now at 83.6, this season has overtaken the 1966-67 season, which had 80.9 inches.<br /><br />Below are Albany's top ten snowiest seasons, since 1951-52.<br />1. 1970-1971 (112.5)<br />2. 2002-2003 (105.4)<br />3. 1981-1982 (97.1)<br />4. 1992-1993 (94.2)<br />5. 1977-1978 (92.4)<br />6. 1971-1972 (89.3)<br />7. 1993-1994 (88.1)<br />8. 1969-1970 (87.7)<br />9. 1995-1996 (86.5)<br /><b>10. 2010-2011 (83.6 so far)</b><br /><br />While I believe the top spot is out of range, I could see this season end up in the top 5 when all is said and done. Wouldn't it be something if all five GSB cities got over 100 though? Let's make it happen Albany!<br /><br />As for Binghamton, Buffalo, and Rochester, they are each outside of their respective top 10s, but are in striking distance. This is Binghamton's 14th snowiest season, 2.1 inches away from 10th. This is Buffalo's 23rd, 13.7 below 10th. For Rochester, this season is 17th, 12.7 behind 10th. Again, these rankings are all since the 1951-52 season, so the rankings are a bit standardized.Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-37116272443885439332011-03-06T23:04:00.009-05:002011-03-07T17:45:02.764-05:002010 - 2011 is Now Officially the 4th Snowiest Season for Syracuse<strong>Updated 5:30 PM 3/7 -</strong> All of the new snow stats have been posted by NOAA and it's official now. Syracuse's snow season ranks 4th snowiest now. Once in awhile my math is right go figure. Syracuse and Binghamton both set a date record for today with the overnight snow. Binghamton had 8.2 inches more and Syracuse had 6.3 both records for the date going back to 1982. Albany added another 5.5 inches and zip for Buffalo and Rochester for today.<br /><br />Wait there is more. Check out the stats and the cities above. Can anyone figure out what changes were made besides new snow totals?<br /><br /><br /><strong>Updated 12:15</strong> - I just found a page on NOAA that shows the Syracuse airport is reporting 24 hour totals as of 12:05 3/7 at 13.4 inches. If I did my math right and most likely I didn't, lol that would put Syracuse in the #4 spot with 173.5 inches. Stay tuned :)) Math was 160.1 + 13.4 = 173.5 :))<br /><br /><strong>Updated 2/7/11</strong> - Syracuse has officially moved into the #5 spot as far as snowiest seasons go. The totals just reflect what was reported by NOAA for yesterday and are still not counting the overnight snow. Chances are that Syracuse has had it's 4th snowiest season once the overnight totals come out.<br /><br /><strong>Last Night -</strong> As of 10 PM Syracuse has had it's 6th snowiest season on record and has a good shot at hitting the number 5 spot overnight. Can you say 200 inches :) Stay tuned.<br /><br />1. 1992-93 (192.1)<br />2. 2000-01 (191.9)<br />3. 2003-04 (181.3)<br /><strong>4. 2010-11 (173.5)</strong><br />5. 1995-96 (170.9)<br />6. 1991-92 (166.9)<br />7. 1993-94 (163.8)<br />8. 1989-90 (162.0)<br />9. 1977-78 (161.2) <br />10. 1970-71 (157.2)<br /><br />Sundays Snow Totals -<br /><br />Binghamton - 7.7 Record dating back to 1999<br />Syracuse - 7.1<br />Rochester - 5.5<br />Buffalo - 3.5<br />Albany - .6<br /><br />More to come later as stats are posted!!! Have a super day all!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-32603160984447994752011-03-06T11:54:00.001-05:002011-03-06T12:10:46.709-05:00Shot In The Dark Forecasts: March 2011I'd like to say that the season is wrapping up, but seeing forecasts of a foot of snow on tv and online make me want to hold off on that. More on that later, but first, it's a look back at the February forecast.<br /><br />That forecast involved snowfall totals for Rochester and Syracuse. Below are their seasonal totals that were recorded at the end of February.<br /><br />Rochester: 112.0<br />Syracuse: 160.3<br /><br /><font color="green"><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> Rochester reaches 100, and Syracuse hits 150, by the end of the month.</font><br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Rochester reaches 100 by the end of the month.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Rochester stays under 100 at the end of the month.<br /><br />It's a Bull's Eye with both cities reaching the respective marks.<br /><br />It turned out to be a great month for me. This Bull's Eye, combined with an On Target at GSG, brings my average up to 1.25. My intention at the beginning of the season was to make March the final SITD forecast. However, I have two forecasts that I'd like to do. So, the new plan is to have this one go for the month, and in a few weeks I will post the final one. This would give me 5 forecast periods, including the one done to start the season.<br /><br />On that note, it's time for the March forecast. All the GSB cities are above their averages for the entire season, with more snow on the way. In an above average season, I just can't bring myself to forecast a below average March.<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> All five GSB cities will have above average snowfall for March.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Three GSB cities will have above average snowfall in March.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> Two or less GSB cities will have above average snowfall in March.<br /><br />Here are the averages for March for each city.<br />Albany: 10.9<br />Binghamton: 14.2<br />Buffalo: 12.4<br />Rochester: 16.6<br />Syracuse: 18.8<br /><br />Remember to check out the Golden Snowball site for the SITD Forecast over there!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-74527097105421875992011-02-26T08:41:00.005-05:002011-02-26T11:15:36.161-05:002010-11 is 10th snowiest season in Syracuse.The latest snowstorm has pushed this season to the 10th snowiest season on record for Syracuse (157 inches), overtaking the 2002-03 season (153.2) for that spot. The current 9th place season is 1970-71, with 157.2 inches. I would imagine this season will move past that one today. Below are the top 10 snowiest seasons for Syracuse.<br /><br />1. 1992-93 (192.1)<br />2. 2000-01 (191.9)<br />3. 2003-04 (181.3)<br />4. 1995-96 (170.9)<br />5. 1991-92 (166.9)<br />6. 1993-94 (163.8)<br />7. 1989-90 (162.0)<br />8. 1977-78 (161.2) <br />9. 1970-71 (157.2)<br /><b>10. 2010-11 (157.0 so far)</b><br /><br />In case you were wondering, Syracuse's least snowiest season on record was 2001-02, with 59.4 inches.<br /><br />As for the other GSB cities, below are the rankings for this season, since 1951-52 (the earliest season that data was available for all 5 cities).<br /><br />Albany: 19th<br />Binghamton: 20th<br />Buffalo: 31st<br />Rochester: 21st<br /><br />All of them, especially Buffalo, have a ways to go to reach their respective top 10. But, there still is plenty of time in the season, so maybe a few more of them can get toward the top of their snow piles!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-4144495649742877482011-02-24T19:37:00.001-05:002011-02-24T19:40:51.487-05:00Point Blank Range Forecasts: Feb. 25-27, 2011I could see some unknown green stuff where the white lawn used to be. That must mean it's time for another snow storm! I'm sure most in upstate NY region already know about the upcoming storm, for which I will be forecasting for Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. Before I get into that, it's a look back at the last forecast.<br /><br />That last forecast featured snowfall amounts for the GSB cities. Here is their totals for the 20th and 21st.<br /><br />Albany: 3.1<br />Binghamton: 4.7<br />Buffalo: 2.5<br />Rochester: 3.1<br />Syracuse: 1.8<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> Syracuse's snowfall total is higher than the combined total of the other 4 GSB cities.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> Syracuse's snowfall total is higher than any other GSB city.<br /><font color="red"><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> At least one GSB city has more snow than Syracuse.</font><br /><br />Um...yeah. I'm just going to let that one speak for itself.<br /><br />That Complete Miss along with the On Target forecast over on GSG made it a bit of a tough weekend. Once again, I have fallen below the 1.00 goal, now sitting at 0.92. There are now 4 weeks of forecasts left to reach that threshold.<br /><br />To get there, I need a strong finish here, so let's start it up this weekend! As mentioned at the beginning, this focuses on the trio of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. The big story is the Friday storm, and for good reason. Including that into the weekend, I see the three getting at least 8 inches, with at least one possibly getting a foot.<br /><br /><strong>Bull's Eye:</strong> All three get at least 8 inches, with at least one getting a foot, of snow this weekend.<br /><strong>On Target:</strong> All three get at least 8 inches of snow.<br /><strong>Complete Miss:</strong> At least one of the three gets under 8 inches of snow.<br /><br />Have a great weekend, and remember to check out the forecast on Golden Snow Globe as well!Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09474203888370640704noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269336486158113204.post-22031661990786661552011-02-24T14:43:00.002-05:002011-02-24T16:22:01.993-05:00Albany Skates Past Average Seasonal SnowfallI'm having a hard time believing that Albany has a headline here at Golden Snowball. That doesn't happen too often but it's well deserved. They are officially past their annual/seasonal snowfall for the season with at least another month to go. Way to go Albany. I wonder if they can catch Buffalo.<br /><br />Speaking of Buffalo they really need to get something going because Binghamton is right behind them on the snow hill. They are the two cities that are closest to each other right now. First place Syracuse is starting to look like a safe bet butttt....Hey, ya never know. Second place is definitely still up for grabs. I don't think Albany has much of a chance but it's a 3 way race right now between Rochester, Buffalo and Binghamton. As for the fat rats errr I mean groundhogs prediction, I'm still not buying it ;).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.novelty-t-shirts.com/st-patricks-day-t-shirts/">Quality Funny St Patricks Day T-Shirts and Sweatshirts</a><br /><br />Hey, Have a Super Weekend All!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16095585670623501721noreply@blogger.com0