Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Update, 5 February 2014. At 1655 yesterday, the temperature at Glacier International Airport was 4°F; the wind was ENE at 10 mph. At 2155, the temperature had dropped to -2°F, the NE wind was 22 mph gusting to 33 mph, and the wind chill — which scares the bejesus out of facilitators, but has little effect on the properly dressed — was -26°F. That’s not cold enough to cancel a meeting of adults.
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Never mind that everyone involved in revising the Flathead National Forest’s forest plan probably owns a down parka, warm boots, and a winterized vehicle. Never mind that many are experienced winter campers. It’s cold outside, and the facilitators for this week’s meetings have quailed at the prospect of going to work in winter weather. Stay home, they say, stay warm.
Here’s the official message, followed by a screen shot of the NWS’s forecast:
Greetings,
The work group meetings scheduled for Tuesday, February 4 and Thursday February 6 are CANCELLED due to weather, and will be rescheduled, tentatively for February 19 and 20. We are hearing a forecast for temperatures between -10 to -13 degrees Tuesday through Thursday nights with wind chills potentially more than double that. We are also mindful that there have been some requests for more time to review the meeting materials, so perhaps the bitter cold is an opportunity to stay at home and start perusing the background information. And, we are going to utilize the delay as an opportunity to try to get additional attendance for these important meetings. An announcement about new dates, and additional background will be forthcoming. We apologize for any inconvenience, but would like everyone to be safe during this cold weather event!
Connie and the Meridian Team
According to the NWS, this evening will be windy with a temperature of a couple of degrees above zero. Thursday evening will be a degree warmer and calm.
There may be good reasons for rescheduling this week’s meetings, but “it’s too cold to meet’ isn’t one of them.