ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, February 3, 1996             TAG: 9602040015
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: A-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER NOTE: Below 

`WE HAVE A LOT OF WINTER LEFT'

HEAPS OF SNOW REMIND us the South isn't immune from multiple storms.

You returned the shovel you borrowed from your neighbor.

You took the bag of Kitty Litter out of your trunk.

You thawed the bread that you had been hoarding in your freezer.

And now you're wondering why you bothered.

Friday, both the National Weather Service and the state climatologist were predicting accumulations of 16 inches or more in Roanoke and up to 24 inches in the New River Valley by the time the snowfall ends.

State climatologist Pat Michaels broke the news early.

"What I have seen," Michaels said about 2:30 p.m., when Roanoke already was looking at 8 inches of snow and the New River Valley at about 11, "suggests that you're going to pick up quite a bit more snow before it all stops."

But quite a bit is relative, right? Hey, an inch would qualify as quite a bit in Hawaii.

"You could easily pick up another 6 to 8 inches tonight," he continued. "Easily."

By early Friday evening, Michaels' prediction seemed to be on the mark.

Is this Virginia or Minnesota? you wondered. Oh, it's Virginia, Michaels said. Just because we're in the South doesn't mean we're immune from multiple snowstorms. It's just been awhile since it happened.

"It's unusual, but it's not unheard of," Michaels said. "The 1960s, especially the early '60s, were very snowy."

And then there was the Blizzard of 1987. Between January and April, almost 5 feet of snow fell on Roanoke and almost 6 feet on areas to the west.

So, when do we get rid of this whole winter thing? Well, this latest snow could be here for a while. The National Weather Service is predicting single-digit lows for Monday and highs only in the 20s and 30s for the rest of the week.

Beyond that, forecasters won't guess. -

"Mother Nature's going to do her own thing," said one of the Blacksburg weather folk. "That's just how it is."

The Old Farmer's Almanac, admittedly a less scientific source, goes out on a limb and predicts a cold March with well above normal snowfall. Old wives' predictions? Maybe. But the almanac did forecast the last snowfall quite accurately.

Of course, the same almanac prediction says February is supposed to be "relatively mild," with "well below normal snowfall."

And then there is old Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania's groundhog forecaster. He saw his shadow Friday morning, heralding six more weeks of winter.

Michaels was willing to venture an opinion, albeit a rather vague one.

"Well, it isn't over yet," he said. "We have a lot of winter left."

LENGTH: Medium:   63 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  1. DON PETERSEN/Staff. A minivan attempts to make it to 
          the top of Highland Avenue near Community Hospital. It finally made 
          it, but not without a lot of skidding, sliding and spinning tires. 
          color. 2. WAYNE DEEL/Staff. These crows were hanging around a corn 
          field behind the Wal-Mart Supercenter near Valley View Mall on 
          Friday. The crows may have been looking for a remaining morsel of 
          corn. Graphic: Chart by staff: Cold weather tips.