Oh, the weather outside is frightful..

It's Winter Preparedness Week in North Carolina. While some of us hope for a snowy season like that above (Sven Nys winning Superprestige Cyclocross Hamme-Zogg in Belgium a couple of weeks ago), many others hope not.

So what is the outlook for our winter ahead? According to the National Weather Service and NOAA, the Tar Heel State has equal chances of colder temperatures, warmer temperatures, and average temperatures. In other words, their crystal ball is currently out of commission. On the precip tip, they think we have a better chance of being drier than normal. Not good news for our drought-stricken friends in the NC mountains. And definitely not good news for the snow-hounds among us. (How cool is it to bag a brevet that features snow? Here's an archived post by JP.)

My prediction? This winter's going to be a blast! Newly-minted RBA Tony G hosts his first 200K of 2009 in just 4 weeks..