winds of change

this morning i was reading my various news sources online, and happened upon a story in the capital times reporting that the midwest was going to get hit by a series of "alberta clipper" low pressure systems over the next few days. i became rather curious about what an alberta clipper entails. wikipedia tells me that an alberta clipper is a fast moving low pressure area which generally affects the central provinces of canada and the upper midwest and great lakes regions of the united states. its trajectory looks a little something like this.

don't confuse an alberta clipper with the california zephyr, the 2,438-mile long passenger train route which runs from chicago to california.

as a youth, i took the california zephyr to colorado with my parents, sister, and some other grand rapidian families to go skiing for spring break. great times.