Weather!

[Moonlady]

Another overcast day here in Germany, but it's not below 0° C at night, so I don't complain (much).

[mjimih]

Moonlady
Your avatar is the way I'm going to feel when i look outside at the record breaking snow later today. blech!

[rstevenson]

Yesterday in southern Saskatchewan (the mid-prairies in Canada) you could have driven just an hour or two and experienced a blizzard, flooding, and brush fires all in the space of that short drive. What fun they're having.

Here on the east cost we're just having a "normal" late spring. It only seems bad when compared to last year's abnormally early spring.

Rob

[MargaritaMc]

Just to join in. Last week we had three days of La Calima (hot sand storm from the Sahara, not nice). This week we have unseasonally low temperatures and thick cloud cover, with a COLD wind...
I really feel sorry for people who are here on holiday.
Margarita

[orin stepanek]

Just to join in. Last week we had three days of La Calima (hot sand storm from the Sahara, not nice). This week we have unseasonally low temperatures and thick cloud cover, with a COLD wind...
I really feel sorry for people who are here on holiday.
Margarita

Hey; I don't have to be on holiday to experience freaky weather! This past 7 days we had, Spring; Summer; and now Winter! What a crazy Day; It rained overnight'; now it is snowing - with thunder ! Sunday and Monday it was in the 80"s! It supposed to get below freezing tomorrow night! Hopefully this is winters last gasp! Any way; Happy May Day everybody!!!

[bystander]

High today, 80 F, Low tonight 40 F, High tomorrow 43 F.
Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for tonight.

[Chris Peterson]

Yesterday in southern Saskatchewan (the mid-prairies in Canada) you could have driven just an hour or two and experienced a blizzard, flooding, and brush fires all in the space of that short drive. What fun they're having.

Here on the east cost we're just having a "normal" late spring. It only seems bad when compared to last year's abnormally early spring.

Rob

Flew right over you on Sunday afternoon... looked pretty nice down there. Snowing heavily here now, but not cold at all, hovering around freezing. So the snow is heavy and wet, which is just what we desperately need.

[rstevenson]

Yes, considering that there were brush fires already up in Sask., I imagine there's a lot of places out west that can use a good soak. I'd be happy to share.

Rob

[Ann]

May the First was a nice day here. It was sunny, and the temperature was acceptable, about 12C. May the First is a holiday here, and everyone has a day off. I was out at nine listening to a choir singing songs of spring in a nearby park, and then at three o'clock I and my friend were in the amusement park of Malmö, which was packed with people. Many were there to enjoy the rides, others were having picnics on the grass, kids were splashing about in the shallow ponds, and many were there to listen to a political leader who may become Sweden's next Prime Minister.

Yes, it was nice yesterday, but like many of you in the United States, we are suffering from a drought. Our drought is most certainly not as serious as yours, but it is worrisome, all the same.

Ann

[mjimih]

yes unfortunately the drought in the mtn west is deepening, and in the midwest it's quickly improving with double the normal amount of moisture for Mar/Apr. April showers bring May flowers, er um this year May snow brings June flowers. The latter saying decidedly has less of an enamoring ring to it. one more to hang my hat on... Patience is a virtue.

[bystander]

---

US National Weather Service Norman Oklahoma

We're expecting both Wichita Falls and Oklahoma City to break their record cold high temperatures today. The previous record for Wichita Falls was 53 degrees set in 2005, and for Oklahoma City was 51 set in 1994. Another interesting tidbit, if Will Rogers doesn't climb above 44 degrees before midnight, we will have tied the record for coldest high temperature for the month of May, which was set on May 4, 1935! Quite a year 2013 has been so far!

[TNT]

What is this?! Snow on the second of May?! The grass is already almost completely covered. We could get 1 to 3 inches of snow on the ground. This is crazy! Where is spring?!

[geckzilla]

This is Spring. It's just so avant-garde this year.

[Beyond]

Here in Connecticut I've seen about a foot of heavy wet snow as late as May 9th. But this was way back in the early 1980's. My father happened to be bringing home a woodstove on the back of his pickup at the time. Seemed funnily appropriate.

[mjimih]

http://www.startribune.com/weather/blog ... ather.html
Paul Douglas is a nationally respected meteorologist with 33 years of television and radio experience.

What Is Going On? Bill Holton writes: "Paul, please explain to readers WHY this is happening? Snow of this magnitude has NEVER been seen in this part of the country in May, or anywhere in the U.S. outside of the Rockies." Bill, snow east of the Rockies, outside of higher terrain in New England, is exceedingly rare, yes - but not totally unprecedented. What we're seeing is consistent with what climate scientists have been predicting for 30 years. As northern latitudes warm the north-south temperature contrast weakens, which triggers a drop in jet stream winds - which become more unstable, with greater north/south swings, what meteorologists call a "high amplitude" pattern. When this happens warm, moist air can be transported unusually far north (helping to rapidly ease drought and trigger record flooding), while unusually cold air can sweep much farther south than usual, sometimes "cutting off" from the main belt of westerly steering winds, causing weather patterns to temporarily stall. In short, the weather has a greater potential to become become stuck.

Proving cause and effect is difficult, at times impossible, but talking with climate scientists there seems to be a strong causal connection between more weather extremes and record warming taking place in the Arctic. 90% of warming is going into the oceans, and some of that warmth is showing up in the Arctic, which has lost 70-75% of its ice volume in 50 years, reaching a record low in September, 2012. A warming Arctic can displace the cold air that should be at the top of the world farther south over Canada, Europe and Asia, setting the stage for more extremes, more head-scratching "Black Swan" weather events.

A blocking pattern (with a warm bubble of high pressure over Greenland) steered Superstorm Sandy into coastal New Jersey on October 29, 2012, which is highly unusual for late October. A blocking pattern resulted in blistering, record-setting heat over much of the USA last summer. Droughts and heatwaves can become even more intense, while (stalled) storms can squeeze out more rain, or snow. Keep in mind there's more water vapor in the air (a 4% increase in 40 years), more fuel for storms, summer and winter. Rain is falling harder during the summer months, and when it does snow, it tends to come down harder. There are few things more complicated and interconnected than weather and climate - more research is required, but it's probably safe to say that we'll see more extremes in the years ahead, more examples of weather on steroids.

Changes in the Arctic are happening much faster than predicted. Richard Alley at Penn State believes some of these changes are taking place 100 years ahead of schedule. Climate scientist James Hansen believes warming of the oceans and atmosphere is equivalent to 400,000 Hiroshima bombs going off every day. We may be undergoing a "phase transition" in the climate system, which is non-linear. Nature rarely moves in a straight line. Alarmist hype? I sure hope so. But the reality: we're in uncharted water when it comes to global changes and impact on local weather.

[mjimih]

http://hint.fm/wind/
Surface wind data comes from the National Digital Forecast Database. These are near-term forecasts, revised once per hour. So what you're seeing is a living portrait. (See the http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ndfd/ for precise details)

It's retro weather day today! Nary a westerly breeze in sight. Over the whole eastern third of the U.S., all the air from Chicago to Mississippi is moving southwest, west, or northwest. All the cold air spilling out of Minnesota and Wisconsin is moving southwest then south all the way to the gulf of Mexico. The north Atlantic is in a blocking pattern, pushing air AT us from the east. Look for more freakish weather in the days ahead.

M

[bystander]

Record low High (48F) yesterday, record low Low (37F) this morning.
Last year at this time we were recording near record Highs.

[neufer]

Record low High (48F) yesterday, record low Low (37F) this morning.
Last year at this time we were recording near record Highs.

A globlally warmed Arctic Ocean can't keep it's Northern Polar Springtime Hurricane Hexagon intact.

[Beyond]

That's because it's tooo big for this planet

[BMAONE23]

Record low High (48F) yesterday, record low Low (37F) this morning.
Last year at this time we were recording near record Highs.

A globlally warmed Arctic Ocean can't keep it's Northern Polar Springtime Hurricane Hexagon intact.

Well, some mechanism needs to be in place to create the Northern Hemispheric Ice Sheets that will cover us during the up coming 110,000 year Deep Freeze. I could see this pattern creating the Ice Sheets as alternating cycles of cold (to bring snow) followed by warm (to begin the thaw/melt) then another round of cold (to freeze the melt and supply fresh snow).
After a few cycles of lather rince repeat, you have the beginnings of an ice sheet and increased albedo to further cool things
Maps of the last glacial maximum 18,000 years ago



courtesy of IceAgeNow

[Beyond]

Well, on the bright side... i won't have to make ice cubes any more. The down side is... I'll be an ice cube

[Moonlady]

It is getting warmer here in Germany and I am happy!
Today was about 23°C hightest and I am as much as I can outside cycling, spending time in a park and reading
before it's getting rainy again.

[orin stepanek]

It's is finally acting like Spring! I would hope it stayed that way; but the forecast is calling for temps in the 80's by the end of the week. It's time for Spring fever!

Click to view full size image

[mjimih]

It's is finally acting like Spring! I would hope it stayed that way; but the forecast is calling for temps in the 80's by the end of the week. It's time for Spring fever!

Usually my Cherry blossoms are in full bloom by now. Oh they smell so wonderful, I can't wait. They are only little tiny buds right now. We are supposed to go from frost Sun morning to mid 80's by Tues afternoon. I thought with climate change we would have more variable weather because the jet stream would undulate more due to added energy to it. Turns out that isn't why it IS undulating more (high amplitude). It's a matter of the difference between the top of the atmosphere's temperature in the tropics vs the Arctic surprisingly enough. The smaller difference in temperature as the Arctic warms up is causing the N hemisphere's mid latitude jet stream, and therefore the preponderance of westerly winds over the USA to diminish. Better explained by the scientists of course;

http://www.startribune.com/weather/blog ... ather.html
PM Thunder (weekend frost to 80s by Tuesday; ...)
Posted by: Paul Douglas Updated: May 8, 2013 - 7:42 PM

Jet stream 2.0
People are asking about recent weather extremes: record drought to historic floods, virtually overnight - 18" snows in May? "Is this the new normal?" Time will tell, but researchers increasingly see a link with recent melting in the Arctic. If you've seen the documentary film "Chasing Ice" you know what I'm referring to: 1.3 million square miles of ice lost in 30 years. Warming at the top of the world may be reducing temperature contrasts, turning the jet stream into a "sluggish estuary", according to Rutgers researcher Jennifer Francis.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/c ... ew-up-with
co-authored by University of St. Thomas climate scientist John Abraham.

What does this mean to us? It means that we shouldn't be surprised to see more severe weather that lasts for longer durations. Our weather can be expected to whiplash from one extreme to another. In the U.S. we are seeing some evidence of this. Alternating wet, snowy winters and warm non-winters. Summers of either extreme heat and drought – or unbelievable flooding. But don't just take my word for it. A leading researcher in this area, Dr. Jennifer Francis says,

"The Arctic is warming two-to-three times faster than the rest of the northern hemisphere -- the loss of sea ice, spring snow cover, increased Greenland melting, and permafrost degradation are all symptoms of and contributors to this warming. It's inconceivable that a change of this scale and magnitude will not have substantial impacts on the atmosphere, ocean, and land both within the Arctic and also beyond the Arctic where millions of people live. These impacts will affect not only the physical system -- such as weather patterns and ocean circulation -- but also life on land and in the ocean. Exactly how these effects play out is a wide-open topic of research..."

Hope the fish are biting ?? for all you fishing opener buffs! Good Luck!

[Chris Peterson]

Just getting ourselves dug out now. Woke yesterday morning to nearly a foot of heavy, wet snow, which continued to fall much of the day. So heavy it was knocking down tree branches (not a usual thing up here), and the whole area lost power for half a day (which means no water... very inconvenient, although you can flush a toilet every couple hours if you fill the tank with a few buckets of snow).

Over the last 10 days we've received over 2 inches of moisture, all as wet snow. Warm and sunny today, but very, very muddy. Haven't seen mud here for a few years. Might actually have some wildflowers this year, and some grass for the horses and goats.