[onlooker]

While we are experiencing an unusually long and severe cold spell, Europe not so much

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/?continent=europe

[Outcast_Searcher]

While we are experiencing an unusually long and severe cold spell, Europe not so much

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/?continent=europe

Actually, in my mind, as a central KY citizen, I really am happy to be having a "real" winter spell where most bugs die, etc. So while I don't enjoy such cold snaps, and recently broke down and got out the long underwear, the implications of not having normal winters is terrifying to me. (I think psychologically, this is far more blatant than, say, October being unseasonably warm EVERY YEAR now, which seems to be the case in my area).

We've been having too many winters recently where the temps are spookily warm on average, and we don't even get a serious cold spike to do things like weed out lots of bugs. By my count, in central KY, 2 or 3 of the past 5 years ('12 through '16) were like that -- positively eerie. (Ironically, two of the other winters were very nasty, with record storms or cold snaps or both. Feast or famine, I guess).

Now, with another brutal week in the forecast, with nightly temperatures often heading near zero, enough is enough, if any of the weather gods are listening.

[onlooker]

Yea, makes sense OS. I don't like insects. So the cold spell seems to be affecting much of the US and CANADA

[Outcast_Searcher]

Yea, makes sense OS. I don't like insects. So the cold spell seems to be affecting much of the US and CANADA

Insects are fine in "normal" doses, IMO.

(My mom, in what I considered the rare brilliant insight, used to opine that "The meek shall inherit the earth.", was referring to the insects that would be left behind after people destroyed all life bigger than, say, a mouse. For the 70's, that was a pretty good idea.)

It's when we end up with examples like some roaches that look like palmetto bugs, etc. due to lack of cold that I start to strongly object.

[onlooker]

giant dragonfly (1).png (80.74 KiB) Viewed 16552 times

You mean like this OS

[onlooker]

It's so cold in Florida, iguanas are falling from trees
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/its-s ... li=BBnbcA1

[dohboi]

And on the other side of the country:

NWS Los Angeles : Flash Flood Watch in effect Monday Night-Tuesday for recent burn areas of SBA, Ventura, LA counties. Significant threat for flash flooding/debris flows. Peak rainfall rates 0.50-1.00 inch per hour. Make preparations now and follow directions of local officials.

#CAstorm #LArain

https://twitter.com/nwslosangeles/statu ... 7629060098

[dohboi]

While The Eastern U.S. Freezes, It's Too Warm In Alaska

The race in southwest Alaska had been scheduled to happen two weeks before. But warm weather — just above freezing — made the trails unsafe. Temperatures dropped and a dusting of snow fell. The entire race usually runs 35 miles up the frozen river. This time it had to run over land.

The river ice in some areas was feet thick in past years. It's now only inches. In other places, there's open water. This is a problem in a region with no roads connecting one village to another — locals refer to the river as an ice highway. ...

https://www.npr.org/2018/01/05/57590577 ... -in-alaska

Plant, are you up there now? What are u experiencing?

[Plantagenet]

While The Eastern U.S. Freezes, It's Too Warm In Alaska

The race in southwest Alaska had been scheduled to happen two weeks before. But warm weather — just above freezing — made the trails unsafe. Temperatures dropped and a dusting of snow fell. The entire race usually runs 35 miles up the frozen river. This time it had to run over land.

The river ice in some areas was feet thick in past years. It's now only inches. In other places, there's open water. This is a problem in a region with no roads connecting one village to another — locals refer to the river as an ice highway. ...

https://www.npr.org/2018/01/05/57590577 ... -in-alaska

Plant, are you up there now? What are u experiencing?

It’s been record warm for 2 months. Temps running 20 degrees above normal in central Alaska. It was actually very peasant. Skiing was great

I’m in Normandy France now on my annual trip to escape the dark cold Alaskan winter but this year it hasn’t been cold at all by Alaskan standards

Cheers

[onlooker]

It seems pretty evident that what is happening in North America is the warm air in the Arctic is displacing the cold and sending it southwards. Observations?

[Revi]

Here in Maine it's chilly. 20 below most nights, but that's nothing new. Going up to the 40's this week.

[Newfie]

It seems pretty evident that what is happening in North America is the warm air in the Arctic is displacing the cold and sending it southwards. Observations?

In short,exactly. We are stirring the paint can.

Just watch the EARTH 500mb flow patterns.
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/w ... ,49.97,212

Of course you can’t see it now, but a few days ago that big loop over the Atlantic was over the USA.

The Jet Stream needs the temperature differential to stabilize it. As we loose the differential the stream starts to wobble like a slowing top.

Then you get big loooops in the Rosby waves that bring cold air south and warm air north.

For more detailed explanation google Jennifer Francis and watch her videos.

[onlooker]

Well this certainly qualifies as strange weather
Snow falls in the Sahara desert
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa ... ara-desert

[dohboi]

We are now seeing in parts of CA what will become the norm for more and more of the country and world: desiccating drought and scorching mega-fires followed by deluges that now hit bare ground and create massive deadly mud floods. This is our future.

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/10/us/southe ... index.html

Southern California mudslides: Hundreds still await rescue; 15 dead

[Tanada]

Hey look! We just went from an -18 F wind chill on Sunday to 47 F right now with a high tomorrow of 56 F and widespread flooding as every flake of snow is melting in the warm rain!

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A warm-up to over 50 degrees this week will melt away the snowpack completely for much of Northeast Ohio. With rain showers on tap, that could bring minor widespread flooding and the possibility of ice jams, says National Weather Service hydrologist Sarah Jamison. Ice jams lead to flooding as blocks of ice accumulate, restricting flow in rivers.

The warmest days this week in Northeast Ohio will be Wednesday and Thursday. The jet stream moved from ushering in frigid, arctic air and will instead blow in milder air from the west. At the surface, southerly winds are reinforcing the warming trend as air from the Gulf of Mexico surges in.

With the snowpack in the region still over a foot in some areas, widespread flooding could result. To make matters worse, scattered, light rain could fall across the area Wednesday, increasing in coverage Thursday and Friday.

[dolanbaker]

Not exactly strange weather, but, a sign of extreme pollution.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42653738

Much of the snow in the city of Temirtau in central Kazakhstan is black.
Instead of the usual white powder that children love to play with, the snow looks more like coal after a mysterious dark dust settled on the city in the beginning of January.
Many residents, worried about their health, took to social media to call on the government to investigate the incident.
"We can't live like this. We're suffocating here," wrote one user.
A special group of scientists, made up of both independent ecologists and government experts, is working to identify the causes.

[onlooker]

I watched for the second time "The Day after Tomorrow ", and the events depicted are disturbing to say the least. My impression is something this fast and drastic is unlikely. Sure hope so.

[Tanada]

I watched for the second time "The Day after Tomorrow ", and the events depicted are disturbing to say the least. My impression is something this fast and drastic is unlikely. Sure hope so.

Yeah, it is also impossible. The very high altitude atmosphere is very cold and very thin. That much is true, however when you force it down to surface level it has to be compressed to make it as thick 9dense) as the air at the surface. Compression generates heat. Have you ever used a spray can of something like bug spray to fog your yard and realized how cold the can felt when you were done? This is a physics process discovered by a scientist named Boyle and and is named after him as Boyle's Law. Any time you lower the pressure of a gas the energy of expansion as the gas escapes is generated by a drop in the temperature of the gas remaining inside the container. The opposite also holds true, any time you compress gas to a higher density inside a container the gas trapped inside gets hot. If you have an air compressor at home you can test both these equal and opposite effects for yourself. So under Boyle's Law pulling the very very thin gas of the upper Stratosphere down to ground level would cause it to heat up by many many degrees, to the point in fact that it would be more likely to cook you like a hot air fryer than freeze you into a statue.

[onlooker]

Thanks T, I already feel better haha

[Newfie]

Don’t get complacent, the real stuff is scary enough.

Weather is toda, climate is the next hundred years.

But we are seeing changes. So for sure it’s going fast, as climate goes.

Like folks bellyaching about the unprecedented cold on the East Coast. But if it’s so unusual why did they build ice harbors and why does the Delaware sailing directions talk about it being froze over?

Short memories we have.