Beginning of 2012 shatters records for heat

In Australia we've just had the hottest summer on record on the west coast and the some of the worst floods on record on the east coast. At times 3/4 of some of the eastern states were under water.

Tomorrow we are expecting a hot 35C/95F. Normally we'd be expecting say

But who cares, Australia's sold a s*it load of coal and gas real cheap to the Chinese.......

In eastern U.S. we had a much warmer winter, but now it has reverted to some what colder than average temperatures.

=20 Dan

In eastern U.S. we had a much warmer winter, but now it has reverted to some what colder than average temperatures.

Dan

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In south western austalia, in areas of virgin bush, satellite imaging has show large areas (IIRC up to 10%) of old growth trees dying due to extended drought periods. Definitely concerning.

I don't know what part of the eastern US that Dan is talking about, but March was much warmer than normal for the Northeast, and April, so far, is also above normal. Precipitation is below normal:

The other shoe is falling in the upper Midwest tonight. There will be a hard freeze taking out the bloom on many perennial plants such as apples etc.

I'm in better shape than many because we're not quite to bloom here on the tundra. Southern MN, WI, northern IL, northern IA look to be SOL. Not sure about MI.

Karl

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"Precipitation is below normal" is quite the understatement, Ed. It's dry as a bone here in Northeast Bergen County, and there are wildfires in Burlington. At this rate, with the lack of April showers, I fear for the May flowers. This time of year, the resevoirs should be overflowing.

Seriously, I know this one hot year does not constitute "climate change," but still, it's kind of creepy.

I am probably wrong. The TV weather people have been saying that the highs are below normal. But I have not been paying a lot of attention as to how often they have been saying that. The weather happens whether I pay attention or not.

Dan

I read a review of it somewhere a few days ago. The Jet Stream is in a nutty, oscillating pattern well to the north of its usual path, and it hasn't allowed much Arctic air to penetrate south. And a second consequence is that it hasn't allowed those air masses to clash and cause precipitation.

It's dry down here in Middlesex, too. I've been watering the garden every day and I'm worried about a tree we just planted.

Well, for the Northeast overall, March was *way* higher than normal, and April, so far, is a couple or three degrees warmer than normal.

As for climate issues, apparently the question is what made the Jet Stream stay so far north all winter and, so far, this spring. There is some discussion about it in the weather analyses sites but it doesn't look to me like there is a consensus.

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It's supposed to get up to 72F tomorrow here along the lower Columbia.

Still a 40% chance of rain though.

Our local conservation authority is concerned about the lack of spring runoff, usully at this time of year, they are warning people to stay away from stream banks. this year they have mid summer flows in mid April.

An international team of scientists led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) used more than a century of weather observations and three powerful computer models to tackle one of the more difficult questions in meteorology: if the total energy that reaches Earth from the Sun varies by only 0.1 percent across the approximately 11-year solar cycle, how can such a small variation drive major changes in weather patterns on Earth?

The answer, according to the new study, has to do with the Sun's impact on two seemingly unrelated regions. Chemicals in the stratosphere and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean respond during solar maximum in a way that amplifies the Sun's influence on some aspects of air movement. This can intensify winds and rainfall, change sea surface temperatures and cloud cover over certain tropical and subtropical regions, and ultimately influence global weather.

"The Sun, the stratosphere, and the oceans are connected in ways that can influence events such as winter rainfall in North America," says NCAR scientist Gerald Meehl, the lead author. "Understanding the role of the solar cycle can provide added insight as scientists work toward predicting regional weather patterns for the next couple of decades."

...

The connection between peaks in solar energy and cooler water in the equatorial Pacific was first discovered by Harry Van Loon of NCAR and Colorado Research Associates, who is a co-author of the new paper. ... (Snipped a lot of good stuff you can read if you want)

It's weather, FFS.. specifications subject to change without notice, in case you haven't noticed by now.

NM had severe snow and ice storms in December-January, previously unheard of. Not just because they were unequipped to remove the snow and ice, the highways would still have been closed if they'd had adequate plow/removal equipment (opinion of a friend there, who's familiar with winter weather in the northeast US).

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

Pretty good stuff. As was Encounters at the End of the WOrld. The rest Herzog's stuff doesn't move me much though.

Oh? Weather? Is that still legal?

Hi Karl,

It has been ugly here. Traverse City area took a bad hit recently, wiping out much of the cherry and grape crops. Asparagus (of all things) is way early and the growers pickers are still down south. Haven't heard any recent updates concerning the latter so I don't know if they found a way to harvest or not. Oh, almost forgot, no bees either. The ones rented/used for pollination are still stuck in either FL or CA. Seems it is next to impossible to expedite them.

What I thought you would find most interesting though are my local apple growers. The temps have been dipping down in the freezing area pretty regular. The Ridge growers have been fighting back. Burning hay/straw bales, propane heaters, irrigation, HUGE fan/blowers and even helicopters trying to push warmer air down to the ground.

A few of the Press articles, no particular order: