How’s The Weather?
GBA Editor
| Posted in General Questions on
Queensland is under water, the East coast of the US us being buried again by snow, cancelled flights and power outages.
It’s snowing fast and furious here in north central Vermont (that’s a 13″ ruler on top of my side porch woodshed).
What’s the weather like where you are?
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Replies
My "bathtub".
Robert, In the area around Ottawa, Ontario we have been amazingly lucky this winter. On New Year's Day there was green grass. It's been cool but not cold (compared to normal). We have very little snow. Yet, all around us there is winter as usual.
Last night - 4" snow, Today sunny,windy 28. Upperco, MD Zone 4A
JIm,
Did you make a New Year's resolution to mow the lawn?
Going to the bathroom here is an adventure.
I gotta pick up another cord of kiln-dried firewood soon, but my trailer is snowed in.
Minneapolis started the winter early with a record snowfall. It has been enjoyable for me because it reminds me of the snow coverage more common during my childhood.
Before winter is when MN had a unique weather season with enough tornado touchdowns to hold the title for 2010.
I've notice the last couple of years the robin's no longer leave for the winter. We used to use the arrival of the robin as a sign the beginning of Spring - although the robin always seemed to come back about a month too early ; )
It's kinda nice here, colder than usual, but the snow gives the natives a thrill and, for those of us transplants from the north, we get a good laugh ... for example, at the guy on Peachtree St in Atlanta who thought the way up the icy slope was to floor it. News video showed his car after his tires ignited as he ran like hell to get away from it. See, not all the fools live up "nawth."
Glad you're enjoying the snow we sent your way, Robert. Lol.
Joe
I'll bet the tube & funnel are gettin a workout... ref. #5.
don't see any yellow snow though~
Roy's cryptic remark referred to my urinal - high-tech indoor plumbing when all you got is an outhouse. After a few beers or stumbling out of bed in the middle of the night, you gotta be careful with your aim. I actually tripped that GFI receptacle once when I missed ;-)
Did you get the patent on that baby?
It's 45F and there's a whole inch of slush on the ground here in Vancouver Canada. Very challenging cold climate... ha...
It snowed in N. Texas on Sunday
Snow is almost gone now
I tried, but they were laughing too hard to fill out the paperwork.
Kootenays in SE BC. We had about 7-8" snowfall today. About 4-6" forecast for tomorrow. Roll on spring.
Yesterday was a beautiful, balmy -6C and sunny.
Looks like snow today.
Some parts of Vermont got up to 3' of snow yesterday. Northeastern skiers don't know what to do in that much powder.
Robert, I wouldn't be so sure about that anymore, these Vermonters seem to know what to do with it (somewhere secret on Mansfield): http://www.famousinternetskiers.com/trip-reports/10-11/give-us-6-inches-and-well-schuss-a-meter/
Jesse, I love the picture of the helmet and hand slaloming.
Robert, In response to #4, I solved the grass cutting issue. I waited two days, ... it snowed and the problem disappeared. If only all of life's issues could be solved so easily.
I solved getting my truck stuck in my dooryard today, trying to plow myself out, by calling my local wrecker and paying him to give me a tug.
Oh well, at least we had a nice 20-minute conversation about the state of the world...
Get's lonely here in the cabin. It's a shame, though, that I have to pay a "hooker" to give me a yank and keep me company for a few minutes.
According to government climate scientists 2010 was the wettest year on record (globally, since the 1880s), and tied with 2005 as the hottest year on record.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/science/earth/13climate.html
The first decade of the twenty-first century was the hottest since recordkeeping began in 1880.
With an average global temperature of 14.52 degrees Celsius (58.1 degrees Fahrenheit), this decade was 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than any previous decade. The year 2005 was the hottest on record, while 2007 and 2009 tied for second hottest. In fact, 9 of the 10 warmest years on record occurred in the past decade.
Temperature rise has accelerated in recent decades. The earth’s temperature is now 0.8 degrees Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than it was in the first decade of the twentieth century, and two-thirds of that increase has taken place since 1970.
"Unintended consequences"
Robert, The Passive House in comment #5 is one dwelling which requires maximum ACH.
I would like to expand of Robert's initial question. How has the weather changed in your area over the past two or three decades? Are you experiencing more snow, rain, wind events? Have you encountered more than one "Hundred Year Storm?" Has this led to disasters such as flooding, power outages, or severe winds? What has the effect of changing weather patterns been on your life, your town, province or state?
Well, I can tell you this: the last couple of weeks here have been cold and snowy - so this Global Warming thing must be a HOAX.
And don't tell me that the polar bears are running out of space.
Besides, the YES MEN have patented a personal life support system to deal with climate change. There's always a technological solution to any problem.
Climate change could happen much faster than previously thought
by Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent, The UK Telegraph, 13 Jan 2011
Humans are in danger of making large parts of the Earth uninhabitable for thousands of years because of man made climate change, according to new evidence based on geological records.
The US study predicted that if society continues burning fossil fuels at the current rate, atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide could rise from the current level of 390 parts per million (ppm) to 1,000 by the end of this century.
The last time the world had such high levels of carbon dioxide temperatures were on average 29F(16C) above pre-industrial levels. Evidence has been found of crocodiles and palm trees at the Poles and only small mammals were able to survive.
Jeffrey Kiehl, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), who carried out the study, said the Earth could return to such temperatures over hundreds or even thousands of years.
But unlike last time, when it happened over millions of years, temperatures will rise too fast for species to adapt and change.
In the short term he said temperatures could rise by more than 10.8F (6C) by the end of the century, which will also wipe out species.
“This is happening at such a rate how will species, including humans, respond? The implications for the biosphere is of great concern.”
Dr Kiehl not only looked at geological records but also computer models to predict what will happen if carbon dioxide levels rise at such a rate.
He included 'feed back factors', such as melting sea ice, methane released from thawing permafrost and Amazon die-back.
This showed that temperatures will increase much faster than previously thought as a result of rising carbon dioxide.
"If we don't start seriously working toward a reduction of carbon emissions, we are putting our planet on a trajectory that the human species has never experienced," he said. "We will have committed human civilization to living in a different world for multiple generations."
Dr Kiehl hit back at critics who claim that acting on climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuels will upset the world order.
“A truly conservative position is to conserve what we have, to not radically change things and if we do not want to radically change the environment then the conservative approach is to conserve the Earth as the human species has known it ever since we have been around on this planet.”
A clarification: When tropical conditions existed on Antarctica, Antarctica was then straddling the equator. It was not then at the South Pole.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica#Paleozoic_era_.28540.E2.80.93250_Ma.29
SHIFTS HAPPEN
This morning, the temperature near Ottawa was -32 C (about - 25 F). Today, it is sunny with little wind.
The forecast for tomorrow evening is -1 C (30 F) and freezing rain. That may not be climate change, but it is very extreme.
What is the effect on a home's structure of such an extreme change in such a short period?
Extreme weather changes can give a house a cold, and sometimes a fever, often requiring a trip to the emergency room. I'd suggest calling the House Medics to check some vital signs.
Speaking of House Doctors….
Is Goo as you Go "enhancement" for ADA a waste of time or....
Viagra for ADA?
Warning.....
Contact a House Doctor if enhancement lasts for more than 4 hours ;--)
...
Bright and SUNNY
this morning "Near Dallas"
Bright and sunny here today, too.
But, in spite of the extreme sunshine on this wintry day, the air temperature has been dropping all day long and is expected to plunge to -26°F tonight. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be zero.
Very cold here. This morning's temperature was a blistering -37C (-35F).
It's up to -20C now and snowy. There's an old wive's tale that it can get too cold to snow. I don't buy it.
Boiling water will turn instantly to snow at temperatures below -25°.
And, according to Jack London, in To Build A Fire or White Fang (I can't remember which), when it's -60° your spit will freeze before it hits the ground.
Robert Riversong has been banned from GBA...
Brian, check out post #3 and let me know if your home is sinilar.
Not-So-Cold this winter... so far ... In North Texas
Water levels at area Lakes remain VERY low
I'm not surprised to hear it:
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/prelim/drought/palmer.html
It's been very dry here too.
Lots of wells running dry and people lining up at the water filling station with trucks.
My well still produces water but recovery is VERY slow - maybe a gal. a minute.
It's not-so-cold here either.
We've had temperatures above freezing one or two days a week since winter started.
Lots of "Abnormal temperature trend"s this year.
John,
I googled "Lake Lavon" to find a map.
When I zoomed in, the first thing I saw was "E. Lucas Rd."
Strange coincidence...
This morning, 7°F and cloudy. So far this winter, there has been much less snow than usual. The snow is beginning to slide off my solar thermal collectors.
When some friends and I climbed Camel's Hump on New Year's Eve, most of the hikers we ran into weren't even using snowshoes.
JB,
Possibly all your future projects should include some form of rain water catchment...
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/09/06/312811/hell-and-high-water-fires-extreme-conditions/
http://www.statesman.com/news/statesman-investigates/growth-of-large-private-water-companies-brings-higher-2038684.html