Cool, Damp Start to August

Continuing the cool trend for the summer (year?) of 2014, the eastern seaboard turns the calendar to August with cool temps and lots of moisture.  While parts of Va. were dry for July, my tirehouse in the north central piedmont received 5 inches of rain for the month and as a bonus, had quite a few days start with temperatures in the 50's - the 50's in July!!!  It won't be that cool this weekend but with clouds and all the moisture being pulled up from the gulf and in from the Atlantic daytime highs are likely to remain in the 70's - the summertime version of the polar vortex with the dipping jet stream continues to dominate the east coast.
In the western US, high temps and no rain has pushed historic drought conditions to even more extreme levels raising fire concerns across the region and affecting food prices and soon availability across this country...and around the world; the west coast of the US feeds a large percentage of the planet.  Unfortunately, long term forecasts show little change in the pattern.
But, there will be change, it's Earth and that has been the rule for 4.5 billion years; change happens.  Humans seem to think the change happens on our time scale (quarterly for corporate interests worldwide) but looking at the record written in the rock of the planet, that is not the case.  Earth's weather changes daily but climate trends are on a whole other scale and while we predict and argue and affect the long term trends they continue, Earth doing what it does, today and everyday.  Enjoy todays spin around!!

Tropical Storm Arthur and July Heat

July has come in like expected, hot and stormy!  Arthur has spun itself into a storm off the east coast of Florida and forecasts have it sliding slowly northward up the coast before taking off, pushed off the Outer Banks by a cold front that has been trashing the upper mid-west for several days.  Independence Day may be a little damp and breezy on Hatteras as the storm, likely a hurricane by then, just grazes the barrier islands before rocketing into the open waters of the north Atlantic.  Not a large storm, Arthur will likely only affect coastal regions of the southeast, but bears watching...it will likely have winds of 80-90 mph as it grazes North Carolina.
The humid, oven-like air rising into the mid-Atlantic from the deep south just ahead of the cold front will make for a hot July 2nd.  T'storms are likely this afternoon and even more likely tomorrow but the passage of the front will cool temps back into the 80's for the 4th and weekend.
So...it's officially summertime, the hurricane season has begun and the heat is here!  If you don't like it just remember when it was 2 degrees a few months back and we were all longing for some warmth.  This tilted planet will keep changing, cold, cool, hot, cool, cold, cool, hot...on and on and on and on. Get out and sweat a little and enjoy your ride on this lovely planet, today on Earth.

The Muggies Return

As spring continues to give way to summer, the southern, humid air takes over the mid-Atlantic. A big, storm edged, LOW over the Mississippi valley, cut off from the jet stream, will take it's time getting to the east coast but it will continue to fling moisture rich air from the Gulf into the southlands.  A Bermuda HIGH, over, where else, Bermuda, adds to the southerly flow and the combo guarantees a week of warmth and humidity with a daily shot at thunderstorms in the region.  As the low slides slowly east the T'storm  chances increase for Wednesday and Thursday but could happen any day until Saturday.  Be ready to sweat if you plan on outside activities with little of the cooling evaporation that humans evolved the ability to perspire to gain.  But, temps will only be in the 80's and a little breeze will make it pleasant for those of us that realize to live in Va. is to deal with humidity.
So, get out and sweat a little to finish up what has been a lovely spring, all in all, not to bad, Today on Earth.  If you have the option, stay in the shade, that high sun angle gets warm in hurry but the shade, out of the cooking sun, that air is quite pleasant.

Wild Winter Rages On!!

The fall/winter of 2013/14 continues as a chilly one; low temps and now snow are back in the deep and coastal south. A cold front that slid through Monday just barely cleared the coast before stalling and setting the stage for yesterday and today's mess in the normal warmish regions of the US. With bitter cold air in place and a front for moisture to journey along, a rare southern snow storm was just waiting to happen and happen it did. Schools and businesses are shut down, roads are clogged with snowbound and wrecked cars and southerners are hunkered down with snow depths ranging from an inch or two to close to a foot. And, the cold temps have likely made most of the snow too light and dry and fluffy to get a snowman going. Still, a southern snow, while causing major issues, is a rare and delightful treat in a land where winter usually means putting on a sweater.
The latest Arctic blast will fade by Friday, helping with the melt and we may actually see temps warm enough to produce rain and not snow by Super Bowl Sunday. But, don't forget, southern snow should be enjoyed so get out and play a little, today on Earth.

Polar Vortex, Jr.

Cold; nasty,biting, bitter cold has once again settled into the central and eastern portions of the North American continent. A spawn of the polar vortex and a deep trough in the jet stream have allowed cold, dry, polar air to first, dump snow over 1/3 of the U.S. and then, drop the bottom out of temperatures. A minor (very minor) warm up this weekend will be short lived with more cold polar air heading south for next week.
While the east coast freezes, the west coast is locked into summer time temperatures, bone dry conditions, drought and Santa Anna wind driven wild fires. It's a wild planet and predicting weather...glad I just comment on what it is, not what's coming. If I do throw out predictions, they are only repeatings of what I've heard from ones with way more knowledge and insight into the chaotic variables of our turbulent atmosphere.
I will tell you, if you're going out in Central Va. today, you better be bundled up...because there will be weather and it will be COLD!

The Polar Vortex!!

A wild week of weather continues here in the Northern Hemisphere: cold, cold rain, really, really cold, slightly warmer, freezing mist and now cold rain to be followed by really warm rain to wrap a brutal 8 day run.
The dipping of bitterly cold, dry air from the north pole, the Polar vortex, gripped North America to a severity and depth that had not been felt in close to 20 years. Canada and the northern tier of the US had temperatures well below zero with wind chills in the 40's and 50's below for most of this week and even deep into the south temps dropped low enough to freeze pipes in Atlanta. Records fell and cities shut down, schools closed and folks hunkered down, most realizing cold of this nature could prove damaging or deadly in a short period of time. Every state in the US had temperatures below freezing this week and close to half the country has snow on the ground.
Tomorrow, temperatures may break record HIGHS for January with inch plus rainfall totals in much of Virginia. Below zero to near seventy in a one week. Ya gotta love this planet!!  Today's freezing and then just cold rain will be replaced with warm unstable air from the toastier regions of the planet and bring a chance of thunderstorms for Saturday. The rain will mostly be gone Sunday with sunny and average-ish temps for this region (and much of the US) as the polar vortex returns home.
As small, closed minds decried global warming after a short cold spell, the southern hemisphere, well into summer, is sweltering with heat and dry times. A reminder that's it's GLOBAL WARMING and a long term climate trend, not a political concoction to rein in unbridled human greed heads. Glaciers are shrinking as their ice melts in most places on Earth, sea level continues to rise in response to more liquid water being added to the ocean basins. Ice melts when it gets warmer, the basic facts are simple and straightforward; Earth has no politics but just keeps on being and changing.
It's cold and wet today but still a pretty nice place...so, get out and enjoy your life, today on Earth.

Winter!!

Two weeks in and winter is most definitely here; half an inch of snow is still on the ground from two days ago and not looking like it's going anywhere.  Actually, that's not quite true; it is likely to go with rain tomorrow but may reappear early Monday morning and then, any that does fall will linger with the even colder temperatures headed deep into the continent.

Today's low of 10.4 was the coldest this season but will be smashed Tuesday morning and won't be much below Tuesday's high. Sunday is likely to start with freezing drizzle that will change to rain showers before turning back to the frozen variety as it ends early Monday, moved offshore by the coldest air to invade Central Va. in almost 20 years. Lows Tuesday will drop to around or below zero and high will only make the teens; wind won't make it feel comfy even with sun. Wednesday will moderate a little, lows only single digits above zero and will drift closer to freezing for highs. The week's end will get closer to early January normals (what really is normal, I meant average). Hunker down and stay warm - and while chilly, the sun made it a great day for a wander in the woods.

So, (to dance onto touchy political ice) this cold must mean that the whole, global warming thing is a hoax. That would be wrong, and confusing weather with climate. World wide temps are still slowly rising, glacial ice is still mostly melting, both of which lead to sea level rises (warm water expands/melted ice fills oceans). Climates change slowly and weather changes daily, hourly. And, storms of all varieties, as predicted both 20 and 50 years ago with mentions of human influenced climate change, seem to be getting bigger and wilder. Of course, maybe the 7+ billion humans on the planet have fewer options but living, poorly in crowded danger zones and with phone ready reporters all over the planet we can now hear about any catastrophe, today; see it as it happens. A thousand years from now we'll know...but we aren't planning for that. Earth will still be here and there will be weather, today on earth.