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.

Relief From the Muggies On the Way

After a week in the mid to upper 90's, the air is milder, only in the upper 80's to near 90 as we head into the last of July, but still humid and moisture rich. That is about to change as fairly strong cold front will slide into Virginia today and usher in a few days of cooler and much dryer air. The front will not make the deep south and as it stalls will likely sling some Atlantic moisture back into the Old Dominion making Thursday a bit cloudy but much cooler. We may not reach 80!! The 70's for highs, with perhaps a dip into the 50's overnight is not something we see often in July. Get out and enjoy the lovely weather today on Earth.
While we are in the midst of hurricane season the tropics are quiet, stay tuned, that will likely change!

Cold Ending, Cold Start

2012's last day began with some of the lowest temps of the entire year - in what has been the warmest year since record keeping began. 2012 was also quite dry, ending the year 6 to 10 inches below the yearly average. The new year will continue the cold spell and although the temps will be a little warmer it will only be because of southwestern air flow and clouds. The clouds are from a system now bringing rain and snow to the central Mississippi basin and will likely make the first day of '13 a little messy here in central Va. The storm will lose most of its moisture and punch before it gets here, another bust for snow (and moisture) lovers. The cold pattern seems likely to continue for at least the first week of the new year but without much chance of snow for most of the Old Dominion.
But, since there is nothing but change, we know what to expect in 2013...change!!  Get out and check it out, but bundle up, today on earth.

Sandy

The monstrous Hurricane/Blizzard Sandy is now a nor'easter and wrecking havoc on New England after hammering the New Jersey and New York coastlines. The storm set a record for lowest barometric pressure ever recorded and while not as bad in many places as thought will still linger in minds for years to come.
The cold swept in by Sandy is making for a raw day in central Va. A low of 38 and only 41 by noon reminds us it is not October and that we have been pretty lucky with a mild fall so far. Temperatures will warm to near 60 for the late week with lows in the 30's as we continue to tilt farther from the sun and lose more and more daylight. The sun's return will help make that 60 degrees feel a little warmer.
But, not today. You will need to add layers, build a fire or turn up the heat to stay warm, today on earth.

Last Week of Summer!

Clouds and cool kick off the last week of summer with a large batch of rain headed to the mid-Atlantic for early in the week. Cool and dry condition are ahead for the weeks end. After a cool, dry, lovely week, humidity has come up on this Sunday and dew points will continue to rise into Monday and even higher Tuesday as the big rain comes. A dip in the jet stream will move the rain out and it will feel like fall by mid-week. Fall, with the the sun back overhead at the equator, begins at 10:49am EDT on September 22. As the northern hemisphere continues to tilt away from the sun we keep losing 3+ minutes of daylight per day and that means less heat; the cool season is upon us and will be around for 6 more months. Get out and enjoy the light while it's here, today on Earth.

Cold Front Coming With Change

A strong cold front will bring storms and potential wild weather to the mid-Atlantic for Saturday but also a needed change. Cool, dry, Canadian air will dip well into the south late Saturday and make a pleasant second week of September. Lows in the 50's for the first time this season will make it possible to turn off the AC and open the windows. Temperatures will only be in the 70's for daytime highs.
The remains of Isaac sit in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Leslie is stuck in the Atlantic near Bermuda, Michael is way offshore in the north Atlantic. Another potential new storm is just off the coast of Africa. We are at the peak of hurricane season, pay attention!
Tomorrow's worries here will be hail, wind and heavy rain.
And, then the relief of cool air!!