Shocking Cold Predicted for Maryland, USA

[Alnitak]

Looks like you're going to get snow-hammered this evening/tomorrow: 8 to 12 inches for Mid-Atlantic.

Blame the warming Arctic's effect on the jet stream. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26023166

Some consolation, huh?

Second Law of Thermodynamics - heat always flows from hot to cold. Warm air from the equator constantly rushes northeast in the Northern Hemisphere, and when it meets the pole of cold it forms the jet stream.

What we have seen is warm tropical air reaching extraordinary latitudes this winter. For instance, Homer, Alaska and southern Florida were the warmest places in the US on January 26.

The pole of cold has devolved into sort of a De Broglie wave, and this hypothesis here is probably correct. The Arctic has been warming dramatically in relation to the rest of the globe. Besides a dramatic change in the shape of the jet stream, the pole of cold has also shifted well to the south east of its normal location while the West Coast is having a balmy dry winter.

 

[brokegayguy]

[Meanwhile in the northeast, it's been 2 degrees since December]

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[Alnitak]

[Meanwhile in the northeast, it's been 2 degrees since December]

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Well we consider ourselves in the Northeast, but if you want to get particular we are in the Mid-Atlantic states.

 

[palbert]

In Maine - or what the Weather Channel calls "northern New England" - our forecast has no snow or ice for the next several days. Looks like that mess in the Mid-Atlantic will not exit over us.

 

[Alnitak]

In Maine - or what the Weather Channel calls "northern New England" - our forecast has no snow or ice for the next several days. Looks like that mess in the Mid-Atlantic will not exit over us.

Fortunately the first part is coming as rain and then it will transition to snow around midnight. The polar cold will rush in Tuesday morning before dawn.

 

[DonQuixote]

Matt,
This is just for you and Andy/CrimsonPaine:

​

 

[Kulindahr]

Second Law of Thermodynamics - heat always flows from hot to cold. Warm air from the equator constantly rushes northeast in the Northern Hemisphere, and when it meets the pole of cold it forms the jet stream.

What we have seen is warm tropical air reaching extraordinary latitudes this winter. For instance, Homer, Alaska and southern Florida were the warmest places in the US on January 26.

The pole of cold has devolved into sort of a De Broglie wave, and this hypothesis here is probably correct. The Arctic has been warming dramatically in relation to the rest of the globe. Besides a dramatic change in the shape of the jet stream, the pole of cold has also shifted well to the south east of its normal location while the West Coast is having a balmy dry winter.

Wait -- we haven't seen the sun more than a couple of days a week, and California is having required evacuations due to floods and mudslides, and this is "balmy dry"???!

 

[Alnitak]

Wait -- we haven't seen the sun more than a couple of days a week, and California is having required evacuations due to floods and mudslides, and this is "balmy dry"???!

One weather event does not indicate a trend. You know this.

 

[Kulindahr]

One weather event does not indicate a trend. You know this.

I'm not talking about one event. We've hit near-record lows, then a record high or two, some near-record rainfall (better than an inch an hour). We've had snow, hail, sleet, even brief freezing rain. Sure, there's been more weather suitable to biking and hiking than usual, but they've required long underwear and gloves an insulated footgear to go outside in. I haven't noticed anything resembling "balmy" except a brief few days last week.

I think you'd have to go almost clear to California to find anywhere that would call this winter "balmy".

 

[DonQuixote]

It does depend on where - the Pacific NW has been a starting point in NA for the jet stream.

Triple G's part of CA, on the other hand, hadn't seen squat for moisture until this weekend.

 

[ronboy]

Alnitak, we're supposed to have the same cold here in Western New York.

Yesterday (Saturday) it got up to 38 degrees F. Today, the high temperature was only 19 degrees F. Current Rochester temperature is 11 degrees F.

Here's the forecast for the next 24 hours...
Tonight - Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Cold. Low near 5 °F (-15.0 °C). Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph (16.1 to 24.1 kph).

Tomorrow - Cloudy. Very cold. High 14 °F (-10.0 °C). Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph (8.0 to 16.1 kph).

 

[Kulindahr]

It does depend on where - the Pacific NW has been a starting point in NA for the jet stream.

Triple G's part of CA, on the other hand, hadn't seen squat for moisture until this weekend.

So "West Coast" just means California -- Washington and Oregon don't count.

 

[Alnitak]

I'm not talking about one event. We've hit near-record lows, then a record high or two, some near-record rainfall (better than an inch an hour). We've had snow, hail, sleet, even brief freezing rain. Sure, there's been more weather suitable to biking and hiking than usual, but they've required long underwear and gloves an insulated footgear to go outside in. I haven't noticed anything resembling "balmy" except a brief few days last week.

I think you'd have to go almost clear to California to find anywhere that would call this winter "balmy".

Your weather records for winter are showing warm and dry conditions except for one episode in the beginning of February.

Oregon also experienced forest fires in January.

 

[Kulindahr]

Your weather records for winter are showing warm and dry conditions except for one episode in the beginning of February.

Where are they taking their data from -- Bend?

 

[BillyT]

 

[Alnitak]

Where are they taking their data from -- Bend?

You have your choice of 342 stations operating under the supervision of the Western Regional Climate Center which is affiliated with the University of Nevada system and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/Climsmor.html

 

[Kulindahr]

You have your choice of 342 stations operating under the supervision of the Western Regional Climate Center which is affiliated with the University of Nevada system and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/Climsmor.html

Your link is giving averages over periods of years. I see nothing about the last few months, which have been anything but "balmy" except for a handful of days. Even the sidebars give no data later than 2010.

 

[Alnitak]

Your link is giving averages over periods of years. I see nothing about the last few months, which have been anything but "balmy" except for a handful of days. Even the sidebars give no data later than 2010.

There are links to daily temperature, cloud, and precipitation records up to the present.

 

[Falcon16]

Welcome to the "freeze my ass off" club Matt. How bad was the snowstorm there today?

 

[Kulindahr]

There are links to daily temperature, cloud, and precipitation records up to the present.

There's a map with stations on it. No stations have daily data.

In the sidebar, I can find daily data, and none of it is more recent than 2010.