Is It May Already?

[Gregg]

I'm a bit of a golf nut. In the summer here in Nebraska I try to play 3 or 4 times a week. So far this winter I've played....3 or 4 times a week! Yesterday, January 5, I played in shorts and a polo shirt. It was 70*!!! That broke our record high for the date by a full 9*. Other towns around us set records up to 17* above the previous record highs. While its hard to complain about this weather breaking an all time high for a date by 17* is just freaky. I'm one who thinks the planet is warming up through its own natural cycle, but I haven't been able to figure out exactly how (or if) that is being exacerbated by human actions. Regardless of the cause, 70* on the high plains in January is just weird. Anyone else experiencing unusual weather lately?

[Spartana]

Nope, it's full summer here ;-)! I'm in perpetually sunny SoCal (year round golfing!!) and it's even been hot here - upper 80's and low 90's. No snow at even the Sierra ski resorts, and the local mountains - normally in the 20's or 30's this time of year are in the upper 60's. Flowers are blooming everywhere (usually doesn't happen until late Feb.) and all the trees are budding. But then I remember last winter was like this too - until the BIG snow storms hit the mid west and east coast and all the rain in the west. So maybe it's still just the crazy ElNino weather pattern and soon you'll be golfing with the polar bears in soon-to-be sub-arctic Nebraska. I'll remember to gloat to you about our warm weather then :-)!

[ApatheticNoMore]

Do natural cycles really progress that fast? I think natural cycles would be more slow. Yea believe climate change is the best theory out there. And if you want to be scared out of your mind google what people are now saying about methane gas release and how it may be excellerating rapidly (which contributes far more to climate change than CO2). Even I can not read much of that. It is darker than where even I prefer to go, and that's saying a lot.

It is warmer than normal this time of year here. But um the weather here is not that known for being cold anyway, so it is not so dramatic. But yea just reading about U.S. climate this year - scary stuff. Enjoy the world while it lasts :)

[peggy]

Well, climate change sure does funny things to the weather. And not just making it warmer. Last winter we had record snows and the winter before that record cold, so I'm just enjoying this mild (so far) winter. I know I deserve it.;) Of course, this past summer was record scorcher with low rain.

[freein05]

Here in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California it is also summer. Last year at this time we had 4 feet of snow on the ground. We have not had any rain or snow since October. The ski areas are really hurting. In 30 years I can not recall the ground being bare of snow this time of the year.

[razz]

We had a really cold spell for a few days and now milder weather but not too far out of the normal temps but less snow with more rain so same moisture.

[puglogic]

We had 22 inches of snow about two weeks ago, but it's now been above 50 for about a week here in the foothills of colorado. But that's not unusual for us - we have some pretty weird winters.

[Mrs-M]

Not yet, but it sure has been lovely hasn't it, aside from knowing how down the little ones have been due to the lack of snow for tobogganing. Have to say, I too, even missing going tobogganing with them.

[creaker]

Went hiking in hills outside Boston today, shirt & tshirt, and I was sweating. And it was windy, too. Still no snow except for what they made for the little slope they have there (Blue Hill). It's dark out now and it's still 54 degrees.

[goldensmom]

With weather fluctuations of late my answer to your question 'is it May already?' is 'yes, no, yes, no, no, and repeat'.

[Gregg]

Do natural cycles really progress that fast?

Well, the Earth appears to have warmed pretty significantly from about the 10th to the 13th centuries and then cooled even more dramatically from the 16th to the 19th centuries so cycles do occur for relatively short time spans (geologically speaking). I'm thinking our 70* days are just happy anomalies. Those things do happen and don't necessarily indicate anything. The La Nina - El Nino cycle is the Pacific is nothing new and has a huge impact on weather in the US and really all across the globe. Since we're in a La Nina cycle odds are my home state just drew the long straw this year. Next year (or later this winter) could be quite different. Now if we have 20 or 30 or more years in a row like this it probably means there is more going on...

[ApatheticNoMore]

True noone can trace any particular weather event to climate change. So i hope you are right but I fear ... well what the heck while there is a free internet (the possible destruction of the species?):

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/vast-methane-plumes-seen-in-arctic-ocean-as-sea-ice-retreats-6276278.html

Yea, I warned it was dark.

[redfox]

Doin' the Happy Snow Dance in Seattle! Of course, my commute is to the garaoffice out back... DH has chains. My sis works nights in the county north of us, on call, so that's kinda hard when the roads are bad. But it's all so pretty...