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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSnowy South, Fiery West: Whats Happened to our Moisture?
https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/snowy-south-fiery-west-whats-happened-our-moisture<snip>
A swath of high-impact snowfallin some places, among the heaviest ever observedmade its way from South Texas to Atlanta on Friday, en route to the big cities of the Northeast U.S. (see below). Meanwhile, massive wildfires continued to scorch the landscape of Southern California, raging at unprecedented scope for December. Its an odd juxtaposition, driven by a highly amplified weather pattern. Winds at the jet-stream level on Friday were blowing from the Canadian Arctic south across the Great Plains all the way to Mexico (see Figure 2).
Perhaps surprisingly, this pattern hasnt produced many U.S. record lows, and few are in the offing for the next few days. The strong northerly jet hasnt managed to pull a truly bitter Arctic air mass into the 48 states. Instead, the central and eastern U.S. are heading into a few days of consistent but less-than-brutal cold, while very mild, dry air continues to blow offshore across coastal California, stoking the fire threat.
Last month was the 19th driest November in U.S. records dating back to 1895. Outside of the Northwest and the eastern Great Lakes, most of the contiguous U.S. was drier than average (see Figure 3 below), with large swaths of much below average precipitation. A mere 0.08 of moisture was observed in Lincoln, NE, from October 15 through December 7; its the least precipitation on record for that interval, in data going back to 1887 (the runner-up is 0.23 in 1976).
Over the two weeks ending December 5, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed a dramatic leap in drought coverage. The percentage of the nation experiencing at least some level of drought has vaulted from 15% to 24%. Leaps of this magnitude do happen, but theyre more common in spring and summer, when high temperatures, intense sunshine, and low humidity can quickly dry out the landscape.
Vinca
(50,302 posts)I'm in southern New Hampshire and we haven't seen more than a few dozen flakes of the stuff. If the ski areas couldn't make snow, they wouldn't be open. Snow in the south, fires in the west, temperate in the north, and we've pulled out of the Paris climate agreement.
malaise
(269,157 posts)We reap what we sow
ananda
(28,874 posts)nt
malaise
(269,157 posts)ReTHUGs don't want you to use those words. Ask that idiot in Florida, Rick Scott
Maggiemayhem
(811 posts)she was taught the United States has the most weather extremes in the world. It just stands to reason that climate change will amplify the weather in damaging ways. The problem is that too many people forget the disasters soon after they happen and as long as it is not happening to them personally they dont care enough to be better informed. There needs to be a medium to aggregate this information and scare people into reality. I think Moodys threat to downgrade cities on the coastlines who have not done anything to combat sea level rise is a first step. That injects a big dose of reality to the deniers. If Moodys does downgrade I am sure mortgage lenders and insurance companies will follow. CC is happening in real time and we have the oligarchs running the country and they dont care about the future of the country and our young citizens because they are raping the treasury and they and their heirs will have the means to go wherever they want.
malaise
(269,157 posts)with lots of truth
cagefreesoylentgreen
(838 posts)My one comfort is knowing that the oligarchs are stuck on this planet too and will suffer along with the rest of us. I dont see the majority of them rushing to build space habitats and fancy mansions on the moon.
malaise
(269,157 posts)Seriously
evemac
(132 posts)But my hometown of Houston got some last week which is pretty rare.
A student remarked a few days ago about our lack of snowfall in Colorado. I asked her what she thought about it.
"It's weird," she said.
malaise
(269,157 posts)Welcome to DU
Wounded Bear
(58,698 posts)Long range forecast is maybe next weekend we get some. Been getting some light fog, but no rain.
Sunny and cold here, if the fog lifts. It didn't yesterday.