Scientists say 2007 may be warmest yet

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_on_sc/britain_global_warming

LONDON - A resurgent El Nino and persistently high levels of greenhouse gases are likely to make 2007 the world's hottest year ever recorded, British climate scientists said Thursday.

Britain's Meteorological Office said there was a 60 percent probability that 2007 would break the record set by 1998, which was 1.20 degrees over the long-term average.

"This new information represents another warning that climate change is happening around the world," the office said.

<snip>

While this year's El Nino is not as strong as it was in 1997 and 1998, its combination with the steady increase of temperatures due to global warming from human activity may be enough to break the Earth's temperature record, said Phil Jones, the director of the Climatic Research unit at the University of East Anglia.

:(

http://home.accuweather.com/index.asp?partner=accuweather

Golf courses still open - never seen before - near Montreal, Canada!

Snowfall records have been set in Alaska, at Whistler, BC (20 feet in November!), and um... New Mexico.

Edit: Now that I think of it, doesn't it pretty much stop snowing once the temperature goes below a certain point? I wonder if record snowfall can also be a sign of warm temperatures? Not in New Mexico, I'll bet!

I grew up in northern NM at 7500 ft, we used to get some crazy snowfalls. Like 3 feet in one dump, on Halloween back in '72 IIRC. The thing that's been weirding me out for the last 10 years or so is my old hometown wasn't getting squat for annual snowfall, the aquifer was dropping like crazy, and the local ski area was going broke. Well, suddenly, we get another big snow -- and it's about time!

did you grow up in taos? that's where i live, so i was just curious why s/he mentioned our state. the snow is great, and there is more on the way tonight!

The part I saw was a blistering hot desert! I can't believe you guys also get massive snowfall. I assume that's only in the highlands?

I picked NM because I read about the record snowfalls there. Same with the others. Just going with what I think I know.

but not as hot as say southern california or arizona. it is cooler in the mountains, though, even in the south. people don't realize that we have 13,000 peaks, where there is snow most of the year, except for maybe 3 months in summer. my gardening zone here is the same as northern new england (where i lived for 20 years). old timers say there used to be 4 feet of snow on the ground all winter, so even when we have record breaking snow, it's still not up to what it used to be.

i was raised in southern connecticut, and it snowed a lot there when i was a kid (50s & 60s). i hear that isn't the case anymore, though!

You guys have the best skiing in the state, maybe the whole southern rockies. When I lived in NM, I was perpetually envious.

I grew up in Los Alamos, ski area is Pajarito mountain -- if the spooks still let people drive up past the lab to get there. I'll have to bounce that one off my parents, who still live there for some reason.

Enjoy the awesome snow, and mash a mogul for me.

I remember days like that when I was a kid. :)


'Global Weather Chaos' is more accurate than 'Global Warming'... it just doesn't roll off the tongue so easily.


Watching WJ this morning - they just said Pelosi has created 2 new committees to address the issue, and Reid promises there will be a Global Warming bill in the Senate within the first 3 months of this session. :)

The record snow and rain in the northwest and record high winter temperatures in the east are just a few examples of this. Get used to it: with global warming, El Nino weather patterns will become the norm. And you probably do not want to know what an El Nino year will look like when the current El Nino patterns are standard.

So far, the greater effect seems to a be a redistribution of rainfall and other weather patterns. I have a green lawn still in Northern Vermont. That's a first.

here in Albuquerque. And I've lived here 20+ years.

They are only forecasting highs of mid-30s for the rest of the week. Most of our side streets are just solid sheets of ice.

We received about 15" of snow on the 29th and 30th of December...It has really paralyzed parts of the city.

And there's another storm on the forecast for tomorrow!

The warmer an airmass, the more moisture it can hold. It is possible for temperatures to fall so low that the air essentially can't hold any moisture, and thus it becomes too cold to snow. It seems that the temperature is just cold enough in much of the West to snow instead of rain, but still warm enough to hold a large amount of moisture.

and it's supposed to RAIN (again).

Winter activities and sports are very big up here and many small businesses count on them to bring in much needed funds. :( Yesterday I was sitting on our front porch with just a polar fleece shirt on and cool but not cold. There's no snow on the ground, the lawn is green (it could use a mowing) and people are out on the St. Lawrence River (Seaway) in their boats and fishing. Last year the St. Lawrence never did freeze all the way across. Ice fishing huts could only be set up in some of the small inlets.

We're used to warm snaps in the winter ut lately it's cold snaps and those are only down to the 20's. It's very wild... my DH and I grew up just a few hours downstate (in the Capital District of NY) and remember as kids ice skating on local ponds, building huge snow forts/castles, tunnels going through a few feet of snow and our school being worried they would run out of SNOW DAYS. :D Unfortunately if things continue as they are our grandchildren (two of which are already here) will think we're telling them silly fairy tales when we tell them of the fun we used to have in the snow. :(

as much as I do truly love the rain, I'm quite tired of it. :(

NE Indiana and I saw kids wearing shorts yesterday. I'm ready for winter, or for what winter used to be.

Perennials are coming up on the south side of my house... Grass is as green as Easter. Some people think it is great but it is really sad to me. Kids on winter break can't go sledding, skating, or skiing, which, to us, was what "Christmas vacation" was all about. :( It IS beginning to sound like we are telling fairy tales!

and trees and procreating excessive numbers of humans so 'WE' can accelerate the process of our own demise.

in freaking Dec/Jan. The grass on my lawn is growing and I'm going to have to mow it this weekend!! It's been in the high 50's-low 60's for months. I've never seen a winter like this.

While I enjoy that I can get out and get exercise walking during lunch and it's keeping my home heating oil bill very manageable this year, I know that this is not good. I'm curious if this will be first year with almost no snowfall. Any bets?

New London, blooms on the cherry trees. I've lived here all my life and never remember the cherry trees blooming in January!

It should be 40 degrees colder here right now.

If this is El Ninó, it's a doozy. If this is global warming, my property value is going to skyrocket!

We have had literally one day this winter where the high was below 40. And no snow. The average high this season has been between 50 and 60 degrees every day. It's like fall or spring. I barely have to wear a coat. We have literally had NO winter. None. Daffodils are coming up and trees are starting to blossom, in early January!!! It's really freaky.

Usually this time of year is characterized by wind chills below zero and layers of ice all over the sidewalks. Next week we are forecast to have more of the same spring-like temps, and probably beyond that too. At this point, I don't think we are actually going to have winter this year.

Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't miss standing at the bus stop in freezing rain and ice. And when we move in May, the gas company is going to owe us several hundred dollars worth of service we didn't use on our budget plan this year. But it still feels like something's wrong.

I'm in SoCal and we are having unbelievable wind storms-
My pets are freaking out and I too, have the nagging sensation
that it's only going to get worse from here on.

I remember the UK journalist, George Monbiot, reporting some
years back that the scientists he was interviewing at the time
told him the window had closed as far as reversing the pending
and inevitable blowback from the industrial age damage to
the atmosphere. In essence, the scientists told him that
even if the planet were to shut down every factory and automobile
that day, it was too late to stop what was coming.

Comforting, eh?

BHN

So far I haven't even had to scrape it of frost yet this strange winter. It was colder in late October/early November than now.

This year's weather reminds me of a movie by this name that they showed us numerous times in elementary school. It absolutely scared the crap out of me. This huge storm hits CA and makes its way across the US. To this day I can still see in my mind them uncovering the snow-covered car of a newlywed couple. I'm still not sure why they thought it was a good movie for us to watch.

Even though, through googling, I have learned that it was produced by Disney (before they started making PG movies), I can't believe that this movie was shown to elem. students. Maybe this is why I am so environmentally conscious - I don't want anything like what I saw in that movie ever occurring.

The movie doesn't claim that the storm was caused by global weather change, but it's hard as an adult with knowledge, not to make the connection.

This movie, the and song called "They Called the Wind Maria" (from Paint Your Wagon) were inspired by a book called "Storm" written by George R. Stewart in 1941. He was the climatologist who inspired the NWS to use personal names for storms.

Does anyone else remember this movie? Anyone know where I could get a copy?

(and it would be a good one to have) but after Googling and searching the two places online that would probably have it if it's out there (eBay & Amazon) I couldn't find it. Perhaps if you write Disney about it? From what I did find it was a TV movie so maybe the school had a special copy?

Anyway, thanks for posting about this. I think I'll have to see about picking up a copy of that book "Storm". Oh and good thing that song has always been one of my favorites since I'll have it running through my head for at least the rest of the day now. :)

sounds like an interesting movie