The Deep South shivered through another frigid morning today, with low temperature records crumbling again over much of Florida. Lakeland hit 27°F, smashing the old record of 34°F; Melbourne hit 28°F, eclipsing the old record of 32°F; and West Palm Beach bottomed out at 37°F, besting the old record of 38°F. The cold wave is being driven by an unusual sharp and persistent kink in the jet stream that is being blocked from moving by a strong ridge of high pressure over Greenland. As a result, an exceptionally strong surface high pressure of 1055 mb over the North Central U.S. is pushing large amounts of cold, Arctic air southwards from Canada. No coldest January temperature records have been set yet from the cold blast, but the 500 largest U.S. cities have been averaging about 11 new daily low temperature records per day the first five days of January, according to the National Climatic Data Center. The cold will ease Friday in the Deep South, but return with a vengeance Saturday night though Monday morning, as another push of cold air descending from Canada promises to bring a cold wave that will approach the December 1989 and January 1977 cold waves in intensity, and may being some new all-time January low temperature records to the South.
Colder in Florida than Alaska and Greenland
The sharp kink in the jet stream has brought record warm temperatures to a few stations in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest this week, making much of coastal Alaska warmer than Florida. Cold Bay, Alaska, set a record high yesterday of 47°F, after recording a low temperature of 30°F. This made Cold Bay warmer than Pensacola, Florida, which had a high of 47°F and a low of 24°F. In fact, most of Florida--including Jacksonville, Tampa, Melbourne, and Tallahassee--recorded lows at or below the 27°F low recorded in Anchorage, Alaska yesterday. The jet stream kink has also brought temperatures more than 30°F above average to Greenland. The temperature in Narsarsuaq, Greenland at 10am EST today was 46°F, far warmer than most of Florida.
Figure 1. Departure of the surface temperature from average for the first three day of 2010 shows much colder than average conditions were present over the Southeast U.S., much of Europe, and Central Asia. Much warmer than average temperatures were present over the Northwest U.S., Greenland, the Arctic, and Southern Asia. A sharp kink in the jet stream was responsible for the temperature anomaly pattern. Image credit: NOAA/ESRL.
Snow in Florida?
It doesn't snow very often in Florida, and the Wikipedia list of snow events in Florida lists only seven such events over the decade of the 2000s. This weekend's cold wave may be able to generate some snow over isolated regions of Central Florida, though it appears that the odds of this happening are less than 30%. The most widespread snowfall in Florida history occurred on January 19, 1977, when snow fell over much of the state, with flurries as far south as Homestead. Snow flurries also fell on Miami Beach for the only time in recorded history.
Figure 2. North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index for September 9, 2009 - January 6, 2010 (black line) and forecast from the GFS model (red lines). The NAO index was strongly negative, near -2.0, for much of December and January. Image credit: NOAA/CPC.
The winter cold blast: blame the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)
Why has the winter been so cold over Eastern North America and northern Europe? Well, don't blame El Niño. El Niño winters are rarely this cold. Instead, blame the the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO is a climate pattern in the North Atlantic Ocean of fluctuations in the difference of sea-level pressure between the Icelandic Low and the Azores High. It is one of oldest known climate oscillations--seafaring Scandinavians described the pattern several centuries ago. Through east-west oscillation motions of the Icelandic Low and the Azores High,the NAO controls the strength and direction of westerly winds and storm tracks across the North Atlantic. A large difference in the pressure between Iceland and the Azores (positive NAO) leads to increased westerly winds and mild and wet winters in Europe. Positive NAO conditions also cause the Icelandic Low to draw a stronger south-westerly flow of air over eastern North America, preventing Arctic air from plunging southward. In contrast, if the difference in sea-level pressure between Iceland and the Azores is small (negative NAO), westerly winds are suppressed, allowing Arctic air to spill southwards into eastern North America more readily. Negative NAO winters tend to bring cold winters to Europe, and the prevailing storm track moves south towards the Mediterranean Sea. This brings increased storm activity and rainfall to southern Europe and North Africa.
The winter of 2009 - 2010 has seen a very strong negative NAO, causing much of our cold weather over Eastern North America and Europe. The NAO index for the month of December 2009 was -1.93, which is the third lowest NAO index since 1950 for a winter month (December, January, or February). The only winter months with a lower NAO index were February 1978 (-2.20) and January 1963 (-2.12). January 1963 was one of the coldest months on record in the UK and the Eastern U.S.. February 1978 was the coldest February on record for five U.S. states, and featured the historic blizzards in both the U.S. and UK. The NAO so far for January 2010 has continued to stay strongly negative, ranging between -1.5 and -2.1. However, the blocking ridge over Greenland is forecast to weaken next week, allowing the sharp kink in the jet stream to straighten out. This will increase the NAO index to more typical values, allowing a return of more ordinary winter weather to the U.S. and Europe.
Jeff Masters
from our porch view of sunrise this morning..totally different from the 'splendiferous' shots 1-8 taken from the top of our field overlooking the mountains
of winter in South Mississippi.
Like sand dunes or Antelope Canyon
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 — Blog Index
NAW, no more meds for you :o), Good Morning.. However I kinda feel bad for the iguanas.
LOL
G'Morning Grumpy
Every time it rains, it rains
Iguanas from heaven...
I can see Christopher Walken dancing on top of the bar....
:)
Are Bush and Cheney standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier?
What's wrong with me this morning? I keep thinking out loud...
Many call the iguanas an invasive species...and would be glad to be rid of them.
And surrounded by Haliburton executives...
People in Key West kill them on site, they eat a lot of the flowers needed for migrating butterflys.
LMAO....And thanks to you. Very nice of you. I plan on feeling awful tomorrow..lol
Look youse guys...you can't say anything worse than we Disaster Reservists have said ourselves -- my personal e-mail communications on this blog would have me banned for several WU lifetimes!!
You know darn well why I post this info...because I want the RESIDENTS to have these phone numbers in case of trouble...and expect concerned citizens like yourselves to help get them OUT THERE...I don't live in Texas...but a LOT of people on this blog do!
BTW, I'm not in the least bit p-o'ed, ya'll crack me up...I worked on the night shift, with male techs...so this blog ain't nothin' we gals can't handle!
REPEAT: if there's trouble with FEMA trailers in TEXAS:
For concerns with the unit’s water hose or other maintenance issues, occupants of the FEMA-supplied units in Galveston, Brazoria, Harris, Chambers, Jefferson, Hardin, Liberty, and Tyler counties can call the FEMA Sullivan Maintenance toll-free line at 1-800-591-7685. Occupants in Orange, Jasper, and Newton counties can call the FEMA RV Services Maintenance toll free line at 1-866-757-5766.
Anyone remember this?
Certainly..give me a number and presslord will handle it.He lives to chew butt on da phone.
And he is vary good at it.
Me,..Im a tad less tactful.
One Link to Wal-Mart from our site?
..shucks,dats a Zero Brainer.
I dont care if the cash came from the devil.
Id link to Her too.
We can use it for good in many ways,and thats always a Good thing.
Of course...
Yeah. So much for my wish of a 0 - 0 tie called after 8 overtimes and 16 straight missed field goals...that would have been great!
If you don't want to drive more than 200 miles, then you are out of luck. The chance for any accumulating snow in Florida from this next system is nil.
She gets around dosent she?
LOL
I agree. As much as I wanted to see a bit myself, I am afraid that wishful thinking here and among some of the local mets had led on a bunch of folks.
As Pat says, Ma nature doesn't read the blogs
...nor does she watch the local TV weatherman...except for Chuck, that is.
Everybody sing now!
I went down to the crossroads,
fell down on my knees....
Id link to Her too.
um....excuse me....."Her"???.....
I can just see Miss Sweet T giving you the evil eye....
;)
It's my belief that these iguanas are laboring under the misapprehension that they're birds. Observe their behavior.
Notice their attempts to fly from tree to tree. Notice that they do not so much fly as...plummet.
One thing is for sure, the iguana is not a creature of the air. They have enormous difficulty in the comparatively simple act of perching.
Trouble is, iguanas are very dim. Once they get an idea in their heads, there's no shifting it.
Whomever wrote that report obviously was not sitting in a Fema trailer at the time. Had they been, they might have suggested burning the furnishings, instead of the actual memorandum. I was in one a couple nights ago dropping off our daughters friend. The low was right around freezing that night and it was miserable inside with the heater pumping out nice warm air.
Meat was hanging in the bedroom....
A surface "Low",may trying to spin Up South,Seast Of Brownsville in the SW GOM.
Imagine dat?
Focus there today and tonight,and maybe,we can get some"cyclogenesis" started.
Yea, we were hoping for a little snow in Charleston (well maybe not Press) last night, but never happened. This next arctic blast may be the last one for a while. Pattern gets rather zonal by the middle of next week. What piques my interest is the vigorous southern stream system that the GFS develops late next week and cuts across Georgia. That is severe setup for SC, GA, and FL if it pans out.
She aint here atm,.."snicker,snort..squeal".
I'm glad you said that...a link and a testimonial the only strings? Shuh!
Now the devil, she tends to tie you up with strings...
Asked the Lord above for mercy,
"Save me if you please."
when the cat's away, the mice do play....
;)
Getting interesting pat.
Yeah, a little worried about that one...if it holds, myself.
Look at posts 1039 and 1040...a 999mb surface low in the solution, and GFS tends to miss a little on the depth most of the time.
And he is vary good at it.
Me,..Im a tad less tactful.
OMG, Pat...then we're in big trouble.
I think it's clearly evident from this morning's posts that despite the fact that Press went to a good school for Public Relations...he never went to his Public Diplomacy class ...
Should NEVER schedule 8 a.m. classes on Fridays!!
I can't help myself...I keep seeing Harold, that most dangerous of animals,the clever iguana...
Interesting start to the year for the South East indeed.
Curious though, how bad of a severe setup is it?
Jerry!!!! The devil ain't no "she"!!!!!!!!!!!
wait a minute...I take that back....the devil is a she....
it's Little Debbie and her damned snack cakes.....she tempts me on a daily basis....
(next Friday night at 6 PM CST)
I answered you yesterday.
Here are the places you need to go within 2 hour drives.
Clearmont, FL.
Link
Leesburg, FL.
Link
Groveland, FL.
Link
Tuscannoga, FL.
Link
Bay Lake, FL.
Link
Kissimmee, FL.
Link
Your time frame as oh right now is 4am to 11am. Probably the earlier you are in the morning the better. These times are subject to change, so id check in later tonight.
..itsa tough day when the Forecasted High is WAY below ones age..
Age is just a number Pat until you reach 80.
Viewing: 1101 - 1151
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 — Blog Index