Weird Weather and anecdotal stories about climate change

[Sigmetnow]

Schools closed in SE Virginia and NE North Carolina after record three-day rainfall (up to 13 inches [330mm] reported!).  Many forecasters had warned only of "nuisance tidal flooding."

Extensive flooding in Virginia Beach from days of rainfall

Traffic Ops has been busy all day making 100 additional flooding signs and is assisting Storm Water in placing road closure and high water signs across the city.

http://wavy.com/2016/09/21/extensive-flooding-in-virginia-beach-from-days-of-rainfall/

[Sigmetnow]

Still only one day with below normal temps in Alaska so far -- for ALL of 2016.

[Sigmetnow]

South Australia blackout: Once in 50-year storm lashes state
The entire state of South Australia was without power for several hours, with the region in the grip of what could be one of the most extreme weather systems to hit in 50 years.

The storm which has ravaged South Australia is a disturbing preview of what's likely to come if Australia fails to act on climate change, according to the Climate Council.

Storms like the one which knocked out the entire South Australian electricity network are occurring in a warmer and wetter atmosphere, the Climate Council's Professor Will Steffen said.
...
Federal Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the preliminary observations were that a "perfect storm" of events - including electricity transmission towers blowing over and a lightning strike at a power station - combined to cause a debilitating surge at a crucial interconnector with Victoria that supplies a fifth of South Australia's energy.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/south-australia-blackout-once-in-50year-storm-lashes-state-20160928-grqpks.html

[Sigmetnow]

South Australia weather: Worsening conditions cause more blackouts as BOM warns of more storms

Worsening weather conditions have caused more blackouts across South Australia, as emergency crews continue to grapple with yesterday's state-wide blackout.

Premier Jay Weatherill said twin tornados ripped through the centre of SA, damaging critical infrastructure and shutting off power to the entire state.

The storm, billed by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) as a once-in-50-years event, also tore roofs off buildings and brought down trees and powerlines.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-29/worsening-conditions-cause-more-blackouts-across-sa/7887020

[budmantis]

That twisted cable tower reminds me of an ice storm that hit parts of Quebec province in Canada back in the mid 1990's. Incredible.

[Pmt111500]

The first frost of the season on the yard. I've got no stats on this one, though. Maybe i should start collecting data, since this one shouldn't be too time consuming like some other weather attributes.If you check the official record measured at a bit more normal location you'll notice that the yard is c. 2dC colder spot than the general area, at least on clear windless nights. So, I'm safe from global warming, , unless there  is migration from the rest of the city here. Maybe our neighborhood should build a wall around us to make a reservation area for those who cannot stand temperatures of over 1980s temperatures?

To quote:

As a result the autumn colors of the trees are mostly absent, only birches and rowans (as northern species) have started to go yellow.

This has now changed, even the oak has now realized winter is coming, and the first batch of elm leaves have fallen.

[budmantis]

Kind of like in the series "Walking Dead" zombie apocalypse!

[Sleepy]

Scandinavia will be a nice refuge for many.
I had my beanie premiere on Aug 12:th but during September there were no use for such accessories. There will likely be some heat records set since September were warmer than August.

[Sigmetnow]

Rick Thoman:  "October 11th: no snow on ground & no sea ice at #Barrow. 1998 only other year with zero SOG this late...."
https://twitter.com/alaskawx/status/785963895055712256

[magnamentis]

Rick Thoman:  "October 11th: no snow on ground & no sea ice at #Barrow. 1998 only other year with zero SOG this late...."
https://twitter.com/alaskawx/status/785963895055712256

dunno about snow but sea-ice will take another 2-4 weeks IMO, water temps are way too high to re-freeze in that region and further storms are imminent ( forecasted at least )

OT but interesting: http://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,438.msg91597.html#msg91597

[AbruptSLR]

In the linked article entitled: "Four Thousand Mile Long River of Moisture Could Dump 2 Feet of Rain on The Pacific Northwest", Scribbler describes a coming extreme weather event that will soon hit the Pacific Northwest:

https://robertscribbler.com/2016/10/12/four-thousand-mile-long-river-of-moisture-could-dump-2-feet-of-rain-on-the-pacific-northwest/

Extract: "As the U.S. East Coast is still reeling from impacts associated with Hurricane Matthew, the Pacific Northwest is just now confronting its own potential extreme climate event. For a 4,000 mile long river of moisture streaming off ex super typhoon Songda in the Pacific Ocean is now firing a barrage of storms at Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. A series of storms that could, over the next five days, dump as much as two feet of rainfall over parts of this region."

[ghoti]

Here's Zack Labe's animation of the flow of moisture toward the west coast.

https://twitter.com/ZLabe/status/785951623793082368

[Sigmetnow]

Two storm systems headed for Northwest US coast, "could be historic."

Capital Weather:  Tremendous atmospheric river pointed at Pac NW, fueling two storms, huge rains thru weekend
https://twitter.com/capitalweather/status/786617538373230593

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/10/13/back-to-back-storms-to-wallop-pacific-northwest-saturdays-could-be-a-historic/

[AbruptSLR]

The linked Scribbler article is entitled: "Haima, A Storm Nearly as Powerful as Haiyan, Barrels Toward Philippines".

https://robertscribbler.com/2016/10/18/haima-a-storm-nearly-as-powerful-as-haiyan-barrels-toward-philippines/

[Sigmetnow]

The most interesting thing going on in the weather world at the moment, in my opinion, is a quirky little cyclone in the eastern Mediterranean. These storms—affectionately known by meteorologists as "medicanes"—are relatively rare, only one or two form per year. This week's storm dramatically morphed into a fully tropical system over the last 36 hours or so and briefly displayed an eye-like feature this morning. Impressive waves crashed onshore in Malta this weekend, and the storm has likely peaked in strength before a possible landfall in Crete later today. High resolution satellite photos of the storm are quite beautiful.

There is no official weather agency tasked with forecasting medicanes, but it would probably be a good idea for Europe to decide how to handle them. This week's medicane formed over water temperatures that were 2-3 degrees Celsius warmer than normal. A study released earlier this month by meteorologists in Spain and Italy found that although medicanes may become slightly more rare in the coming decades, they are likely to become stronger—a finding in line with previous study of the impact of climate change on tropical storms and hurricanes worldwide, and previous studies of medicanes.

Lots of links at the post:  http://tinyletter.com/sciencebyericholthaus/letters/today-in-weather-climate-medicane-edition-monday-october-31st

[Sigmetnow]

Eric Holthaus: Parts of the Arctic are currently more than 20 deg C warmer than “normal”....

[Sigmetnow]

Will Alaskans see a rerun of last year's super warm winter?

Winter used to rush quickly into the nation's northernmost town once the autumn equinox had passed and the days started getting short. No more.

Now October in Barrow has become a season of what is, by Arctic standards, mild fall weather. Ocean waters that in the past developed solid ice covers are now open in October, air temperatures since 2001 have been well above long-term averages for the month and Barrow, at least in fall, is settling into a pattern with autumn conditions more similar to those in high-latitude but open-water areas of Scandinavia.

Barrow has developed an "Arctic maritime" climate unlike anything that had persisted in the weather records there, said Rick Thoman, climate science and services manager for the National Weather Service in Alaska.

"It's a new climate for Barrow," he said.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/weather/2016/10/10/will-alaskans-see-a-rerun-of-last-years-super-warm-winter/

[Sleepy]

It's white outside.
The weather changes are amazing. Last December I moved my lawn two days before Christmas eve. August was cold, September warm and October cold.
Yesterdays snow depth map attached.

Also a small trip down to the surface from 10mb via nullschool. Click if you wish to animate. I keep my eyes on Scandinavia but there are other locations to follow.

[CraigsIsland]

It's white outside.
The weather changes are amazing. Last December I moved my lawn two days before Christmas eve. August was cold, September warm and October cold.
Yesterdays snow depth map attached.

Also a small trip down to the surface from 10mb via nullschool. Click if you wish to animate. I keep my eyes on Scandinavia but there are other locations to follow.

Sounds rough! Whiplash weather :/

[budmantis]

It's white outside.

Hey Sleepy: Just wanted you to know I'm still wearing shorts! Flying up to New Hampshire this afternoon, so it'll be back to jeans, at least temporarily.

[Sleepy]

CraigsIsland, our weather is rather nice compared to other places on this planet. But it's weird nowadays. It's more like a kid flipping a light switch.

budmantis, I envy you actually, -3°C here this morning = no shorts. I managed to get warm anyway yesterday since one of my winter tyres went flat.

[Sigmetnow]

Eric Holthaus:  Gentle reminder: There’s been a truly frightening step change in the Arctic climate this year.

Zack Labe: ...Preliminary surface air temperature reanalysis indicates unmistakable anomalous "warmth" so far this year in the #Arctic...

Animated GIF at the link:  https://twitter.com/zlabe/status/794187142251429888

[Sleepy]

It's the warmest year ever, all good things come in threes.
Human kind managed to disrupt the old faithful of oscillations, the QBO. Unprecedented low ASI -> negative PV since early October -> unprecedented early PV-split -> unprecendented early PV displacement. --> Yes, it's obviously snowing and that part is what's displayed in media here. Not why.

Maybe I should invite Inhofe to come and play in the snow? The biggest quack is too busy right now.

I guess Scandinavians have a more subtle way to ignore climate change.

[MrVisible]

City of Montreal to buy refrigerated skating rinks to counter effects of climate change

[Sigmetnow]

A Mild, Tranquil Election Day on Tap;  record ratio of U.S. high temps to low; damaging tornado in Italy

Warmth by the numbers

As detailed by weather.com, a number of Midwestern locations could experience their latest first freeze of any year on record this year, including Minneapolis (Nov. 7), Des Moines (Nov. 13), and Detroit (Nov. 15). Here’s another telling illustration of how consistently mild the nation has been over the past several weeks: The preliminary total of U.S. daily record highs either tied or broken for the one-week period ending on November 4 was 887, while the corresponding number of daily record lows was a mere 1. Referring to the 887-to-1 ratio, independent meteorologist Guy Walton said: “Since cataloging record counts starting on 1/1/2000, this is the highest weekly ratio of daily highs to daily lows I have ever seen!” The numbers were almost as lopsided for the week ending November 7 (see Figure 2). Preliminary numbers typically grow a bit larger as late-reporting stations come in.

https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/a-mild-tranquil-election-day-on-tap

[Sigmetnow]

There is a lack of snow in usually snow-covered spots in U.S. and Canada.

Figure 1: This map shows the difference (in cm) between the current daily snow depth and the average value over the 1998/99 through 2011/12 time period. Areas where the current snow depth is within ±5 cm of the historical average are shaded gray. The thick red contour line indicates the historical location of the snowline (50% probability of snow depth ≥ 2 cm).
https://ccin.ca/home/ccw/snow/current

[Sigmetnow]

Parts of the U.S. Midwest finally saw their first freeze of the season Saturday, a record-long wait for some.
https://weather.com/news/climate/news/latest-first-freeze-records-midwest

[Tealight]

I got a bit confused today when I saw anticlockwise winds at 1040hPa in western Siberia. I had to check if it is really the northern hemisphere and not the southern hemisphere. Normally 1040hPa is a very strong high pressure system, but compared to 1049 hPa to the north its at relatively low pressure.

[Sigmetnow]

Lack of Tornadoes Continues with None Reported in U.S. Since Mid-October

The trend of the low number of tornado reports this year in the U.S. has continued through the first half of November.

No tornadoes have developed in the U.S. this month through Nov. 16. In fact, the last tornado that occurred was on Oct. 14, when two tornadoes were reported in Oregon.
...
This autumn has been dominated by an upper-level ridge of high pressure over the central U.S. This has resulted in record-warm temperatures and relatively stable and quiet weather conditions across much of the U.S.

There has been a southward dip in the jet stream over the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast at times, but this storm track has not allowed low pressure systems to tap into moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, which can help to fuel severe thunderstorms.

https://www.wunderground.com/news/lack-of-tornadoes-through-mid-november-2016

[Sigmetnow]

Bizarre Temperatures: North Pole Rises Above Freezing While Parts of Russia Plunge Below -40 Degrees

Temperatures near the North Pole have nudged above freezing recently, while parts of Asia have shivered in temperatures colder than -40 degrees in one of the most bizarre juxtapositions seen.

Air temperatures sampled by at least five different buoys near the North Pole between 86 and 89 degrees north latitude reached from 0 to 1.2 degrees Celsius (32 to 34.16 degrees Fahrenheit) on Nov. 15, according to the data from the International Arctic Buoy Programme.

"Warm air has flooded the Arctic from both the Pacific and Atlantic in response to a large North Pacific Low and anomalous Eurasian ridge," said Zack Labe, a PhD student and climate researcher at the University of California, Irvine.

To show how bizarre this is, Labe tweeted a graph showing that mean temperatures over the Arctic since mid-October had not fallen, as you would expect, but had actually risen into mid-November.

Labe said warm sea-surface temperatures have lead to a longer ice-free period than normal across parts of the Beaufort, Kara and Barents Seas.

Arctic sea ice coverage is at 37-year record low for mid-November, almost 2 million square kilometers less than the 1981-2010 daily mean, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
...
Meanwhile, well over 1,000 miles south of the North Pole, parts of Asia are frigid, even by their standards.

More than a dozen Russian cities plunged to -40 degrees Celsius or colder on Nov. 15. While these bitter cold temperatures aren't as unusual in eastern Siberia's "Pole of Cold" region, even in November, they're more impressive in central Russia and Kazakhstan.

Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, has failed to see high temperatures rise above 0 degrees Fahrenheit (about -17.8 degrees Celsius) since Nov. 14. Their average November high temperature is about 28 degrees Fahrenheit

https://www.wunderground.com/news/north-pole-above-freezing-siberia-cold-nov2016

[Sigmetnow]

Tokyo wakes up to first November snow in over 50 years
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/24/world/tokyo-snow-japan-november-early/index.html

[Sigmetnow]

Torrential rains cause widespread flooding in northern Italy

Little more than two weeks after Italian scientists warned that climate change had put much of the country at risk of flooding, parts of the northwest have been inundated by heavy rain.

Torrential downpours caused the Piedmont region’s Tanaro river to burst its banks, prompting local officials to ask the government to declare a state of emergency. 

http://www.euronews.com/2016/11/24/torrential-rains-cause-widespread-flooding-in-northern-italy

[Sigmetnow]

Southeast U.S.:  major drought flips to flooding and severe storms overnight.

NWS Birmingham [Alabama]:  It doesn't seem possible that we'd get flooding with the drought conditions we've had, but 2 inch per hour rain rates are expected. #alwx
https://twitter.com/nwsbirmingham/status/803865162977542144

Edit:
Alabama Tornado Slams Church and Daycare Center; At Least 3 Dead
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/alabama-tornado-slams-church-daycare-center-least-3-dead-n689986

[Sigmetnow]

"Don't see this often. 'Cone of silence' at @NWSHuntsville radar in polygon of a Tornado Warning (01:48 CST) #alwx"
https://twitter.com/tornadoquest/status/803869336578441216

[Sigmetnow]

Portland, Oregon, northwest U.S.:

NWS Portland: This is a record at PDX for the longest period between below freezing days. The last below freezing day was the beginning of Feb.
https://twitter.com/nwsportland/status/805220930578423808

[Sigmetnow]

Yesterday, 7:23 PM: Galveston, Texas record rain total for the day up to 7.50 inches, and it is still raining. 
Most rain in a single winter (Dec-Jan-Feb) day in history. (Prev: 6.30” on 12/17/1995, All time: 13.93” on 10/8/1901)

Heavy rain will continue across the Houston area on Sunday. (Nearly a foot of rain—by 2pm(!)—today in Texas City, TX. A 1-in-100 year rain)
https://twitter.com/ericholthaus/status/805259904722178048

[Sigmetnow]

Another study.

Extreme Storms Will Be a Lot More Frequent as Climate Warms

"Imagine the most intense thunderstorm you typically experience in a single season. Our study finds that, in the future, parts of the U.S. could expect to experience five of those storms in a season, each with an intensity as strong or stronger than current storms," said NCAR's Andreas Prein, who led the study team.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/get-ready-lot-more-heavy-rain-climate-warms-n692296

[Gray-Wolf]

http://www.thelocal.es/20161205/two-drowned-in-flash-floods-after-torrential-rain-its-southern-spain

Flash floods in Southern Spain.

[Sigmetnow]

Eric Holthaus:  It might be cold out right now, but 2016 has been incredibly warm [in the U.S.] nationwide so far, on average. Parts of the plains are off the charts.
https://twitter.com/ericholthaus/status/808975694877237248

[Jim Hunt]

Sydney sweltered through its hottest December night in 148 years last night, and today's high was well above the average of 25.2 Celsius

https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/809016057822412801

[Sigmetnow]

Michael Ventrice:  Looking like another highly anomalous warm Christmas for folks living in the [U.S.] Plains-East under a massive +300m anomalous "super" ridge.
https://mobile.twitter.com/afreedma/status/810939808822525952

[JR-ice]

Interesting article in the Guardian about the impacts of arctic ice decline on weather.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/19/arctic-ice-melt-already-affecting-weather-patterns-where-you-live-right-now

[Avalonian]

Totally anecdotal... but the weather is weird in China too. Just been on fieldwork in Zhejiang (east China, south of Shanghai), and it's been fluctuating between t-shirt weather and hard frosts. The latter are really not normal, and the former is a bit odd as well.

Now back in Nanjing, and we're being promised -13C and heavy snow in time for Christmas. This would be close to record-breaking in a city that doesn't, as a rule, have central heating. We already had some snow in November, which is almost unprecedented.

Basically, the cold pole in Siberia is strong enough to be making itself felt far, far to the south.

[charles_oil]

Thanks JR - I particularly like the global warming symphony !

[MrVisible]

It snowed in the Sahara yesterday.

Photos of Freak Snowfall in the Sahara Look Unreal

[Sigmetnow]

"More extreme temperatures at North Pole just before Christmas.
Frightening to see freak weather becoming common."
http://ow.ly/GZ0W307mgVD

https://twitter.com/eriksolheim/status/811868933502488576

[Sigmetnow]

The mythical ‘endless summer’ is becoming a detested reality in South Florida

MIAMI — There tend to be two seasons in South Florida: hot and wet from May to October, then warm and dry from November to April. But the past two Decembers have made the tourist-enticing phrase “endless summer” a reality — great for our visitors, not so great for us.

Floridians — especially in the southern half of the state — look forward to ideal winter weather after enduring relentless mega-muggy conditions for six months. Winters are still warm, but things dry out and the oppressive heat takes a leave of absence.

However, much to our dismay, the region is experiencing one of its warmest Decembers on record. ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/12/23/the-mythical-endless-summer-is-becoming-a-detested-reality-in-south-florida/

[Sigmetnow]

Extreme winds in western U.S. mountain region; record warmth and winds in the U.K.

About 50,000 lose power across Denver area as winds hammer Front Range -- up to 80 mph
http://www.denverpost.com/2016/12/25/denver-area-residents-without-power/

*  *  *  *  *  * 
U.K.:  Christmas Day could be the warmest on record with some parts of the country expected to reach 15C.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/24/storm-conor-set-cause-christmas-chaos-80mph-winds-met-office/

Power cuts 'highly likely' over Christmas period as Storm Barbara and Conor batter UK
http://www.express.co.uk/news/weather/747146/Christmas-weather-UK-storm-Barbara-storm-Conor-power-cuts

*  *  *  *  *  *

Image: wind reports from NWS Boulder (Colorado)

[Shared Humanity]

Sunny, breezy and 52F in Chicago as I type.

[Sigmetnow]

NWS Fort Worth, Texas:  It [was] the warmest Christmas Day on record across North and Central TX. DFW [airport] and Waco both broke record highs. #dfwwx #ctxwx
https://twitter.com/nwsfortworth/status/813131212936122368