Posted on 02/02/2006 9:52:02 AM PST by cogitator
A nice illustration of where it was hot and where it was not last month. Click on the image for the big picture (only 2 MB, so it shouldn't crash a browser).
From the linked article:
"The dramatic difference in January temperatures between the northern halves of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres is revealed in this image of land surface temperature data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on NASA’s Terra satellite. The image compares the temperatures between January 1-24, 2006, to the average temperatures for that period from 2001-2005. Regions where temperatures were up to 10 degrees Celsius colder (18 degrees Fahrenheit) this year are dark blue, while places where it was 10 degrees Celsius warmer are shown in dark red. Places where temperatures matched the 5-year average are white. Most of the United States and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains are much warmer than the 5-year average, while Eastern Europe, much of Russia, and central Asia are decidedly chillier."
"According to climatologist David Rind of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the unusual January 2006 temperatures are linked to the position of the polar jet stream. The polar jet stream is a fast-flowing river of air that whips around the planet at high altitudes at speeds equal to or greater than 50 knots (92.6 kilometers/hour, 57.5 miles/hour). This current of air generally divides cold, polar air, and warmer, mid-latitude air. The jet stream doesn't always stay at the same latitude; it has peaks and valleys in it like a wave. In January 2006, an unusually persistent “peak” in the latitude of the jet stream across North America often kept polar air from creeping southward into Canada and the United States. In Eastern Europe and Russia meanwhile, a persistent “valley” kept the jet stream flowing at more southerly latitudes, allowing cold air to dip deeply in the region."
[This doesn't explain why southern Africa and western Australia were particularly cold during the Southern Hemisphere summer.]
Weather Happens - BTTT
Expect a dry year in the midwest, a cool Pacific northwest, and lots and lots of hurricanes in the Atlantic.
In Louisiana, we have been having a beautiful La Nina winter. We haven't had a freeze here in South Louisiana in a long time. Actually, we have stayed in the 70's for highs for most of Jan.
If this is global waming - bring it on! I hate cold weather.
Golly! This weather we're having sure is extreme! I mean, we haven't had crazy weather like this since about ... oh ... 5 years ago.
The preponderance of this map would be more indicative of global cooling instead of global warming.
But global cooling is caused by global warming.
Most rational people simply smile at the confirmation that the only certainty ablout climate is its variability.
I see the Northeast has been warmer than usual. I sure am glad. We didn't have to buy that much expensive natural gas to heat our home!
ping
The only constant is change.
Coldest January in Fairbanks since 1971
Yeah, and all the idiots of the world will shout "Global Warming", "Global Warming"!
I read a report the other day stating that temperatures hadn't been this warm since 1890.
Well morons, if it's "Global Warming", then why was it this warm more than one hundred years ago?
At any rate, you can expect to see those areas of high pressure from the polar region moving over Canada and the US this month.
This will be fun.
"If this is global waming - bring it on! I hate cold weather."
Same here.
In the northeast we're having a VERY MILD WINTER!!!!
There have been no arctic troughs this year at all. The summer fall east moving fronts have continued to the present.
So is this supposed to prove something?
I'd be interested in the yearly standard deviation...
When all that stuff dissipates....we'll be back to freez'n our butts off here in Upstate New York. We look at it as a blessing. It's really helped with our heating bills.
Cool!
I guess mentioning natural weather cycles doesn't jive with promoting the global warming agenda.
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