Warming climate could mean bigger blizzards, less snow

cnn ^ | 2/26/2013 | Matt Smith and Brandon Miller

[tobyhill]

OK, go ahead and get the "Where's my global warming?" jokes out of your system. With the U.S. Midwest trudging through its second blizzard in a week, we understand. But while it may seem contradictory at first, scientists say bigger blizzards fit the pattern they expect to see from a changing climate.

The immediate meteorological cause of the back-to-back snowstorms is a colder-than-normal mass of air that's been hovering over the central United States, combined with an amped-up jet stream that's been dipping south from Canada. That makes conditions ripe for major snowstorms after a warmer-than-normal January for most of the Lower 48.

"Once you get into a pattern that sets up these storms, they can repeat themselves," National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini told CNN.

[mgstarr]

Just making stuff up as they go along.

[Hodar]

Warm air holds more moisture than cold air. Simple scientific fact.

So, if the warm air holds more moisture; then logic would dictate that the warmer air would be more humid. Logic would also dictate that when this moist warm air hit cold air; the water would “freeze” out, producing MORE snow.

Almost any child can punch a hole in this theory.

[expat2]

These people continue to make big fools of themselves. If it is cold and snowy, it's AGW; if it's hot and humid, it's AGW; if it rains more than average, it's AGW; if there's a drought, it's AGW!

It's junk science!

[LLBeet]

It’s too hot: Global Warming! It’s too cold: Global Warming! It’s just right: hmm, Global Warming Not!

[nascarnation]

The progressives have executed a very smart strategy by having NBCU buy and operate the Weather Channel.

They impart this same type of false science propaganda 24/7/365 to a lot of people.

[dragnet2]

The midwest can expect more snowless blizzards

[Hugin]

Except there has been no warming for about 16 years now.

[Figment]

And one volcano could mean another “year without a summer” look it up

[E. Pluribus Unum]

"Pay no attention to that UN Agenda 21 man behind the curtain."

[ScottfromNJ]

Global warming means warming, too much rain, too little rain, blizzards, global cooling. Gotta hedge your bets so you can say you were right no matter what happens.

[Mr. K]

so... more rain=global warming, more snow=global warming, less snow=global warming, less rain=global warming, more wind=global warming, less wind=global warming...

I get it...

[dragnet2]

Windless tornadoes expected to follow....

[Blood of Tyrants]

According to the them, literally EVERY weather event is caused by globull warming.

[Blood of Tyrants]

According to the them, literally EVERY weather event is caused by globull warming.

[M Kehoe]

Even if global warming or whatever is true, man can do absolutely nothing about it.

The arrogance, and hubris of these people knows no bounds.

5.56mm

[yoe]

"Joe Bastardi and the WeatherBELL team warned us about Hurricane Sandy nine days before landfall. They provided unwavering forecasts for a landfalling hurricane around NYC, and we were the first to know that this unprecedented event would occur"......I'll put my money on Joe Bastardi any day for the truth about weather.....it is always changing and we can't do anything about it regardless of the Chicken Little approach of Algoreites....for money and power.

[Calamari]

It’s called winter. There is snow in most winters. It has been that way for a long time.

[cripplecreek]

The definition of a blizzard doesn't have anything to do with the amount of snow. A blizzard is primarily a winter wind event.

Officially, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds causing blowing snow that results in low visibilities. The difference between a blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind, not the amount of snow. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have sustained winds or frequent gusts that are greater than or equal to 56 km/h (35 mph) with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or a quarter mile or less and must last for a prolonged period of time — typically three hours or more.

I think we ended up getting less than an inch of snow the day I took this last week.