I always figure that any storm may be the last, so we need all we can get.”

Im from Orange County and live in So. LA County now. A huge dump of rain lasting for awhile is NOT what we need here. Mudslides are not fun.

What did you mean by that?

I think the oceans are more efficient at releasing heat to the air than the land, but have a greater albedo so have less heat to release on a daily basis. However, over the longer term, if the Earth’s climate is warming oceans will gain heat, and if the climate cools then the oceans will lose heat.

I don’t know where you got the oceans are cooling since 2003 from. Its more like they stopped warming in 2003 (excepting the last few months when they have cooled sharply)

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/2007/dec/glob-jan-dec-pg.gif

Sorry to post this here but gots a dumb question for you:

I was just reading on ICECAP about the PDO. I understand that the ocean releases heat more slowly than the land, but it caused the following question to come to mind: Does the speed of heat release increase towards the end of a cycle?

Reason I ask is, I had been given to understand that the ocean had begun cooling in 2003. However the last Big year for Hurricanes was 2005, and it has dropped off since then.

I am not as informed as many who post here, but I do have a degree in geology (20 years out of date) and I do read extensively on all things scientific / Global.

REPLY: Excellent question, but one I don’t know the answer to. Anyone?

Perhaps somebody from the University of Washington can help.

I always figure that any storm may be the last, so we need all we can get.

It is nice to be close to normal this year.

I spent 3 months last winter/spring in SoCal. I tried to go skiing, but Mt. Baldy had 20″ of snow. Total. For the year. They must be having a near record year this winter.

There are a couple of things that concern me. There is a storm forming up in the Gulf of Alaska and I would keep my eye on what looks like possible development of a “pineapple” express warm, wet jet. We had a situation like this about this time of year in ‘98 I believe. We had several cold Gulf of Alaska storms drop a lot of snow in the Sierra and then we had a pineapple express (warm Hawaii jet) deliver a couple of “cut off” lows that just hung around dumping warm rain that melted all that snow in a short period of time and caused tremendous flooding in places like Manteca in the Central Valley.

Downtown Los Angeles has received 12.8 inches of rain since July 1 (start of the “water year”) whereas normal to-date is about 11.4 inches. My impression is that the regions north and east of LA have been especially wet and snowy.

Any explanations offered by NOAA as to why this La Nina has been relatively wet? I’ve heard none but perhaps I’ve simply missed one.

In any event, that storm looks as though it is headed right for you.

“Uh, oh…” says it well.

REPLY: We don’t tolerate pedantophiles well here ;-)

But, I fixed it anyway, thanks.