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For example, in America’s heartland (thanks to Joe D’Aleo at ICECAP): Cedar Rapids and the surrounding Midwest has been consistently colder than normal since December. In Cedar Rapids, December averaged 3.0 F below normal, January 1.9 F below normal, February a whopping 8.3 F below normal, March 4.9 F below normal and so far in April 4.4 degrees below normal.
KCRG-TV also has a story about temperatures being unsuitable for gardening there in Cedar Rapids.
Last year here in Wales (UK) we had a heatwave in April, unbelievably warm. This year we are having a cold wave.
But this is weather, not climate (and I’m a skeptic) so we should’nt read too much into it.
I drill water wells for a living and franky …my ass is cold!
I’m a few hours north of Cedar Rapids and we are expecting, over the next several days, our first stretch of above normal temps since last Nov. The foot of snow we received Friday should be gone thereafter.
Know what ya mean Ray. My wife is a Witch!
Now Anthony, I’ll expect similar posts when the world undergoes unusual warm spells, lest it seem like we are trying to imply something about the climate based on the weather.
REPLY: Note the tag, “weather”. Sure, if there’s a record or unique warm event. I’ll mention that.
And since you are passing out expectations I’ll reciprocate by saying I’ll expect you to actually ask me a question or two before you write articles about me.
Yup, below normal temperatures here in Northeast Florida as well.
I hope this doesn’t mean a rebound to warmer than normal temperatures for the summer.
My father was blackcurrent farmer’s, in the 70s and 80s until teh early 90s we always feared frosts in April which would wipe away the harvest (Which seemed to happed quite regularly). This danger of frost went on until the end of April and even sometimes into early May. We had a warm period in the 90s and early 00s (by which time my parents had retired). It looks like it is normal again.
BTW Do we have to rely on weather conditions in our atmosphere to measure heat ariving fom the sun? Can you not point some instrument at the sun and measure its radiance directly?
This year we had daffodils flowering in December, in the 70s I lived in London and it was always my hope to see daffodils in the gardens in London before the end of Feb.
I sure hope this cold weather is not going to deepen further, there are already enough food shortages in the world
“Button to chin, till May be in,
Cast not a clout till May be out”
Some interesting folk proverbs about weather being cold in April and May here
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/till-may-is-out.html
As Anthony has classified this, it is just a weather event not a climate event. The central west coast of Florida is “scheduled” to be back in the 80’s by week’s end. As I have mentioned before, I do not understand why weather events that fall well within the normal range get so much attention (both ways); why we insist on using “average temperatures” when clearly there is no real average; why AGWers insist they “know” what the correct temperature the Earth is supposed to be and (finally) why anyone with an ounce of grey matter between their ears would believe that a trace gas would be the main cause of warming while disregarding everything else.
Here in Boston, some spring flowers that normally popped up in our garden well before now are only just now sprouting up. Everyone in the neighborhood is commenting on this. They don’t follow the Gore-bull Whore-ming issue. They’re just observing. Interesting.
As I have been writing for a while, go long on food …
==============================================
Frost Advisory
URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
209 PM PDT TUE APR 15 2008
CAZ506-507-160330-
/O.NEW.KMTR.FR.Y.0001.080416T0700Z-080416T1500Z/NORTH BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS-NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS-
209 PM PDT TUE APR 15 2008
…FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM PDT
WEDNESDAY..
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAS ISSUED
A FROST ADVISORY FOR NORTH BAY INTERIOR VALLEYS AND MOUNTAIN
LOCATIONS…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM PDT
WEDNESDAY.
THE COMBINATION OF CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW FOR NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN INTERIOR PORTIONS OF NAPA AND SONOMA COUNTIES AND THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN NAPA COUNTY. FROST WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE COLD OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES.
A FROST ADVISORY MEANS THAT AFFECTED AREAS CAN EXPECT AT LEAST TWO HOURS OF TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 29 AND 35 DEGREES…WITH POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO CROPS AND TENDER VEGETATION. MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT SENSITIVE CROPS AND VULNERABLE ANIMALS SHOULD BE KEPT INDOORS IN A BARN OR SIMILAR STRUCTURE.
Here in Vigo
Low this morning 30 with clear skies and calm winds. (frost)
High today 62
Yesterday low 34 with scattered light sleet.
high 49 The scattered sleet persisted most of the day off and on.
Forecast for tomorrow low 32 high 63 with bright sunshine.
Yep it has been a little cool the last week or two local forecasters say about 11f below normal for the date.
I do hope we are not entering a true solar minimum.
Bill Derryberry
I live 12 miles from Cedar Rapids in Norway, IA, and can tell you that this has been a hard winter. My grass has not greened, the trees have not budded, and I am still wearing a heavy coat in the morning since it is regularly in the 20’s every day as I walk out the door. And no I do not attribute it to global warming or cooling, just to variation.
What is hurting the alarmists is not the low temperatures, or the harsh winter, but the ascription of every hot episode, drought, or other “heat associated” effect over the past few years to global warming. The average citizen does not understand the difference between climate and weather. However, they have been conditioned to blame weather episodes on the climate because the linking of the heat related episodes to AGW. So when you have a La Nina period and it gets colder the AGW advocates have a significant problem explaining it away. While they expect politicians to talk out of both sides of their faces, most expect better from scientists. Thus, the populace is left with a difficult assessment.
One, the AGW supporter is lying like a politician.
Two, ignore the scientist and conclude the the earth is cooling.
Three, believe the AGW scientist and still worry about the earth.
Four, find the information independently to make up their own mind.
Five, go back to watching Dancing With The Stars and forget about it.
Unfortunately most will choose a variant of number five. The bad part about this situation is that the screaming of the AGW alarmist group especially last year made this issue even more difficult for them in 2008. The level of rhetoric last year was the highest I had ever seen it. It was as if the AGW’s knew it was their last chance before it was getting colder and quenching the opportunity to advance the cause.
It makes you wonder doesn’t it?
Anthony Isgar:
The “Icecap” article chart looking at low clouds and the inverse relationship with solar irradiance looks almost exactly like the inverse relationship with cosmic rays reaching planet earth. The chart is here:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/SOLAR/COSMIC_RAYS/cosmic.html
It is during solar minimums that the sun’s output can be really felt here on earth because strong solar activity prevents cosmic rays from escaping the magnetic field generated by the sun during its peak. During minimums cosmic rays can help low clouds to develop.
hmmmmmmm
here in Sydney Australia – no summer, warm start to Autumn – now winter temps
Re: cosmic radiation vs. sunspots, the latest radiation count for Climax, CO is 18 months old, 10/06. It would be interesting to see that brought to present with the current low sunspot activity.
Pierre
we had the snow pics in all the papers, as always when it snows here. Sleety showers in April are pretty normal, but serious snowfall is rare though not unknown in the north of the UK. This far south and at low levels is definitely very uncommon. Even London had an inch or two.
Obviously as others have pointed out, it’s weather, not climate, but it will be fascinating to see how this all pans out in the next few years.
I believe that what people don’t appreciate about a cooling climate is that it takes only a single cold night to completely wipe out a crop. A night a few degrees above average doesn’t hurt a bit.
Here in southern coastal NH we’re finally geting warm weather after a late winter early spring over 1 deg C below normal.
We thank thee algore for thy warmth and beseech thee not to abandon us again.
In Denmark we did not experience winter until march, but since then weather has been constantly quite cold. Not spectacular, but every day is a new chilly spring day. Normaly in april, we have at least some of the days nice and warm. But so far not.
Its very interesting to read about the weather around the world right now. I hope to see more, also from Australia and indeed ASIA that was so warm this march. Does anyone know what the situation is in Asia right now?
K.R: Frank Lansner
Cross patch, so true. And as these troughs work their way around the globe, it is death by a 1000 small cuts. Add to that the idiotic use of food for fuel. Add to that the idiotic notion that unwinding the US dollar is a good thing because it helps achieve the “Flat World” that Thomas L. Friedman pines for. This is looking really bad. There is an old reggae song in me ‘ead … “Earth Crisis … “
Sorry to say but it will turn cold again after this warm patch. We may get frosts strong enough to damage crops as late as early May.
The whole year will be cooler than many expect. Cold even. Next year looks no better. 2010 may be a little warmer.
There are, in the record, periods of extremes that are very close together.
I would love someone(being rubbish with numbers myself) to produce a year on year – based on HAD/CRU – temp set that starts in(for example) Nov rather than Jan – we would see a much different picture of the historically “relevant” years I would hazard to guess. Both coldest(ish) and hottest(ish) 😉
Stephen Fox,
Yes it will. I’m curious whether this is simply La Nina related, and will pass by and return to warming. or if it’s truly the start of a Gore Minimum.
I think we’ll find this out in a couple of years.
The snow is a godsend isn’t it? Enjoy this period of peace and quiet as the warmists have all shut up for the time being.
That was good! “The Gore Minimum” ! I will start to use that labelling on the coming cold period, its nice…
People. Please.
The last thing he needs is immortalizing guys. Someone who predicted the coming downturn would be far more appropriate.
Landscheidt or Charvatova actually did some science and deserve it. AlGorithm Al did some sleight of hand to “earn” 100 million dollars in 8 years, a dynamite peace prize and an award from fantasy land for his sci-fi horror movie. His pontificating and connections will kill millions through bio-fuel folly and driving policy in the opposite direction to the natural cyclical progression we are witnessing. You may not debate him, or his “settled science” and he intercuts atomic explosions with ice shelves calving. He is revered by the masses whilst luminous scientists are cut down daily in the media.
The Swiss establishment that honored Benito Mussolini are just about to do the same to Al – we are through the looking glass.