Hansen's Coal and Global Warming protest may get snowed out

Many WUWT readers have heard about this:

UPDATE: Video report on the DC snow here h/t to Stefan P

Here is my IntelliWeather Monday and hour by hour forecast for Washington, DC.

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM EST MONDAY

Includes the Counties: District Of Columbia, Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria

Includes the cities: Washington, Alexandria, Falls Church

Tonight…Snow. Snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches. Brisk with lows in the lower 20s. North winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent.

Monday…Cloudy. Snow likely in the morning…Then a chance of snow in the afternoon. Additional snow accumulation around an inch. Total snow accumulation 7 to 8 inches. Brisk with highs in the mid 20s. Northwest winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Chance of snow 70 percent.

Hour by Hour, as of 4:30PM EST Sunday. Click for full sized image

By the time Partly Cloudy skies appear about 3PM Monday, there will be about 4-8″ of snow on the ground in DC.

Plus, in New York City, where Jim Hansen would likely depart from, they also have a Winter Storm Warning in effect to 6PM Monday with forecast of:

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST MONDAY

Includes the Counties: Hudson, New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Richmond (Staten Island), Kings (Brooklyn), Queens Tonight…Snow developing this evening…Heavy at Times. Snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches. Windy with lows in the mid 20s. North winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent.

Monday…Snow in the morning…Then snow likely in the afternoon. Snow May be heavy at Times in the morning. Total snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches. Windy. Near steady temperature in the mid 20s. North winds 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent.

If Hansen hasn’t left NYC already, I’d say it is doubtful he’ll even make the protest given it is a Monday, and Monday’s are usually pretty bad commutes even without bad weather. Looks like it is going to be a…

More on the DC weather story form Justin Berk, Baltimore Weather Examiner

I interrupt the snowstorm updates to bring you this pressing issue.  Monday, March 2nd 2009 is the date for a scheduled protest by Capitol Climate Action (CCA).

Heavy snow expected at the Nation’s Capitol on Monday

Their website labels it:

Mass civil disobedience at the coal fired power plant in Washington, DC

CCA claims this will be the largest mass civil disobedience for the climate in US history.  There is actually a request to wear dress clothes.  That seems odd.  Is this a target to get young Americans in a vogue protest?

My forecast from this morning can be found here (I will have a new update by this evening). If you go just by the NWS forecast, then snow will range between 5-10 inches with wind gusts over 30 mph.  The snowstorm forecast is ironic not only because it falls on the date of this protest, but also because it is a late season event.  The normal high for the date in Washington, DC is 51F. What would be worse: Keep the protest on in the snowstorm, or cancel it because of the snowstorm?

The infamous Dr. James Hansen should be there leading the charge.  My post last week about 2008 being the coldest year this decade included a reference to Hansen.  I wrote, “This is the same man who turned off the air conditioning in the Capitol while speaking about Global Warming on a hot day in 1988.”  I also mentioned his exposure of bad data for Russia just this past October.  He used September data (a statistically warmer month) in place of cooler October data.  This skewed the temperatures upward.

I don’t knock him for his extreme beliefs, but I do disagree with the questionable tactics he uses to get his message across.  According to  Fox News , he is in hot water since he works for NASA, yet is helping to organize a protest.

It seems like the Climate Crew has had some trouble getting their messages across.  It’s almost as if mixed signals are coordinated by nature itself. Marc Marano,  Communications Director for the GOP on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) sent out a list of events that seem to follow the Gore Effect.  This was labeled by Politico.com as:

The so-called Gore Effect happens when a global warming-related event, or appearance by the former vice president and climate change crusader, Al Gore, is marked by exceedingly cold weather or unseasonably winter weather.

Check out this list courtesy of Marc Marano:

Note: The “Gore Effect” has a long and storied history. What follows is a sampling of how Mother Nature enjoys mocking global warming fear promoters.

1) First October snow since 1922 blankets London as global warming bill debated – October 2008

2) Global Warming Vote on Snowy Day in Washington – Senate committee debates expensive climate change bill snow blanket D.C. – December 2007

3) HOUSE HEARING ON ‘WARMING OF THE PLANET’ CANCELED AFTER SNOW/ICE STORM – February 2007

4) NOT AGAIN! DC ‘Snow Advisory’ Issued on Day of Congressional Global Warming Hearing – March 2007

5) Gore decries ‘global warming’ in bitterly cold NYC – December 2006

6) Gore delivers environmental message at Harvard – …with near 125-year record breaking low temps – October 2008

7) Global warming activists urged to focus on Earth Day rallies and ignore snow as it ‘piles up outside our windows’ – April 17, 2007

8) No Joke! Cyclists ‘braved freezing cold temps’ to promote global warming awareness in New York – October 22, 2008

9) Global warming protest in Maryland frosted with snow – January 2008

10) Global warming rally in the snow – April 2007

11) Snow won’t dampen global-warming rallies – April 2007

12) Brrr. – Obama to global warming demonstrators: ‘This is probably not the weather to hold up those signs…it’s a little chilly today’ – October 28,  2008

13) Global Warming Awareness Walk Braves Snow Storm – March 2007

14) The Gore Effect, Cont. – Gore speaks in Italy during ‘rare’ cold and snow

15) Tracking ‘The Gore Effect’ – Politico November 26,6, 2008

16) Climate protest cancelled ‘due to rain and cold’ – Nov. 23, 2008