Early Snow in Russia

By Steven Goddard

Russia has seen it’s first snow accumulation of the season.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/maps/static/europe/last3days/snow

According to Rutgers Global Snow Lab, Russia doesn’t normally receive snow until the second week in September.

http://climate.rutgers.edu/snowcover/chart_dclim.php?ui_day=251

More is forecast for the next week, as well as in Norway and Sweden. Southeast Greenland is expecting heavy snow.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/maps/static/europe/next3to6days/snow

Much of The UK and Ireland are expecting cold weather during the next week, as is Moscow. Temperatures on the Greenland ice sheet will be dipping down to near -25C. Nice August weather!

http://www.snow-forecast.com/maps/static/europe/132/lapse

No doubt the news media will be talking about the Moscow heat wave for at least two more weeks. Absolute, undeniable proof of “global” warming.

———————————————————————————————————————

The Russian heat wave is estimated to have cost their economy $15 billion. Put in perspective, the US national debt increases by more than double that every week.


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John Marshall
August 24, 2010 3:13 am

These earlier snows might indicate some form of cooling. Oceans are cooling and despite a ‘record’ July in the UK we have had lower than the so called average in August.
Climate is a chaotic system and will vary within wide parameters-wider than alarmists are willing to accept and definitely not human driven.

GBees
August 24, 2010 3:22 am

As per usual nature shows us she knows better than we do.

Timdot
August 24, 2010 3:31 am

Getting chilly early up North I see. Down here in Tasmania it’s not too cold, but the temps are staying consistently low. Problem is, it’s felt a lot colder than the official record.
An amusing side point – Bishop Hill has a post on Connolley and his bad behaviour on Wikipedia.

KPO
August 24, 2010 3:34 am

Steve, I realize we can measure temperatures across the 510,065,600 km2 of the Earth’s surface to an accuracy of 1/100th of a degree Celsius over decades. (The absolute genius of man). But, if you settle before the due date we are prepared to write off the 52 cents. Signed – The Peoples Republic of China.

Paul Deacon, Christchurch, New Zealand
August 24, 2010 3:36 am

It seems a few private sector weather forecasters (who depend on the accuracy of their forecasts for revenue) are predicting a cold European winter. We shall see. Nailbiting times (again)…

August 24, 2010 3:59 am

The Russian heat wave is estimated to have cost their economy $15 billion. Put in perspective, the US national debt increases by more than double that every week.
$ 1 3 , 3 7 6 , 3 2 1 , 6 6 3 , 5 2 3 . 4 8 (updated)

Yeah, but we owe it to the Red Chinese, not the Ruskiis.

KPO
August 24, 2010 4:11 am

In the same vein as measuring ice loss/forest loss (or gain) etc in x number of Olympic sized swimming pools, or x number of football fields the debt calculates out to $1,361,250.13 per square kilometer of US soil, or $43,266.88 per soul. (Surely you all can just borrow that amount) – sarc! OK – enough of the useless information – back to the interesting stuff.

Patrick Davis
August 24, 2010 4:37 am

There’s cold everywhere, certainly feel it here in Sydney, Australia. Sydney is down a few deg C on the average for this time of year, and even more interesting, for me anyway, Alice Springs is 9c below the norm for this time of year too.
And yet, the BoM says it’s the warmest on record. Well I guess that is possible if you manipulate the record.

Joe Lalonde
August 24, 2010 4:39 am

Steve,
In the good old days….Bad news was death to the messenger.
🙂

Scott BL
August 24, 2010 4:46 am

LOL! You’re so predictable. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you WUWT guys again!
Seasonal cooling, like early snow in Russia, is weather, not climate!
Seasonal warming, however, like Russia just experienced this summer, is a strong climate signal, a clear indicator of global warming, and not weather at all. The burning in Russia is also a forcast of the doom that awaits us for our abuse of Gaia. And for our rampant consumerism, too. And air conditioners. And SUVs. Evil, evil SUVs.

Jarmo
August 24, 2010 4:48 am

In Finland we had little snow in Lapland on 23 July. Simultaneously temperatures in southern part of the country were 20 degrees C. Six days later we had highest temperature ever recorded, 37.2 degrees Celsius, in eastern part of the country.
http://yle.fi/alueet/lappi/2010/07/lumisade_yllatti_lapissa_1851310.html

Marcos
August 24, 2010 4:50 am

I’ve noticed that leaves have started to change colors in various parts of NYC. strange since its been very warm until this week…

August 24, 2010 4:57 am

Given the NOAA satellites’ track record for confusing albedo with temperature, I wonder if NOAA will report unusually warm temperatures over the fresh snow fields?

dorlomin
August 24, 2010 5:09 am

No doubt the news media will be talking about the Moscow heat wave for at least two more weeks. Absolute, undeniable proof of “global” warming.
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
UAH showed it warmest August day on the record a few days back. That Roy Spencer is in on the global warming cult as well 😉 worlds cooling, arctic ice is growing and only the religous say otherwise. Keep repeating it till it feels true Steve.

Editor
August 24, 2010 5:16 am

There is a distinctly Autumnal feel in parts of the UK already. I’ve noted some leaves starting to turn and showing hints of red – at least 3 weeks early. Also in our garden our resident robin is proclaiming his territory – a sound I usually associate with early October.

August 24, 2010 5:28 am

dolormin,
Keep telling yourself what is being observed is anything other than natural variability. It’s always fun watching someone get all hyper over the black cat fallacy.

Snowlover123
August 24, 2010 5:30 am

Another record highest snow extent for the winter of 2010-2011?

August 24, 2010 5:35 am

dorlomin
In a 30 year global temperature record with no temperature trend, we would expect to see 12 daily record highs set every year. 365 / 30 = 12
No point getting hysterical over a standard Gaussian distribution.

RockyRoad
August 24, 2010 5:55 am

Steve, I think there’s an upward shift in that Gaussian distribution due to the addition of asphalt, air conditioning units, more buildings, more concrete, reflective glass, larger airports, expanded highways, thermometer elimination, etc., etc. No wonder there just might be a slight “warming” of the earth.

Andy Mayhew
August 24, 2010 5:55 am

Not sure how reliable that chart is. According to weatheronline, temp at Nar’jan Mar (on the Pechora river just a few miles from where the snow is shown to be lying) is currently 8c and it hasn’t dropped below 2c yet this month.

Leon Brozyna
August 24, 2010 5:56 am

Snow?
Already?
That’s okay, my Al Gore is ready for it — that’s the name of my ergonomic snow shovel, not to be confused with the fat, crazed, sex-poodle of tabloid fame.

August 24, 2010 6:02 am

1st significant cold front of the season overnight in the Colorado front range. 52 deg & rain this morning at the house. Was talking to a friend from Montana last week who said there were winter storm warnings about 7000 ft last week.
…. winter is on the way

Tenuc
August 24, 2010 6:08 am

Interesting that the sun is still in the doldrums:-
“The geomagnetic field was quiet to active on August 23. Solar wind speed ranged between 272 and 408 km/s, slowly increasing after 13h UTC as a high speed stream from CH418 became the dominant solar wind factor. Solar wind density reached very high levels during the latter half of the day, typical of the leading part of a strong coronal hole disturbance.
Solar flux measured at 20h UTC on 2.8 GHz was 74.9 (down 7.7 over the last solar rotation). The planetary A index was 7 (STAR Ap – based on the mean of three hour interval ap indices: 6.6). Three hour interval K indices: 10001224 (planetary), 00012214 (Boulder).
At midnight UTC the visible solar disk was spotless.”
Issued on August 24, 2010 at 02:10 UTC
Thanks to Solen, who provided the summary.
http://www.solen.info/solar/

Matt
August 24, 2010 6:12 am

Steve,
Dont mind the fact that the Rutgers Global Snow Lab map is “an 89 x 89 cell Northern Hemisphere grid, with cell resolution ranging from 16,000 sq. km to 42,000 sq. km. If a cell is interpreted to be at least fifty percent snow covered it is considered to be completely covered, otherwise it is considered to be snowfree.”
I’m sure everytime there’s a < 10cm dusting of snow in Russia over three days, it completely fills one of these 16000 km2 cells and exceeds the 50% coverage threshold, especially when regional temperatures are above zero. Or maybe snows like this aren't uncommon this time of year, but aren't sufficiently large enough to show up on Rutgers climatology maps.

August 24, 2010 6:21 am

This is, as I’m sure the EAU/CRU and other Warmists will be quick to tell you, a mere anomaly, one they can ignore on their models because it doesn’t fit the ‘norm.’ Besides this is weather isn’t it? I’m sure Messers Mann et al will say it is to reassure their footsoldiers and the 97% of ‘scientists’ they claim agree the ‘science is settled.’
Here in the Taunus we have temperatures distinctly cooler than ‘normal’ for August and the trees are doing their autumn thing. Yes, I’m convinced its Anthropomorphic Global Warming… Now, where did I put my thermal underwear?

Ian L. McQueen
August 24, 2010 6:22 am

I read every post through with great interest. But I am bothered virtually every day by “it’s” used as the possessive of “it”. Anthony, “it’s” means “it is”. Always has. I hope always will! Puleeze…..write “its” as the possessive form!!!
Since this note is meant directly for Anthony I don’t mind if it gets removed by a moderator.
IanM

MattN
August 24, 2010 6:22 am

The sooner snow falls in Siberia, the colder the HN winter will be….

MattN
August 24, 2010 6:23 am

NH (northern hemisphere), not HN.
need more koffee…..

Ken Hall
August 24, 2010 6:31 am

There is a distinctly Autumnal feel in parts of the UK already. I’ve noted some leaves starting to turn and showing hints of red – at least 3 weeks early. Also in our garden our resident robin is proclaiming his territory – a sound I usually associate with early October.

Too true Verity, Spring arrived very late this year, (even as the media was reporting that the spring is arriving two weeks early due to human induced climate change) After they reported this, the UK had a total whiteout national snow coverage. Now we have Autumn arrive a few weeks early.
I think it could be natural climate change. Y’know, the type that the alarmists are all “denialist” about.
It has been several years since we had a day in the 30’s Celsius up here in Northern UK.

Larus
August 24, 2010 6:42 am

In other words, an unprecedented and catastrophic heatwave followed by snowfall in August means that the climate is perfectly fine, nothing to worry about.
I for one can’t see anything alarming about it. I mean, it’s not like we’ve also had catastrophic flooding, mudslides, extensive coral bleaching, and new temperature records being set right left and centre all at the same time, right?

Casper
August 24, 2010 6:43 am

Meanwhile the temperature in Arctic has reached the melting point. Interesting…

August 24, 2010 6:51 am

Scott BL says:
August 24, 2010 at 4:46 am
LOL! You’re so predictable. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you WUWT guys again!
Seasonal cooling, like early snow in Russia, is weather, not climate!
Seasonal warming, however, like Russia just experienced this summer, is a strong climate signal, a clear indicator of global warming, and not weather at all. The burning in Russia is also a forcast of the doom that awaits us for our abuse of Gaia. And for our rampant consumerism, too. And air conditioners. And SUVs. Evil, evil SUVs.
========================================================
Lol rotflmao funny, you’re being sarcastic, Right?

monroe
August 24, 2010 6:55 am

2 degrees c. last night in southeat B.C. I know, I know “weather not climate”…… just darn cold weather instead of that wonderful global warming I was promised.

Amino Acids in Meteorites
August 24, 2010 7:01 am

Al Gore was in Russia?

tallbloke
August 24, 2010 7:09 am

Someone on WUWT noted a month or so ago that swallows were leaving for points south over the English Channel, around two months earlier than usual. The old guy in the boat noted it was the earliest he’d seen them leave since 1947. Another old guy I met last year told me his family was snowed in at a farm outside Howarth, West Yorkshire during that year, in June.
Brace for another cold NH winter.

tallbloke
August 24, 2010 7:13 am

Larus says:
August 24, 2010 at 6:42 am (Edit)
In other words, an unprecedented and catastrophic heatwave followed by snowfall in August means that the climate is perfectly fine, nothing to worry about.

Correct. Except the heat waves and floods are not unprecedented. They’ve happened every decade somewhere in the world since Noah unexpectedly found himself in the ark building trade.

Rossa
August 24, 2010 7:13 am

The BBC’s weather presenter on Breakfast News this morning stated that there was a risk of frost in the rural South West of England tonight. I was so shocked I had to rewind the PVR to hear it again. WTF. It’s August for heavens sake (stonger words used at the time). Maybe in the northern reaches of Scotland but never heard of it in the S.West at this time of year (though no doubt someone on here from the UK may say otherwise).
Overnight temps were supposed to be around 10C according to her weather map. I shall be contacting my friend in Somerset (S.W.) tomorrow to see if there is any local reports about it.
We’ve already noticed that our lime and sycamore trees are dropping their leaves as we have a continual battle to get rid of them in Autumn. Looks like it’s here already in Yorkshire.

Pascvaks
August 24, 2010 7:27 am

Ref – Ian L. McQueen says:
August 24, 2010 at 6:22 am
“I read every post through with great interest. But I am bothered virtually every day by “it’s” used as the possessive of “it”. Anthony, “it’s” means “it is”…”
____________________________
Huuuuuum….. Ahhhhhhhh….. I think your spot on!

Henry chance
August 24, 2010 7:27 am

Cost 15 billion dollars? I can’t find business journals from Russland. From what i gathered, that was 15 billion calculated by lost of wheat exports and some fire fighting expenses?
The wheat is still there. It now has a higher price. Just less of it.
Do russians purchase fire insurance?

Mr Lynn
August 24, 2010 7:31 am

It’s all anecdotal. Here in eastern Massachusetts the leaves on the locust trees have been turning and falling for a couple of weeks, but maybe that’s because of the month-long drought we’ve been suffering from, until this weekend; got a lot of rain Sunday and Monday, but the grass had all turned brown, and even with the dam below us, the Sudbury River was too low for us to get the canoe out past the lillies and muck.
My 96-year-old mother in Maryland says that when you get a very hot summer, you’re sure to get a very cold winter. She thinks ‘global warming’ is ‘a crock’.
Re Ian L. McQueen’s complaint (August 24, 2010 at 6:22 am): That’s Steve, not Anthony, misusing it’s (the contraction of ‘it is’) for the possessive of it. I have raised the issue before, but got yelled at for picking nits.
/Mr Lynn

Neil Jones
August 24, 2010 7:32 am

In Switzerland we have trees turning and a bumper crop of autumn mushrooms, about three weeks early.
The Swiss tell me this is the type of weather (repeat WEATHER) they used to get in the 1960s.

Tommy
August 24, 2010 7:33 am

In Soviet Russia, snow shovels you!

rbateman
August 24, 2010 7:45 am

Folks are already talking of the “Feel of Fall” in the air. Birds flock 1 month ahead of normal.
The Sun is still doing it’s Rip Van Spotless act. I suppose that if NASA sent another 3 probes up, it would find the upper atmosphere still 1/3 shrunken from normal, as the last time they tried this (2008?).
The Moscow Neutron Monitor ( http://cr0.izmiran.rssi.ru/mosc/main.htm ) has halted it’s slide downwards. This particular station leads all the others, and all other follow suit eventually in pattern.
So, the question of continued Hemispheric Winter Hopscotch appears answered… rather early.

savethesharks
August 24, 2010 7:48 am

Smokey says:
August 24, 2010 at 5:28 am
@ dolormin,
Keep telling yourself what is being observed is anything other than natural variability. It’s always fun watching someone get all hyper over the black cat fallacy.
===============================
Right on, Smokey.
Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA

rbateman
August 24, 2010 7:54 am

2010 08 19 78 11 0 0 -999 A6.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2010 08 20 77 11 0 0 -999 A6.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2010 08 21 76 0 0 0 -999 A5.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2010 08 22 75 0 0 0 -999 A4.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2010 08 23 75 0 0 0 -999 A4.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Spotless streak over. the 19th and 20th rather strangely having zero area. I’ll take it as 5 days spotless. Cute.

Olen
August 24, 2010 7:54 am

If Napoleon were alive this is when he would be invading Russia.

Layne Blanchard
August 24, 2010 7:55 am

An observation:
When Dr. Richard Keen presented temp records several months back, I noted that the 1930s were not only the period with the greatest number of highs, but also had a great number of lows.
Similar to stock market chart behavior? Where volatility precedes a change of direction? Fascinating thought, but what would be the mechanism?
http://icecap.us/images/uploads/TempExtremeDecadesm.jpg

Gary Pearse
August 24, 2010 8:00 am

Alert, Nunavut day highs 32F, night lows 26, snow (google Alert Nunavut Weather -weather underground) – not much but I guess it got missed by the snow mappers – or Environment Canada, whose lousy weather records of late may have missed it.

savethesharks
August 24, 2010 8:01 am

rbateman says:
August 24, 2010 at 7:45 am
=========================
Even on the east coast of the USA that has baked for the summer, a very unusual [for this time of the year] and vigorous upper level low has taken the place of the ridge and is bringing a taste of it.
Also eyeballing Danielle lose the convection in her sails right now….that definitely was not predicted.
F 10.7 down at 75. This ain’t no 1954, for sure.
http://www.leif.org/research/F107%20at%20Minima%201954%20and%202008.png
Maybe ya’ll are on to something!
And maybe its time for Svensmark to write a sequel.
Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA

Editor
August 24, 2010 8:02 am

Mr Lynn says:
August 24, 2010 at 7:31 am
> It’s all anecdotal. Here in eastern Massachusetts the leaves on the locust trees have been turning and falling for a couple of weeks, but maybe that’s because of the month-long drought we’ve been suffering from, ….
Locust trees are about the first to give up when late summer is dry. I noticed some color in other trees yesterday in New Hampshire, a bit surprising, and makes me wonder if the trees have accumulated enough sugar already to keep them happy over the winter. That or if the heat and dry weather is stressing more than just locusts.
The blackberries on my Mt Cardigan property are just incredible. Last summer was cool and cloudy, berries didn’t ripen until September. I made three batches of jam a couple weeks ago and picked and made another batch Sunday, all from a much smaller area than I gathered from last year. While it’s been fairly dry up there, it hasn’t been dry enough to slow down the plants. Ferns are also happy, whereas around home near Concord the grass is brown, some ferns around the house started out really well but the fronds withered a month or so ago.
It’ll be interesting to see how the different conditions affect the foliage this year.

Virveli
August 24, 2010 8:05 am

According to the same Rutgers, the current amount of snow in the land areas of the Russian federation = 0. If there was actually any snow, that will have disappeared from the statistics. Snow will be very short-lived when temps have been 8-14 degrees C in the area today at noon!
http://www.uni-koeln.de/math-nat-fak/geomet/meteo/winfos/TTeuropa.gif
http://climate.rutgers.edu/snowcover/chart_daily.php?ui_year=2010&ui_day=235&ui_set=0

amicus curiae
August 24, 2010 8:08 am

Tallbloke…I have some of those Swallows!
didnt note the date but they are here in Vic Aus for a couple of weeks at least, back to their little home in my shed:-)
and its fairly nippy and rather soggy here just now:-)
wonderful winter weather, late, but wonderful!
rock on, springtime!

Editor
August 24, 2010 8:09 am

Note that the northern Polar Vortex has completely broken down and the Arctic is currently dominated by high pressure:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/intraseasonal/z500_sh_anim.shtml
As a result, low pressure areas from the Arctic are now seated over Northern Europe and Asia:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/intraseasonal/z200anim.shtml
It’s amazing how Global Warming turns on and off with the weather…

Editor
August 24, 2010 8:27 am

D’oh!, like I said, this is the Northern Polar Vortex, which has completely broken down:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/intraseasonal/z500_nh_anim.shtml
I erroneously linked to the Southern Polar Vortex in my previous post, but the facts remain as stated.

tonyb
Editor
August 24, 2010 8:35 am

The serious point about these weather snapshots is that here on the English Riviera Officialdom are spending large amounts of tax payers money on advising tourist businesses how to adapt to climate change and ever warming summers. This leads businesses to believe we will become like the French Riviera and may lead them to invest in the wrong sort of tourist facility.
Last few days have been cool, breezy and showery. In fact a typical British summer.
Tonyb

savethesharks
August 24, 2010 8:48 am

Just The Facts says:
August 24, 2010 at 8:27 am
====================================
But way up in the 10 mb level it is still pretty cold, no?
Wow, but who lit a match in the southern hemisphere?? What a sudden stratospheric warming that was!
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/intraseasonal/temp10anim.shtml
Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA

Patagon
August 24, 2010 8:48 am

I bet that will not be news.
There is some snow forecasted for BC and Alaska in the coming days:
http://www.meteoexploration.com/snow/snowmapsUS.html
and there was quite a lot in the Alps this month (See MontBlanc hindcast )

foley hund
August 24, 2010 8:52 am

“Scott BL says:
August 24, 2010 at 4:46 am
LOL! You’re so predictable. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you WUWT guys again!”
“Seasonal cooling, like early snow in Russia, is weather, not climate!”
“Seasonal warming, however, like Russia just experienced this summer, is a strong climate signal, a clear indicator of global warming, and not weather at all. The burning in Russia is also a forcast of the doom that awaits us for our abuse of Gaia. And for our rampant consumerism, too. And air conditioners. And SUVs. Evil, evil SUVs.”
Nothing personal, but did you somehow miss the freezing of South America? Is that seasonal cooling weather, or a global cooling climate change? Are you only selecting the seasonal warm weather as a marker for global warming? Is the extent of all the record lows this past winter in the southern hemisphere just seasonal lows?
It appears you are the one that is predictable.

hansong
August 24, 2010 9:10 am

The personal pronoun “its” (e.g., “Russia has seen its first snow accumulation of the season.”) has no apostrophe.
“It’s” is a contraction of “it is”. It’s not the personal pronoun “its”. Get it?
Errors like this raise questions about your credibility. Is it worth it?

jorgekafkazar
August 24, 2010 9:29 am

Layne Blanchard says: “…the 1930s were not only the period with the greatest number of highs, but also had a great number of lows. Similar to stock market chart behavior? Where volatility precedes a change of direction? Fascinating thought, but what would be the mechanism?”
Multiple negative feedbacks.

August 24, 2010 9:40 am

Marcos says:
August 24, 2010 at 4:50 am
I’ve noticed that leaves have started to change colors in various parts of NYC. strange since its been very warm until this week…

Everything will change Marcos. All those nice good things we cherished the most, they, too will be gone. You know, everything changes each time the big seasons change: From the political revolutions back in the Maunder to the leaves falling you see out there.
This is the “Turn of the Screw” we’ve been waiting for.

August 24, 2010 9:50 am

Virveli
Would you expect August snow to remain on the ground for very long?

Douglas DC
August 24, 2010 10:05 am

BTW- this patter in Russia-and very similar to 132 years ago. Cycles anyone?
Also Russia and the NH in general suffered in the 1930’s from drought -both hot and cold. Another thing the fires, especially the peat bogs were exacerbated by the Stalinist
era practice of draining the bogs, enhancing the dryness and peat is a good heat source…
Hillary not with standing and her science creds, but I say weather…

Richard
August 24, 2010 10:06 am

Then i guess that negative feedbacks are all we get this year; after a cold winter the spring looked promising but bled out quite rapidly. The end of July and August have not been above normal here in the Netherlands quite the contrary: The last week it looks more like autumn.
It’s windy, chilly and wet for the time of year and if the forecasts are correct it remains like this for at least another week.

Editor
August 24, 2010 10:13 am

savethesharks says: August 24, 2010 at 8:48 am
“But way up in the 10 mb level it is still pretty cold, no?”
Yep, but it appears to be becoming less so. There seems to be some heat over Asia that’s moving on up:
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/intraseasonal/temp50anim.shtml
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/intraseasonal/temp30anim.shtml
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/intraseasonal/temp10anim.shtml
“Wow, but who lit a match in the southern hemisphere?? What a sudden stratospheric warming that was!”
Yes, it would be great if we had a resident atmospheric expert who might be able to shed some more light on such occurrences.

Scott B
August 24, 2010 10:59 am

foley hund says: August 24, 2010 at 8:52 am
Sorry, foley hund. I thought the obvious flaw in my “warm weather is climate, cool weather is weather” logic would make it obvious I was being sarcastic.

Jeff Wood
August 24, 2010 11:10 am

I am certain ScottBL is being ironic. Trouble is, much warmist hysteria is hard to parody.
In Central Scotland, autumn is indeed early, I suspect because of the long spell of pretty dry weather which broke recently, heavy rain just in time to delay the barley harvest.
Our swallows have not yet flown south, but are fattening themselves furiously for the journey – when I walk the dog I often have to duck because they are so intent on catching insects they don’t seem to see me. Now that is new.
The starlings have gone, and I think that must be remarkable.

August 24, 2010 11:54 am

Just The Facts says:
August 24, 2010 at 10:13 am
I am not expert but I have witnessed that when you put power off 🙂

pkatt
August 24, 2010 12:23 pm

The animals here in the NW are gearing up for a big winter too. Geese are already on their sept behavior, the squirls are fattening up and building furiously and some of my seasonal trees are already dropping leaves and my catnip is already fully seeded. The temps have been lovely.. usually this time of year is our hottest, but it feels like late Sept already and my airconditioner pwr bill has been lovely low:) gotta love that.

Aldi
August 24, 2010 1:19 pm

I thought snow would become a thing of the past?

rbateman
August 24, 2010 1:23 pm

Mr Lynn says:
August 24, 2010 at 7:31 am
An August ‘dry’ leaf fall (as commonly seen in N. Calif.) is different from the whole tree turning in the late fall.
Only a small percentage of leaves will brown out due to excessive summer heat/dry air as the tree sheds some the load on its ‘power grid’.
When a deciduous tree has its sap go down for the winter, the whole tree shuts down.
It’s the latter condition that signals summer is kaput, and winter not far off.

monroe
August 24, 2010 1:23 pm

I got a kick out of it, Scott.

Jean
August 24, 2010 1:35 pm

I love reading these weather snapshots. However, I wish folks would keep in mind that readers round the world are reading the posts. What seems obvious to you in identifying your locale is often not so obvious.

Rhys Jaggar
August 24, 2010 3:22 pm

There’s a mountain guide in Scotland who put up a fairly serious pledge that, if the medium-range forecast of snow in September came about and any ice climbing routes were doable, he’d take bookings on a ‘no ice no fee’ basis……..
Highly unusual to go ice climbing in October, let alone September……..
We’ll see what happens, but here in the UK, the berries, fruits and pine cones are hugely plentiful, rather early and that often presages a hard winter in folklore…….
The science would say that ecosystems which could sense a coming hard winter and produce more food and seeds that year might evolve an evolutionary advantage if the abnormal cold killed off more seeds than usual………….and the animals could store more food to get them through the hard times as well………
Anyone studying plant physiology down at Accuweather.com??!!

August 24, 2010 3:30 pm

Meanwhile, in Oz, where snow was predicted to be a thing of the past…from the ABC in 2007…
Snow may disappear from Kosciuszko by 2050: CSIRO
A new CSIRO report into climate change is predicting an uncertain future for the New South Wales high country’s Kosciuszko National Park.
The report, commissioned for the NSW Greenhouse Office, says snowfall by the year 2050 will almost be non-existent.
As snowfall decreases there will be less catchment run-off, which would seriously affect the Snowy River and Murrumbidgee catchment areas.
The study’s author, climatologist Ben Preston, says flora and fauna are particularly at risk and he warns the mountain pygmy possum may be extinct within 70 years, along with 200 alpine plant species.
He says global warming will be particularly noticeable in the Snowy Mountains.
“The Snowy Mountains are one of the regions of Australia that are likely to be most vulnerable to the future effects of climate change,” he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1824258.htm
Whats happening in 2010?
Record snow fall for Mount Hotham
Posted Tue Aug 24, 2010 2:00pm AEST
• Map: Mount Hotham 3741
Mount Hotham has recorded its highest August snowfalls in almost a decade.
In the past seven days 51 centimetres of snow have been recorded, taking the tally to 142 centimetres for the month.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/24/2991979.htm
Although Mt Hotham is in Victoria, it’s not that far away.
Ken

Bruce Cobb
August 24, 2010 3:48 pm

Larus says:
August 24, 2010 at 6:42 am
In other words, an unprecedented and catastrophic heatwave followed by snowfall in August means that the climate is perfectly fine, nothing to worry about.
There are plenty of things to worry about – poverty, wars, and real pollution are a few of the biggies, but there are certainly always more personal things to worry about like finances, or health, or ones’ love life. Indeed, some people aren’t happy if they aren’t worried about something every moment of the day. It seems like a terrible way to go through life, but, hey, different strokes.
On the list of things to worry about though, climate is about the dumbest because there is absolutely nothing we can do about it except adapt. If you absolutely must worry about it, worry about cooling rather than warming, as cooling is far more dangerous to man and to life in general.

Jim Barker
August 24, 2010 3:51 pm

I wonder if folklore and anecdotal reports from ordinary people on a widely read blog (WUWT !) could be considered peer-reviewed? Didn’t use it’s more than once.

Stephen Brown
August 24, 2010 4:32 pm

@ tallbloke says:
August 24, 2010 at 7:09 am;
‘Twas I who mentioned the early flight of the swallows, we’ve not seen any swooping around in the south of England for over a month now, nary a one. This has been the subject of much comment locally
Last Saturday, 21 Aug. my daughter pointed out a magnificent skein of geese, possibly 80 or more in a most impressive V-formation, heading south out over the English Channel. They won’t be back until next year. An ornithologist (not just a run-of-the-mill birdwatcher) I met at the Pagham Harbour Reserve Centre told me that he was concerned that the birds he was seeing leaving England had not had enough time between breeding and their departure to have gained enough weight to survive their journey. He stated that his concern was shared by almost all of his ornithological colleagues.
I’m a gardener and I encourage hedgehogs to populate my garden. I have built five hedgehog houses which are located in appropriate places in my back garden. Today, when I went to check them I found that three of them already had quite substantial nests built in them. The possible inhabitants are so voraciously hungry right now that they will emerge from hiding to eat the food put out for them when I am only a matter of feet away from them. It would appear that they are all desperate to gain weight in preparation for their hibernation.
The natural signs that I am observing, day by day, indicate to me that this Winter is going to start earlier than usual with a good chance that it will be quite severe at times.

SteveSadlov
August 24, 2010 7:15 pm

Bbbbbbut, Moscow has its hottest summer, everrrrrrrrrrrr!
How can this be?
What, you mean, a block typical of early autumn, happening two months two early, actually caused the great heat?

Mr Lynn
August 24, 2010 7:25 pm

rbateman says:
August 24, 2010 at 1:23 pm
An August ‘dry’ leaf fall (as commonly seen in N. Calif.) is different from the whole tree turning in the late fall.
Only a small percentage of leaves will brown out due to excessive summer heat/dry air as the tree sheds some the load on its ‘power grid’. . .

Thanks for the information. I was not sure whether the early ‘fall’ presaged an early Autumn, or whether it was just the result of the extended dry spell.
Now that we’ve had some rain, maybe we can look forward to another colorful New England October—before another long, cold New England winter.
/Mr Lynn

Ben
August 24, 2010 9:57 pm

Looking at the trends and the charts from an offhand perspective, this winter is starting to worry me. I thought that it appeared Atlantic might remain warm and keep the winter from being too bad for people along the coast, but it appears its being displaced by some mechanism we do not understand. The lack of hurricanes (some weather phenomena just wrecking Danielle when it shouldn’t), heat not coming into land like it normally should, and other stuff that is not typical even for a la nina event.
This might be a bad winter people, bundle up along the east coast too in the US. I have a bad feeling….
Normally this would be me joking and thinking tis great to prove AGW wrong, but I would rather have that argument then the winter that is appearing to come so early.

Virveli
August 24, 2010 9:59 pm

“Would you expect August snow to remain on the ground for very long?”
No Steve, especially with the temperatures in the 8-14 C range, I’d expect any possible August snow in these areas in Northern Russia to have disappearead pretty much as soon as it fell down.
Had the snowfall actually been recorded by e.g. Rutgers, this event would have been slightly newsworthy.

E.M.Smith
Editor
August 25, 2010 12:13 am

Layne Blanchard says: When Dr. Richard Keen presented temp records several months back, I noted that the 1930s were not only the period with the greatest number of highs, but also had a great number of lows.
Similar to stock market chart behavior? Where volatility precedes a change of direction? Fascinating thought, but what would be the mechanism?

1935 + 60 = 1995
So a roughly 60 year PDO cycle would have both the mid 1930’s and the mid 1990’s as hot (and they were). AT the flip (which we just had a few years back) the Jet Stream becomes more “loopy” with bulges dipping way down where it is hot and way up where it is cold. If under a southern bulge (like in California recently) you get abnormal cold. If under a northern bulge (like on the East Coast of the USA) you get abnormal warmth. (I call this effect the “lava lamp world” as stored ocean heat blobs head for the poles to be radiated away into space, giving ‘abnormal highs’ as they rush poleward; only to return as big very cold blobs headed toward the equator to pick up another load of heat, but freezing until they get there…)
During the other phase, we have a flatter jet stream that does not show blobs of heat rushing to the poles to radiate away. A more leisurely vertical circulation taking equatorial heat up rather than poleward en-mass. So surface temps are more ‘average’. That would be the 1980s pattern, more or less.
At least, that’s the mental model I’ve built for myself as a thought toy…

morgo
August 25, 2010 3:01 am

no global warming in australia huge snow falls in snowy mountains very cold in sydney

John LVP
August 25, 2010 5:08 pm

Forests aflame in the West
From Oregon, 750 miles down the coast to Santa Barbara, timber and range lands dried out by abnormally hot weather were ablaze. Forest rangers, deploying themselves desperately, counted 400 separate fires….. In the West Coast’s worst fires in 30 years, at least 8 people were killed and many thousands of acres of rich timber were lost for generations. (“Life” magazine photo essay. September 19, 1955!)

August 25, 2010 6:58 pm

The Sangre De Cristo Mountains in Northern New Mexico have the world’s tallest Aspen trees. Those groves grew up after gigantic forest fires cleared out in the pine trees in the late 19th century.
If fires like that happened today, every greenie in Santa Fe would blame it on global warming.

August 26, 2010 5:10 am

Virveli
So you believe that the snow didn’t occur in Russia?

Matt
August 26, 2010 7:28 am

Steve,
I believe Virveli’s point about the snow event was that it wasn’t large enough to even register on this year’s Rutgers snow map. Thus, the conclusion to draw is that Rutgers snow maps do not work as a metric for measuring when the first snow occurs.

R. Gates
August 26, 2010 8:24 am

Nice weather update Steve. Nothing to do with climate, but I guess the whole “snow in Florida proves AGW is wrong” routine is always going to capture the hearts and minds of the faithful…

August 26, 2010 9:32 am

R. Gates
Hot weather events are climate. Cold weather events are just weather.
There is always evidence to be found – just like any other religion.

September 1, 2010 9:56 pm

This early snow is due to “global warming”. Trus me I’m a politician.
Al of St Gore

September 1, 2010 9:57 pm

This early snow is due to “global warming”. Trust me I’m a politician.
Al of St Gore

Brian
September 3, 2010 12:36 am

As far as the early seasons are concerned, yes it is happening and I have noticed it over many years. I can remember this maybe starting probably 30 years ago, we would have an early season, it is probably what many people might call cyclic.
Nothing to worry about, quite normal.
From what I have been reading in ancient history, earth had a close encounter with a large comet and we are just getting back to normal.
For the people in the UK, the swallows arrived back in OZ around three to four weeks ago.
Nothing to worry about, if you prepare for the worst, you could get the best, it is just about getting on with life and surviving to teach your offspring how to live a good life.
We, as a people, can survive, as we have before.
How many thousands of years ?

David
September 3, 2010 12:47 am

While USA is left operating and thinking like a third world nation .where money makes all the decisions now .The end result is Gulf stream no longer functions causing
a possible new Ice age.
Both USA and UK are so broke they now function as Banana Republics where money makes all the decisions.

September 3, 2010 9:23 pm

The gulf stream has lost it’s loop in the gulf of Mexico

September 7, 2010 10:29 am

I dont know if it is true but check out the link below…………the article starts like this…
Our planet is experiencing a real life version of the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” right now. Record breaking heat (up to 39-40C or 100-104F in Moscow) and drought in Russia, heat and flooding in large parts of Asia (China, Pakistan, etc.), and killing cold temperatures in South America are all reflective of a rapidly changing global weather pattern that is caused by dramatic changes in the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Current (also called the North Atlantic Drift) and the Norway Current/etc.
http://www.rense.com/MexicoAlreadyDead.html
how knows …..may be the asteroids will get us first………