Apologies to my readers and my family, I made the mistake of watching TV today. So I had to report on this rare weather event.
Here’s what the National Weather Service serving Atlanta says about it:
Climatology for Christmas Day
As Christmas Day draws closer, many questions arise about what kind of weather Georgia has seen on Christmas. What has been the warmest Christmas? When was the coldest Christmas? Has Georgia ever seen a white Christmas? Here is some information that will answer some of these questions.
On average, high temperatures ranged from the mid 40s across north Georgia to the mid 60s across central Georgia. The average low temperatures range from the mid 20s across north Georgia to the mid 40s across central Georgia. However, days of Christmas past have been quite warm with the record high temperatures in the 70s across north and central Georgia. We have also seen bitterly cold Christmas days where record low temperatures were in the single digits.
| Record Temperatures for December 25 | ||||||||
| Atlanta | Athens | Macon | Columbus | |||||
| Max | Min | Max | Min | Max | Min | Max | Min | |
| Record Temp. (°F) | 72 | 0 | 77 | 3 | 78 | 7 | 76 | 8 |
| Year | 1889 | 1983 | 1955 | 1983 | 1889 | 1983 | 1955 | 1983 |
While most Christmas days have been dry, record rainfall amounts have exceeded 2.0 inches at all of the climate sites.
| Record Precipitation for December 25 | ||||
| Atlanta | Athens | Macon | Columbus | |
| Precipitation (inches) | 2.06 | 2.52 | 2.68 | 3.32 |
| Year | 1945 | 1945 | 1964 | 1964 |
Although we have had very cold Christmases, records show that White Christmases are rare in Georgia. The only locations that have received measureable snowfall are Atlanta and Athens, although Columbus had a trace of snow in 1970. Macon has never seen snow on Christmas day.
| Snowfall on December 25 | ||||
| Atlanta | Athens | Macon | Columbus | |
| Number of Days snowfall ≥ 0.1″ | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of Days snowfall = Trace | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Record Snowfall on December 25 | ||||
| Atlanta | Athens | Macon | Columbus | |
| Snow Amount | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0 | Trace |
| Year of Occurence | 1881 | 1993 | – | 1970 |
![[ Average Maximum Temperature for Dec 25. ]](https://i0.wp.com/www.srh.noaa.gov/images/ffc/FFCfinalXMASmax.png?quality=75)
Avearage Maximum Temperature for Dec. 25th. |
![[ Average Minimum Temperature for Nov. 25. ]](https://i0.wp.com/www.srh.noaa.gov/images/ffc/FFCfinalXMASmin.png?quality=75)
Average Minimum Temperature for Dec. 25th. |
| *The above data is based on climate and coop stations with at least 20 years of data. | |
Compare to their graphicast:
Nationally, it looks like about half of the USA had a white Christmas:
Source: http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/nsa/
Even Tom Karl and Thomas C. Peterson at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville got dumped on – 9 inches worth. Merry Christmas fellows!
It seems there was “shrinkage” in the record though:
The difference is probably due to reporting periods. The remainder of the 9 inches likely came after midnight.
While the upcoming cold won’t be a record, it is chilling. I wonder if Mr. Karl and Mr. Peterson will make it into work tomorrow?
Source: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/gsp/
We’ll stand by for the inevitable stories blaming this on global warming climate change climate disruption.
Alright I’m done for today, off to return some gifts and try out some new ones!
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Thanks Anthony,
Hope the recorders are taking note:
http://www2.ucar.edu/news/1036/record-high-temperatures-far-outpace-record-lows-across-us
“Of course, you know that this is caused by Global Warming”
Heh. Sure enough, there’s an article – link below – in today’s New York Times that says that, indeed, and in so many ways, cold and snow are caused by global warming.
(I went to put a link on “Tips & Notes to WUWT” and two other readers had beaten me to it.)
I’m off to don a hair shirt (both to do penance for my environmental guilt and to keep warm in the global warming blizzard currently striking the US Northeast).
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/opinion/26cohen.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=homepage
I live 30 miles SW of Asheville, and we’re snowed in at the moment. I posted some pix of the “global warming” at Weather Underground.
The interesting thing about this is that, despite not having snow since the 19th century, Atlanta still had stocks of salt available and teams ready to spread them within 24 hours (or actually less, given that it snowed on Christmas Day). Meantime, we learn that during the third cold winter in a row Heathrow airport can still be disabled by more than 1″ of snow. Congrats to the Atlantans (Atlanteans? Atalantans?), and a kick up the Khyber to British Airports Authority.
We were going to visit my bro in Va. Beach this week to get some warmth but Piers Corbyn’s weather forecast put us off – Thank God! Drive or fly? Either would have been a nightmare. Now there’s more snow there than in Toronto! But it is still slightly warmer than here.
My commiserations to those here from the eastern US and Britain and France in your battles with the unusual cold and snow. But cheers for the added confusion to the Warmists! Irritable Climate Syndrome – LOL!
Yikes – problems with HTML code. I just don’t do it often enough to keep in practice. My apologies for the confusing fonts!
[Fixed as you intended? 8<) Robt]
Re: NYT article. The extent to which warmalistas will go to in their convoluted apologias is simply breathtaking. The earth could be frozen solid and they will still chant that it is because the planet has a fever.
We’ll stand by for the inevitable stories blaming this on global warming climate change climate disruption.
——————
Glad to oblige but I am sure that you would prefer a story that snow in your back yard proves an ice age is coming.
Any thoughts on why we are seeing crazy altercations between record snow and heat waves. Is it just a statistical fluke? How many years of this will need to go on before we conclude that something is affecting the weather?
More evidence of Global Warming….obviously….and much much worse than we thought!
I’m assuming Al Gore passed through Atlanta on his way to the Northeast is the most logical explanation.
Just in case someone is wondering, it is not all that unusual to get a little snow in Atlanta, a half inch or so, but it is very unusual on Christmas. Weather is usually balmy through December with occasional cold snaps. But January and February can be cold. Most snow showers occur in January or February.
[Over the past 20+ years since 1988, most winters have no snow at – it falling as noted above in late January/early February – and when it has snowed, very rarely does the snow stay (unmelted) for more than 1-1/2 days. Robt]
There is some weird editorial in NYT that states that global warming means more cooling. Someone please find and post the link (maybe a separate post?).
[Many/most other readers would appreciate your effort if you would make that effort yourself, but thank you for the heads up. Robt]
Mighty hard for Tom & Tom not to look out the window.
AGW skates on the thinnest of ice.
With winters like this, who needs Global Warming causes Global Cooling, and what do you want to bet that Hansen will
fabrikadabraadjust another Warmist Ever?‘Stop Global Warming’ Sign Buried in the Snow
http://jammiewearingfool.blogspot.com/2010/12/sign-of-times-stop-global-warming-sign.html
Chris says:
December 26, 2010 at 5:43 pm
There is some weird editorial in NYT that states that global warming means more cooling. Someone please find and post the link (maybe a separate post?).
I think this travesty might be what you were looking for. These op-eds are intended as comfort food for warmanista’s, they’re getting really fatty though.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/opinion/26cohen.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
LazyTeenager says:
December 26, 2010 at 4:50 pm
So are you saying that anthropogenic CO2 is now causing wide swings between global warming and global cooling? Can you point out where this was predicted in the peer reviewed CAGW literature?
The usual rule in Georgia is, if it’s cold enough to snow, it’s too dry. If it’s wet enough to snow, it’s too warm. I was 21 the *second* time I saw snow fall in daylight and not melt when it hit the ground.
Old farts will of course remember the storms of 1973 and 1982. 🙂
A glorious White Christmas up here in Illinois. Just like the ones we had when I was a kid.
It’s climate change, all right. It’s changing back to the climate we had 5o years ago.
Lazy Teenager says “How many years of this has to go on before we realize something is affecting the weather” Yes, It is called MOTHER NATURE!!
Sorry Rob should be “Yes She is called MOTHER NATURE”
Mike McMillan says:
December 26, 2010 at 7:35 pm
….
It’s climate change, all right. It’s changing back to the climate we had 5o years ago.
Or 100, 200, 400, 800 years ago, etc.
There is an El Nino event embedded in tree rings of the PNW around the middle of the 11th Century. 1998 El Nino was a +5, this thing was a +7 by comparison. There are also dry/cold years embedded in the same tree rings correlating with modern La Nina examples which register -4 to -5, and the really bad ones from hundreds of years ago bottom out at -6 to -7.
funny items at norwegian weather site.
http://www.yr.no/
global warming treatens the norwegian alpin resorts,
http://translate.google.nl/translate?hl=nl&sl=no&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yr.no%2F
directly next to it; Ski resortst closed due to extreme COLD.. (-33C)
hahaha.
Futhermore Coldest december in 110 Years in norway (after coldest november in 110 years) also coldest xmas day
record cold in germany, netherlands and denmark (top 3 coldest december)
and second white Xmas in a row in The Netherlands (neverhappend before)
.
BUt milder weather is forcasted.. (for now)
Please define “crazy”. If you are so certain that today’s weather is so unusual compared to previous years/decades/centuries, I would like to see your objective proof that this is so before proceeding with the rest of what you say. In the absence of such proof, I will assume you are simply yelling at clouds.
http://ramblingfish.com/__oneclick_uploads/2008/08/grandpa_simpson_yelling_at_cloud_001.jpg
Let me get this right? If the recent record cold temps and snowfall are supposedly caused by Global warming and not another possible little Ice age, then how do we know when global warming is over?
*******
spangled drongo says:
December 26, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Thanks Anthony,
Hope the recorders are taking note:
http://www2.ucar.edu/news/1036/record-high-temperatures-far-outpace-record-lows-across-us
*******
Familiarize yourself with Anthony’s temp-station survey. The simplest explanation is that it’s a record of UHI effects at airports.