539 new snowfall records were also set.
Since we are often treated to lists of record high temperatures when heat waves occur and they are improperly linked to global warming (like in Russia’s heat wave this summer), I thought it only fair that I show the number of record cold and snow records around the USA for the past week that aren’t linked to global warming.
Of course it wouldn’t be fair to show just the lows temperatures and snow, so here are the high temperature records for the USA in the past week.
And here’s just the lows:
The summary of new records of interest for the past week in the USA :
| Snowfall: | 539 |
| High Temperatures: | 18 |
| Low Temperatures: | 336 |
| Lowest Max Temperatures: | 278 |
Lows outnumbered highs by a factor of 19 (336/18=18.6 ~19). That’s quite the cold snap.*
The coldest?
Deadhorse, Alaska, on Sunday, 26 Dec 2010 at -40°F beating -38°F set in 1984
*Note: some people clicking on the interactive map will see different numbers, since that map will record new highs and lows as this post ages. The headline was originally based on 16 highs during the week (see the highs map for a ratio of 21 to 1) then by the time the post editing was completed and the post made, the number of highs was up to 18, giving an 18.6 to 1 (~19 to 1 in the title) ratio. Later in the day the number of record highs in the one week period increased as new weather occurred (on Dec 31) and reports came in. The numbers were accurate at the time the post started. Weather records, like weather itself are dynamic with the forward moving one week period the interactive map generator uses, so please don’t assume error if you click on the interactive map and the numbers don’t match now, or in the future. – Anthony
I would like to (rather humbly) wish all of you who have been reading, commenting on, following, pondering about, contributing to, criticizing, etc., them excellent postings by Watts and friends a most challenging yet successful new year.
And I would like to thank Watts (and friends) for the remarkable work they’ve done, even though I lack the knowledge to appreciate it in full. Hope some day I will.
Happy new year Watts! And to every one committed to climate TRUTH.
Lows outnumbered highs by a factor of 21 (336/18=21).
If not for possible UHI it could be even higher than 21.
That map of all the cold and snow records really does raise an eyebrow.
I thought this was a great write-up.
This is a great image. It nicely illustrates the effect of the blocking high that lingered over the (ice-free) Hudson Bay and it’s effect on December weather in the US.
I am not a fan of the record highs, record lows mantra. Weather is weather and therefore these highs and lows (in isolation) are not of much importance.
However, it is often overlooked (or at any rate not sufficiently emphasised) that low temperatures and colder years carry more significance than high temperatures and record warm years and therefore there is some justification in the climate realists (the warmists would refer to us as climate deniers) pointing out cold events and rhetorically asking how these fit in with AGW.
As regards record warm years, one would expect as we come out of a mini ice age for each decade to be warmer than the preceding decade such that the warmest decade so far proves nothing. It is simply being consist with the natural process of coming out of a mini ice age but is, also, of course, consistent with AGW. However, since the physics behind CO2 (I am looking at this theoretically in islolation ignoring feedbacks) only permits the temperature to go go up when CO2 levels increase, any cold year (or year when there is no warming) runs contrary to the AGW theory and therefore each and every example of cold periods requires an explanation and one which is consitent with AGW if that theory (I am being rather generous so describing it) is to survive. As soon as the AGW protaginist has to resort to natural variation as explaing the cold, he can no longer deny that natural variation could be the explanation behind the warming. This is pivitol since the entire theory relies upon there being no other conceivable explanation for the 20th century warming other than the increase in CO2 (which increase is caused by man).
It is also import to bear in mind that one could show many thousands of examples which are consitent with a theory but this does not in itself prove the theory right, whereas one only has to prove one event inconsistent with the theory to prove the theory wrong.
That post made me roll on the floor, Pamela. Thanks as always.
Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=48253
View of the Northeast snow from space.
Hey Frank, just a curious question, can you do a pretty good ‘Eruption’ on the guitar?
Indeed, the USA is an empire stretching from Alaska to Hawaii. 🙂
TFN Johnson says:
December 31, 2010 at 4:44 am
Why no mention that Arctic sea ice cover was clearly the lowest ever recorded thru December?
______________________________________________________
Maybe because the April /May 2010 was the highest sea ice recorded since 2002.!?
The Kid From Bristol says:
December 31, 2010 at 3:19 am
Other cities figured there’s no use beating a Deadhorse.
Badda boom!
Pity the AGW establishment (plus MSM) can’t seem to get the message!
A record high and a record low are both shown at the same location on the same day in the far south of Texas on the Gulf Coast. What’s up with that?
Our official government climate warming research site hasn’t been updated since 2004. They still think that AGW may continue to drive the AO into positive territory.
hmmmmm
Good enough for government work?
http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/seminars/000320FO.html
Yes Pamela,
The reversal of the trend in jetstream behaviour and that of the AO removes a central tenet from AGW theory.
In my opinion their proposed effect probably does exist but is insignificant in the face of natural variability.
Natural processes shift the jets latitudinally by 1000 miles or more. AGW maybe a few hundred yards.
Add a new record low for this week. Last night dropped to -21 F easily beating the last record of -7 F. Way to go Concho, Arizona.
I’d think you’d need to average this over the complete year’s seasonal cycle for this to be meaningful.
Even better over an ENSO cycle.
As it stands it’s just a debating point.
chemman says:
January 1, 2011 at 10:41 am
Add a new record low for this week. Last night dropped to -21 F easily beating the last record of -7 F. Way to go Concho, Arizona.
Chonco? that’s in the White River Apache country isn’t it? Even by NE Oregon standards
that’ll neuter yer brass monkey fer sure!…
Would someone please assemble this data for all of last winter, for both north and south hemispheres, and do likewise for this winter?
It would be much easier to show the AGW moonbats how much cooler it’s getting, not warmer, with all this information together.
“Dave Springer says:
January 1, 2011 at 6:35 am
A record high and a record low are both shown at the same location on the same day in the far south of Texas on the Gulf Coast. What’s up with that?”
The records went from December 24 to December 31, so it could have been at a record warmth December 24 and at a record cold December 31. Or am I wrong?
“Galane says:
January 1, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Would someone please assemble this data for all of last winter, for both north and south hemispheres, and do likewise for this winter?”
That is being done continually. See
http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/t2lt/uahncdc.lt
I believe that this makes James Hansen an “undocumented” scientist.