Polar vortex outbreak creates 90 degree difference from one end of Texas to the other
Look at the cold plunging from the latest polar vortex incursion:
Notice the difference between Houston and Dallas, or New Orleans and Wichita now take a look at this map. WeatherBell’s Ryan Maue reports that the coldest state in Lower 48 was Iowa, with an average of -1.0°F
Look at the gradient across the front in Texas, note how sharp it is; a 90 degree difference from the southern tip of Texas to the Texas panhandle.
Former AMS president Marshal Shepard remarks:
Marshall Shepherd @DrShepherd2013 2h
Even better depiction of temperature difference with this front..90 deg difference.. Wow via Jared rackley pic.twitter.com/FDRZZvEtGb
See the WUWT Polar Vortex page for more
UPDATE: Greg Carbin of NOAA produced the 24 hour animation of surface temps:
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We set a record where I live in S Minnesota today. For the first time in recorded history (130 years) we had a below zero high in March (-2F). Supposed to set a record low tonight as well (-20F).
Hunkered down here in Houston, waiting for the cold front. JimB
Remember severe cooling is the surest sign of warming. LOL.
On his WeatherBell blog Joe Bastardi noted that some Texan town, up in the northern panhandle, which ordinarily has a March 2 high temperature of 67, today only had a high temperature of 7.
Hmm. Only sixty degrees below normal. Obviously it is only weather, and does not refute the idea of Global Warming. /sarc
Joe also noted that particular north Texas reading of seven degrees represented an 80 degree difference between north Texas and south Texas, at 2:00 in the afternoon. He could not recall, (without checking records,) ever seeing such a clash in Texas temperatures, before.
Hmm. That would make it 87 degrees in south Texas. Now THAT would be proof-positive of Global Warming. /sarc.
I myself can’t recall, in my 61 years, seeing an airmass this cold plunge south this late in the winter, and be this widespread. I myself don’t mind it, as it shunted a storm south from New Hampshire to Washington DC, and I figure it is high time those dreamers shovel some honest snow, rather than the brown stuff they usually shovel to us “ignorant peons.”
I think we will be lucky if we get out of this clash, between air like January’s with Gulf-of-Mexico warmth, without a storm that could get ugly resulting from the clash.
Pippen Kool said: “I like the minus zero in Minot, Canada.”
Beat me on the minus zero. So it is colder than we thought.
But not cold enough yet to move the border south, so I expect that North Dakota still claims Minot.
RE: MattN says:
March 2, 2014 at 5:05 pm
“…Go home winter, you’re drunk….”
Well put.
I fully intend to say, “Go home winter, you’re drunk,” at suitable occasions during the next week, and to pretend the statement is my own. The benefits of this plagiarism will be twofold. I will gain respect, (which I need more than Rodney Dangerfield,) and you will learn to copyright your cleverness.
@ur momisugly Ed MacAulay 7:38,
-0 is perfect.
As for moving the border south to match the temperature, well thats one way to get the pipeline built.
I’m with alberta lad, keep stalling that pipeline and sniping at our fine environmental record and we canadians will sent you more cold air.
Canada is cleaning up the largest oil spill know to man, why are those eco-nasties trying to impede our fine work.
Especially the ones from California, who need to get out to sea and plug up that oil seeping out of the ocean floor.All the chosen one needs is goodwill and lead boots.
perhaps we need to up the sarcasm, cold records,even with the adjusted past, are just weather.
Any hot day,0.001C over the past high temp is catastrophic climate.
Anyone have information on the sensing lag time of a mercury thermometer?
How long must a temperature persist to be recorded?
As for how a mercury thermometer would have recorded todays record of xx.002 C, a new record over xxC of 1936.
Digital recordings; more an more useless data at evermore detailed delusions of accuracy.
“Excuse me being ignorant are you C or F on the map?”
It’s the consensus average of C and F?
Yep, “move right along folks, nothing to see here, the climate is fine, just a small glitch, the climate is in good shape, all will be well, never mind the pollution, it’s all part of progress, so move along please, nothing to see here, nothing to worry about . . . . . . ”
It all boils down to the same old problem, and that is “Those with expertise have no authority, and those with authority have no expertise”.
I know I’ve posted the link to this cartoon before, but it still remains pertinent . . . . .
http://cartoonmick.wordpress.com/editorial-political/#jp-carousel-775
Cheers
Mick
“You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here”
We only have a 20° spread here at the moment, but most of the state is in single digits: http://www.mesonet.org/index.php/weather/map/air_temperature/air_temperature
And the mollusks still believe . . . . maybe the cold will freeze some of their tentacles off.
Oh, and watch all that water freezing into ice as you heat it to boiling point!
Back in the good old days we used to call that an Arctic cold front. Who knew?
Just talked to my brother in central Wisconsin. They have dropped below 0F….. again and are expecting a low of -16F. That will make it 50 days with temps below 0F. The deep, persistent cold is taking its toll.
Frost depths in the soils are now deep enough (4 feet) that buried utilities are being affected. The water and sewer utilities of many small communities are experiencing problems with water supply and waste pipes freezing. Not good. In response, they have asked their customers to leave water taps trickling continuous flows to try to keep some heat in the underground pipes.
Rural residents with individual drilled wells are experiencing similar pipe freeze ups in their buried water supply lines and septic systems. Portable generators/welders are attached to the metal pipes (at well head and at the house) to resistance heat the pipes and get them thawed out again.
Unless the septic lines are metal, that trick doesn’t work for them. It’s getting real serious out there now.
The unflagging spirit of the Wisconsin fishermen is being challenged similarly, if less seriously. Most areas are reporting lake ice thicknesses of 30 inches or more, requiring extensions to be added to the powered ice augers to assure penetration into the water below.
Now, compare that temperature distribution with the ice at the LGM. Not saying were headed for an ice age. Saying it is the pattern. Signal for various patterns seems to exist all the time. What seems to change is meta conditions that favor one pattern over another.
Joel says:
March 2, 2014 at 6:13 pm
Can someone tell me why there are no severe storm cells along this front?
—————
There are, actually, down in Louisiana to Tennessee and thereabouts.
colder than a well digger’s witch
I am guessing most folks on this blog are fans of “big weather” & this certainly qualifies ! Fun & exciting stuff to follow !
It would be interesting to see how deep some of the cold weather over TX is (or isn’t ). For perspective, yesterday here in the Denver area , it was quite shallow. At our full time house (elev 6100 ft), it was 13 deg mid-afternoon. At our mtn house (also east of the continental divide, elev 9400 ft) , the temp was 38 deg at the same time – fronts can very very 3 dimensional , although not always evident unless you have some topography around.
Actually this was very interesting in that we had the Pacific cold front blow through but only effect the higher elevations as it actually swept over the arctic front at lower elevations without perturbing that airmass significantly.
Very interesting stuff!
Carla mówi:
Wir w tym roku został bardzo ciekawe ..
Carla thank you that you have a cool mind. I’m counting on you, because I do not know the language.
In Australia where I live it was 33 C today. We were told it was going to a long hot drawn out summer, because of AGW. Reality! Summer has been halted. The temperature is now in Autumn mode! Gee, they are accurate in their predictions. Following up the mention that AGW being taught in schools as fact! Propaganda of L.
albertalad says:
March 2, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Yes – the polar vortex. So y’all getting our message we’re not real happy with the XL lack of progress now?
=============
Don’t like our oil? How about Canad-Air? Eh!
The quickest way for the US to solve global warming is to switch to Celsius. Instead of 100F summers, you get a nice cool 38C. But when its cold, no difference. -40F is -40C.
@ferdberple – Are you a politician? If not, you missed your calling! LOL
John Robertson wrote: I’m with alberta lad, keep stalling that pipeline and sniping at our fine environmental record and we canadians will sent you more cold air.
Canada is cleaning up the largest oil spill know to man, why are those eco-nasties trying to impede our fine work”. I live in Minnesota and I have said the same thing for years! The way I put it was, you would think the loony libs would love that man is cleaning up all that oil fouled Alberta sand!!! LOL. Been a brutal winter in central MN and wind power isn’t going to keep us from freezing. Thank God for the Canadian energy we are importing with infrastructure built decades ago, before we discovered that Canadian energy is killing us!!!! LOL Waterlines are freezing in MN but not widespread – yet! About ten years ago the ski hills were complaining that it was too warm to stay in business. Now they are complaining that it is so cold, ticket sales are down! It isn’t cold everywhere though. A relative of mind who lives in Australia told me it was a warm summer there. Warm is good! Better than cold!! Someone tell the libs!!!
Our new record cold two days ago was -29.9 C. Tonight it is -24 with a wind chill value of -32. We have been running 20 degrees C below normal for weeks. Sure glad it is only the weather. I don’t think I could deal with a climate this cold.
A classic, night/day front as I like to call them. We get this a lot in April in MN where if will be 80s or 90 in srn MN and 30s northern MN. But this winter is top 5 for below zero days at MSP…49 and counting