Now that the quiet celestial season is nearly over…

Now that temperatures are finally warming up, the skies will be gradually heating up with celestial sites, including a meteor shower peaking April 21-22. They are called the Lyrids. All meteor showers are named based on the constellation that they appear to be originating from. It is a relatively minor shower, producing 10-20 per hour, typically…and are best seen by using your eagle eyes directly overhead (lying down is best), in the early morning hours after Midnight. So now, at this point, you need to watch my forecasts, to see if the weather will cooperate for those, and nearby, dates.

Wild Boar!

This post really has NOTHING to do with weather. But after 2 and a half years, I’m due for one of these. In fact, you will laugh, and be amazed! Do you recall the wild boar running free in downtown Utica…over a year ago? Well, when I read this story today, I immediately went back in my mind to that. Imagine…just take 30 seconds to sit back in your cubicle or work desk, and imagine…if this were the boar running through the streets then. Incredible!
http://news.yahoo.com/giant-hog-boar-hunter-caught-500-pounds-133815315.html

Mr Nino is coming to dinner

With the west coast in a very long and very bad drought, and the Midwest and Northeast seeing the coldest weather in 20 years, anything that can shake up the atmosphere might be welcomed. Welcome back, El Nino. That’s the warming of ocean waters off the coast of South America. Expected to begin a new this year, it could mean more rain for the West/SW, and for next Winter, a more moderate pace in temperatures. It’s a long way off, and even this will result in bad news SOMEWHERE, you can be sure. But here’s the article for your consideration:
http://ravallirepublic.com/news/national/article_539d9194-a612-11e3-9d40-0019bb2963f4.html

An ice age for the Lakes?

What’s that headline about? Well, with such a cold Winter so far, and a month to go, the Great Lakes are near record levels as far as ice surface coverage, about 88% overall. A brief warm up won’t dent it, and in fact, another (one final?) arctic plunge could put the Lakes up close and personal with record ice coverage before February is out.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140217/great-lakes-nearing-record-ice-more-winter-ahead

And this also goes into the file regarding a late Spring…
We are now within a month of calendar Spring, and while my November forecast stands…(no early Spring……it’ll be cold and even snowy, through much of April)…I thought you might like some numbers on the Winter, so far. December was only 1 degree below mean, and within an inch of average snow, so that’s pretty normal. January, the pendulem swung, temp-wise, ending up a full 4 degrees below average, which is a lot. It didn’t (yet) result in more snow, as we came in at 19″, about 5″ below avg. February so far, is the most of both worlds, with 23″ of snow already (4″ over average, with 10 days to go), and temps WAY below average, at about 16F for the mean, vs the average of about 23F. Even with the warm up underway, it will get just as cold again next week, making the warm up a wash…so to speak…in terms of affecting February towards the positive. So, with March to go, it appears that the best call for Winter 2013-14 was for temps well below average (I forecasted slightly above, esp at night), and snow near average (which was my forecast). I’m happy with my forecast…it was a nearly average start to Winter, the snow will probably be on target, and it won’t be an early Spring, so it appears the only error was on overall temps.

Cold temps

Have you ever seen anything like this? (Not around here!)

I subscribe to a bevy of articles on line and on paper, related to weather, because it is both interesting, and provides material for you the viewer. (I probably read 10 articles and only post about one, so most of them are culled out because you would find them valuable only to help you get over insomnia.) Be that as it may, this was really neat. It is the effect of the cold and the Lakes to the west of us, particularly over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I would tell you more, but it will only take away from the pics and the article. I would like to see this for myself…and I suspect after reading this, you will agree for yourself!

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_25043097/lake-superiors-freezing-weather-is-making-amazing-ice

Are all snowflakes different?

I get questions about whether they are all different, I get questions on how/why they change shape.
The short answer to those is, with billions of flakes falling, they can’t ALL be different. And for the second, the colder the air, the more conservative the shape…till you get to “needles” or even “grains”. In any case, here’s an article on snowflake shapes…makes for a brief, interesting read.
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/science_health/she-blinded-me-with-science-are-snowflakes-really-all-different/article_68c0b4fc-7bec-11e3-a3b4-0019bb30f31a.html#.UtUw97YB-sA.twitter

Here comes the bitter-est cold, again!

All of next week…a return to bitter cold, with daytime highs struggling to get to 10 and night time lows sub-zero, which drew my attention to this article, regarding the cold weather this Winter across the country, and harkens back to the coldest day on record in the US. It’s not too hard to guess the state.
Enjoy!
http://news.yahoo.com/video/whoknew-record-breaking-cold-weather-060000489.html

I’m seein lights before my very eyes!

I’ve had a few folks ask me about the Aurora Borealis, the “Northern Lights”…so I have a little info for you. The link below is helpful for spelling out time, direction, and likelihood for viewing…so check out that link. I will tell you from a weather forecasting perspective, your best shot is early this evening, until maybe 11pm…because after that, clouds will be rolling back in.
Here’s the link for your viewing pleasure: http://m.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/first_northern_lights_display/21859595

So, you think its cold here?!?

There was a place in Russia that has held the world record for coldest place on earth, some ridiculous number close to MINUS (-)128F. (Take a moment, sit back in your chair right now, and imagine what just -28F itself would fee like…then subtract another HUNDRED in your mind! Talk about “Blowin your mind”!)

Well, researchers have found what they believe to be a NEW low! It’s interesting to keep in mind that there are few ways to measure temps so cold. Realize that alcohol and mercury thermometers will freeze well before reaching -100F. So, just measuring it is a serious challenge!

But here’s the article…so keep in mind, when you think Jack Frost is nippin at your nose here in CNY, it’s pocket change, compared to this place!

Antarctica Sees Coldest Weather Ever Recorded On Earth

And yes, I included two pics, one of the Abominable Snowman (from Rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer cartoon), and of Han Solo (in Carbonite freeze) to set the mood!

For those curious about how Lakes affect weather

We in the Weather world talk a lot about the Lakes, and their “effect(s)” on us…and for good reason. All things work together, and it’s up to us “scientist types” to figure out how and how much. Lake Ontario is notorious for bringing downwind locations (usually east or southeast) a ton more snow than other areas that are just hit by the storm itself, whose winds get the Lake into action after the fact. The Lake also has a cooling effect on us in Spring time, as the air heats up from longer days, but the Lake keeps things cooler (and more tranquil, thunderstorm-wise), downwind too.

But, do you realize that if the winds aren’t “strong enough” to see visible effects, there are still things happening, where the Lake (and any lake) is interacting with the atmosphere above it, but not visible to the eye.

In that vein, here’s a fairly technical article (you are forewarned!) on the topic of lake/air interaction in general…not specific to Ontario, but it does actually include data regarding other local lakes!

Read on, if so inclined…
http://www.earthgauge.net/2013/climate-fact-warmer-winters-affect-lake-ice-cover