TheClimateChanger

Well, I don't have exact numbers. As far as I can find, no analysis was performed before the change. Some sort of pre-switch testing, but no systematic analyses like they had done back in the 1990s. Just very suspicious IMO. Why are all of the airport stations (with the exception of Islip-Macarthur) so much cooler this December (so far) relative to last compared to the cooperative stations? Upton NWS office used to be the coldest by far... Shirley Brookhaven AP was always significantly warmer, now they are almost the same? Westchester even colder now?

Don, I don't put as much stock in the temperatures from the first order sites since the transition to the Vaisala sensors earlier this year. They have consistently been running between about 1-2F cooler relative to cooperative stations in every month since that change.

Low 50s in northern Maine is record/near-record warmth this time of the year. How much hotter does it need to be to qualify for a torch?

BIG changes underway. That snow and ice doesn't stand a chance.

Certainly a big change. International Falls, commonly known as the Icebox of the Nation, soared to an astounding 50F yesterday, obliterating a 112-year-old daily record by 7F. That was the latest 50F reading on record there. For those hoping the snowpack might blunt the coming warmup, that's not a positive development.

Wow, that's a lot of rain on top of the ongoing flooding in the Pacific Northwest.

Looks like the "high water mark" for the cold, so to speak. With upcoming pattern change, final December numbers should be rather ho-hum.

A little dated (from the spring), but I chanced upon this today and I think it's quite relevant. This lines up with what I've been seeing - the common adage "the wet get wetter" just doesn't seem to be accurately reflecting the conditions on the ground. We've now had several years in a row east of the Rockies (the last couple extending all the way to the coast) with fairly extensive drought. While annual precipitation numbers might not be too far from historical means, enhanced evapotranspiration seems to be drawing down surface and ground waters.

Brutal timing for that west coast trough --> central US ridge.

I don’t even know where this myth came from that I predicted no more 4” daily snows. If you go back to the *unedited* post in question, I said “you have to expect that breaks soon” before jokingly posing the question whether it would never happen again. Which is a reasonably way to cope with nearly 4 years of no bona fide storms.

Finished up with about 5 1/4” of snow.

Not sure, will probably get there. We've been getting some heavier rates as the colder air works in. Probably up to ~3" now.

Nothing too crazy yet. Maybe 2” out there.

Rare winter storm warning for our area:

JB coming out with the 1985 analog. What a joke... IIRC, it was something like -20F with a -50F windchill at Cleveland. There is zero chance of that happening. Must be trying to bail out a buddy who's long $NG.

Looks good. Nice spread the wealth event. Despite the different products (WWA/WSW), shouldn't be a huge gradient north to south.