GaWx

I think that being open-minded about this is the best approach at this time. I initially assumed that CC was the main cause of this. Now, after reading about the bedrock collapse theory put out by a reputable publication (per my checking into it this morning), that’s giving me some doubt about my first thoughts. I just posted this elsewhere: “I’ve also been reading about the theory about the main cause of this being bedrock failure with the glacier collapsing mainly because of that. Whereas CC could easily still have played some role, there are currently more doubts in my mind than earlier as regards whether it played a large role based on what I’ve been reading today. In summary, much more time is likely needed to attempt to figure out the actually cause(s) of this complex disaster. That’s the safest approach to take now. Even if CC didn’t play much of a role in this, that in itself doesn’t minimize the effect of it on melting ice in general due to GW.”

Here’s Martz’s follow-up 5 minute video, which incorporates the “massive bedrock collapse” beneath the glacier as opposed to glacier collapsing, itself, theory that he quoted in his prior post, which I just posted two posts above this: @donsutherland1@chubbs

Any comments on this @donsutherland1@chubbsor others?

From pro met. “USTropics”, here’s a very detailed post that I won’t pretend to understand fully. Any opinions? “There are a few things making the satellite presentation appear that Edouard is weakening, but don’t let these processes fool you. This is not land proximity or dry air entrainment (WV would show this). The full process we are witnessing; During the initial ‘ramp up,’ deep convection is typically asymmetric. This creates intense, localized potential vorticity (PV) anomalies. The ‘ramp down’ (where cloud tops warm and deep convection appears to collapse) is the system digesting these anomalies. The asymmetric PV is sheared out by the developing cyclonic flow and mixed into the symmetric mean vortex. Edouard is simply spending its energy aligning its low-level and mid-level circulation centers rather than fueling vertical updrafts. Central pressure is a response to the integrated column warming (hydrostatic balance) and the broadening of the wind field (gradient wind). When the initial convective bursts collapse like it did earlier, they leave behind a thick mid-to-upper level stratiform deck and a broad area of latent heat release. This residual warm core forces the mass field to continue adjusting. The central pressure drops as the wind field expands, even though the intense, localized vertical velocities (and thus cold cloud tops) have temporarily vanished. This Is why recon is still finding pressure drops. This lull is actually highly productive for the storm. As the PV concentrates in the center and the pressure drops, the inertial stability of the inner core increases dramatically. High inertial stability resists radial outflow, meaning that any subsequent latent heat release will be trapped locally near the center. In addition, we have to account for diurnal convective pulsing. Deep convection typically peaks in the early morning hours (the ‘ramp up’) and naturally wanes by mid-to-late afternoon (the ‘ramp down’). If a system is undergoing vortex alignment during the daytime/evening, the lack of convection looks like a structural failure on infrared satellite, even while reconnaissance aircraft find a falling pressure. Once the center is vertically stacked and the inner core has achieved high inertial stability, the next convective burst hits a dynamical tipping point. Because the heating is now occurring in a highly symmetric, stable environment, the energy efficiently projects onto the symmetric vortex. This triggers a much more sustainable and deep period of intensification.”

I somehow missed posting about Sunday’s rainfall rough estimate at my home. I was alerted to it by Cocorahs and local TV wx. I very roughly estimate my home got 1”. That gets my total MTD through yesterday of a solidly wetter than normal ~8.85” to help the drought.

Thank you! Have you had a chance to compare these to the prior forecast’s maps? My first impression is that Dec is a good bit cooler than I expected as per analogs. Edit: @snowman19must be flipping out seeing how cool Dec is!!

Do you have the 2m maps?

Thanks, Don. I can tell that Chris Martz has been affecting JB recently. Until recently, I recall JB (like many other mets) used to mention “heat dome” regularly without a sarcastic tone. But this summer whenever he mentions it, he often does so with a sarcastic tone. He doesn’t go out of his way to say it isn’t appropriate. But he clearly sounds like he’s making fun of the term and isn’t as comfortable using it like in the past.

Thanks, Don. Just to clarify for the readers in general, in case there’s confusion since I posted about Region 1+2 just four posts above Don’s, the +4.2 C Don posted for 1+2 is based on the traditional anomaly using 30 year base climo. The +3.5 I posted is based on taking into account warming overall mean worldwide tropical ocean temperatures to determine its anomaly. This is essentially a Region 1+2 version of Region 3.4’s RONI (called “relative”), which NOAA has decided to make official even though they continue to also update the traditional versions: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/data/indices/rel_wksst9120.txt

I went to Maroon Bells via Aspen on Saturday, where I got caught in a light rain shower. That was one amazing place with some of the best views I’ve ever seen! I took 80 mainly pics with a few videos. If you haven’t been, I very strongly recommend it. Has anyone here gone there? I started the day driving to Aspen that morning. I first took a free city bus from Aspen to the Aspen Highlands ski resort. Then I took a reserved shuttle from there to Maroon Bells. I arrived just before 11:30AM and got to the lake at 11:45. I figured that would still be early enough to miss the rain per what the Euro/GFS/UK/Icon/RRFS/NAM showed. They all suggested it wouldn’t rain til at least 2PM and more likely not til 3PM. But sure enough, it rapidly clouded up and it started raining at just after 1PM. Is it common for the models to be too late on the start of monsoon activity each day? Fortunately though, it remained light and there was no lightning. Luckily, the rain ended ~1:30. It never rained enough to make the trail slippery or muddy. As I was leaving ~2:30, it just started raining lightly again. @ValpoVike

12Z UKMET and other global probably are of little value due to how tiny system is. But fwiw and for the record: 12Z UKMET initializes this as a TD: TROPICAL DEPRESSION 05L ANALYSED POSITION : 28.3N 91.0W ATCF IDENTIFIER : AL052026 LEAD CENTRAL MAXIMUM WIND VERIFYING TIME TIME POSITION PRESSURE (MB) SPEED (KNOTS) -------------- ---- -------- ------------- ------------- 1200UTC 31.08.2026 0 28.3N 91.0W 1013 20 0000UTC 01.09.2026 12 27.9N 92.2W 1012 19 1200UTC 01.09.2026 24 29.2N 93.5W 1012 20 0000UTC 02.09.2026 36 CEASED TRACKING

Don, your entire post 100% makes sense. Regardless, please post the August map if you get a chance. Even assuming one cooler than normal summer wouldn’t suddenly stabilize the glaciers, I want to see whether or not his supposed summer map is essentially a lie in itself. TIA. And on what the heck is he basing his statement that Nepal hasn’t warmed in 400 years?? Is this just made up out of thin air?

Thanks for elaborating. I see. But this begs the question: why is the ice sheet getting smaller in the first place? Isn’t that in itself due to GW?

Thanks, Don! -I agree with you about the lack of dates and other references on his map, which I mentioned to Charlie in my reply to him. That makes me wonder if he’s hiding something. -So, based on your June and July maps, June-July averaged near normal along the Nepal-Tibet border vs a 1991-2020 base, the warmest 30 year base. Taking that as well as the extreme heat of Aug 10-15 into account, it would seemingly have had to have been much colder than normal Aug 1-9 and Aug 16+ to possibly result in a cooler than normal summer. I have my doubts knowing who we’re dealing with here. -He also has nearly all of Tibet in blue colors. But your June/July maps averaged out appear to average warmer than normal over much of Tibet if I’m interpreting them correctly. Thus, August would have had to have been an overall cold month to have a chance to overcome the warmer than avg June-July.

Thanks. Please elaborate. I’m not sure I’m following what you’re asking.