Greenhouse gas warming
should cause the cold,
dry poles to warm
considerably more
than the warm,
humid tropics.
That warming has
NOT happened
in Antarctica.
However warming
has happened
in the Arctic.
Weather depends
mainly on temperature
DIFFERENTIALS
between the Arctic
and the tropics.
That temperature
differential
has declined
in the Northern
Hemisphere
since the 1970s.
And that is a possible
explanation for good
climate news in the
past few decades,
but the good news
seems to have
ended in 2019.
Instead of the usual
mainstream media
predictions of doom,
that are always wrong,
how about considering
what has actually happened
to our US climate and weather ?
Remember that in the
climate change crisis
confidence game,
warmer weather
is "climate change"
but colder weather
is just "weather" !
Although your editor
has been retired
since January 2005,
late last year
I finally reached 65,
and did what
all 65 year-olds
are supposed to do:
(1)
Started Medicare,
(2)
Complained about
the weather every day,
and
(3)
Chased children
off my lawn.
Unfortunately,
here in southeastern
Michigan, about five miles
north of the Detroit border,
in Bingham Farms, MI,
the weather has been
unpleasant since
December 2018.
The winter was cold
for a long time, starting
in December 2018.
This spring has had so much
rain that our lawn service,
who we ask to NOT mow
and damage the lawn
when the ground is wet
and muddy (water logged),
has only mowed our lawn
ONCE so far this year,
as of June 3.
We usually have had
the lawn mowed once
in late April, and
four times in May !
Having lived
in the same home
since 1987,
this much May rain
is unprecedented.
But our lawn
never looked better,
if you like eight inch
tall grass.
TEMPERATURE
and PRECIPITATION:
Record US cold from
October 1 (2018)
through April 30 (2019):
.
.
Record US precipitation from
October 1 (2018)
through May 26 (2019):
.
.
Most US heat waves
happened in the 1930s.
.
.
Thirty-eight US states set their
all-time record high temperatures
before 1960 ( 23 states in the 1930s ! ).
.
.
Since 1995,
only one US state
had a heat record,
while six US states
had cold temperature
records:
.
.
The number of
USHCN ( U.S. )
100 degrees F.,
95F, and
90F days per year,
have all been in
a declining trend,
since the 1930s.
.
.
James Hansen,
while working at
NASA - GISS in 1999,
said this about the U.S.
temperature record:
"In the U.S. the warmest decade
was the 1930s, and the
warmest year was 1934."
.
.
Note:
All the continents
on our planet recorded
their all-time record high
temperatures before 1980.
.
.
.
.
.
HURRICANES:
The Global Accumulated
Cyclone Index (ACE)
shows no rise in either
the number, or power,
of tropical cyclones
in the world ( cyclones are
called hurricanes in the US ).
.
The long-term trend
in the number,
and intensity,
of global hurricane
activity, has
remained flat.
.
This is true despite
much better open
ocean detection
of hurricanes,
than before
the 1960s,
when many
short-lived
storms at sea
would have
been missed.
.
.
Did you realize
that the US had
a long term decline of
landfalling hurricanes:
.
.
After the active 2005
hurricane season,
and before
two major storms
hit the US in 2017,
we had 4,324 days
( almost 12 years )
without a
major hurricane
making landfall,
( the prior record
was an 8-year lull,
from the 1860s ).
.
.
Hurricanes hitting Florida
have been in a steep
long term decline:
.
.
.
.
.
.
TORNADOES:
A long term decline
of strong tornadoes
and strong hurricanes
hitting the US 48
contiguous states.
.
.
The US, for the first time
on record, had no
EF-4 or EF-5 tornadoes
recorded in 2018.
.
.
Strong US tornadoes
have had a decline
in frequency since
.
.
Tornado detection
has improved with the
addition of NEXRAD,
the growth of the
trained spotter networks,
storm chasers armed
with cellular data
( the proliferation
of cell phone cameras
and social media ).
This shows up most
in the weak EF0 tornado
count, but for storms
from moderate EF1
to strong EF 3+ intensity,
the trend slope
has been flat,
to down, despite
improved detection.
.
.
.
.
.
.
RECENT 2019
US TORNADOES
and FLOODING
Over the last 30 days,
there have been more
than 500 tornadoes
in the United States.
Since 1998, there has been
an average of 279 tornadoes
during the month of May.
So the fact that we have had
more than 500 over
the last 30 days, meaning
2019 is far above average
Note:
It's officially a "preliminary" report,
of more than 500 tornadoes
in a 30-day period, after
a quiet start of the year
According to the National
Weather Service, there were
more than 50 tornadoes
over Memorial Day weekend,
and on Tuesday May 28, 2019.
there had been a new US record
of at least eight tornadoes a day
for 12 consecutive days.
The storms have drawn
their fuel from
a high-pressure area
that pulled the
Gulf of Mexico’s warm,
moist air into the central
United States, where it
combined with the effects
of a trough trapped
over the Rockies,
which included
strong winds.
US MIDWEST
FLOODING
The 12 months
from May 2018
through April 2019
were the wettest
12 months since
US records were kept.
The US midwest
had already been
hit hard from
unprecedented
flooding
in recent months.
Historic flooding along
the Mississippi and
Missouri rivers, and now
severe flooding along
the Arkansas River too.
USA Today is expecting
Oklahoma and Arkansas
to be bracing for their
worst-ever flooding.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
FLOODING
Meanwhile, Mississippi River
flooding has been called
“the worst in over 90 years”.
In Vicksburg, Mississippi,
the river went above
flood stage on Feb. 17,
and has remained in flood
ever since -- the longest
continuous stretch above
flood stage since 1927.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
the Mississippi first rose
above flood stage in early
January, and has been
above that level ever since.
If this stretch extends well
into June, it would break
the record from 1927,
according to the
Weather Channel.
The Mississippi River at
the Quad Cities of Iowa
and Illinois saw its longest
stretch above major flood
stage ever recorded,
surpassing 1927.
US FARMERS
So far in 2019, US
agricultural production
is way below expectations.
Be prepared for higher
prices at the grocery store.
Below is the last article
on the subject
from my economics blog,
with links to three prior articles
at the end of the article:
https://el2017.blogspot.com/2019/04/third-update-on-us-midwest-flooding.html
Below is the last article
on the subject
from my economics blog,
with links to three prior articles
at the end of the article:
https://el2017.blogspot.com/2019/04/third-update-on-us-midwest-flooding.html