Major Cold on the way into February
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January 31, 2007
January 29, 2007
Back From Vail
Sorry about not posting, I had limited to no access up in the mountains. Here are a few shots from the trip:
January 24, 2007
Vail, Colorado
I'm sorry but there won't be any weather updates till next week. I am taking a few days off to hit the Rockies at Vail. In the meantime, the forecast is for cold, cold and cold! I'll try and post some photos remote if possible
Weather Headlines, Wednesday January 24th, 2007
January 23, 2007
Artic Express on the way
This Thursday and Friday will be the coldest temperatures of the winter so far. Two days ago it stayed in the 20s in New York City, but that will be eclipsed Friday when the temperature stays in the teens most of the day. Add a gusty wind and the outdoors will be very unfriendly to say the least. Through upstate New York the temperature is likely to hold in the single digits much of Friday, and in northern New England it will remain below zero. This particular cold wave will be directed primarily into the East with little impact through the Central states. That will change next week when cold weather will consume a much larger portion of the country.
January: From One Extreme to Another
January 22, 2007
January 19, 2007
Lake Effect Snow Machine Kicks Up
As last night's storm moves north and east, it will usher in cold air and strong winds. New York City received its first measurable snow of the season, about three-tenths of an inch. Winds across all of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic will increase later today, into Saturday, with sustained speeds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts of 30 to 40 mph possible. These strong winds will also be blowing across the Great Lakes, setting the stage for a significant lake effect snow event. While lake effect snow will occur in all of the snow belts through the Great Lakes, the hardest hit areas will likely be off Lakes Erie and Ontario where over a foot could fall.
January 17, 2007
Comet McNaught- Making An Appearance Around The World
Folks all around the world are talking about Comet McNaught. Comet McNaught-Hartlry has become known as ‘The Great Comet Of 2007’. It is named after its first observer, Robert McNaught, an Australian astronomer. The comet remains visible to Southern Hemisphere both the morning and evening sky. Comet McNaught first became visible to the naked eye in early January 2007. It was visible in the northern hemisphere until about January 13, 2007. I never saw it. Did anyone else?This shot was taken by David Summerhayes in Sellicks Beach, near Adelaide, South Australia. The comet was at its brightest on January 13 and 14. Observers typically estimated the brightness as -5 to -6 and many were able to easily spot the comet in broad daylight just by blocking the sun with their hand. The last comet to get this type of attention was Hale-Bopp back in 1997, and I remember seeing that so many nights in a row.
January 15, 2007
Potential Northeast Snow Storm Late Week
It's that time of the year when cold Canadian air clashes with southern warmer air and creates instability. In a normal winter, many of these disturbances ride along the jet dipping across the southeast and up the coast. It looks like there may be a good possibility of a storm this weekend. It is too early to tell, but all of the models are starting to point to a coastal low forming from Thursday-Friday. It would be a dream for many snow deprived residents in the North East to get a taste of winter. I've highlighted the major cities on the GFS in red dots to show the swath of moisture from the system. The NAO is also pointing to negatives.The NAO stands for the North Atlantic Oscillation. The NAO is a large scale seesaw in atmospheric mass between the subtropical high and the polar low. The corresponding index varies from year to year, but also exhibits a tendency to remain in one phase for intervals lasting several years. A negative effect usually indicates stormy and snowy.
Dangerous Ice Storm Cripples U.S
Waves of freezing rain, sleet and snow since Friday have caused at least 20 deaths in Oklahoma, six in Missouri, two in Texas and one in New York. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said about 300,000 households there remained without power on Sunday. About 350 National Guardsmen were going door to door checking on residents in the hardest-hit areas and were helping to clear slick roads of tree limbs and power lines.
Lower Michigan and parts of New England could see more than a foot of snow Monday, as rain fell from the lower Mississippi Valley up through the Ohio Valley.
January 13, 2007
New York Weather Forecast
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January 11, 2007
NOAA Reports Warmest Year on Record
According to the NOAA in a press release on January 9th, the 2006 average annual temperature for the U.S. was the warmest on record. December ended as the the fourth warmest December since records began in 1895. During 2006, the annual average temperature was 55 degrees F—2.2 degrees F above the 20th Century mean and 0.07 degrees F warmer than 1998. 1998 was a very warm year as well. The unusually warm temperatures during much of the first half of the cold season (October-December) helped reduce residential energy needs for the nation as a whole. Even in Denver, which had its third snowiest December on record and endured a major blizzard that brought the city to a standstill during the holiday travel season, the temperature for the month was 1.4 degrees F warmer than the 1971-2000 average. Five states had their warmest December on record (Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire) and no state was colder than average in December.
El Nino and Winter
At this point, everyone and their mother should know what El Nino is. We again refer to it as the warming of the pacific equatorial waters (off the coast of Northern South America). We have seen abnormal weather conditions as a result in the Midwestern and Northeastern part of the country. In fact, here in New York we saw 32 consecutive days of above normal temperatures. Not only has it been a mild winter so far, but there has been no measurable frozen precipitation. The El Nino in 2006-2007 has been a weak to moderate El Nino. However, after looking at the time lapse ocean temperatures, it looks like El Nino may be winding down. Notice the reds and oranges which are above normal temperatures shrink to just orange which shows cooler water. What does this mean for the rest of the winter? I'd say we probably have a good shot at some cold and snow the rest of the season.
Weather Photo of the Day: Alburquerque Thunderstorm
This shot was taken by Maurice Fawcett in Alburquerque New Mexico of a Thunderstorm in the Horizon. Great Shot!
January 10, 2007
3rd big Storm for Denver
More Snow for Denver. There have been three snowstorms in the Mile High City in the past three weeks, and many residents are getting tired of of shoveling. I say, let it snow! Vail in 2 weeks!
January 08, 2007
Mysterious Gas Smell Invades NYC
Reuters NEW YORK - A mysterious smell of gas throughout much of Manhattan forced the evacuation of buildings and a temporary suspension of a commuter train service Monday as authorities scrambled to determine the source.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it was not dangerous.
“It may just be an unpleasant smell, but at this point we do not know any more than that. The one thing we are confident about is, it is not dangerous,” Bloomberg told a news conference. The wide extent of the odor provoked jitters in a city that is constantly reminded of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A Department of Homeland Security spokesman said “there is no indication at this time of a terrorism connection.” The smell permeated lower Manhattan and was detected as far north as Central Park, across the width of the island, and in New Jersey across the Hudson River. Part of the New York-New Jersey PATH commuter train system, which carries 225,000 passengers a day, was shut down temporarily as a precaution but normal service was quickly resumed.
New York Forecast: Wet Monday
It will be a wet start to the first work week of 2007, with heavy rain possible from DC to NYC and Boston. It will be great for all of those Spring, I mean Winter flowers that are ready to bloom. There are flood watches posted from the northeast corner of Georgia all the way to western Vermont and northeastern New York due to the potential for flood-producing rains today. As the day progresses, rain chances should decrease in as showers push off-shore. As a Clipper moves through on Wednesday, temperatures will return to more "seasonable" conditions, before warming again by the weekend into the 60's.
January 06, 2007
Mild Weather for New York City Continues
New York City Mild Madness-- not bad for a typical early May weekend!
It was an incredible day to be outside in New York City. The streets were packed, restaurants overflowing with people, all of them shredding their jackets, hats and scarves. All this and a half-century-old temperature record fell in Central Park as the city's bizarre warm spell continued.
The Temperature shot up to 74 degrees under sunny skies in NYC Saturday, confounding meteorologists' predictions of a 70-degree high. The last time New York City experienced 70 degrees or above in January was on Jan. 26, 1950, when temperatures topped out at 72 degrees. At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the cherry trees were in full bloom and bulbs were already sprouting new green plants in flowerbeds. I spent the day with friends, and had a chance to get on my Vespa with Danielle for the first time in over a month. It was awesome riding around with such nice conditions. Makes me feel better about the purchase too since it's been sitting in a garage.
What we do know is that there are many factors contributing to the winter's warm weather, with one of them being El Nino. El Nino, as a refresher is a cyclical warming trend now under way in the Pacific Ocean, which can lead to milder weather, particularly in the Northeast. Many weather observers have also blamed global warming for the higher temperatures. Here are some pictures from being out and about today.
January 05, 2007
Record Temperatures Saturday for Northeast
Many cities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic could set record high temperatures on Saturday:
* New York, N.Y. - 69° degrees (Record 63°, 1950)
* Philadelphia, Pa.- 71° degrees (Record 71°, 1950)
* Washington, D.C.- 70° degrees (Record 72°, 1950)
* Richmond, Va.- 74° degrees (Record 73°, 1950)
* Boston, Mass.- 62° degrees (Record 62°, 1913)
January 04, 2007
Evening shot of the Moon and Chrystler Building
January 03, 2007
New York Record Winter Warmth - January
Many ask, what exactly is going on with this weather pattern? In New York City and much of the Northeast it feels like early Spring. As I walked through Gramercy Park last night, I noticed that not only have the daffodils and crocus's started to rise, but patches of them have actually flowered. We can blame the warm weather on El Nino and an area of high pressure sliding off the North Carolina coast. The jet stream will build back over eastern Canada and temperatures across the Northeast will be 10 to 20 degrees above normal. We could flirt with 65 by the weekend. Click on the pictures below for various shots I took around the city-- you would think it was the spring with the cruise ships gliding down the Hudson, beautiful sunsets and spring flowers.
January 02, 2007
Is it really Winter?
Happy New Year to everyone. I returned from Montreal last night after a 5 hour trip ( it should only take 57 minutes en route). We circled JFK three times due to traffic and very dense fog. By the way, Delta is officially the worst airline. Heading back to the city was not easy either. Traffic was at a standstill and the airport was bustling with travelers and stranded customers at their gates. I am still surprised any flights were taking off. The fog was so thick you could only see about 200 feet infront of you. I have never seen the airport so busy. My friend Kurt and I decided to take the Air Train from JFK to Jamaica and then the LIRR into the city. A big change from taking a helicopter to the airport a few weeks ago. I slipped and took a nasty fall down the steps in Jamaica, thankfully only injuring my arm, but an auspicious start to the new year, not to mention slightly embarrassing. This is precisely why traveling mass transit is never a good idea to me. As far as the trip, Montreal was beautiful but very chilly with intermittent snow showers. It was a treat to get a taste of what winter is really supposed to be. After arriving back to New York I was in awe of the warmth and the reminiscent smell of the ocean like it was June. It felt as if it was an early summer rainy day at the beach. Is it really January?? Temperatures are expected to climb to near 60 by the weekend and the winter forecast doesn't really sound like it is holding out to what was predicted. For all the folks who love winter, sorry, even the Crocus's are coming up thinking it is Spring.