Every now and then I see a story in the media that some climate expert has speculated that the latest monster snow storms are being caused by man-made global warming. They go on to explain that it may seem counter intuitive, but that the global warming is causing more moisture to accumulate in some parts of the Earth’s atmosphere and that when the temperature is sufficiently cold this moisture is dumped in the form of snow. That seems to make sense.
So, if I understand their argument correctly – even if our winters are warmer because of all the CO2 we are dumping into the atmosphere, we still might get plenty of snow. I get it.
Here’s the problem: It’s just speculation. No one really knows for sure how a warmer Earth will distribute the Earth’s moisture. If there is someone out there who does know – please contact me.
Here is another problem: The recent snowfall (April 2013) in America’s heartland has been accompanied by record cold temperatures, not warmer ones. This fact flies in the face of the recent explanations we have heard. Now, weather in one region of our country does not prove anything regarding global climate trends. But I think it is still fair to point this out, because when a climate person speculates about what causes a massive super storm, he or she is only discussing a regional weather event as it pertains to global trends.
The Washington Post is reporting today (April 23, 2013) “Record-shattering April cold and snow stun Rockies, north central U.S.”
The Post article goes on to say that, “Amazingly, 91.9 percent of the Upper Midwest has snow on the ground as of today. Snow cover in the previous 10 years on this date hasn’t even come close to reaching this extent (ranging from 19 percent to much lower).”
Commenting on the temperatures the Post article continues,
“Through the Rockies and into the Upper Midwest, it’s not just been the snow but also the cold forcing residents to do a double take when gazing at the calendar.”
“Kelsch notes the mercury dipped to 20 this morning in Boulder, its third record low this month. Boulder’s average temperature this month (through yesterday) is just 41.4 making it one of the city’s coldest Aprils on record.”
“Today’s early afternoon temperatures were 20-40 degrees colder than normal through the Plains into Texas.”
So while we’ve heard a lot of speculation lately from climate experts who tell us that global warming may result in more snowfall, recent events in the Rockies and Upper Midwest prove that colder temperatures may also result in more snow.
Frotho
Higher Revolution: 