• The Washington Post noted in a blog posting this week that this is the first year ever that Anchorage, Alaska, never went below zero.  Record lows for this time of year are around -20 to -25 F, so this is a significant departure from what you might expect in the coldest years.  The blog noted…

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  • Even though this week looks cool and rainy, warmer temperatures for the 6-10 day and 8-14 day forecasts both show a much enhanced chance of above normal temperatures as the arctic air retreats to the northern parts of North America.  This should reduce heating costs and relieve cold stress on livestock and outdoor workers.    …

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  • Several of my meteorologists friends posted this image on Facebook yesterday from NWS Amarillo (picture by Joshua Thomas on 1-9-2015 in New Mexico):   This is one of the best pictures of atmospheric optics I have seen, particularly for an area outside of Antarctica.  Atmospheric optics is the study of how light moves through water…

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  • A new large-scale study by University of Washington scientists shows that agriculture as well as oil and gas production is contributing to the darkening of snow fields across the Northern Hemisphere, according to Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.  This is of concern for long term climate balance since normally white snow reflects most sunlight back…

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  • Today (Saturday) may be the driest day of the week for most of the Southeast.  A coastal storm should bring rain to coastal areas of the Southeast this weekend while the next large-scale storm moves into the area from the west on Sunday evening into Monday.  A second storm is expected to move through the…

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  • The NWS has just updated their El Nino blog to discuss the latest news on El Nino.  You may recall that we have been flirting with an El Nino for several months but so far none has materialized, although many signs are there.  The new blog posting discusses the latest with the Eastern Pacific Ocean…

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  • The State Climatology Office of North Carolina is publishing a series of regional breakdowns on the climate of 2014.  You can see the first in the series focusing on coastal NC at https://nc-climate.ncsu.edu/climateblog?id=114&h=5666e5c1.

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