• The latest monthly and seasonal climate outlooks were released by the Climate Prediction Center this week.  They show that warm temperatures in the upper Midwest are likely to continue for the next few months while wet conditions in the Southeast are also likely to continue; both are patterns that are strongly impacted by El Niño…

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  • The Washington Post published a recent article describing the importance of trees and rain forests to the global carbon system.  A healthy forest pulls in carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in the form of trees, which are good for local climate conditions, ecosystem maintenance, and for some agricultural purposes.  You can read the…

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  • Minnesota Public Radio reported this week that the Arctic sea ice reached a new record low for extent in winter on February 17.  January temperatures ran 23 degrees warmer than average in parts of the Arctic. That has resulted in the lowest percentage of ice cover on record since satellites began keeping record in 1979. You…

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  • The weather pattern this week favors rainy conditions for northern Alabama and Georgia and upstate areas of the Carolinas. After a dry start to the weekend, rain should move into the area late on Sunday.  Rain will be the most widespread through the region in mid-week.

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  • The Packer reported this week that rain and cold weather in Florida and up north has reduced the supplies of cabbage at a bad time for St. Patrick’s Day, coming up in mid-March.  You can read the story at https://www.thepacker.com/news/rain-cold-cut-st-pat%E2%80%99s-cabbage-supplies. They reported separately that “A wild mix of cold, hot and wet weather continued to wreak…

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  • Marshall Shepherd pointed out this morning that today is the anniversary of what was likely the worst tornado outbreak in Georgia history. “On February 19 1884 a violent swarm of tornadoes raced across Georgia. Cherokee and Pickens counties were hit hard. Near Waleska, 3 children were killed. in Pickens county, Cagletown and Tate were devastated. There…

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  • This week Wednesday, Phoenix reported a high temperature of 90 F.  This is the earliest that Phoenix has ever reported a 90 F reading.  The average date is March 30, and the previous record was February 24, set in 1904 and 1986.  This may be due in part to the continuing dry conditions in the…

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