What happened to winter?

It's Feb. 5. It's the middle of winter, here in eastern Pennsylvania. There's no snow on the ground. It's supposed to be 40 (F) degrees. As I'm on Senior Forum, I look up and there's a bunch of big black birds. I don't know what kind of birds they are, but they usually come at the start of spring, which is 6 weeks away. So far this year, we had only one snowstorm. When I moved here 30 years ago, there was snow piled up, it didn't melt until the beginning of April. Today, my lawn is green. Yeah, we have cold snaps, but it's above freezing next day.
Have you noticed what happened to winter?
 

Wind turbines, especially the tall ones. We've passed the tipping point now and climate modification is now irreversible.
 
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When one region of the continent experiences unusual weather, due to sinuous Jetstream patterns, opposite sides of the continent are often just the opposite. Cold in the East = warm in the West. Wet in the East = dry in the West...
 
It's Feb. 5. It's the middle of winter, here in eastern Pennsylvania. There's no snow on the ground. It's supposed to be 40 (F) degrees. As I'm on Senior Forum, I look up and there's a bunch of big black birds. I don't know what kind of birds they are, but they usually come at the start of spring, which is 6 weeks away. So far this year, we had only one snowstorm. When I moved here 30 years ago, there was snow piled up, it didn't melt until the beginning of April. Today, my lawn is green. Yeah, we have cold snaps, but it's above freezing next day.
Have you noticed what happened to winter?
You just have to make the most of it. Take me for instance... down here in Florida, I miss making a snowman, so... quoting my Marine friends "improvise overcome and adapt". ;)
How'd I do?



black snowman.jpg
 
Have you noticed what happened to winter?
They've been talking about what is called 'weather or climate change' for more than a decade. I, too, tend to block out news I don't want to hear. But, the real news eventually catches up to me, too. This is how I divide and determine what is real news and internet noise. It just happened. I too am now convinced that climate change is real. In southern California we got nearly 7 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. That's more than the total rainfall we get for all of February and March each year. This is what has happened to winter.
 
Climate Change means some places will get warmer, some colder. More extreme weather patterns will develop.

From my personal perspective, it is clear and obvious that the weather has changed massively over my life time in my home town. I wear short sleeves all year around these days. We maybe get a week of nasty cold, but for the most part - while I'd not claim it's warm - it's far from cold. As a kid we had ice on the INSIDE of the glass in my bedroom, snow was common, and deep snow. Fogs, freezes. We don't really get that now.

Honestly, sometimes it just doesn't require an expert with data, your own eyes and experience says it all. The climate here is far more temperate.
 
A mild winter across Europe has seen a number of ski slopes left entirely snowless with residents and businesses blaming climate change for spring-like temperatures.

Ski-lifts have been turned off and snow cannons abandoned on the grass of the 7,274ft Mount Terminillo in Italy's Apennine Mountains after it became 'too hot' to use artificial snow cannons, a lifeline for many resorts battling shortages.

'A crucial detail is missing for a ski facility: snow,' complained Vincenzo Regnini, president of the company that runs the local transport and ski-lift facilities.

Some 90 per cent of Italy's pistes now rely on artificial snow to ensure even distribution, according to data from Italian Green lobby Legambiente. But transforming water into snow calls for temperatures close to zero degrees.

'Last week we had 12 (Celcius, 54 Fahrenheit),' Regnini explained.

In France, images showed skiers sliding on thin tongues of snow at low altitude resorts otherwise paved with orange grass - a worrying trend as resorts get ready for their peak seasons.

Resorts across the continent continue to battle unseasonably high temperatures that pose an existential threat to slopes at lower altitudes - and have already put many out of business, experts warn.

Today, some 70 per cent of pistes in Austria rely on artificial snow to keep pistes accessible, as well as 50 per cent in Switzerland and 39 per cent in France.

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story here
 
I understand that snow amounts in winter can vary a great deal- one year getting clobbered then next year,nothing. I remember the snow when I moved here 30 year ago. I had to use up a lot of vacation days for snow days. I used to have snow drifts that piled up snow to about the bottom of my windows. That hasn't happen in way over ten years. Now, the deer are eating the grass under those windows We used to have enormous piles of snow in store parking lots, now there's no snow at all. It's not that I'm complaining, I love not shoveling snow.
 
I've stated this before...

Canada will be getting milder Winters and become a destination for Climate Refugees when their own countries start to burn to a crisp. We've got the geography and natural resources to sustain many more millions of newcomers.
 
It seems to have passed us by in Dallas. We had 3 freezing days in January with a light dusting of snow that was gone the next day. We are in the low 60s now. We are heading out of town this week and actually booked the flight a day earlier in case there was an ice storm. When we left for Florida two years ago we had an ice storm that shut down the airport. This year the temps won't be that different between the two states.

We had an early spring last year that quickly turned into summer and the heat was miserable. I'm not expecting any different this year.
 

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