I know, I know---lots of people are happy not to be shoveling out from 16" of snow this morning. But I mostly feel disgruntled that the all-night and all-day hours predicted of 100% heavy snow passed us by again.
Those 24 hours of 100% chances the National Weather Service told us about turned out to be only 1" of snow that fell from 7 to 9 this morning, and now is already gone.
And, it's not just my imagination that predicted snowstorms continue to go south of us. Here, I will repeat from my post of March 9th, telling about an article from a news magazine we subscribe to.
Scientists tell that the Arctic Ocean has lost 30% of its surface ice since 1979. Ordinarily, that ice preserves the extreme cold at the North Pole, creating a pressure barrier between north and south. But, warmer Arctic temperatures weaken that boundary, allowing the frigid Arctic air to escape southward, as warmer air then rushes north.
The article cites winter temperatures in northeastern Canada and Greenland that have been as much as 20 degrees warmer this winter, while our mid-west has experienced "brutally cold, snowy" weather. Some scientists comment that two winters aren't enough to draw permanent conclusions, so I hope that we aren't experiencing a "new normal."
Last night on Channel 12, the weather man also talked about the warm air coming from Canada, moving big snows south, more into the center of the state. (And, if we hear it on Channel 12, we know it must be true!)
Also, here is a link from aol reporting the same weather phenomenon---that shrinking of the polar ice cap is pushing warm air down from Canada, affecting our typical weather conditions.
So, I will be a good sport and think of everyone who's glad not to be shoveling and snowplowing again, but I also think 15" or snow or so would have been fun, besides being good for the lake level this spring.