Cold and Colder............

Am sure the President enjoyed some nice weather in Hawaii but the rest of the country has spent the day complaining about how cold it is... and yet... it's going to get a whole lot colder.

Miami's temps are expected to dip to the mid 30s depending on where you live...out in the farming district in the Redlands it will be really cold.

Jacksonville was as cold as most of the rest of the south...

International Falls, Minnesota...well you are used to this but even people in Minnesota are complaining about the record temps.

A real wake up call for the Global Warming group that has had to bring it's wagons into a circle to avoid the wind chill out there tonight!



Floridians are a hardy lot who enjoy a cold spell the way northerners enjoy a White Christmas. It gives them a chance to take out their favorite coats, put on their favorite boots and act melodramatic about how cold it is when their friends up north are buried in snow or ice. It gives us a chance to figure out when the newbies moved to Florida as the styles of their coats tell the other part of the story. Yes, on a cold morning in Miami the 80s are alive and kicking.

They enjoy colorful articles like this one:

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/01/04/Fla-cold-spell-knocks-iguanas-from-trees/UPI-23641199476468/

Here's a great link to a great website with a good article on the infamous 1977 snow event in South Florida. Check out the beautiful nature pictures by the weather doctor as well.

http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2002/alm02jan.htm

This is not really just a weather event it is a news event, history happening live, the ultimate reality show.

A nuclear power plant was shut down because of ice on the Delaware:
http://cbs3.com/local/nuclear.power.plant.2.1404207.html

(nice pic)

This is a world wide event. Nice to say it's warm in Greenland... Europe is freezing, my brother in Greece may get snow. China is having the coldest winter they have had in ages and it's going down in the record books.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story

From Wiki:

"January 11, 1800: Over 5 inches (127mm) of snow is on the ground along the St. Marys River to the north of Jacksonville, the highest recorded snowfall total in Jacksonville history"

February 12 & 13, 1899: Rain changes to sleet and later turns to snow during the Great Blizzard of 1899, with the snow falling for about 8 hours. With temperatures of about 10°F (−12°C), the snow accumulates to 2 inches (51mm) near Jacksonville

Here's an interesting story to ask "huh?" on Global Warming...
In the one decade from 2000 to 2009 there are SEVEN snow events listed. Compare that to 3 listed for the 90s, 3 in the 80s, 3 in the 70s and none in the 60s?

Exactly who sold us this Emperor's Clothes fairy tale of Global Warming? Can someone please stand up and point out that the Emperor is wearing long underwear?

Pics of the Forbidden City normally and the way it looks when frozen from a record breaking cold spell.






The Blizzard of 1899 that is the blizzard most written about that sets the bar for all other blizzards is also known as "The Snow King."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Blizzard_of_1899

Note that there was another weather feature that was King that year and that was none other than Ye Olde El Nino.

1899 was one of the most severe El Ninos and it served up one of the most severe blizzards in history and the following year in 1900 it served up one of the worst hurricanes in history.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elnino/reach/timesans.html

"1899 Massive famine strikes India as the monsoons fail during an El Niño year. Uncounted thousands die directly from starvation, and many more die in the epidemic of cholera and plague that follow."

A lot of talk on weather websites about El Nino and past blizzards:

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=107308&p=1955935
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_famine_of_1899%E2%80%931900

They abound everywhere while old timers and students compare notes on their favorite freezing, winter memories.

While writing this blog I am on an IM with one of my favorite weather buddies, he is telling me his war stories of the few times he remembers it snowing in South Florida. Those are the memories legends are made of... we remember them forever.

Good lists of wicked weather and El Nino from a local Florida paper:

http://media2.www.baynews9.com/content/142/2009/10/27/538895.html?title=Will%20El%20Nino%20bring%20bad%20weather%20to%20Florida?

Another good list if you don't have any weather warriors with battle stories of the year the ___________________ froze over and there was ______ inches of snow outside or the year there was no school because the roads were covered with snow and ...

Well... you get the idea...

http://www.examiner.com/x-4645-Wilmington-Weather-Examiner~y2009m12d24-Weather-History-December-24-Record-Heat-Christmas-Freeze-of-1983--1989-Snow--Severe-Storms

History is the record keeping of live events, of reality TV before there was a TV to broadcast the biggest show on earth... weather happening in front of your eyes!

And our love affair with snow leaves us feeling cold about a cold front that has no snow in the South. New England gets snow, they are getting blasted in Vermont and Maine.

It may be cold and getting colder but unless Florida or Georgia or the Carolinas get snow it won't seem fair to children everywhere watching for snow.

How cold will coldest be? I don't know.

But, I do know one thing.... often in years after El Nino there is a kick ass, knock down drag out hurricane season because when El Nino gets tired of holding onto his tight grasp the tropics answer back in style.

1899 El Nino crowns the The Snow King.
1900 Galveston Hurricane.

1925 was an El Nino with a very weak hurricane season
1926 was a bad, bad, bad ...bad hurricane season

1997.....Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
1998 ... very very busy.

Some El Ninos end early, others end late. The first hurricane of the 1992 season didn't form until August and barely made it across the very, unfriendly Atlantic but made history. A lot of teenagers running around Miami these days turning 18 named Andrew.

So... sorry but I have a one track mind. If this is a bad winter, my mind wanders to think on how it will affect this coming hurricane season.

I have a lot of friends in Georgia and the Carolinas...they are wondering on snow. I'd like some snow too...but as always I am wondering on hurricanes and how to connect all the dots.

Somewhere, someone is always putting out a forecast. Even astrologers put out forecasts on weather ... one of the best sites to watch is:

http://www.weathersage.com/

Now you can laugh that off but just remember... the governmental, scientific agencies all issue...forecasts...

Saturn is currently in Libra squaring the Sun in Capricorn and a whole bunch of planets in Capricorn and for the next ten days both mercury and mars are retrograde so... who knows how good those forecasting computers are working, garbage in..garbage out?

All I know is that I expect the weekend of MLK's birthday to be a meteorological mess. Looking at long range charts... if you can stay home that weekend and relax, take a Staycation.. it probably would be a good idea. Just my gut feeling... not a forecast but a feeling.

Keep your toes warm and keep looking up.. just in case it snows ;)

Besos Bobbi

Got to give an A for effort.... for getting those songs out there....



Or.... if you ever wonder how the Tin Man got to Oz...



.... ;)