I thought the caption should read

President Hillary's reaction when the red phone rings at 3:00am

...this loon is a typical mainstream Canadian and it's shameful.

Ahem. I would like to correct your statement to read, "this loon is a typical Canadian liberal." Canada has a growing number of its citizens who are catching on to the myth of AGW; we still have a long way to go, but we're making progress.

(That said, DBO, I can understand why you might think these loons are mainstream, as a disproportionate percentage of our tree-hugging loons seem to gravitate out there to the left coast! I theorize that it's because the moderate temperatures allow them to skip through the forests in their birkenstocks year-round...)

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I admire FDR for not insisting on getting the approval of France and Germany before going to war.
--Anne Coulter

Tater,

If you recall what the media's position on this was last year, they contended that rising temperatures would raise elevation levels at which precipitation would be snow versus rain. As a result, there'd eventually be no snow at the bases where resorts and vacation homes were located.

As we both would agree, warmer temperatures, especially when combined with El Ninos, indeed do result in increased precipitation. However, as the globe warms, this precipitation would more and more be in the form of rain not snow.

As a meteorologist, don't you agree with that? ns

I know this question wasn't directed at me, but as a meteorologist too, I'll answer.

If you remember early in winter, Oklahoma and Kansas were getting alot of winter weather, ice, sleet, and some snow. While Colorado and much of the Rocky Mountains were getting pounded with snow. This is because the Jet stream was located over those areas. The storms that form over Western Texas/Oklahoma traditionaly head towards the Midwest causing Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, and Des Moines to get Snow or sleet while places like Cincinnati, Detroit, and Cleveland get rain. All of the snow that fell in the Rockies and the plains created conditions favorable for the cold air in Canada to begin flowing further south.

This cause a slight pattern change just after Christmas, where most of the storms began to form closer to the Gulf Of Mexico resulting in Indianapolis, and Detroit to get more snow, while places like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Lexington would get a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain. These storms again, went right along the jet stream, which was further south as you noted. All that snow that was over much of the Midwest alowed the cold air to remain in place.

I hope this answers your question.

Yeah what r22 said :).

I wish I could draw pictures of the jet stream pattern, that more than anything determines what type of winter an area will have. It's more of a function of how far the jet stream goes south and how cold the air in Canada and Alaska are. Last year Canada and Alaska were mild, and the jet stream rarely took dips to the south...ergo mild winter, less snow. This year Canada and Alaska are bitterly cold and the jet stream has looked like a wave all winter long (in fact it seems like 1 or 2 times a week this winter there is a surge of cold air that affects the northeast).

So yes the old saying is true...one year does not make a climate trend. Next winter it could be 40-80 degrees, hardly any snow, and few cold snap depending on how the pattern shapes up.

Do you realize how much it costs to run for office? More than any honest man could afford. -Montgomery Burns

Think I'll go out back and burn some brush.

♣ a seal