Monday, February 16, 2015

How Global Warming Makes it Snow in Boston

                                            The warmest ocean temperature anomaly on earth is found
                                                            in the Atlantic ocean east of Boston


The winter of 2014-15 has been a rough one in Boston.  Snowstorm after snowstorm have hit Boston and the rest of New England, taking the city to the edge of an all-time record for total winter snowfall.  

Why oh why is this happening?  Wasn't global warming supposed to result in warmer winters?

Well, the Boston area IS having a warmer winter.  Or at least the Atlantic Ocean east of Boston and New England is having a very very warm winter. On the Feb. 16, 2015 sea surface anomaly map based on the latest NOAA data (above), the largest temperature anomaly on the entire planet occurs in the north western Atlantic Ocean just east of New England, with ocean surface temperates reaching more than 4° C (7.2° F) above normal over an area reaching from the Virginia coast all the way north to Greenland.

When warm wet air meets cold dry air, you get snow.  When record warm air with record amounts of moisture from the record warm Atlantic Ocean encounters cold air over New Engalnd, you get a record snow year in Boston.  And yet another snow storm is scheduled for Boston later in the week.   

Look out Beantown ---- more  global warming is coming your way.  




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