Here's What's Causing the East Coast's Absurdly Warm Weather

[haikugal]

Source: Mother Jones/Huff Post and National Weather Servic

is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

The weather's been positively toasty across much of the East Coast over the past several days, especially for a December. In New York, Sunday temperatures shattered a 30-year-old record, hitting 70 degrees Fahrenheit. And the month has been chock-full of 60-plus days.

So what's going on? Is this a climate change thing, or a welcome boon from the ongoing El Niño tropical weather event? The answer actually lies with a buzzword from 2014's equally extreme temperatures: the polar vortex.

Mike Halpert, deputy director of the Climate Prediction Center at the National Weather Service, said last week the band of cold air surrounding the arctic—called the "Arctic Oscillation"—is particularly tight right now. During the polar vortex, pressure changes in that band of air caused it to slow and slip down towards America, bringing with it a wave of Arctic air that led to well below zero temperatures.

This time around, all of that frigidity is being kept north, causing the far more pleasant temperatures experienced around the east coast.




Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/12/east-coast-warm-weather-vortex http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/whats-up-with-the-east-coasts-absurdly-warm-weather_566e4ebae4b0e292150e5587?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green&section=green

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I thought this was worth looking into as weather events in America and England, specifically, were discussed earlier today in this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1290719

The discussion at the links in the articles are interesting and informative as well.

[peacebird]

1. We have forsythia and cherry trees in bloom in Virginia, and perennials are coming up as well.

This is NOT a good thing. I think I lost a rhodedendrum that bloomed in early november after a hot spell following weeks of arctic. We then have nights in the teens while it was in bloom. Its leaves are all brown now.

Once the inevitable freezes come the cherry blossoms will die. In addition, they will not be there in the spring when insects, and the birds that migrate and feed on them, will be here needing to eat. It is not good at all.

[haikugal]

3. This has me worried as well...I hope your plants survive. nt

[peacebird]

4. Thanks, sadly it seems we live the curse of "interesting times"

[Kingofalldems]

2. I hate the polar vortex. I hope it stays put.

[haikugal]

5. It plays hell with us but, honestly, we need cold weather up here for many reasons.

[Kingofalldems]

6. Sure, as long as it's not like last year when the PV dropped

in weekly.

[haikugal]

7. Yeah my frozen pipes weren't much fun....

[drray23]

8. its indeed really warm

I am in southern virginia and we had nearly 80. (78) a few days ago. Its so hot that wasps are waking up from their winter slumber. plants too.

[Marty McGraw]

9. Wow..!

So you people are still getting tropical systems jetting through. It's gonna really suck when it snaps back.

[SoapBox]

10. And...

Announcer for the NBA Clippers recently said (after their Pistons match)...it was warmer in Detroit a few nights ago where they played, than when they landed in Los Angeles in the early morning hours upon their return.

Crazy.

[mrdmk]

20. It has been very cold verse three weeks ago, I mean

Thanksgiving in a tee-shirt, Bermuda shorts and argyle socks with sandals was the in thing.

It was nothing below eighty degrees and much warmer inland, it was strange.

Now it around seventy during the day and the low forties at night. Wow

[George II]

11. I think it's the 24/7 Donald Trump hot air for the last couple of months.

[haikugal]

13. He IS that big a blow hard isn't he!? nt

[2naSalit]

15. along with

all his hateful minions.

[NewJeffCT]

12. I thought this was the cause of it

[haikugal]

14. That's the ticket...love that movie!

[2naSalit]

16. Amazing it's that warm in the east.

Out here in the northern Rockies, it's definitely winter, -20F last night and only got to +16F today, already in single digits at 5pm and the wind chill is mean. But it could be -20F to -50F at night from now to March easily and we would see it as a normal winter.

Last year it was reversed, the east got what is normal winter weather, including the deep snow, that we didn't get. We had very little snow and it was pretty warm all winter. Made for some really bad fires last summer.

Hope everybody stays safe and there isn't too much damage to your plants and trees.

[mopinko]

17. i am gearing up for an early spring.

or at least not a deadly cold one like the last 2.

[Plucketeer]

18. Here in California

we've got citrus trees blooming 5 months before they should. Ma Nature's eaten too many of her own mushrooms.

[LiberalElite]

19. Good that the cold stays up north where the polar bears

need it more than we do. (being facetious here)