Santa has been in the news of late. So, I thought it might be fun to take a look at weather from Santa’s perspective. To do this, we’ll have to look at upper level and surface weather maps from a polar-centric perspective. Fortunately, NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)
Read DetailsLast week, I reported on south Florida’s record warmth and indicated that more records were likely to be broken. This week, I get to report that several south and central Florida locales have again set some warm temperature records. A total of seven occurred in the three-day period encompassing Christmas.
Read DetailsA persistent upper level ridge (Fig. 1) across Florida and a jet stream far to the north of Florida have both prevented most cold air intrusions from reaching into the Sunshine State. The result has been a very dry and very warm autumn. In recent days, however, this pattern of
Read DetailsMarch has been a mostly mild month across much of the U.S. That’s because upper-level and lower-level winds have been blowing primarily from the west, southwest or south across the Nation. Yes, there have been occasional bursts of chillier air, and these come on the heels of winds from northwest,
Read DetailsIt’s only a couple of days into spring and the big weather news involves SNOW. In fact, we are talking about a lot of snow. Wisconsin is bracing for a foot of snow or more across central and eastern sections between now and Thursday. The northeast corner of Colorado (including
Read DetailsWhen the upper level winds (I’m talking altitudes of four to eight miles above the Earth’s surface) take on a high-amplitude wave pattern (Fig. 1), strong low-pressure systems often develop. Given the counter-clockwise wind flow around such lows in the Northern Hemisphere, surface or near-ground temperatures typically take on a
Read Details2015 was the year of record warmth across south Florida (Fig. 1). November, and especially December, 2015 (Fig. 2) were record-setting months, as well. And, on a daily basis, many scores of records were set (Fig. 3). What is most impressive is the number of record high minimum temperatures that
Read DetailsTo say that it was unseasonably hot in south Florida in 2015 would be an understatement. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Miami, 2015 was the hottest year on record at all four main climate sites (Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Naples and West Palm Beach). Temperatures for the year easily
Read DetailsIf you like near-record warmth and humidity, and even some showers and thunderstorms, then you’ll like the weather in southwest Florida for many days to come. The first 9 days of April saw temperatures average 3.4 degrees above the 30-year average…To read the entire feature, click here. Originally published 4/10/15
Read DetailsMeteorologists love to report about extreme weather. Sometimes, however, they just have to talk about the mundane stuff, as well. Such is the case, across southwest Florida, as the first day of spring approaches and beyond…To read the entire feature, click here. Originally published 3/16/15
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