AccuWeather.Com reports that "This winter is on track to become the coldest for the nation as a whole since the 1980s or possibly even the late 1910s. According to AccuWeather.com Chief Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi, three or four out of the next five winters could be just as cold, if not colder. He is worried that next winter, for example, will be colder than this one."
"Bastardi adds that with the U.S. in the middle of one of its worst recessions in its history and the price of oil in question, he is extremely concerned about the prospect for more persistent cold weather in the coming years putting increased financial hardship on Americans."
"Cold is a lot worse than warm," Bastardi said, "and that's why your energy bill goes up during the winter time: because of the fact that it takes a lot to heat a house."
"While there are many different factors that are playing into Bastardi's forecast, one of the primary drivers is La Niña and the trends that have been observed in winters that follow the onset of a La Niña."
Details here
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Winter Wonderland, continued -- Clear Your Snow and Ice -- or Else
It was a total ice skate into the office today. There was no safe footing, everything covered with a shiny glaze. I scraped a quarter inch of thick ice off of the van so that My Better Half could make it to her school (which is primarily auto accessible). I actually had to hold onto the van's roof rack with one hand, scraping with the other, so that I didn't slide down the driveway or into a bank of ice and snow. Somehow she made it to her school only to report low student attendance. Our two high school daughters made it to Murrow (2 falls) and into Manhattan (Millennium HS, no slippage, although she was going to Carnegie Hall to read a poem in a special international student program today; haven't heard from her).
The Daily News reports that it is put up or shut up time, vis a vis, this Winter's Bounty. Sidewalks need to be shoveled, with ice and snow cleared, or the City will issue a summons. Details here In some cases, the ice is on a continual state of flux, freezing and melting, freezing and melting, so that the sidewalk has a perpectual glaze. But some folks haven't bothered to clean anything since the December storm-- that includes street corners, walkable paths, fire hydrants, etc.--and while the city can be annoying with its rules and regs at times, you have to admit, in this respect, they are right, and the careless property owners are wrong. Things are tough enough out there. Folks need to shovel, and not just a "groove" in the snow. Please clear a walkable path and keep it clear. Thank you!
Here is something to listen to while contemplating the above
The Daily News reports that it is put up or shut up time, vis a vis, this Winter's Bounty. Sidewalks need to be shoveled, with ice and snow cleared, or the City will issue a summons. Details here In some cases, the ice is on a continual state of flux, freezing and melting, freezing and melting, so that the sidewalk has a perpectual glaze. But some folks haven't bothered to clean anything since the December storm-- that includes street corners, walkable paths, fire hydrants, etc.--and while the city can be annoying with its rules and regs at times, you have to admit, in this respect, they are right, and the careless property owners are wrong. Things are tough enough out there. Folks need to shovel, and not just a "groove" in the snow. Please clear a walkable path and keep it clear. Thank you!
Here is something to listen to while contemplating the above