This illustration depicts the warming that scientists have determined has occurred in West Antarctica during the last 50 years. Image: NASA
In all the talk about global warming and manmade climate change, one thing that was always missing from the discussion was any talk about Antarctica. The continent on the bottom of the world was not fitting the pattern that global warming advocates were seeing – it simply wasn’t getting warmer there. In fact, it seemed to actually be getting cooler.
A new study released in the latest issue of Nature challenges the facts though as we understood them. By going further than previous work and using satellite data, the study claims that Antarctica in fact has been warming – we just didn’t know it. Satellites proved useful in coming to the study’s conclusions and filling in gaps because the continent, which is twice the size of the United States, has few monitoring stations in its interior.
The problem with this claim? It looks like not everyone agrees on the methods the authors used. Even those that are firm believers in the manmade climate change theory aren’t so sure this study is accurate!
The polar bears won't be happy! New UK climate change computer emits as much CO2 as 2,400 homes.
In a bit of an embarrassment for the UK Met Office (the equivalent to our National Weather Service), it was discovered that a new supercomputer they have to calculate the effects of climate change emits 14,400 tons of CO2 a year. As reported by TimesOnline, that is the same amount of CO2 that 2,400 homes emit in an entire year.
The Met Office has justified the use of the super-polluting computer saying that the work done on it saves more CO2 than it uses. The Met Office Director of Science and Technology is quoted as saying, “We recognize that running such massive computers consumes huge amounts of power and that our actions in weather and climate prediction, like all our actions, have an impact on the environment. We will be taking actions to minimize this impact.” At a cost of £33m ($45 million USD), the new computer isn’t cheap either!
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for Denver and the Front Range Thursday from 11:00am to 6:00pm.
While we have all enjoyed the record January warmth of recent days but that does come at a price. The warm temperatures, dry wind and very low humidity have dried much of the area out to a dangerous state.
Today we have one more warm day before we return to more seasonable weather. With temperatures climbing into the 60’s, humidity as low as 5 percent and a west wind that will pick up later today, the fire danger is very real. As we saw a couple weeks ago with the Olde Stage Road Fire, it doesn’t take much beyond a spark to set off a fire that can spread very quickly with as dry as it is.
The potentially dangerous conditions have caused the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning that will be in effect from 11:00am today through 6:00pm this evening.
Red Flag Warning
National Weather Service, Denver
544 am MST THU JAN 22 2009
……Red Flag Warning today from 1100 to 1800 MST…for Front Range foothill zones 215 and 216 below 8000 feet…and for the I-25 urban corridor zones 238..239..240 and 241 in northeast Colorado…
One more day of unseasonably warm and very dry conditions will be accompanied by periods of gusty Chinook winds resulting in critical wildland fire conditions in and near the front range foothills in northern Colorado. Minimum relative humidities will range from 5 to 15 percent with maximum temperatures in the 60 to 70 degree range. This is as much as 25 degrees above average for the date. Furthermore west winds in and near the foothills are expected to increase later the morning…with gusts this afternoon to 40 mph in the foothills and to 30 mph on the nearby plains.
Fuels are also quite dry in the area with no precipitation in the area for some time. These critical wildland fire conditions are expected to improve this evening with dry downslope winds subsiding…and a shift to a more humid east wind overnight with a weak cold front backing into northeast Colorado.
…Red Flag Warning in effect from 11 am this morning to 6 pm MST this afternoon…
The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Red Flag Warning…which is in effect from 11 am this morning to 6 pm MST this afternoon.
Unseasonably warm temperatures…gusty west winds and very low relative humidities will combine with very dry fuels to produce critical wildland fire conditions in and near the Front Range foothills late this morning through this afternoon. Foothill areas below 8000 feet and lower elevations west of I-25 are more likely to see these conditions develop.
Get more local news and weather information on Examiner.com.
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or imminent. Please advise the appropriate officials and fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning.
Denver officially broke the record high temperature for January 21st, reaching 71 degrees.
It’s official. As reported earlier this morning on our Examiner.com pages, we had a decent shot at breaking the all time record high temperature for this date and we have done it. At 1:28pm today the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 71 degrees, breaking the old record of 70 degrees set in 1950. Here in Thoronton we didn’t get quite that warm, “only” reaching a high of 69 degrees.
Thursday we will be a bit cooler and “only” reach 65 degrees – still 20 degrees above normal though. Enjoy the next 36 hours or so though as Friday bring change – see our Examiner.com morning forecast here for details.
Get more local news and weather information on Examiner.com.
January 18 to January 24 - This week in Denver weather history.
Our look back in Denver weather history for this week is dominated by the seemingly ever present high winds. There are numerous incidents of those causing damage and injury. Also notable though was a snowstorm in 1948 that dumped snow for more than 92 hours straight, a protracted cold spell in 1962 that lasted nearly a week and claimed lives and more recently the snowstorms in January 2007 that dumped snow on the region.
14-21
IN 1930…A PROTRACTED COLD SPELL OCCURRED WHEN LOW TEMPERATURES PLUNGED BELOW ZERO ON 8 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. THE COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURES OF 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 17TH AND 19 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 16TH WERE RECORD MINIMUMS FOR THE DATES. HIGH TEMPERATURES DURING THE PERIOD RANGED FROM 18 ON THE 18TH TO ZERO ON THE 20TH. TWO DEGREES ON THE 15TH WAS A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE DATE.
15-23
IN 1962…A PROTRACTED COLD SPELL KEPT METRO DENVER IN THE DEEP FREEZE FOR MORE THAN A WEEK. FROM THE 15TH THRU THE 23RD…LOW TEMPERATURES WERE ZERO OR BELOW FOR 9 CONSECUTIVE DAYS…BUT A DAILY RECORD LOW WAS SET ONLY ON THE 22ND WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DIPPED TO 14 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE WAS ALSO SET ON THE 22ND WHEN THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO ONLY 11 DEGREES. THE COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 3 DEGREES ABOVE ZERO ON THE 21ST…WHICH DID NOT BREAK THE RECORD. THE PROTRACTED COLD WAS BROKEN FOR ONLY A FEW HOURS ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 20TH WHEN CHINOOK WINDS WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 38 DEGREES BEFORE ANOTHER SURGE OF COLD ARCTIC AIR PLUNGED TEMPERATURES BACK INTO THE DEEP FREEZE THAT EVENING. THE SEVERE COLD CAUSED MUCH DAMAGE TO WATER SYSTEMS. A WOMAN WAS FROZEN TO DEATH AT MORRISON. THERE WERE OTHER DEATHS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE WEATHER…INCLUDING TRAFFIC DEATHS AND HEART ATTACKS FROM OVEREXERTION.
16-18
IN 1943…LIGHT SNOWFALL TOTALED 3.2 INCHES OVER THE 3 DAYS. THIS WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE MONTH. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 20 MPH ON THE 16TH.
17-18
IN 1974…RARE OVERNIGHT JANUARY RAINFALL TOTALED 0.12 INCH ON THE 17TH AND 0.26 INCH ON THE 18TH WHEN IT WAS BRIEFLY MIXED WITH SNOW.
Get ready for ChaserCon - Coming to Denver in February!
The 11th annual National Storm Chaser Convention is coming to Denver from February 13th to the 15th. Organized by storm chasers Roger Hill and Tim Samaras, this event brings together amateur and professional storm chasers, meteorologists, climatologists and experts from across a wide spectrum dealing with weather. It is a great opportunity to learn not just about storm chasing but also about the weather in general.
As usual, a great slate of speakers has been lined up including:
More than lectures though, the convention features screening of some of the most incredible tornado footage from the past year as well as a hands-on look at the latest in weather gadgetry. On the afternoon of the 15th, the National Weather Service will also be holding an official storm spotter training session that is open to the public.
You can learn more about this great event and see the complete agenda on the convention website at www.chaserconvention.com.
Editor’s comment – This is a great way to ‘give back’ to the community and help those who truly need it. From the City of Thornton:
Winter is coming: Snowbusters needed Snowbuster volunteers help dig out neighbors in need
THORNTON, CO…Winter is on the way, and while the snow isn’t here yet, Snowbuster volunteers are needed now. Snowbusters is a snow removal program that helps fixed-income seniors and disabled residents who can’t remove snow from their sidewalks. Snowbuster volunteers are paired-up with a neighbor in their area, and when it snows, the Snowbuster goes into action clearing their neighbor’s sidewalk. “These Snowbuster volunteers make a valuable difference in the lives of those in need,” says Thornton Arts and Volunteer Specialist Heather Kailey. “Their work is really appreciated.”
After each storm, Snowbuster volunteers:
have 36 hours to shovel their partner’s sidewalks
have 48 hours to clear the snow If more than eight inches fall
don’t have to worry about driveways, they are not included in this volunteer service
“Snow removal not only provides safe sidewalks for residents, but also for delivery persons and Meals on Wheels staff,” says Kailey. “It’s just a great service for those in need, and it really doesn’t take that much effort from the Snowbuster volunteer.”
Carbon monoxide poisoning has claimed five lives in Colorado this winter. The time is now to protect yourself and your family by installing CO detectors.
The cost of carbon monoxide detectors has dropped appreciably in recent years as they become more popular and now is the time to protect yourself and your home. Every home should have at least one and indeed, experts recommend you have one on every level of the house.
An expanded version of this article is available on Examiner.com with more safety tips on how you can protect you and your family from carbon monoxide.
The incident in Aspen got my attention and I bought a number of them for my house and highly encourage everyone to do the same. They can be found at most home improvement stores, big box stores or online at places like Amazon.com. Installation is very simple with some just needing to be plugged into a wall outlet and others being battery operated.
Due to the deteriorating weather conditions, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for snow and blowing snow. Areas under the advisory include the Denver metro area and areas south to Castle Rock as well as some of the mountain areas (see advisory map below). The storm seems to be lingering over the Front Range longer than expected but the snowfall is still expected to end quickly late this morning.
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
757 AM MST MON JAN 12 2009
..Winter weather advisory in effect until 11 am MST Tuesday…
The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for snow and areas of blowing snow…which is in effect until 11 am MST Tuesday.
Snow…heavy at times…will continue within the greater Denver metro area…the southern Front Range foothills and the palmer divide south of Denver. A band of moderate to heavy snow now over the Denver metro area will continue to move south over the palmer divide south of Denver within the next hour. In addition to snowfall…areas of blowing snow will significantly reduce visibilities at times.
Snowfall is expected to taper off rather quickly later this morning…first over the northern Denver metro area and then eventually over the palmer divide and southern foothills by early this afternoon.
Additional snow accumulations by noon today will range from 1 of 3 inches in Boulder and across the northern Denver suburbs to another 3 to
6 inches in the southern Denver and over the palmer divide.
In addition…north winds of 15 to 25 mph will produce areas of blowing snow and very poor visibilities especially over the higher terrain south and southeast of Denver.
A winter weather advisory means that snow…blowing snow…or freezing drizzle will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities…and use caution while driving.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for much of the Front Range until 11:00am Monday.
January 11 to January 17 - This week in Denver weather history
Damaging wind storms and arctic cold dominate our look back at this week in Denver weather history.
From the 10th to the 11th:
IN 1948…STRONG WINDS WERE REPORTED IN BOULDER AND LAKEWOOD. WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH WERE REPORTED AT VALMONT…JUST EAST OF BOULDER. ONLY MINOR DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
IN 1980…STRONG WINDS OF 60 TO 95 MPH HOWLED ACROSS METRO DENVER…CAUSING SOME BRIEF POWER OUTAGES AND SOME BROKEN WINDOWS. A WIND GUST TO 111 MPH WAS RECORDED AT WONDERVU. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 40 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 10TH.
IN 1999…HIGH WINDS GUSTING TO 100 MPH BLASTED THE FOOTHILLS. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED: 100 MPH AT CENTRAL CITY…98 MPH AT WONDERVU…82 MPH AT ASPEN SPRINGS AND GOLDEN GATE CANYON… 81 MPH AT THE NCAR MESA LAB IN BOULDER AND NEAR NEDERLAND… 78 MPH ATOP BLUE MOUNTAIN NEAR COAL CREEK CANYON…AND 72 MPH AT THE ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TEST FACILITY. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 38 MPH AND WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 63 DEGREES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 11TH.
From the 10th to the 12th:
IN 1997…HEAVY SNOW FELL OVER THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. A FOOT OF NEW SNOW WAS MEASURED AT BLACKHAWK WITH 7 INCHES RECORDED IN COAL CREEK CANYON. ONLY 3.3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. EAST-NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 18 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 11TH.
