2007-12-11 01:11:47 · 8 answers · asked by hilton_b_2000 5 in Environment ➔ Global Warming
Actually, the storms were predicted to be caused by global warming. There is a shift in the whole patterns of weather as a result of the increase in temperatures. A small increase of say, .5 degrees doesn't seem like much but when you consider the oceans hold billions and billions of gallons it takes a tremendous amount of heat to warm it that much and that means the oceans have a lot more potential energy to throw at us.
2007-12-12 18:03:59 · answer #1 · answered by Frederich Flintstone 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The winter storms are local to yourself, they're not an accurate representation of the weather around the planet. Where I am for example it's been unseasonably warm, last night was only the second time this year that ice formed on the ground. By mid December that should have been at least some snow fall even if only short lived, that hasn't happened now since 1979.
Don't confuse weather and climate, they're two very differnt things. Your snowstorms are the result of weather - short-term localised factors affecting localised conditions. Climate on the other hand looks at lomg term trends over larger areas, it is, for want of a better way of putting it, the weather averaged out over long periods of time.
Yoor winter storms and presumably cold temperatures will make their way into the datasets that provide climatic averages but there will be an awful lot more information taken into account as well.
2007-12-11 01:37:50 · answer #2 · answered by Trevor 7 · 5⤊ 2⤋
It's the trend that matters, not single episodes of bad weather. Global means that you have to look at the entire world, not just the USA. Granted, meteorology is not a perfect science, because meteorologists can't experiment with weather to test hypotheses. They can collect endless amounts of data, however, and the data clearly shows that whenever there is a big increase in the amount of CO2 and methane in the atmosphere, then there is a period of global warming. The records also show that global warming comes with mass die offs - think of all the Ice Age mammals that died off when the glaciers melted. Life recovers and new species emerge, but it's the interim period that will be so hard to adjust to.
2007-12-11 01:31:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
We are going to smash the previous high temperature record by a good 5-7 degrees here in Raleigh today. Five years ago this week WE had a massive ice storm that knocked out power to some people for a week. Transient weather events are meaningless.
2007-12-11 02:10:15 · answer #4 · answered by Brian A 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It seems pretty normal to me. We have had snow and ice several times this year in the plains of the USA. My whole state is covered in ice right now. November and December have been relatively cold this year as was January and February. Global Warming seems to be letting up here.
2007-12-11 02:49:19 · answer #5 · answered by Larry 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
a follows b therefore b was going to happen anyway, how about if you weren't paying attention and walked into the street with a car coming at you so I kicked you and you got hit anyways, I'm only guilty of assault not murder.
also, global warming is the overall temperature rise of the planet, some areas will get wetter while some get dryer, and a few far flung places will get colder while everywhere gets hotter (supposedly)
2007-12-11 01:39:43 · answer #6 · answered by Noah G 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
It was close to 80 degrees in Richmond, VA yesterday.
2007-12-11 01:16:26 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Not if you apply the fundamental theorem of AGW.
A follows B, therefore, A caused B.
A: Humans emit too much CO2.
B: Winter storms happen.
Therefore, Humans emitting too much CO2 caused these winter storms.
2007-12-11 01:25:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 5⤋