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December 2011 General Disc/Obs


Ellinwood

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Most of you have probably already saw my post on the AO and the winters when the December AO index averaged +.80 or more. There are 15 years since 1950 when this occured. Out of those 15 years, 3 of them were either a 1st year or 2nd year Nina. 71-72 was a second year, 88-89 was a first year, and 99-00 was a second year.

I downloaded the AO daily data and imported it into excel. I was able to create decent bar charts for the daily indicies but the date axis is a pain in the rear. The graphs below show a 153 day timeframe on the date axis. It's not too difficult convert in your head. 1-30 = Nov, 31-61= Dec, etc.

I also included this year's Nov through yesterday from the CPC site for comparison. The AO can be quite a stubborn index when it's firmly positive or negative. This time last year was the complete opposite of what we have this year.

There is no way to tell what happens next month but the stats do point towards a flip later rather than sooner. I plotted the same charts for the other 12 years too. When I was looking at them last night, a strong +AO can last as long as 80 days or so before any meaningful flip. There are a few other years like 88-89 that never flipped at all but I think the odds are against that happening this year.

If I had to guess, we get a couple of short stretches of favorable -AO this winter but a flip to a long duration -AO is improbable based on the charts I've seen. I'm not saying it can't happen but the odds are against it.

I'm going to do the same with the daily NAO index over the weekend and see if anything interesting pops up.

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My glass half full outlook took it on the chin with today's GFS run. Here are a few good adjectives the sum up how I view the pattern:

hideous

wretched

ghastly

dreadful

loathsome

grim

appalling

horrid

repugnant

I think that sums it up pretty well. I would be at a loss for words if it got worse than progged. There is something larger at play here though. These 2 charts send a clear signal that 2 things that we need are extremely stubborn and have been since the end of August.

Until something breaks here there is little we can do about it other than keep up the lighthearted banter and pass time. I remember an AFD from LWX some years back when we were having a bad drought. Don't remember the forecaster be he said something that has stuck with me for a while. The simple quote was "when in a persistent drought, it's best to forecast dry regardless of what the models are showing." During that year, it was right more than wrong until the tropics opened up and dumped like a foot of rain in a couple of days. It was kinda funny because before the deluge, the news was full of "it could take years to get the reservoirs and water table back to normal."

I guess my point is that we are in a very stubborn pattern and even when the models throw us bones its probably best to assume a continuation of what we've been seeing.

GFS sucks Euro is blech,, Ensembles are horrible , The CFS atrocious, analogs are god awful JB's forecast vomit, Wes's forecast are a nightmare.

Hey I wonder what Weatherwiz's family psychic is saying?

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No.

Hold it ellinwood, there is the possibility of a ""clipper"" affecting us , but yes your right there is nothing at all on this run for us. Somewhat cold and dry. I dont believe it, but that is what the model says. HOpefully it will be cold enough for snow makng at liberty moutain just above the md-pa border for maybe some skiing in the next two weeks. Have to wait and see. Happy holidays to all.

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Hold it ellinwood, there is the possibility of a ""clipper"" affecting us , but yes your right there is nothing at all on this run for us. Somewhat cold and dry. I dont believe it, but that is what the model says. HOpefully it will be cold enough for snow makng at liberty moutain just above the md-pa border for maybe some skiing in the next two weeks. Have to wait and see. Happy holidays to all.

No.

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According to the National Weather Service Daily Climate Report, last night Dulles Airport set a high temperature record for December 21st with a reading of 61 at 7:49 P.M. When was the last time a high temperature record was broken in the evening?

No idea on time of day, but the record itself is interesting. Yesterday's 61° will stand as the 2nd coolest high temp record at Dulles, trailing only Jan 10th's 58°. Seems to have been one of the easier daily records to break.

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No idea on time of day, but the record itself is interesting. Yesterday's 61° will stand as the 2nd coolest high temp record at Dulles, trailing only Jan 10th's 58°. Seems to have been one of the easier daily records to break.

Right, Dulles high temperature records are all over the lot -- especially in the winter -- due to their relatively brief (49-year) history, and so it was not surprising that the record was broken. But at 7:49 in the evening? I don't recall a previous all-time daily high being set in the evening around here.

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the one good thing about this winter is the suffering that New England has had to endure

Heh, it sucks when you live where it's supposed to snow alot and it doesn't. When I lived in the rockies, a crappy snow season was ungodly and practically unbearable.

At least here we look at it like a treat. It's much easier to go without desert than breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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Anyone on here in Rockville right now? What the heck just flew by? My windows were rattling. My guess was a fighter jet but man it was LOUD.

I heard it as well. I thought it was fighter jets but the rumble seemed a bit off. Maybe a large low flying jet. The few times I've heard fighters fly over the sound was a quick escalation and decline. This was drawn out. Also a lot of sirens around this part of the county since about 3am.

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