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Someone genuinely interested in weather finds something to appreciate in all seasons. Well I certainly do anyway. Only someone with an obvious cold bias would say the above. I may have a warm bias but still see the interest in various winter weather types we get.
To say "winter is more interesting than summer" is just a meaningless opinion as depending on preferences etc.. different people find different weather types and set ups interesting. So it is wrong to say that as if fact, which it isn't.
There's simply more weather in winter, at least in the U.S., with more synoptic storm systems, a greater temperature variability, and a variety of precipitation types. Sure, there's something for a weather appreciate in every season, and the heat waves and derechos that I posted about last summer demonstrate that, but when it comes down to it there's simply more "weather" going on in winter. What each of us personally finds "interesting" in will naturally depend on preference.
I found something interesting from The Weather Channel, a new creation called the Winter Impact Index, or "STORM:CON" (a cousin of TOR:CON no doubt). I think it's a bit gimmicky, but it might be interesting down the road.
Also, we were talking about 0F snow dumps (I think it was in another thread). Incidentally, Yellowknife is forecast to receive an inch of snow today along with some wind, with temperatures ranging between -15F and 0F. One inch isn't a "dump" by any means, but it illustrates the general concept.
Here in England it seems we probably get more "weather" in summer than the US because we still get hit by low pressure systems regularly. Hell it's even snowed in Buxton in "summer" before. Frosts aren't uncommon either. Here I find we get more temperature variation in summer than winter. Often a winter month here sees only a difference of 10-12°C in the entire month.
Steve D says not all the storms will be snow for the East coast but its going to be cold and stormy. Which means sometimes it will be a rain storm for the coast. When you have a stormy pattern you have more "chances" for snow. Obviously if there wasnt a stormy pattern you would need a perfect setup each time a storm came through. But look where he says the "heart" of the cold will be.
The chart shows the current average stratospheric temperatures and the expected forecast out to ten days from the ECMWF. I should note that the ECMWF has a VERY high verification score for the stratospheric temperature forecasts. The forecast for ten days out though is a return to well above normal temperatures at 50 MB and 70 MB and slightly above normal at 10 MB and 30 MB in ten days.
This data is very interesting considering central and northern Canada where the warmest anomalies are located. The coldest anomalies will be found over northeastern Europe and near the Caspian Sea. So we take these anomalies and now we start to enhance those anomalies for the end of December and much of January. What you have is a pattern that is clearly a negative Arctic Oscillation and negative North Atlantic Oscillation.
The fears of this winter being like last year are going to crash like the Polar Vortex and in it’s place will be a pattern that will feature a ridge over the West coast and Rockies, a trough over the eastern two-thirds of the nation, and very stormy weather conditions along the East coast. I want to be clear the coldest surface temperatures will be over the northern Plains, Great Lakes, Upper Mississippi Valley, and Ohio River Valley. The East coast will be near to slightly below normal for the most part but very stormy. That won’t always mean snow, but certainly plenty of potential out there. http://www.nynjpaweather.com/
Here in England it seems we probably get more "weather" in summer than the US because we still get hit by low pressure systems regularly. Hell it's even snowed in Buxton in "summer" before. Frosts aren't uncommon either. Here I find we get more temperature variation in summer than winter. Often a winter month here sees only a difference of 10-12°C in the entire month.
I see your point, and it obviously also depends on location. Coastal Antarctica has more variability and storminess in summer than winter, and Southern California is more variable and stormy in winter than in summer. In most of the U.S. a 12C range for the whole month regularly occurs in the summer months, not the winter months, which feature a much wider range. The variety of precipitation types and storminess also feeds into the potential for weather interest. There's also the matter of real winter weather, such as persistent snowpacks, powdery snow, bitter cold, and whiteouts, and that feeds into whether you like four seasons or not, which is a distinct issue.
Wow! Haven't checked this for a few days and what is the big deal here??? It is a public message board, don't like certain threads, hello, don't read them!!!
There is always going to be a line in the sand, people have their preferences, warmer/hot, cool/colder so what? It sounds rather silly to say well, you talked about fall in August, I'm going to talk spring in February, go ahead have at it.
I used to be on weather all the time then it changed to compare this climate, fake climate polls, endless winless battles about hot and cold, freezing cold weather in places where they have no clue what cold is, I made a choice don't read those posts and post less often.
I post in the summer when we have a crazy stetch (I live in a micro climate where it changes by 15-20 degrees in a few miles). In winter I follow the storms, find them interesting. Our weather is always fun due to the lake influence. I've been a weather geek longer than some of you are old (making a snap judgment based on comments only).
Well, that is my 2 cents, I just don't get the remarks and anger over the weather, I love fall maybe I'll start the thread in July this year!
I don't see any anger here at all, I really don't know what your over reaction is about. All I was saying is one can find interest in the weather any time of the year.
Thank you for pointing out the obvious. WWF's are busy enjoying the summer, and I never try to push the warmth in the face of CWF's. But to me, the CWF's do nothing in winter buy hype every single cold event to try prove some point about how "cold wave is coming", or "the next ice age is here", lol. One cold weather fan in particular couldn't even let us enjoy August without posting a Fall thread. Just you wait, on Feb 1st I will start talking about the death of winter and Spring just around the corner. No doubt they will try to hype cold well into June.
Tom I got a chuckle out of your last sentence as we did have frost on June 13th this year. That was our last cold snap for the Spring/Summer season until Sept 26th when the frost started in again. Gardens took a beating this year. The cold wouldn't let go and when it did there was only about 2 good months to get something out of it before it went down hill again.
Another 5 cm of snow today. Last night I managed to get stuck in snow with my car for the first time this season, had to spend half an hour digging it out. Great winter landscape but not so comfy anymore unless you drive a jeep.
"For the second year in a row, December’s putting on an incredibly mild face---rare in the annals of Chicago's observational record. The month's 41.5-degree average temperatures continues a stunning 15-degrees above normal and 8-degrees above a year ago." -Tom Skilling
Where is the end to the warm spell that some are talking about? Where?
From Chicago Weather Center Blog, Tom Skilling WGN
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The Warmth Continues
