Snow fell in Kuwait for first time in memory at 28-01-2016 (records, warming)
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Where in Kuwait was that? I doubt that it was in Kuwait City. I'm guessing it was the hilly areas.
And maybe it was graupel?
Not graupel. It was in Al-Salmi, near the Saudi border. The nearest reliable Saudi weather station is Al-Qaysumah, just on the other side of the border. If you go to Wunderground.com and check the weather history for Al-Qaysumah, it shows an afternoon temperature of +4 C with overcast conditions on Thursday - making snow a definite possibility on Thursday afternoon/evening. The low on Friday morning was -3 C, not a record but the coldest in about five years. The license plate on the truck in the Twitter picture is also that of Kuwait. I'm always suspicious of such reports but this one seems like it could be the real deal.
Al-Salmi is at an elevation of 300 m and about 150 km inland from Kuwait City. Downtown Kuwait City, with its urban heat island effect, moderation from the Persian Gulf, and low elevation, rarely ever gets down to freezing. Official weather reports for "Kuwait City" are from Kuwait Airport, which is also out in the open desert but much closer to the city than Al-Salmi is. It tends to have night temperatures that are about 4 C cooler than downtown Kuwait City and 2 C warmer than Al-Salmi. Friday morning's low in Kuwait City was +5 C, a full 8 degrees warmer than Al-Salmi.
Incidentally, the +6 C high on Thursday in Al-Salmi/Al-Qaysumah is the lowest I can recall. Sub-10 C highs are extremely rare.
By the way, to the poster above me: Climate change is occurring in the Persian Gulf region. An isolated snow event in winter does not disprove global warming. For one thing, El Nino has been linked to cooler, moister winters in this region and the current El Nino is a strong one. Secondly, both summer and winter temperatures have been steadily rising (both air and seawater temperatures). The odds of such a snow event occurring again in the future are even lower than ever before in recorded history, barring the occurrence of a volcanic eruption or other global cooling event. In other words, if the odds were 1 in 100 back in 1900, the odds now are more like 1 in 150.
Last edited by arctic_gardener; 01-29-2016 at 11:06 PM..
By the way, to the poster above me: Climate change is occurring in the Persian Gulf region. An isolated snow event in winter does not disprove global warming. For one thing, El Nino has been linked to cooler, moister winters in this region and the current El Nino is a strong one. Secondly, both summer and winter temperatures have been steadily rising (both air and seawater temperatures). The odds of such a snow event occurring again in the future are even lower than ever before in recorded history, barring the occurrence of a volcanic eruption or other global cooling event. In other words, if the odds were 1 in 100 back in 1900, the odds now are more like 1 in 150.
I assume I am "the poster above (you)." I would rather be quoted so I could respond.
Global warming/climate change has become a religion, beyond rational thought or discussion. None of the climate change alarmists have pointed me to any sustained rise in temperature in an inhabited, developed region. Why is this important? Temperature data from the high Arctic or other largely uninhabited areas relies upon such indirect data as tree rings or ice core samples. They are at best educated guesses. When people with an agenda are relying upon such data the information is subject to misuse.
Also there have previously been warm periods such as the Medieval Optimum or cold periods such as Younger Dryas or Little Ice Age (of Dickens' era). It takes a lot more than an unproven theory to get me to believe "Chicken Little." Especially when the alarmists are arriving and departing from lavish conferences in private jets. In support alarmism, at the recent Paris summit, were such noted scientists making "guest appearances" as:
Chris Pine
Jon Bon Jovi
Lance Bass
Ed Begley, Jr
Vance Joy
Peter Gabriel
There were musical performances to help focus the politicians as:
Damian Kulash
Duran Duran
Elton John
Fall Out Boy
Florence & The Machine
Hozier
Mumford And Sons
Walk The Moon
These dedicated actors, singers, musical groups and politicians no doubt felt very good about themselves in their activities that were "saving the earth" and giving others a very good time in the process. The Paris Agreement will accomplish nothing, and may potentially be very costly to ordinary, hard-working people. Why is this predictable? Politicians want money. For example, Marshall Islands (islands in the Pacific) representatives came with their hands out. Their leaders claim they're being swamped by the Pacific. The leaders want checks, not to have their citizens relocated. I doubt very much that they believe that any action they could take would prevent their treasured islands from being submerged. If that were imminent the people would need to be relocated since if they drown a solution that takes effect in a century wouldn't help them.
In short, I am highly skeptical of publicly funded scientists, or for that matter university-funded scientists, who need a crisis in order to have a raison de etre for their research. Or politicians milling around a summit in Paris who have a solution, i.e. a need for a massive distribution of wealth to their leaders, in search of a problem to justify the transfer. Magically, a problem appears. Climate change. The Fourth World kleptocrats seek huge amounts to help their countries "adjust" to climate change. How much do you really think the successors to Idi Amin, or leaders of war-torn Nigeria, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe or the Central African Republic really going to spend to help their peasants adjust to climate change? About as much of the famine relief as finds its way to the starving.
Thus, I disagree with the post to which I respond.
None of the climate change alarmists have pointed me to any sustained rise in temperature in an inhabited, developed region. Why is this important? Temperature data from the high Arctic or other largely uninhabited areas relies upon such indirect data as tree rings or ice core samples. They are at best educated guesses. When people with an agenda are relying upon such data the information is subject to misuse.
Also there have previously been warm periods such as the Medieval Optimum or cold periods such as Younger Dryas or Little Ice Age (of Dickens' era). It takes a lot more than an unproven theory to get me to believe "Chicken Little."
The tree ring data and ice core samples are used for estimating past levels of CO2 and/or flora distribution in eras eons ago. The data on current warming trends is drawn from meteorological records. The data doesn't lie - it's warming practically everywhere. I already mentioned Kuwait (and the wider Middle East). I live in Canada - it's warming too, coast to coast. Every season is warming, but winters are warming by the greatest extent. The website of our federal agency, Environment Canada, maintains temperature records going back a hundred years or so and even in this short period, there is a warming trend towards the present. The data is free to access. Every Canadian city has 1961-1990 normals and 1981-2010 normals available for a quick comparison of how the climates have changed in those 20 years. These changes have been massive in winter.
As to your second point, yes, there have been previous warm periods even warmer than today. I am not disputing that but that's another discussion.
The website of our federal agency, Environment Canada, maintains temperature records going back a hundred years or so and even in this short period, there is a warming trend towards the present. The data is free to access. Every Canadian city has 1961-1990 normals and 1981-2010 normals available for a quick comparison of how the climates have changed in those 20 years. These changes have been massive in winter.
Can you send me a link? I would use records from CYYZ, CYUL, CYED or similar cities.
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And again I am jealous. At 500 m of Ioannina we had just some snowflakes and in Kuwait lying snow. 
