Why Has It Been So Cold This Spring?

[Hum]

Although spring has arrived, it may not feel that way for many in the United States and Canada who have had to put up with unusually cold temperatures.

Last month was a chilly one, ranking as the second-coldest March in the continental United States since 2000, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The average temperature across the United States this March was also 13 degrees Fahrenheit (7.2 degrees Celsius) lower than in March 2012, and a late-winter blizzard broke snowfall records in many areas.

So, why has it been so cold?

The culprit is a stubborn, stationary mass of warm air over Greenland and the North Atlantic that has blocked the normal flow of air from west to east and south to north, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the NWS' Storm Prediction Center. This flow of air, known as the jet stream, usually brings more warm air from the South as the Northern Hemisphere begins to heat up in the spring.

This March, however, the mass of warm air ? a high-pressure system that repels incoming weather systems ? has redirected air currents and created a pattern of winds coming from the Northwest, blasting the eastern two-thirds of the United States with Arctic air, Carbin said.

"This obstinate mass of warm air over Greenland has redirected air currents like a rock in a stream," Carbin said.

The cold will not stick around forever, though, Carbin said. the high-pressure blocking system over Greenland is already beginning to weaken and looks likely to dissipate by the beginning of next week (April 7). This will bring temperatures back into the average range, he said ? which means it may finally start to feel like spring. :)

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[Louisifer]

I'm disappointed Hum, "The culprit is a stubborn, stationary mass of warm air over Greenland" and you didn't mention Alien Spaceships. :(

[Hurricane Andrew]

Global Warming </sarcasm>

[Hum]

I'm disappointed Hum, "The culprit is a stubborn, stationary mass of warm air over Greenland" and you didn't mention Alien Spaceships. :(

Actually I blame the military and their idiotic meddling by spraying the chem trails, to battle 'global warming'.

Every jet spraying these should be shot out of the sky.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

the arctic air is caused by all the glaciers breaking off into the ocean. btw, where's Al Gore?

[HawkMan]

Actually I blame the military and their idiotic meddling by spraying the chem trails, to battle 'global warming'.

Every jet spraying these should be shot out of the sky.

ok the aliens is one thing, but please tell me you're just joking and don't believe in chem trails and have at least a rudimentary understanding of why those vapor trails actually happen.

I wonder where fighter jets puts their huge chem tanks they use to make those trails though....

[neufuse Veteran]

Actually I blame the military and their idiotic meddling by spraying the chem trails, to battle 'global warming'.

Every jet spraying these should be shot out of the sky.

*hits head on desk* please tell me you are just being sarcastic

[tsupersonic]

I think he was being sarcastic :p

Anyways, it hasn't been too hot or cold. I actually prefer colder temperatures compared to hot. Spring/Summer are good for one thing...women in bikini's ;)

[Snake89]

It was snowing in my area today. :(

[protocol7]

Just HAARP that mofo already.

[chrisj1968]

back to the drawing board for the global warming proponents

[FloatingFatMan]

back to the drawing board for the global warming proponents

It's not global warming; that's a media label. It's climate change.

Anyway, clearly the invisible sky fairy decided we're all far too comfy in our shorts and tshirts, so is gonna freeze us all to death for 40 days and 40 nights.

[Tha Bloo Monkee]

We had 30+(Celsuis) weather several days in March last year. We haven't seen anything close to that yet this year (at least where I live).

[Noir Angel]

It's just as bad in the UK, this is our coldest winter on record for a few decades. In fact there has been a very small amount of snowfall where I live today

[Richteralan]

Global Warming </sarcasm>

Actually, that term is now renamed to "climate change".

You see, change is not good.

[Growled Member]

Whatever is causing it, I wish would uncause it. I am tired of freaking cold weather.

[Hum]

Climate change is a meaningless phrase -- when hasn't the climate changed ... ?

[TPreston]

Climate change is a meaningless phrase -- when hasn't the climate changed ... ?

Learn what earths climate is.

[HawkMan]

Learn what earths climate is.

First he needs to learn what a climate it, as the change he refers to is part of the actual climate, a climate change, is changing this whole pattern.