The year that was
We’re firmly in 2024 now and while we’ve seen some highlights from 2023, here are a few more.
First up, MyRadar’s year in review.
And no real surprise here but extreme heat outpaced extreme cold in the U.S. I thought this part of the article was interesting though because it sort of points out the swing from one end to the other.
Following its coolest June since 2009, temperatures rose to unprecedented levels in Phoenix. With an average temperature of 102.7 degrees during July, the highest on record by nearly 4 degrees, Phoenix became the first major city in the United States to average 100 degrees or higher for a month. It also posted its second-hottest August and hottest summer overall, which included a record-setting 31-day stretch reaching at least 110 degrees.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/12/29/record-heat-united-states-climate
For a broader look, this article covers events across the globe and here’s the Met Office’s recap.
And finally, NASA updated their climate spiral showing temperature anomalies. The image below is the end of this visualization.
We’re gonna run out of colors
This was the map from the NWS showing current weather warnings on Sunday.
It’s going to be an active weather week and this post on Yale Climate Connections does a good job of summarizing things. We’ll have to check in later this week to see where things ended up. For now, be safe out there everyone!
Uh, what kind of weather?
So Denver hosts a stock show every year and the weather during that time is sometimes referred to as “stock show weather”. Russ Schumacher from Colorado State decided to see if the weather is unusually bad during that time or not.
To look closer at what actually happens in “stock show weather,” Schumacher compared data from Denver-Central Park – the old Stapleton airport site – going back to 1952 for the weeks of Jan. 6-21. He also looked at the 15 days before and the 15 days after that window to get a better sense of patterns around the event, which draws visitors, vendors and participants from around the country to the Mile High City. He said that whether you’re looking at daily high or low temperatures, the average is definitely colder for the two weeks leading up to the stock show than during the stock show itself.
This day in extreme weather history…
I bought this page-a-day calendar and thought I’d share today’s event.
Can’t say I’m sorry that I missed you Denise.
From the NWS glossary
You could have maybe guessed this was coming.
Blizzard Warning
Issued for winter storms with sustained or frequent winds of 35 mph or higher with considerable falling and/or blowing snow that frequently reduces visibility to 1/4 of a mile or less. These conditions are expected to prevail for a minimum of 3 hours.
Some satellite imagery
We haven’t included satellite imagery in a while but with everything going on, it seems like a good time to share some.
The usuals
You know the drill!
That’s it for now
See you next time weather fam. Please keep an eye on the weather this week.
I’ll leave you with a few photos from the break.
Happy New Year! Can’t wait to learn more weather things in 2024.
Happy New Year!