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View Full Version : March Heat Records Crush Cold Records by Over 35 To 1



keyser soze
04-09-2012, 06:15 AM
FYI.....
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvMRa-Bmx20/T3oSmmn-OII/AAAAAAAACxs/qSEX-jmLz8w/s320/temp.records.033112.jpgThe final data is in for the unprecedented March heat wave that was “unmatched in recorded history (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/warm-weather-records-smashed-more-than-80-cities-with-warmest-march-on-record/2012/04/02/gIQAOqEBrS_blog.html)” for the U.S. (and Canada). New heat records swamped cold records by the stunning ratio of 35.3 to 1.This ratio is almost off the charts, even with the brutally warm August we had, as this chart from Capital Climate (http://capitalclimate.blogspot.com/2012/04/march-heat-records-crush-cold-records.html) shows.For the year to date, new heat records are beating cold records by 22 to 1, which trumps the pace of the last decade by more than a factor of 10!I like the statistical aggregation across the country, since it gets us beyond the oft-repeated point that you can’t pin any one record temperature on global warming. A 2009 analysis (http://climateprogress.org/2010/02/11/science-meehl-ncar-record-high-temperatures-record-lows/) shows that the average ratio for the 2000s was 2.04-to-1, a sharp increase from previous decades.

Lead author Dr. Gerald Meehl explained, “If temperatures were not warming, the number of record daily highs and lows being set each year would be approximately even.”Meteorologist Jason Samenow points out (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/warm-weather-records-smashed-more-than-80-cities-with-warmest-march-on-record/2012/04/02/gIQAOqEBrS_blog.html) just how extreme the heat wave was: “More than 7,700 daily record high temperatures were set (or tied, compared to just 287 record lows), in some cases by mind blowing margins and over multiple days. In several instances in the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest region, morning lows even bested record highs and high temperatures soared above mid-summer norms.”Many of the countries leading climatologists and meteorologists have looked at the data and concluded that like a baseball player on steroids (http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/08/421711/video-steroids-baseball-climate-change/), our climate system is breaking records at an unnatural pace.

read more herehttp://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/03/457098/march-heat-records-crush-cold-records-scientists-global-warming-loaded-the-dice/ (http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/04/03/457098/march-heat-records-crush-cold-records-scientists-global-warming-loaded-the-dice/)Keep this in mind when you're planting...

Peter1469
04-09-2012, 06:16 AM
Just started my balcony garden yesterday.

keyser soze
04-09-2012, 06:19 AM
Keeping things watered may be a challenge. My deck is always in full sun most of the day and temps are really high.

Why didn't my link to the article come up clickable?

Peter1469
04-09-2012, 06:31 AM
I don't get a lot of direct sun. I have a big tree in front of my balcony.

keyser soze
04-09-2012, 06:37 AM
My deck is on the second story and faces E/S until about 3pm. That tree will help a lot. I don't have a tree to shade the deck because my veggie garden is right below and the driveway in front of that....all the Scotch pine trees I planted 20 years ago along the drive to shade it have died unfortunately and I have to replant. I don't know why they died...they were on their way out when I moved back.

Conley
04-09-2012, 08:19 AM
Keeping things watered may be a challenge. My deck is always in full sun most of the day and temps are really high.

Why didn't my link to the article come up clickable?

It was clickable for me if I moused over it. I think you need a space between here and the http://, right now it looks like herehttp://

I had been meaning to start a gardening thread but I guess I hadn't gotten around to it. I haven't planted anything yet, good to read what others are up to though.

Conley
04-09-2012, 08:20 AM
My deck is on the second story and faces E/S until about 3pm. That tree will help a lot. I don't have a tree to shade the deck because my veggie garden is right below and the driveway in front of that....all the Scotch pine trees I planted 20 years ago along the drive to shade it have died unfortunately and I have to replant. I don't know why they died...they were on their way out when I moved back.

That is a major bummer. I don't guess there's a way to figure out what happened so you can prevent it in the future. Tree autopsies?

keyser soze
04-09-2012, 08:21 AM
Let's make a gardening thread or forum...what do you think?

Conley
04-09-2012, 08:24 AM
By all means start a thread - good idea.

keyser soze
04-09-2012, 09:51 AM
That is a major bummer. I don't guess there's a way to figure out what happened so you can prevent it in the future. Tree autopsies?
I knew scotch pine was an iffy choice for our area and I can't say why they have a hard time here...I'd need to do some research, again...I think it was a beetle of some kind...but I love the way they look and they smell wonderful on summer days.

I'll choose something that does better here to replant the area. I have one Scotch pine left...I don't know why it resisted when the others died...if I had my way the dead and dying would have been removed promptly to save the remaining trees but I wasn't here and I don't have control over that with my physical problems at the moment.

It's a shame to look out at the big beautiful pines all dead after so many years....that's life sometimes.

MMC
04-09-2012, 09:59 AM
We are getting ready to plant to. Finally the last frost is gone. Plus my wife does her flowers all over the place. We have the same problem with the front of the house. Faces West and we have no trees. The Back yard is different. As we have a creek out back. So we get shade back there. Currently we have 3 decks. But this year we are turning the one on the side and the front into a wrap-around porch. With a overhang for shade.

Keysor do you use Rain-barrels? These you can set up with the gutters of your house and use them to water plants and gardens with. Plus a host of other things. Saves on your water bill too.

keyser soze
04-09-2012, 10:36 AM
We are getting ready to plant to. Finally the last frost is gone. Plus my wife does her flowers all over the place. We have the same problem with the front of the house. Faces West and we have no trees. The Back yard is different. As we have a creek out back. So we get shade back there. Currently we have 3 decks. But this year we are turning the one on the side and the front into a wrap-around porch. With a overhang for shade.

Keysor do you use Rain-barrels? These you can set up with the gutters of your house and use them to water plants and gardens with. Plus a host of other things. Saves on your water bill too.
Sounds like you'll have a nice porch to sit on! I too am wrapped in trees and had it covered until the pines died off.

I don't need rain barrels here...we have ample water (well) and rain year round....we occasionally have dry spells but I keep a deep mulch on the veggies...the deck has to be watered at least once a day regardless. However, rain barrels are wonderful things to have. I'd wash my hair in rainwater.... :0)

MMC
04-09-2012, 10:47 AM
Sounds like you'll have a nice porch to sit on! I too am wrapped in trees and had it covered until the pines died off.

I don't need rain barrels here...we have ample water (well) and rain year round....we occasionally have dry spells but I keep a deep mulch on the veggies...the deck has to be watered at least once a day regardless. However, rain barrels are wonderful things to have. I'd wash my hair in rainwater.... :0)

We have saved big time on our water bill. We use them to wash cars or the decks. Her flowers and watering the yard. Especially in the summer. Last year we planted one of those burning bushes out in the backyard and we were looking at a Japenese Red Maple for the front of the house. My wife plants a couple of different tomato plants and peppers. But thats about it for veggies. I figure she will do more when she retires.

Conley
04-09-2012, 10:49 AM
This is probably a dumb question but why do you guys need to water decks?

MMC
04-09-2012, 10:55 AM
This is probably a dumb question but why do you guys need to water decks?


Well I will wash mine off. Using the hose. We don't water it due to the heat or how hot it gets. Some like it hot. :evil:

Conley
04-09-2012, 10:56 AM
Yeah if it's dirty I can see why you'd wash it. If it were to get very hot day after day, maybe the water could cool it off and keep the wood from warping? Just guessing.

keyser soze
04-09-2012, 11:02 AM
I like to wash the deck to keep it clean and water the plants. My deck is the roof of the carport so it has asphalt/tar paper with little sand granules...at least it used to...I'd like to cover the deck with indoor/outdoor carpet eventually....it's overlooked by some 80ft Spruce trees so needles rain down on it...if I wash it during the summer and keep the gutters clean it's just a lot nicer...the birds like to hang on the railing and perch in my sunflowers too so that helps to keep it clean. I do it mostly in the evening when the deck is in shadow from the building just before I grab a beer and sit outside... :0)

Conley
04-09-2012, 11:05 AM
Nice. That sounds like a little slice of heaven. :)

edit: Err...if you're an atheist no offense! I don't want to derail this thread. :facepalm: :grin:

keyser soze
04-09-2012, 11:07 AM
Heaven would require a lot less work....:rofl: It's worth it though....

Conley
04-19-2012, 03:29 PM
So theoretically, if I were to just throw grass seed on the dirt patches in my yard and water it, could I expect something amazing to happen? Good soil but I won't use fertilizer on it. Also keep in mind I have a dog who loves to pee all over the lawn.

Conley
04-19-2012, 03:30 PM
I'm thinking we can pull our gardening posts from here and start the thread we talked about.

keyser soze
04-19-2012, 04:38 PM
Okay. Well I'll give a little rundown of my spring so far. Because March was so hot it threw me off and I suspect it threw off the plants, birds etc. a bit. I was worried because only half the Herons were sitting on nests...they were courting etc but half the nests were empty. I was worried about them...what happened to them? Then about a week or so ago they showed up...now almost all the nests are occupied...not all though. Usually all of them have a couple of birds sitting in them...I'll have to do a count and see where we are.

I have lots of grass, flowering Lilac (even though one bush lost half its size in the October snow storm last year) and the various fruit trees have been blooming...the solitary bees have been doing their thing...I've seen one honeybee. The Maple trees are about half way leafed out, same with the fruit and locust, willow etc.

It's early but I keep thinking it's late. Weird.

My garden sits waiting for me...I've been busy making electric fence pastures to move my stock around with.

My perennials are starting to make a show...the ferns are up as well as the hosta, various sedums and of course the Jonquils and Daffodils...I have violets in bloom....I'm thinking about starting some veggie seeds and weeding my veggie garden.

That's my report on gardening so far. I've mowed the grass three times already and it's almost ready to mow again...my neighbor has the field ready to plant corn.

I need to burn the brush pile... :0) I like to do that after dark....