46 Degrees in Chicago Area this morn at 7am...30 degrees above normal.

[Stuart G]

Of course, some say there is no problem with the climate. We had about an inch of rain last nite.. These two middle weeks in
January are the coldest months of the year. We also had rain last week.

[RevStPatrick]

1. On Saturday, we had our first snow since October here in New York...

...and it will all melt, because it's gonna be in the 50's this week.
I kind of like it, but I really don't like it.
If you know what I mean...

[greytdemocrat]

2. Wow

So what??? You're having a warm winter, lower heating bills. Good god people whine about everything!

If it happens 10 years in a row it might be a problem.

[Botany]

4. An extended cold period is vital for the environment and for many plants.

It is 52 F here in Ohio @ 9:00 AM. We had thunderstorms last night.

Apple trees need an extended period of cold weather to produce
fruit.

Seeds of native plants need to be exposed to a cold temperatures
for germination.

Lack of cold temperatures can lead to more diseases and pests.

[greytdemocrat]

16. And I would not argue that.

All I'm saying is a warm winter is not the end of the world. We've had them before and will again. We'll have colder than normal winters too.

I live in Florida on the Gulf coast, a few years back after hurricane Charley Gore was telling people we'd be getting CAT 5 storms every year...sorry doomsayer crowd, it didn't happen.

And I'm not lumping you in with the doom&gloom gang here, just an example.

[redqueen]

29. Examine recent trends.

Then you might not be so hostile to people who have already taken notice of the trends, and are duly concerned.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Avg. High: 31°F

Record high 59. For this day, Chicago.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Very strange winter in NY as well

Strange year. We had a hurricane and a blizzard two months apart. Until someone tells me otherwise, that has never happened before.

[Systematic Chaos]

7. Hurricane season officially ends in November, so it's highly possible within a 2-month time frame.

n/t

[BeyondGeography]

10. It's only technically possible

"Highly" suggests some degree of frequency, doesn't it? We've never had a hurricane in the northeast in November.

[marmar]

6. Yep. 44 in Detroit this morning after overnight precip......in the form of rain..............

............in late January. Following our only snowstorm of the season, which dumped a grand total of 3 inches.

[Motown_Johnny]

26. it sure has been a strange winter

I do snow removal in the winter and Saturday morning is the first time I needed to actually remove snow all winter.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. 30 Degrees? You Sure About That

I've lived in Chicagoland my whole life. I don't remember typical late January averaging 16 degrees for a high. Or, is that the typical (average) 7am temperature?
GAC

[Botany]

9. You find the lowest temps just below daybreak

January Chicago Weather

Average High Temperature: 30°F (-1°C)
Average Low Temperature: 15°F (-9°C)
Average Precipitation: 1.8"
Average Snowfall: 10.99"

http://gochicago.about.com/od/chicago101thebasics/a/january.htm

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Yeah, I Know That

Since, like i said, i've been here all my life, i know that it's colder right before sun up, because that's the time with the longest period of minimal solar warming. Perfectly logical.

But, that's not clear in the OP. And, your numbers suggest it's wrong unless it's specific to the time of day.

My experience has been (anecdotal) that the first 6 weeks of the year have always been the harshest around here. Not 100%, or course, but generally so.
GAC

[Botany]

15. The O.P. was spot on it was 31 degrees higher today than the average low for Chicago

which in most cases is just before daybreak aka 7:00 AM ....
but a multiple of factors contribute as to what are the high and
low temperatures for any given day.

On average the lowest temps are just before daybreak and the
warmest temps tend to be 2:30 and 5:00 PM.

[Stuart G]

22. Average 7am Temp at this time of year..approx 16 to 17 degrees..depending on what chart you look at.

Yes it will get colder later on in the day..but at 7:40am..very very unusual to have it this warm..

Daybreak is at 7:15 am ..that is the sunrise..time..

[ProfessorGAC]

24. OK Thanks

I can buy that. I had originally thought you were talking about t daily high, which as we know today, is what we had at 7am. I heard the same thing as you; getting increasingly cold throughout the day.
GAC

[onenote]

11. Posts like this make me despair of educating the public about climate change

No matter how often its pointed out that the temperature on a given day or even a given week or month doesn't prove that climate change is real (and climate change is real), someone always points to an unusually warm or cold or wet or dry moment and says "see, climate change!" Its wrong and its unhelpful.
Yes its warmer than is typical this morning in Chicago. Of course, by day's end, its going to be significantly colder than it is this morning. That's what happens when weather fronts move through an area. By the way, if you want extreme temperatures, consider that the warmest January day on record in Chicago occurred on January 25, 1950 when it hit 67. And the coldest January day occurred on January 20, 1985, when it hit minus 24.

So, in a manner of speaking, chill out and stop (unintentionally) undermining efforts to educate folks about climate change by stressing "in the moment" weather readings.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Actually I Think They Were Pointing Out The Opposite Onenote

I think you're vehemently agreeing with the OP. I read the OP's point as climate change is real.

I'm just confused by the 30 degree thing.
GAC

[onenote]

14. Climate change is real. But today's temperature in Chicago is not proof of it.

And when the temperature on a particular day or week or even season is stressed, it opens the door for those who deny climate change to point to the "normal" weather streak that inevitably follows as evidence against climate change. The average guy or gal on the street simply gets confused. Educating the public about climate change is important and attributing an unusual weather day to climate change (which is what I read the OP as doing) is not helpful.

[ProfessorGAC]

25. I See Your Point

Not sure that i agree with it, but i do understand what you're saying.
GAC

[MineralMan]

17. The entire upper Midwest is having an unusual winter.

Weather patterns for the first half of the season have been unusual. While it's warmer this year, that's not necessarily evidence for global climate change. It could be due to that, but weird years, weatherwise, have been around for a long long time. Just last year, for example, record snow levels were recorded in many places in the upper Midwest. Was that evidence that global warming doesn't exist?

Weather and climate are different things.

[Botany]

18. The record snow levels are a perfect example of climate change

warmer air carries more moisture than colder air so you get
more snow and rainfall in various places. Although in some
areas climate change causes less rainfall .... see Texas and
Australia.

[MineralMan]

21. That was last year. This year, we may have record

low amounts of snow. That is weather, not climate.

I firmly believe that global climate change is happening. I do not believe that the current weather is evidence of it. That evidence is found in global statistics, not how much snow falls in Minnesota in a single winter.

[Botany]

27. you r right

global climate change has been accepted as fact by the scientific community
and people who say there is still some doubt about it are either paid liars,
pandering to an anti-intellectual groups, or just stupid.

Here in Columbus, OH Prof. Lonnie Thompson of OSU's Byrd Institute of Polar
Studies and his work w/ ice cores give rock solid proof of climate change.

http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/ a great link as per climate change

BTW it would not be out of the "normally expected range" to still have
some heavy snowfalls this winter .... I don't know if the Great Lakes have
frozen over or not by now ..... the longer the Great Lakes stay unfrozen
the more of chance we have in parts of the midwest of picking up some
heavy snowfalls .... It used to be that in the snow belt (east of Cleveland up
to western New York) would pick up big snows until Lake Erie froze over
(early to mid January) but now we can go an entire winter w/out Lake
Erie freezing over.

sorry to babble

[MineralMan]

28. Well, I just came in from removing 3" of snow

from two driveways and the sidewalks in front of three houses. It's good to see some snow on the ground. It hasn't seemed much like winter this year in Saint Paul.

[onenote]

19. +1

[hobbit709]

20. Was Hizzoner making a speech.

That could account for the hot air.

[Stuart G]

23. You know..you are correct..there are lots of speeches being given at this time of year...nt..

[Major Hogwash]

30. Buy stock in suntan lotion now.

Because Congress is going to force President Obama to make deep cuts in the budget this year, and he is going to have to lay off Santa Claus.

So next winter, after the election, the temperatures will rise by another 5 degrees at least!!
Do you know why?

Because President Obama is also going to have to relax the environmental regulations that used to control the Heat Mizer.
The Heat Mizer's motto is -- "I never want to know a day that's under 60° - I'd rather have it 80, 90, 100°!".