Warm weather in Europe cause for concern

[YankeyMCC]

(snip)
Green fields, not white slopes, have greeted visitors to some of Europe's most popular ski resorts as December began with remarkably little snow. The ski industry is sweating it out, desperately trying to entice tourists with spa weekends and Christmas markets, and encouraging visitors to bring hiking shoes and enjoy "the extension of autumn."
(snip)

(snip)
The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization says the Alps have as little as one-third the seasonal average of snow. Temperatures from Norway to the Mediterranean are up to 5 degrees warmer than normal.
(snip)

(snip)
"It's abnormal but it's an abnormality which seems to be occurring more and more often," said Bernard Saunier of the French national weather service.
(snip)

(snip)
Stephan Bader, a climatologist with the Swiss federal meteorological institute, warned that while extreme temperatures like the record summer of 2003 used to occur only once every 100 years, they will happen every two or three years in the next century.
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http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2006/12/08/warm_weather_in_europe_cause_for_concern/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News

[genieroze]

1. Bring it to NJ, I'm freezing. lol

[Christa]

2. I am freezing in NC as well.

[MADem]

3. We went from balmy to bitter in New England as well. NT

[all.of.me]

12. northern NM, too

Thanksgiving weekend was in the 50s, then the following Wednesday, it was 8" of snow and 15 below over night and bitter cold for over a week.

[lebkuchen]

4. It's near T-shirt weather in Germany

The lavender on my balcony has never looked better!

[dipsydoodle]

5. Same here 14 miles north west of central London

"The times they are a changing..............."

edit to add Hatrack's post : http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x74516

Check out the temeratures - 56f last Monday night !

[Karenina]

10. Sweatshirt, no jacket

no undershirt... Die Heizung is AUS or on 1 when it's dark and rainy (at least THAT is normal). Hey, ich beklage mich nicht!

[Solly Mack]

11. Light jacket in the rain...if that

maybe a sweatshirt in the early AM...

windows still open...heat off

[jbonkowski]

6. Ironically, if the ocean conveyer stops

Due to melting polar ice, the same region will end up much colder year around. Which factor will dominate? No one can say.

jim

[dipsydoodle]

7. The effect of that is alleged to be

that we enter an ice age and a substantial part of the USA says "hello dustbowl - goodbye wheat"

Maybe time to learn some of Woody's songs about hardtimes.

[Lisa]

8. lack of snow is much worse than no skiing ...

There are lots of people downslope of those alpine areas who depend on the snowpack for their water. (The same is true for much of Western North America.) If the snow comes down as rain because of warmer temperatures, there will be destructive winter and spring floods, and then nothing left to melt during the summer -- water levels could drop considerably (and when that happens, hydro power generation slumps, and even thermal and nuclear power plants are affected due to lack of coolant).

[Rainscents]

9. Here in Washington State, we've had record breaking snow falls

each winter since 2001. It seems like, every year, we are breaking previous year of snow fall. My understanding, ice age has start it. Within next 20 years, upper part of America will be cover with snow all year around.

[Katzenjammer]

13. That's because you're on the left side of the Rockies. It's not sign of an ice age coming

It's the sign of partial-desertification coming to the right side of the rockies all the way to the Mississippi, maybe even further.