The Fickle Nature of Old Man Winter

Winter is beginning to descend upon the United States, and this year already is shaping up to be quite a harsh winter.  Officially, winter will not begin until December 21st; however, that has not stopped winter from shattering several very long standing records. In Minnesota, an early winter storm dumped 13.2 inches of snow on the central Minnesota city of Saint Cloud. This was the most significant early snow storm to ever hit the region, surpassing the previous record, which was set in 1898, of 12 inches.

Denver Colorado has also been hit by harsh, unseasonal winter weather. The Polar Vortex that caused so much cold weather last winter returned with a vengeance. On Wednesday the highest the mercury read was six degrees Fahrenheit, which broke the previous record that was set ninety-eight years ago. Denver also managed to set a new low temperature record on Wednesday. The previous record low temperature in Denver for November 12th was four degrees below zero, but yesterday the temperature fell to five degrees below zero. Amazingly, the previous record had been set 132 years ago.

The United States is not the only country that is looking forward to a harsh winter. Meteorologists in the United Kingdom are also predicting a troubling winter. Some forecasters are predicting three months of near constant winter conditions, and some are saying this winter could rival the winter England experienced in 1947, where it snowed nearly every day for three months straight.

Despite these cold conditions (and predictions), the proponents of global warming are still advocating for increased controls on our energy sector and industry. It is also worth noting that there has not been an increase in global temperature for over 18 years.