Discussing our weather and climate
Weather is a constant conversation with climate. Each day, a new entry is made and the average or normal changes. Climate is the long term summary and average of our daily weather. Climate is what we expect when we talk about normal and average, but weather is what we get.
In reality, a big difference can occur between what we are expecting of any given day and what actually happens. In Uniontown, our coldest day of 22 degrees below zero and our hottest July afternoon of 102 degrees both are part of our average. The average afternoon temperature on that coldest January date was 38 degrees and the average on our hottest July day was 83 degrees receptively. Normal is just a collection of these extremes, along with all the other days just averaged together.
Remember last fall when forecasts were calling for our winter to be colder than normal. The sun was setting over the Arctic and the darkness of winter was to allow for a build-up of cold polar air that would occasionally allow a visit from the polar vortex to Southwestern Pennsylvania bringing with it icy winds and very cold air. For the most part, it never happened this winter as the polar air remained locked up in the arctic thanks to the jet stream cutting off the flow of the colder air and keeping it locked up in the polar region. The jetstream is a band of very fast winds high in our atmosphere that guide our weather. A dip in this band of winds usually brings a visit from the polar vortex.
Only a few small incursions of cold air have been able to leave the Arctic to visit us here this winter. Temperatures across United States, Europe, Russia Scandinavia and Eastern Canada have all been above normal. We are on track for the warmest winter in 141 years. All of this due to the cold air staying in place this season.
Nearby Pittsburgh had a high of 71 degrees and their low was 8 degrees. No below zero weather has been recorded this winter which is highly unusual. On average, we see 7 days with below zero temperatures in the Uniontown area. Temperatures can fall below zero in March, but it is on the rare side. On March 15, 1993, during the famous Blizzard of 鈥�93, we dropped to 3 degrees below zero with 25 inches of snow.
A side benefit of the cold air being locked up in the Arctic is that it has allowed the Arctic to gain back some of its sea ice, which had been shrinking in recent years. The mild weather is also allowing some plants to begin their push up through the earth in warmer city areas of New York and Washington, D.C. and leaves are beginning to sprout several weeks early in our southern states.
This could be bad news if a late season cold snap penetrates into the South. The Blizzard of 鈥�93 dropped snow and below freezing cold temperatures as far south as Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast. The mild winter this year is also allowing folks to save money on heating bills this season. For many, this translates to about a 10% savings.
Closer to home, the forecast for March from the Climate Prediction Center calls for cool and dry weather, however the three month outlook for March, April and May is forecasting above normal temperatures and rainfall. Hopefully, the weather conversation will be about mild spring days not too much rain and soon the blossoms of spring.