For the second winter in a row persistent cold was the story for Central NC and VA. Who would have ever thought that a La Nina winter with one of the highest 90 day average SOI would be opposite of the historical correlation to US temperatures?
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Would you believe that Florida experienced its #10 Coldest winter?
It was supposed to be toasty warm! Source: NOAA ESRL |
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Here is how the states ranked in temperature. Amazingly, only Maine and Utah were above normal!
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2009-10 was a strong El Nino and FL hit its record coldest.
This year featured the opposite, strong La Nina. FL still in top 10 coldest! |
Did La Nina impact the east at all? Pervasive dryness dominated the same regions which were most cold. A dry winter is expected during a La Nina.
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Note the divergence between highest precip (in NW)
and coldest temperature relative to norms in SE. |
Finally, here are some slides showing the dominance of cold in December in the east and a progression toward a more typical La Nina pattern by February. Part 2 will include ideas about what made this past winter unique. I will also include highlights and lowlights or the season.
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