What a January right? Last month my article on a possible Polar Vortex was rather timely. We would typically see a Polar Vortex episode about once every other year. This winter, we’ve seen seven episodes from mid-December until the last week of January.
There is an area of low pressure over the north pole, the Polar Vortex. Around it is the polar jet stream, which when strong, keeps the cold air bottled up. On occasion, the polar jet stream will weaken, allowing cold air to spill southward, right into Georgia.
When I posted on my Facebook page how cold it was going to be in January, I got a snide remark stating: “Don’t you love global warming?” It’s called Climate Change now because it is causing all kinds of weather extremes, including cold and two southern snowstorms (we had snow in New Orleans, and across the Florida Panhandle beaches). In any event, this person was more right than he realized. Yes, it is the warming of the Artic Ocean and the melting of the sea ice, contributing the weakening of the polar jet. Every year, sea ice the size of South Dakota is disappearing.
So, after a heating bill that looked like a second mortgage last month, many would like to see some warmer weather.
Good news then. Your February outlook is seeing a big pattern change coming. The February outlook is calling for above average temperatures with above average rainfall. The average high for Atlanta in February is 54 degrees. It rises to 61 by the end of the month. The average low is 35 degrees, going to 41 by the end of the month. Rainfall is 4.55 on average, however there are no clear cut signals on above or below normal rainfall. These averages are based on the past 30 years of weather records.
Here is your February 30 day outlook:
Many of you might be thinking it can get pretty cold in March. We have even seen snow, like the Blizzard of ’93.
The Climate Prediction Center spring outlook shows pretty much the same pattern as the February outlook. We will likely see above average temperatures. Again, rainfall is showing no clear-cut signals of being above/below average
I hope you will have a great month!