Ben’s Weather Blog
We are wrapping up the first week of December and haven’t enjoyed an above-normal temperature day in more than three weeks and counting. I did a feature graphic explaining several factors that may be tilting us to a colder winter than we are accustomed to. The interesting candidate is the near-absence of sunspots suggesting a slight decrease in radiant energy, perhaps on the order of 0.1 percent. That does not sound like much, but an increase in cosmic rays may result in more cloudiness and a further decrease in heat reaching the surface.
We are also noticing the build-up of cold air over Alaska and northern Canada and snow cover, which keeps the air cold. And no El Nino or La Nina, both of which tend to favor mild winter in Central Ohio when they are pronounced sea-surface anomalies in the Pacific. Another factor is the North Atlantic Oscillation, or air-pressure pattern, that helps determine whether cold air is forced south into the eastern U.S. or slides mostly past us to the northeast. This variable can flucutate throughout the winter, so that has yet to be determined.
