Originally Posted By DAR Tonight and tomorrow we're supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow here in Milwaukee. The northern part of the state is supposed to get 8-12. In Cleveland they had to cancel four games because of all the snow they received. They moved the Indians/Angels up here to Miller Park because we have a retractable roof on the stadium. It's been freezing cold this week. In fact it was colder on Easter than it was on Christmas. So explain to me why I should view global warming as nothing more than alarmist hype.
Originally Posted By mrichmondj So, you are telling me that freezing temperatures are abnormal in Wisconsin in April? I remember visiting Madison once in August -- the high was 65 degrees throughout my visit. 1/3 of my co-workers are living on Green Bay right now. They have pretty much kept me up to date on Wisconsin weather patterns over the past 2 years. Freezing weather at Easter is not at all abnormal. What did you think about the week before Easter, when you had temperatures in the 80s in Wisconsin? Why didn't the local weather patterns during that week lead you to draw conclusions about global warming? Why didn't you post your thoughts here when it was warm enough for shorts and t-shirts in Wisconsin? You have an interesting way to draw a scientific conclusion about global weather patterns. I'd be more than happy to entertain someone's observations of local weather patterns if they were at least the slightest bit honest and didn't try to use a week's worth of weather to describe an entire season -- particularly when the week they choose is totally unlike the rest of the season they are trying to describe.
Originally Posted By DAR <<What did you think about the week before Easter, when you had temperatures in the 80s in Wisconsin?>> Because it was nowhere near in 80's last week. We had one day in the last month where it got up to 80. For the most part it's been 30's 40's and 50's since spring started.
Originally Posted By DAR Here's the temperature for March: <a href="http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/53202?month=-1" target="_blank">http://www.weather.com/weather /monthly/53202?month=-1</a> So only seven days in March reached above 60. Now let's look at April so far: <a href="http://www.weather.com/weather/monthly/53202?month=0" target="_blank">http://www.weather.com/weather /monthly/53202?month=0</a> Only two days above 60. The norm is in the 50's but we're not even close to that.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 The point is that a short-term pattern for a particular spot has NOTHING to do with long-term global climate. Here in NY, we had a much warmer than normal January, and a somewhat colder than normal February. Which one tells us something about global climate change? Neither one.
Originally Posted By DAR Maybe I'm just not going to but into the hype because we're told to worry about something every year. We're told to worry about depleting the ozone, global cooling, global warming, avian flu, West Nile, killer bees from Mexico, butter is bad for you, no wait it's good for you. We're told every single year something is going to harm us, then it never happens. Well I'm through worrying about these things, if they happen they happen.
Originally Posted By mrichmondj << But can you understand my skepticism about this? >> No, I can't. You are basing your judgment based on personal weather observations that match your skepticism, and you ignore the rest of the data. You post a link that shows a few days of unseasonably warm weather, but decline to make the same conclusions from those few days while denouncing global weather predictions based on a few days of unseasonably cold weather. It's a downright dishonest way to approach these sorts of issues. I could make the exact same arguments based on unseasonably warm weather that we have had in Southern California this winter. It was quite balmy in February, and the rainy season has been a bust. This past week, we've experienced the "June gloom" in April. What does that say about global warming -- absolutely nothing since you can't jump to conclusions about global weather patterns based on a few weeks of weather.
Originally Posted By DAR I'm skeptical about being fed hype about things that never come true i.e. killer bees from Mexico. But see that's the problem with the pro-global warming cloud is that it's an open and shut case. Kind of like the Bush administration with Iraq.
Originally Posted By mrichmondj It's fine to be skeptical. It's quite another thing to only filter data into your life that serves to feed the skepticism. Why do you specifically point out cold temperatures in April that aren't even near record low temperatures, but fail to admit that March 25th and March 26th 2007 set record highs in Milwaukee, WI?
Originally Posted By DAR Yeah that's two days out of the month. I'm done with this debate, if you want to worry for me go nuts.
Originally Posted By mrichmondj How was the local weather in Wisconsin fueling your skepticism in January? <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=404109" target="_blank">http://www.jsonline.com/story/ index.aspx?id=404109</a> Why didn't you post about this one? "In Milwaukee, January ended as the warmest on record since 1880. In addition, between late December and mid-February, the temperature rose to at least 30 degrees for 57 days in a row, shattering the old streak of 31 straight days, set in 1931-'32."
Originally Posted By Dabob2 << But can you understand my skepticism about this? >> I understand skepticism about anything. I'm naturally skeptical. I was kind of late to being concerned about global for that reason. However, when I saw the preponderance of the data, and the strong consensus among scientists (which doesn't mean unanimity), I chose to go with the experts. I don't understand skepticism about something as large as global climate based on something as small as a short period in one city though, no.
Originally Posted By DAR <<Why didn't you post about this one?>> And next year temperatures will probably be back to normal. And yeah I am basing my skepticism on weather patterns here because this is where I live.
Originally Posted By CrouchingTigger The killer bees thing never happened? I remember a few dead animals and badly stung people that will disagree with that. <a href="http://www.stingshield.com/ca.htm" target="_blank">http://www.stingshield.com/ca. htm</a> <a href="http://www.stingshield.com/2000news.htm" target="_blank">http://www.stingshield.com/200 0news.htm</a>
