Are you colder than the North Pole?The record-strength El Niño event this year and the unusual atmos

Are you colder than the North Pole?The record-strength El Niño event this year and the unusual atmosphere conditions around the world are, right now, creating an almost unbelievable weather pattern in one of the most extreme climates on the planet.It’s the end of December, just after the solstice. It will be several months before the sun is seen across the fields of sea ice. However, an intense weather system, the same low-pressure cell that caused flooding and tornadoes in Texas last weekend, is currently over the North Atlantic Ocean and dragging air with it.This weather system is forecast to become one of the most powerful ever observed over the North Atlantic at this time of year, potentially reaching hurricane force winds.This storm is going to drag enough warm air from more southerly latitudes along with it that the North Pole, locked in darkness, will actually be above the freezing temperature of water both today and potentially tomorrow.Depending on the exact air currents of the storm, the North Pole could reach temperatures as high as 5°C (~41°F). If the actual pole does get above the freezing temperature of water, it will be only the 4th time that the North Pole has recorded a December temperature above 0°C in the historic temperature record, going back to 1948.Much of the Northern Hemisphere is in winter and therefore much of that area is at or below 0°C despite the extreme effects of the El Niño, many areas are still seeing the occasional burst of cold temperatures. For the next day or so, it is likely to be warmer at the North Pole (90° latitude) than in Oklahoma City (35.5°N latitude).This curiosity unfortunately will not be the only effect of this storm. This intense low pressure system is drawing warm air and moisture north and when it crosses the British Isles it will produce more heavy rains, wind, heavy waves, and flooding, in areas just starting to recover from flooding last weekend (http://on.fb.me/1PuX6OQ).All of this weather is being driven by the strongest El Niño event on record in the Pacific Ocean. The pool of warm water in the Eastern Pacific causes shifts in high/low pressure patterns and the jet stream around the world, producing storm patterns that are extreme for local environments across the globe. This El Niño event has already broken records for strength set during the 1998 El Niño event that caused tens of billions of dollars worth of damage worldwide. Although it’s impossible to link a specific storm to the increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the trend of ever-stronger El Niño events is directly linked to increasing amounts of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.-JBBImage credit: Climate Reanalyzer, Climate Change Institute, University of Mainehttp://wapo.st/1NLZwpPhttp://climatereanalyzer.comMore:http://bit.ly/1YPS9Rchttps://twitter.com/bhensonweather/status/681685436264132608 -- source link

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