by Kaity Kopeski
Online Editor
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow.
On Feb. 2 the famous groundhog predicted that the country would see six more weeks of wintry weather. Three weeks after his predication, I think it’s safe to say that Phil was correct again.
Initially the snow was magical, bringing to mind scenes from films like “Holiday Inn” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Living in Tennessee, I’ve always felt shorted with our lack of white winters. With snow, even the cold weather was transformed into an awakening experience.
However, like most new things and experiences, the novelty faded quickly. The snow melted, but the cold weather stuck around, and without snow, cold weather is plain dreary.
Complaints of the bitter weather surround me every day. It seems that all are wishing for spring, and this past weekend provided a glimpse of warmer weather to come. The temperature on Saturday hit a high of 61°, a full 20 degrees warmer than last Saturday’s high. Sunday’s high was 67°, a huge difference compared to last Sunday’s high of 38°.
What’s with this fickle weather?
According to Steve Barnett, professor of natural sciences and teacher of the weather studies class, winter weather is simply hard to predict.
“Polar fronts move in unpredictable and complex patterns,” he said.
Many variables play into the weather, including altitude temperature changes, polar jets and topography of land. Barnett said that this year, the cold air was pushed further south than normal. When the cold air married with the warmer wet air from the gulf, it created rain, sleet and even snow.
The warm weekend was caused by a warm front moving through the area, but this was quickly replaced by another cold front. Weather.com predicts a fairly cold week in Dayton with a weekend high of 50° on Sunday. They also predict more snow in Texas and other areas in the South.
The freezing temperatures have caused more than just snow; they’ve also caused a possible halt to the passage of climate-change legislation this year. All the snow gave social commentator Glenn Beck something new to yell about.
On his nightly TV program, Beck said, “The snow is hammering Washington, D.C. again. I believe God is just saying: I’ve got your global warming here. You want a piece of global warming?”
Beck crying wolf about global warming might actually carry some weight. According to Guy Raz from NPR news, “a combination of a weak economy and an election year and that snowstorm may actually torpedo any chance for passing a climate bill this year.”
The weather is not the only factor in the bill’s success or fail in congress this year, but it definitely makes it harder for senators to think about the earth warming as they’re trekking through two feet of snow.
Raz said that at the recent U.N.-sponsored climate conference, President Barack Obama made a pledge to reduce America’s CO2 emissions by 17 percent.
“Without a congressional bill that addresses the climate crisis, the pledge made by President Obama… well, that pledge would become an empty one,” Raz said.
Water vapor in the air, which is caused by warmer weather, is necessary for snow. Thus, the recent snowstorms are actually consistent with climate change, according to Raz.
I guess the issue now is convincing politicians.
It seems to me that if meteorologists have a difficult time predicting the weather for next week, it would be impossible to predict the weather for the next 20 years.
But then again, I’m not a scientist. I’m just a college student who is about to walk to class in the cold. Right now, a little global warming would be nice.