Every (winter storm) cloud has a silver lining

All day, I've been thinking about the weather. Now that I'm finally done working, I can ruminate about it here (like you care).

So, it started raining at 9 last night --- just a cold, hard rain...nothing dramatic. At 3 am, it was still raining as I was getting into bed but then there was a huge thunder clap outside. And then another. WTF?

The storm continued until morning (making my dreams were VERY interesting). In the mid-afternoon today, another round of "severe thunderstorms" rolled through. I kept thinking, "WTF? Am I in South FL in mid-July or New York City in mid-January?"

I've heard thunder in the winter up here before. Once, during a blizzard, I swear I heard several thunder claps (no one believes me). In fact, including last night's performance, I think I've heard more thunder in NYC than I ever did in South FL during the month of January.

My curiousity was piqued. I Googled "january thunderstorm nyc" and was comforted by an old NY Times article:
"The weather system that produced yesterday's rain, thunder, fog and warmth, in which much of this winter's deep snowfall vanished, might be considered a garden-variety thunderstorm in July. But it comes to New York in January about once a decade." (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E1DC1E39F933A15752C0A960958260
A Bit of July, Sort of, in January By WILLIAM K. STEVENS Published: January 20, 1996)

Okay, once in a decade -- that's cool. But ever since Al Gore invented global warming, it's hard to shrug these oddities off. I had to research today's storm further. Was it so ordinary? Maybe even a sign of global warming? An omen from God about my Patriots?

The part-time blogger and full-time weatherman at mattnoyes.net ("THE New England weather analysis page and blog") assured:
"This clash of airmasses and the strong upward motion of the air resulted in a remarkable phenomenon - January thunderstorms with a surface temperature in the 30s! A situation like this is known as 'elevated instability' - favorable conditions for thunderstorm development removed from the ground by a few thousand feet, located above a cold, dense dome of air."

Again, seems like run-of-the-mill meteorology -- not a sign of impending doom. Then I checked weather.com:


Special Weather Statement

KINGS (BROOKLYN)-NASSAU-QUEENS- RICHMOND (STATEN IS.)- 1:42 PM EST FRI JAN 11 2008

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT KINGS...NASSAU...QUEENS AND SOUTHERN RICHMOND COUNTIES...

AT 1:36 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM PERTH AMBOY TO 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF COUNTRY LAKE ESTATES TO 8 MILES NORTHEAST OF HAMMONTON... AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

THESE STORMS WILL BE... NEAR VERRAZANO-NARROWS BRIDGE BY 1:50 PM. NEAR CONEY ISLAND BY 1:55 PM. NEAR FLATBUSH BY 2:00 PM. NEAR ROCKAWAY BEACH BY 2:05 PM. NEAR KENNEDY AIRPORT BY 2:10 PM. NEAR MANHASSET BY 2:15 PM.

INTENSE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... SMALL HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. IN ADDITION...VERY HEAVY RAIN...WITH RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO 2 INCHES AN HOUR...IS OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS. THIS COULD CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS... AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

Jesus, Joseph and Mary! I immediately began planning my escape route off Long Island. With the Belt Parkway permanently jammed thanks to somewhat interesting scenery, I had no choice: I'd have to swim across NY Harbor to Sandy Hook, NJ.

Even though the storm ended hours ago, I'm still thinking about it. I doubt it's part of global warming. Remember 2004 when there were icebergs floating up the Hudson and East Rivers? (http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=94312)

On the other hand, I don't doubt that the planet is warming. But unless you're trying to build a house on a glacier, climate change is just not something we can witness in our quick little lifetime (my great-great-grandkids are fucked, though).

The scale of planetary changes are so massive that it's like trying to feel the earth move through space -- we're spinning at 24,000 mph and traveling at 67,000 but does anyone feel motion sickness from it? It's happening but we can't register it (our egos like to think otherwise).

Anyway, if it's evidence of global warming, well, here's one good thing: it keeps us on our toes. I mean, did anyone expect to hear thunder last night in the middle of winter? That's kinda fun, right?