Strange Weather in the Northland

[JitteryJoe]

Yeah, what ever happened to the good ole days when it was -20 and the Vikings were playing the LA Rams outside at Met Stadium for the right to lose to the Steelers in the Superbowl. Those sure were the good'ole days.

Bud Grant left, that's what happened. None of that pussy-a$$ domed stadium crap for Bud, thank you very much. Nor any a those stinkin' sideline flame-throwin' heaters, either.
. . . Took most of the toughness with him , I think. (he is still with us, by the way)

[vertical_doug]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/sp...d-race.html?hp

Warm weather forces changes ahead of Iditarod Race.

WILLOW, Alaska — By 9:30 most mornings here in the world’s unofficial dog-sledding capital, Luan Marques has harnessed 10 Alaskan huskies to his sled and shot off into the awakening woods for a training ride, his sights set on the famous Iditarod competition next month.

Mushers at the start of the Northern Lights 300, which was moved from Wasilla, Alaska, to Willow because of trail conditions compromised by warm weather. More Photos »
The thick, powdery blanket of snow on the trails and the frigid temperatures have made a musher haven out of Willow, where locals joke that dogs outnumber humans. But as Marques rode this winter, he and his huskies trudged over dirt patches and bramble, surrounded by tree branches that once held fluffy snow. Instead of subzero conditions, which are ideal for the sport, temperatures have been in the 30s and 40s.......

( I remember as a kid in Minnesota, the St Paul Winter Carnival I500 snowmobile race to Winnipeg. )
That's long since gone too.

[caleb]

Tough winter to be a musher. The John Beargrease has been postponed, but at least it now looks like they'll have enough snow to run it in March: Race Postponed to March 10, 2013  |  John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon :: Duluth, MN

[caleb]

( I remember as a kid in Minnesota, the St Paul Winter Carnival I500 snowmobile race to Winnipeg. )
That's long since gone too.

That video is awesome. I had never heard of the race. Do you know if the event had a set route, or just checkpoints?

[vertical_doug]

That video is awesome. I had never heard of the race. Do you know if the event had a set route, or just checkpoints?

I think it was a set course stage race. We'd listen to the recap in the morning before going to school on the AM radio. I'm pretty sure they just ran up along I-94 along the farms then turn on 29 to go north when they hit Fargo.



My first snowmobile was a Johnson Skee Horse (green and blaze orange seats) from the late 60's. It was already old when I was young.

[coolberto hipsterdor]

Climate change is altering regional climate systems throughout the world in serious ways and pretty much every old timer everywhere will tell you things aren't the way they used to be. This is true, there is a measurable increase in the energy in the atmosphere that has mostly taken place within the lifetimes of the oldest humans. The effects and feedbacks are kicking in now and the change is accelerating. Of course not every weather event can be attributed to climate change however it is now possible for greater extremes to occur than before, in practicality this means what was once a 100 year event (look up what this means if you don't know) may now be a 5 or 10 year event. Unfortunately it's extremely difficult to predict these things..

That said here is a link to the most recent (2013) climate assessment report if you're interested in up to date information on how climate change might affect your region of America:

Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report Released for Public Review | National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee

[vertical_doug]

Strange weather in the Southland too

Patagonia 2012-13: Climbers Populate Rimeless Summits - Alpinist.com



Patagonia 2012-13: Climbers Populate Rimeless Summits

Prototype ice axe "wings" intended for rime climbing are available for loan in El Chalten, but they have sat unused for much of the climbing season. A remarkably warm austral summer of 2011-2012 and a dry austral winter have precipitated some of the driest ice climbing conditions seen in Patagonia, making summits in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares unusually reachable.

Twenty-three individuals summited Cerro Torre via the Ragni Route (M4 90 degrees, 600m) on Christmas and 22 on New Year's Day. On January 14, Austrian Markus Pucher completed the Ragni's first free solo in just three hours and fifteen minutes. Later in the month, Chad Kellogg and Colin Haley completed the first fair-means ascent of the "Corkscrew" link-up on Cerro Torre, combining the Salvaterra variation of the Southeast Ridge with the Ragni Route by traversing across ice on the upper south face.

Once considered a difficult testpiece, the Ragni has become the line of choice on Cerro Torre. Parties are aided by the dry conditions this year, but are also deterred from the formerly easier Southeast Ridge since Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk chopped the bolt ladder on the upper headwall in 2012.

....click link for photos and longer article.

[Dorman]

I haven't started my MX-Z in two years and I keep it eleven miles south of the BWCAW. Got the trailer hooked up to the truck with the blower in back (plow burned up last trip) and loading the cats up after I drop the wifey at the airport tomorrow a.m. I think we are finally up to almost 30 inches on the ground in Isabella, MN and I am going to spend the weekend clearing a 400' driveway, trying to start the sled and sitting in the hot tub. Maybe a beer. Still half the normal snow amount up there, but it is now usable. Of course if you get 30 miles from the house there is almost no snow at all. Funny what a couple thousand feet of elevation will do.

[caleb]

( I remember as a kid in Minnesota, the St Paul Winter Carnival I500 snowmobile race to Winnipeg. )
That's long since gone too.

Apparently the race is still being run, it just doesn't go to St. Paul anymore. This newspaper showed up in my mailbox on Saturday:

[EricKeller]

it seems to me that all the science agrees with my observation that it used to be a damn sight colder than it has been over the last couple of decades. But I know that a warm day in January is not evidence of climate change. The funny thing is that the denialists will grasp hold of any cold weather as evidence that there is no climate change.

Strangely, we have been having very winter-like weather here in Central Pennsylvania this year whereas I see fairly close by it has been abnormally warm.

The thing that bothers me about climate change denialism is that there really isn't any reason we shouldn't be planning on it being true. I doubt we need to take the most drastic steps people talk about in order to head off disaster, but some steps are no-brainers. The way we are acting though, we may be hastening it, which could be unpleasant.