Ice storm north and record warmth south as 32 tickles North Pole

There have been reports of Santa out and about in shorts due to a brief spike of warmth in the Arctic over recent days. If he decides to escape south to colder conditions, he’ll run into winter in the northern tier of the Lower 48 and toasty springtime warmth south of that. Meanwhile… Elon Musk’s illegal intrusion into government agencies continues, now including NOAA.

Weather Watch

Cross-country storm targets Midwest to Northeast. Winter weather alerts are in effect for Chicago, Pittsburgh, D.C., New York City and Boston as a wintry mess develops in the Midwest today then shifts east. The big story with this one is ice — although it’s mainly light, it doesn’t take much to cause problems and it’s been several years for many. The heaviest freezing rain probably focuses on the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic region. From Minnesota to northern New England, several inches of snow are also likely.

Springlike warmth. Dozens of records for warmth were set to open the work week, from Phoenix where it hit 86, to eastern North Carolina where it was 77. At Greenville-Spartanburg, SC, the high of 81 on Tuesday was not only a daily record but tied a February high mark in data back to 1884. Many more records are expected before this warmth abates.

Arctic heat wave. Although the region has been bathed in darkness for months, extreme warmth found its way into the Arctic on strong southerly winds over the northern Atlantic Ocean. Warmth is of course relative in this region and during this time of year, but temperature rose to above freezing across a narrow zone near the North Pole.

Lightning links

Record-breaking snowfall hits Hokkaido as cold front sweeps Japan.

Doge staffers enter NOAA headquarters and incite reports of cuts and threats.

Trump taps ‘Sharpiegate’ scientist to lead US Weather Agency.

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Weekday morning newsletter by a journalist/forecaster that connects weather and climate change dots while occasionally stirring the pot.

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