Cold Start to 2015!

The National Climate Data Center within NOAA, released a map showing the temperature departures for the first four months of the year. As expected, the northeast is shaded in blue (colder than average) and the west is shaded in red (warmer than average). 

Here in Connecticut, we had the fourth coldest January to April on record. Records go back about 121 years! I'm sure we would have been the coldest if April had not warmed up the way it did. 

Although, no state had their coldest period on record, Massachusetts and New York came close. Both states had their second coldest January thru April in 121 years! 

What's more impressive is that in California and Arizona, it was the warmest January thru April on record! With it also being the second warmest period on record in nearby states like Oregon, Nevada and Utah. 

It's Getting Hot in Here...2014 Warmest Year on Record

Big news on Twitter on Friday January 16th, which usually seems to get overlooked. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released the news as well as a graphic showing that 2014 was officially the warmest on record. According to the graphic, we've been above average every year since the late 1970s!! That's about 38 years! I'm only 27, so that means I've NEVER seen a below average year globally in my entire lifetime! 

It's interesting to note that this chart has taken into account not only land temperature anomalies but also ocean temperature anomalies. There are some theories out there that suggest a slowdown in warming over the last decade is the direct result of the oceans sucking up all the heat. If this is true, not only will the oceans be changing drastically (👎😁) but what happens when they can't absorb anymore of the excess heat? Do average temps suddenly skyrocket? Seems to be a lot of questions about the future of our ever changing climate! 

Check out the graphic below. 

What Famous Paintings Say About the Weather (Photos)

Check out these famous paintings and what they're actually thinking about the weather and climate change. 

"American Gothic" - They don't have smiles on their faces because they're battling a multi-year drought that's causing their farm to fall apart!  

Look at the hair! Now it could be just the hair style of the time or it could be the humidity...just saying!  Portrait of Anne Marie Louise Thelusson by artist Jacques Louis David

At the rate that sea levels are rising, they might not have thought through on building so close to the water in Seaport with the Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba

Vincent Van Gogh's famous Painting "The Starry Night" is actually a painting of Undulatus Asperatus clouds. These rolling clouds didn't have a name back in his day. They sometimes look ominous but usually follow after bad weather has passed!