the
last week came down to surviving and staying warm
during days without power,
snow storms, house flooding, etc. it was actually helpful to have to focus on the basics.
For the entire Northern Hemisphere, there is evidence of an increase in both
storm frequency and intensity
during the cold season since 1950,1 with
storm tracks having shifted slightly towards the poles.2, 3 Extremely heavy snowstorms increased in number
during the
last century in northern and eastern parts of the United States, but have been less frequent since 2000.11,15 Total seasonal snowfall has generally decreased in southern and some western areas, 16 increased in the northern Great Plains and Great Lakes region, 16,17 and not changed in other areas, such as the Sierra Nevada, although
snow is melting earlier in the year and more precipitation is falling as rain versus
snow.18 Very snowy winters have generally been decreasing in frequency in most regions over the
last 10 to 20 years, although the Northeast has been seeing a normal number of such winters.19 Heavier - than - normal snowfalls recently observed in the Midwest and Northeast U.S. in some years, with little
snow in other years, are consistent with indications of increased blocking (a large scale pressure pattern with little or no movement) of the wintertime circulation of the Northern Hemisphere.5 However, conclusions about trends in blocking have been found to depend on the method of analysis, 6 so the assessment and attribution of trends in blocking remains an active research area.
Last year I had the gas stove removed, because wood burning fireplaces are everything cozy
during our crazy winter
snow storms and we have central heat so the stove wasn't serving a very functional purpose.