Simply Amazing...

[GrnBay007]

Winter so far!!!!! I am soooo loving this! No snow and the temps have been extremely mild. Haven't had to wear a winter coat yet! Saturday forecast is for a high of 47!!! Just unreal. I seriously don't remember EVER having a winter this mild in IA or when I lived in IL.

Last year we had record breaking snow and at this time last year I think we had 27 inches of snow on the ground.

[Oscar]

I'm here in N.W. Missouri. Hit 58 today. B-E-A-utiful weather. I did some landscaping work and a lil painting. Supposed to be even nicer tomorrow and Saturday.

[Joemailman]

No snow to speak of in central Wisconsin either. It sucks. Still plenty of time though.

[mraynrand]

Winter so far!!!!! I am soooo loving this! No snow and the temps have been extremely mild. Haven't had to wear a winter coat yet! Saturday forecast is for a high of 47!!! Just unreal. I seriously don't remember EVER having a winter this mild in IA or when I lived in IL.

Last year we had record breaking snow and at this time last year I think we had 27 inches of snow on the ground.

Don't count your sphex wasps until they've emerged from their paralyzed host katydid

[Freak Out]

LOL@Rand.

Almost 4 feet have dropped here so far....going to be close to zero this weekend here in Anchorage....mild for this time of year.

Great skiing!

[MJZiggy]

LOL@Rand.

Almost 4 feet have dropped here so far....going to be close to zero this weekend here in Anchorage....mild for this time of year.

Great skiing!

The south pole had 10 degrees on Christmas. That's ABOVE zero. We had flurries for about 10 minutes today. But this is the mildest year on record.

[Harlan Huckleby]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/july-dec11/weather_12-28.html

there were 12 extreme weather events globally in 2011. Doesn't sound like much, but previous record was 9 in 2008.

More energy in atmosphere means more potential for harsh events

[GrnBay007]

Got all this energy! It's like Spring fever in Dec/Jan. I'm painting 2 rooms and a hallway on this 4 day weekend!

[HowardRoark]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/envir...her_12-28.html

there were 12 extreme weather events globally in 2011. Doesn't sound like much, but previous record was 9 in 2008.

More energy in atmosphere means more potential for harsh events

I think there were 13 in 83 B.C.

[Tarlam!]

More energy in atmosphere means more potential for harsh events

This. It might be enjoyable not shovelling snow, but it is unsettling. Rand is also spot on; there willl be a veritable insect plague when they hatch. It aint healthy at all.

Now, is all this a result of man's impact on the planet? Hard to say. The planet is pretty old and we humanoids have only been ravaging it for say, 6-8 thousand years. Until the turn of last century, that impact wan't as global. Geographically, man eroded regionally. The Sahara, The Gobe deserts were defertilzed thousands of years ago.

Places like Iceland and Spain were 100% deforreseted by man. Iceland for fires, Spain for the infamous building of the Amarda. Island folk discovered the misfortune of overpopulation pretty often; think Easter Islands.

The records have only been kept for a geological second, so it is difficult for us to say if this is the mildest winter ever. But in the last 150 years or so, the industrialization of the planet has meant man's impact is global. It concerns me far more than I enjoy not shovelling snow.

[GrnBay007]

Man, someone's always gotta be tryin to bring me down!

[Tarlam!]

Man, someone's always gotta be tryin to bring me down!

If ya wanna make an omelette, ya gotta break some eggs? Um, If ya can't do the time, don't do the crime? Er,

Not tryin' to bring you down, Seven. Just doin' the math.

[GrnBay007]

Don't worry.....we'll have cold and snow (#&%#!) in Jan and Feb and all will be fine!!!! Lets just enjoy this mellow part of winter we have been blessed with!

[SkinBasket]

Man, someone's always gotta be tryin to bring me down!

You should be ASHAMED of yourself!!! THIS is a CRISIS!!!

[mraynrand]

Since we are near the tail end of an interglacial, it's going to get warmer before it gets cooler. I would say to enjoy the weather and invest in property in Canada.

Word is that in about a billion years, the sun will have expanded slightly and the oceans will boil. Something to look forward to.... Mars should be nicer by then though.