Back in January I read a long article that was based on an interview with Joe Bastardi, a nationally known meteorologist. In his interview Joe (I have a hard time typing his last name) said that a prevailing La Nina oceanic pattern off South America was influencing weather all over the Earth….it brought us the bad U.S. blizzard of December 2010 and continued to bring us heavy precipitation throughout the worst of the winter months..January in particular, when I barely left my home for bad snowy conditions and icy roads constantly. This spring we have had colder weather and a lot of rain that is making it hard to believe that summer may eventually get here. Do not hold your breaths!!!!
I researched “La Nina” and have learned some things I would rather not know.
The good news it that the cold water in the south Pacific of the La Nina is giving in to an area of warmer ocean water..dare we hope for a better winter in 2011 and 2012? I want to think so.
An interesting piece I have read this morning says that La Nina is probably behind the terrible outbreak of tornadic storms in the south-midwest and other areas of the southern US this spring. It has happened before; another time there were strong La Nina measurements (1917) we had the same pattern of a really awful tornado season in the same areas…Tornado Alley. So it is not a new thing for those who think it is..it has occurred before and long before the alarm for global warming and the blame for almost everything that happens weatherwise has been laid on “global warming”.
A quote from one of the articles on La Nina/El Nino weather patterns is needed:
“Looking back,tornadoes have generally and statistically occurred more in La Nina years. In 2011 alone, there have been more than 1,200 reported tornadoes, four of them extreming a scale of EF-5 and more than that resulting in fatalities.
There has been less than five EF-5 tornadoes in the United States for the past decade. Look back to 1974 and one can find there were unusual reports of tornadoes during a time of La Nina. Watching the weather recently one can easily determine that the jet stream has truly been all over the place causing a real instability of weather patterns nationwide… Typically La Nina keeps warm and cool air separated to the North and South respectively. In a normal pattern, cool air drying out the South would be blocked altogether. Yet when Northern fronts push to the South the high amount of thunderstorms and resulting tornadoes is expected. Long jet streams shifted South combining into areas where there is heat and moisture In combination with heavy winds it wouldn’t be surprising if extreme weather occurred……Overall La Nina is said to be a key factor in recent extreme forecasts but she is not soley to blame…..For now the U.S. remains in a neutral state meaning no experience of El Nino or La Nina. It cannot be determined how long a neutral state will last; although weather models (NOAA) show it to persist for at least a few months.” (Angela Brauer, May 26, 2011 report).
It is interesting to google “La Nina” and see the number of results….one NOAA site has so many mind boggling statistics that is is difficult to look at..it was like ironing a pin strip sundress years ago when I actually feel over from staring at the tiny stripes on the ironing board!
So have a nice summer! My topsy turvy tomato plant has already been killed by the winds and rain of two days ago…but I am not giving up..yet. I am going to buy another Roma tomato plant and modify something on the planter that I have identified as bad for the small stalk. I WILL have a topsy turvy tomato if I have to work it out for several more weeks!!!! If only I could depend on some heat and sunshine…I could have my desired upside down red tomatoes later in the summer.
Everything that I have planted so far is greatly retarded…..the flower transplants look like they did the day I potted them……I will have to by a few replacement pansies and inpatiens due to inclement La Nina weather…..the weeds however are flourishing as they always do and it is too wet to get at many of them.
I have decided to move my entire tulip bed to the west side of the house as soon as the leaves and stems turn brown and dry. That little tulip bed will become my condensed vegetable garden next year……Oh please come back to us..El Nino!!!!
Our worldwide weather repeats its cycles…. much of it depending on which Spanish child shows up……plus the unpredictable sun cycles that also affect our world’s climate. I like to know what is happening, so googling La Nina and El Nino is something I will continue to keep track of.
