ScienceCasts: What Happened to all the Snow?

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Winter seems to have been on hold this year in some parts of the United States. Snowfall has been scarce in places that were overwhelmed with the white stuff at the same time last year. In this ScienceCast, JPL climatologist Bill Patzert explains what's going on.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[TiaDayful]

The picture of the highway is not Cordova, Alaska. If you look closely at the photo the cars are driving on the left hand side of the road. You might want to pull that photo.

[ScienceAtNASA]

The images used here show the situations being described, but not necessarily those instances in Cordova. Sorry for the confusion!

[Flutter8ye]

Leave it up to the general public to cry about not being mentioned. Sad. Thank you NASA for this lovely video and for all the hard work you do keeping us up to date. :)

[Masaru Oka]

gnivag, the sunspot cycle is, surprise, cyclical so that cannot explain a warming trend. And in fact, sunspots are cool (dark) spots, so you might even expect the opposite. And if the sun really were getting hotter, we wouldn't be having debates over whether it's actually an issue.

[smartermelon]

Okay,if you say so. Doesn't sound right to me. Nobody said you couldn't do pray however you want, go for it. I only brought up the point that 'what if your prayer interfered with someone else's'? Like when someone prays for the Ravens and someone prays for 49ers, does the one with the most powerful god win?? And god 'listening' to prayers, is a far cry from doing anything about it. I never found any proof that it had any effect one way or another when I prayed. Maybe you have.

[godblessamerica821]

Oh Boy! I hate to get hasty, But as an American I hereby reserve my First Amendment Rights. As a God fearing christian I can pray however I want, Where I want, Whenever I want. You say that asking for "Devine-Intervention" can interfere with someone eles's needs. But I believe that God listens to all prayers and responds to the prayers of those who are in true need of Assistance. You may not believe in God but that's your Problem.

[smartermelon]

I read your comment and it struck me... but, what about those who prayed for no snow? I always believed that praying for my own needs could maybe interfere with someone else's needs. And it kinda negates the "free-will" thing by asking for divine intervention, don't you think? Please don't pray for the endtime, it may happen someday also and I don't want you to think you made that happen too :)

[godblessamerica821]

Here in the Northeast we were beginning for snow. Our prayers were answered one weekend in February!

[Lord Zephyros]

Well... there's also methane and that we also kinda control, human/animal waste lol

[cellofingers .]

Ongoing research is the heart and soul of science. A true scientist always does more research pausing only to drink in and regurgitate what he has found so far in that point in time.  So yes I agree more research is always required.

[mphello]

And nobody has ever claimed that fossil fuels is the only factor.

But it's the one humans can control.

Do some more research.

[cellofingers .]

Fossil fuels is only one factor. Do some more research.

[mphello]

Bullshit. You got no proof for your ridiculous claim that Anthropogenic Global warming is false.

AGW-denialism is even worse and even more stupid than Holocaust denialism, AIDS denialism, and creationism.

[mphello]

Exactly.