The Arctic Is Becoming Wetter, Warmer – National Weather Outlook For December 18, 2022

by | Dec 18, 2022 | Weather

National Weather Forecast

On Sunday, lake effect snow will impact the Great Lakes. An area of low pressure in the Northwest will produce showers and snow showers, with snow extending into the Northern Plains. A system in the central U.S. could produce some rain and mixed showers in the central/southern Plains. And a few storms will be possible in southern Florida. Otherwise, the other story will be the chilly air in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, with highs not making it above zero in portions of Montana and North Dakota.

The heaviest additional snow will be found in the Northeast – particularly around the Great Lakes – through early in the week. Some heavy rain will be possible in the Southern Plains.

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Drought encouraged Attila’s Huns to attack the Roman empire, tree rings suggest

More from the University of Cambridge: “Hunnic peoples migrated westward across Eurasia, switched between farming and herding, and became violent raiders in response to severe drought in the Danube frontier provinces of the Roman empire, a new study argues. Hungary has just experienced its driest summer since meteorological measurements began, devastating the country’s usually productive farmland. Archaeologists now suggest that similar conditions in the 5th century may have encouraged animal herders to become raiders, with devastating consequences for the Roman empire. The study, published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, argues that extreme drought spells from the 430s – 450s CE disrupted ways of life in the Danube frontier provinces of the eastern Roman empire, forcing Hunnic peoples to adopt new strategies to ‘buffer against severe economic challenges’.”

Get Santa a Raincoat: The New Arctic Is Wetter and Warmer

More from Gizmodo: “Climate change is rapidly transforming the Arctic into an almost unrecognizable new region, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual Arctic Report Card has found. The report, released Tuesday and authored by 147 scientists from 11 countries, is full of cheerful updates on just how quickly climate change is altering one of the world’s most sensitive regions. For instance, the report finds that 2022 had the sixth warmest air temperatures ever recorded in the Arctic; the past seven years have together been the warmest since records began in 1900. To make matters even worse, 2022 marked the 25th consecutive year that the Greenland ice sheet, which “has immediate and global influence on sea level rise,” has ended the year smaller than it began. Fun!”

Advocates want new solutions to reduce energy burden in Xcel’s rate case

More from Energy News Network: “Community advocates are proposing new approaches to reducing the energy burden on low-income customers as part of Xcel Energy’s Minnesota rate case. The Energy CENTS Coalition and Just Solar Coalition say Xcel’s proposed rate increase, currently under review at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, offers an opportunity to ease the energy burden on BIPOC communities while rewarding less energy consumption. Xcel is asking for a 21.2% increase in electricity rates over the next three years. For residential customers, the rate would jump to above 24%. The commission will continue to take public comments until early next year and decide on the case in June. Energy CENTS Coalition Executive Director Catherine Fair has proposed that Xcel offer a 35% discount to customers earning 50% or less of the state median income. The deal would apply to the first 300 kilowatt-hours they use each month, saving roughly 92,000 ratepayers $2 to $12 a month.”

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– D.J. Kayser