After last nights cold temperatures this pile of wood takes on some importance.We might be in for a cool fall if the jet stream keeps coming out of Canada. The forecast for the winter is a El Nino. What does that mean? Perhaps a warmer then average winter?If I recall correctly the last time there was a strong El Nino it was a very mild winter but the Lake Effect snows in the U.P of Michigan were record setting. I also recall people tunneling into their front doors in Hurley Wisconsin. Now if I could only recall the year?? Winter 1997-1998?
Some Googling found this:
January 1998
January saw a shift in the anomalous warmth from the upper Midwest to the eastern
Midwest. The month began with very warm temperatures as record high values occurred
throughout the Midwest during the first week. Chicago reached a maximum of at least 50°F on
four consecutive days beginning on January 2, only the seventh such occurrence in 125 years of
record keeping. Figure 16 depicts the number of daily temperature records set in January 1998
for three locations in each state. Among these 27 stations, 26 record high temperatures were set
during January, and 39 record high minimum temperatures also were set. Figure 17a shows the
average maximum temperature departure from normal for January 1998, and figure 17b shows
the average minimum temperature departure from normal. Higher than normal, maximum
temperature departures ranged from +1 to +5°F across the western half of the region, and +6 to
+9°F across the east. Average minimum temperature departures, on the other hand, were almost twice the magnitude of the maximum temperature departures across most of the region, ranging from +5 to +7°F in the west to +10 to +12°F in the east and across northern Minnesota. The abnormally warm minimum temperatures were the major contributor to the record warmth in January 1998.
The largest mean temperature departures from normal (>+10°F) were centered over
eastern Indiana and western Ohio, with most of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky experiencing mean
temperature departures from an average of at least +8.0°F (figure 18). Except for north-eastern
Minnesota, where temperature departures averaged +8 to +9°F, the strength of the positive
temperature anomaly in the western third of the Midwest was only +3 to +6°F. January 1998
ranked from 5th to 22nd warmest among the nine Midwestern states and was the 10th warmest for the entire Midwest.
January saw a shift in the anomalous warmth from the upper Midwest to the eastern
Midwest. The month began with very warm temperatures as record high values occurred
throughout the Midwest during the first week. Chicago reached a maximum of at least 50°F on
four consecutive days beginning on January 2, only the seventh such occurrence in 125 years of
record keeping. Figure 16 depicts the number of daily temperature records set in January 1998
for three locations in each state. Among these 27 stations, 26 record high temperatures were set
during January, and 39 record high minimum temperatures also were set. Figure 17a shows the
average maximum temperature departure from normal for January 1998, and figure 17b shows
the average minimum temperature departure from normal. Higher than normal, maximum
temperature departures ranged from +1 to +5°F across the western half of the region, and +6 to
+9°F across the east. Average minimum temperature departures, on the other hand, were almost twice the magnitude of the maximum temperature departures across most of the region, ranging from +5 to +7°F in the west to +10 to +12°F in the east and across northern Minnesota. The abnormally warm minimum temperatures were the major contributor to the record warmth in January 1998.
The largest mean temperature departures from normal (>+10°F) were centered over
eastern Indiana and western Ohio, with most of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky experiencing mean
temperature departures from an average of at least +8.0°F (figure 18). Except for north-eastern
Minnesota, where temperature departures averaged +8 to +9°F, the strength of the positive
temperature anomaly in the western third of the Midwest was only +3 to +6°F. January 1998
ranked from 5th to 22nd warmest among the nine Midwestern states and was the 10th warmest for the entire Midwest.
