Some members of the mainstream media (MSM) have been working overtime trying to blame the extremely cold winter east of the Mississippi River and in other parts of the world is due to a "collapsed" jet stream and polar vortex due to global warming.  Two of many  incorrect reports about this winter's cold All this started when a Rutgers' researcher, Dr. Jennifer Frances, gathered data from a far-too-short period of time (~25 years) that omitted even the 1970's when -- as we old meteorologists well remembered -- the jet stream was extremely wavy. This resulted in a heavily biased paper that appeared to tie the jet stream to cold winters due to recent levels of CO2 concentration. I attended her presentation at an American Meteorological Society meeting in Nashville in 2013 (much of her presentation was editorial cartoons mocking people who didn't think global warming was the end of the world, indicating a high level of personal editorial bias).  Sure enough, subs...

Wind and solar work okay on a sunny, 75° spring day with a breeze. But they fail when needed the most as this latest storm again demonstrates. 

Here is video of a tree exploding (due to sap freezing and expanding) from earlier this week.

I continue to forecast major snow and ice storm roughly in between I-70 on the north and I-20 on the south. The forecast track of the storm has moved north since yesterday.  Note: I have comments on the meteorology behind this forecast at the bottom.  The winter storm will begin Friday in the southern Great Plains and then spread rapidly east.  The Ice Storm Potential For those who have never experienced a major ice storm, they can do damage on the order of a tornado but over a larger geographic area. Power failures in major ice storms are extensive and can last for days or even weeks.  Here is the best available forecast of freezing rain accumulation. The amounts from this system can be a little on the high side but generally they are reasonable. These amounts are more than sufficient for significant power outages! The NWS system for judging the greatest ice storm danger is in the red area. However, I believe the risk is just as high in North Carolina and Virgi...

This is a weather event for which preparations are absolutely necessary: ice storm, heavy snow, and prolonged extreme cold.  2014 South Carolina ice storm Please note: freezing rain (glaze ice) is forecast to fall in significant amounts at the airline hubs in Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte with significant snow in Washington D.C. If you are planning to fly to those cities (or others in the winter storms maps) I would plan to arrive Friday morning or before or  would get on the phone to reservations and re-route around those hubs. Otherwise, the possibility exists of being stranded for days. Special update regarding the Hurricane Hunter's role in this serious storm at the bottom. Storm Timing This is a forecast radar for 4am Friday as the storm is getting started. Over Arkansas to the Tennessee River the precipitation may still be aloft and not actually begin for a few more hours.  Winter Storm Watches It is rare winter storm watches are issued more than 48 hours in advance bu...