Much of our nation has been in the grip of bitterly cold Arctic air that doesn't want to go away. Why has it been so cold and lingered so long? One reason is snow cover. Snow looks pretty after it falls, but then acts as a reflector of solar radiation during the day and increases the energy/heating loss at night.
Here are some pretty pictures from my son (Rob) in Longmont, Colorado where 3-4" fell last night. Sure looks nice, however, when 73% of the country has snow cover, that almost means cold air will dominate for many days.
Take a look at the change in snow cover from just a month ago. January was a mild month with most of the central & southern Plains snow free. Look at it now. No wonder most folks are freezing. Where there is no snow cover, temps are mild on the West Coast and almost hot over Florida.
Along with snow cover, lots of clouds are another reason we're slow to warm up.
Some light snow continues to fall in Texas and North Louisiana as temps remain below freezing. The next 2 nights will bring below freezing temps to SE LA/MS and usual precautions will be needed.
Since the South Shore is not expected to drop to 28, we should not have to run/drip the water tonight. You should watch David at 9 or 10 PM just to make sure.
Finally, this photo is from "Mandy in Monroe". I had to chuckle as her sun on the fence overlooks her now dead plant with the support pole festively dressed in ice that is forming as snow melts from the back roof. I will be showing before and after pictures of my back yard in future posts. Stay tuned!
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