So it’s really been a fairly boring start to 2010 so far. Especially considering what we went last year, this year just seems downright normal! (It actually feels pretty normal to me, this is what I remember winters being like growing up).

But, do not despair last week the models were saying we’d get a whole bunch of rain starting around tomorrow and Friday, and it looks like that forecast was right. Not only does the short-medium forecast say it’s going to rain starting Friday and through until next Tuesday… but it’s going to rain quite a lot. 200mm between now and then.

Looks like there is a possibility for some wind around Saturday or Sunday, but it doesn’t look like anything major, maybe up to 40-50kph.

Weather around the world… specifically… anywhere between the Rockies and Russia, is pretty interesting right now. Central and Eastern North America are in a deep freeze. Tampa Bay, Florida set a 99 year record yesterday. They got down to -2C on the 5th… breaking the record of 0C set in 1911.

Records are falling for snowfall and temperatures everywhere from England, to Norway (Every, single City in Norway is below zero right now!), to Beijing.

Why? The Arctic Oscillation is its strongest “negative” phase since records began in 1950. This is causing the related North Atlantic Oscillation to be strongly negative as well, which affects the jetstream that keeps North East North America and most of Western Europe warm in the winter. There is a good description here of what a negative NAO does here.

Oh.. and getting back to Floria… go use the Wundermap… to see current temperatures in Florida and Alaska. It’s the same temperature in Tampa this morning as it is in Anchorage!