Author Topic: Why is it soooo COLD  (Read 5733 times)

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Offline LogicalBee

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Why is it soooo COLD
« on: February 19, 2015, 12:06:49 pm »
Can somebody explain why it is colder in North Carolina today than it is at the top of the world in Barrow Alaska?  Barrow is currently 18F and its above the Arctic Circle! 

According to NOAA the Great Lakes are now 85% iced over and that’s been growing fast with so many nights below 0F.  Last year the ice pack was the 2nd highest in the record books.  At this rate, we may top that. 

Why is it so bloody cold?

Offline Jen

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2015, 12:10:27 pm »
Wish I could help you with that question Logic  :)  I've seen the ice pictures of the light house there in Michigan, I'll bet it's iced over agian this winter eh?
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Offline LogicalBee

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2015, 12:26:41 pm »
Our high today is only suppose to be 0F. 

I'm starting to worry about my bees (and bats) as this bitter cold persists.

Offline Jen

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2015, 12:28:18 pm »
Do you have bat houses Logic?
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Offline LogicalBee

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2015, 12:30:06 pm »
Yeah, its about a 2200 sq foot Craftsman.  The bats love it  ;D

Offline Jen

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2015, 12:44:20 pm »
Cool! Would love pics of that  :)
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Offline Ray4852

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2015, 01:27:10 pm »
We have no control over weather, its winter. I think people spend to much time listening to the media. What people need is a winter hobby to relieve some of the winter stress to help pass the time away. If you sit around and think about the weather you will go nuts. Turn off the TV and find a hobby. I spent some of my time out on a frozen lake ice fishing. If I’m not fishing I read a book, or watch you tube about beekeeping. Soon I will get my garden seeds planted and think about gardening. By the end of March I start thinking about pulling my boat out of storage to get it ready for fishing. The list goes on and on. I just downloaded some videos to my ipad to watch mike bush videos on beekeeping. I'm looking forward to watching them soon. Its very cold here. -6 last night. I got 5 inches of snow yesterday. More to come soon. I haven’t seen my spring birds at the feeders yet. They will be here soon. When I see my bluebirds and tree swallows fighting for nest boxes. I know its spring. MLB baseball starts soon.

Offline DMLinton

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2015, 01:31:22 pm »
Can somebody explain why it is colder in North Carolina today than it is at the top of the world in Barrow Alaska?  Barrow is currently 18F and its above the Arctic Circle! 

According to NOAA the Great Lakes are now 85% iced over and that’s been growing fast with so many nights below 0F.  Last year the ice pack was the 2nd highest in the record books.  At this rate, we may top that. 

Why is it so bloody cold?


Because the jets stream has more and more energy to dissipate out of equatorial regions and consequently blasts further and further north.  This causes very warm winter weather in British Columbia (ski resorts closing because the snow keeps melting), Alaska (warmer than North Carolina) and The Yukon (messed up dog sled race weather).

This extra air pushing into the Arctic has to go somewhere and it picks up Arctic air along the way.  It comes back down through Alberta and Saskatchewan and spreads South into the northern USA and East through eastern Canada..  The result is record ice cover on the Great Lakes, record low temperatures in in eastern Canada and the midwest and northeastern USA .... and North Carolina being colder than Alaska sometimes.
Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Offline riverbee

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2015, 07:30:53 pm »
thanks dm!

"We have no control over weather, its winter. I think people spend to much time listening to the media. What people need is a winter hobby to relieve some of the winter stress to help pass the time away. If you sit around and think about the weather you will go nuts. Turn off the TV and find a hobby."

ray, sure is 'fun' to crank about the weather here though!............. :D :D :D
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Offline DMLinton

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2015, 07:53:10 pm »
I think that, as beekeepers, the weather is incredibly relevant.  Especially in those regions where the weather is becoming more and more unusual.  Anchorage, Alaska broke its record high for this day today with a high of -3 C.  It was 17 C in northeastern Scotland (normal is about +5 C).

I have been monitoring outdoor temperature and the temperature in an unheated, uninsulated second floor back room where I am wintering several colonies.  The room below is heated to keep above freezing - typically 3-5 C.  I want to be able to compare the environment I can provide my bees in the winter with the one they would be exposed to out of doors.  Here is the chart for February so far...

Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Offline Slowmodem

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2015, 08:31:09 pm »
I think that, as beekeepers, the weather is incredibly relevant.  Especially in those regions where the weather is becoming more and more unusual.  Anchorage, Alaska broke its record high for this day today with a high of -3 C.  It was 17 C in northeastern Scotland (normal is about +5 C).

I have been monitoring outdoor temperature and the temperature in an unheated, uninsulated second floor back room where I am wintering several colonies.  The room below is heated to keep above freezing - typically 3-5 C.  I want to be able to compare the environment I can provide my bees in the winter with the one they would be exposed to out of doors.  Here is the chart for February so far...

I have a weather station and monitor the temp/humidity/rainfall/wind.  It's another interesting hobby (and another hobby where you can spend as much as you want to!).  But it's nice to be able to look back and see what the weather has been at a given time (I suffer from the CRS syndrome).

http://www.wattsbarweather.net

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KTNTENMI3

Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN
Beekeeping at 26.4 kbs

Offline LogicalBee

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2015, 08:34:36 pm »
DM, that sounds like a reasonable hypothesis for our cold, but why does all the hot air always seem to be collecting over the pacific and pushing into Alaska?  Why not over Bermuda like it used to for the past 2 or 3 decades?  Whatever happened to the old “Bermuda high”?  They used to give us a break or two from the cold.

It feels like the Great Lakes are going into an ice age after the past couple of years.  I’m re-considering some sort of supplemental warmth for the girls at this point.   

Offline DMLinton

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2015, 09:09:44 pm »
DM, that sounds like a reasonable hypothesis for our cold, but why does all the hot air always seem to be collecting over the pacific and pushing into Alaska?  Why not over Bermuda like it used to for the past 2 or 3 decades?  Whatever happened to the old “Bermuda high”?  They used to give us a break or two from the cold.

It feels like the Great Lakes are going into an ice age after the past couple of years.  I’m re-considering some sort of supplemental warmth for the girls at this point.   


I think the Bermuda stream is still there but moved a bit eastward so that, on shore, it is not apparent.  For example, the incident a few weeks ago where the New York City mayor, and others, shut their cities down in response to the forecast of a devastating storm that never really materialized.  It did actually materialize but 25 miles east of where the meteorologists thought it would go.

I think, also, that there are a lot of beekeepers that should be reconsidering how they manage their bees over winter.  I had planned to winter all of mine indoors but modified my plan in response to strong criticism from a beekeeping expert who insisted that bees have to be wintered outdoors.  I am feeling gullible and even a bit naive at the moment.  I should have stuck to my guns. 
Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Offline DMLinton

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2015, 09:19:57 pm »
I have a weather station and monitor the temp/humidity/rainfall/wind.  It's another interesting hobby (and another hobby where you can spend as much as you want to!).  But it's nice to be able to look back and see what the weather has been at a given time (I suffer from the CRS syndrome).


That's a nice setup you have, Slowmodem.  My monitors are simply DHT22 temperature/humidity sensors connected to Arduinos which are, in turn, connected to netbooks (mostly MDG Minis) that log the data and allow my server to retrieve it for processing and display.  I hope to expand my outdoor monitor to a full fledged weather station.

As I have suggested before, with the more and more unusual winter weather we have been getting I think it is important to have a more detailed understanding of just what is happening in each of our microclimates so that our bee management decisions can be better informed.
Regards, Dennis
First bees installed July 1, 2014..

Ray

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Re: Why is it soooo COLD
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2015, 11:27:41 pm »
The mercury went all the way to 3 degree above zero today. That's Fahrenheit not Celsius. It was 17 degrees below zero this mourning. I sure am worried about my bees!