Weather extremes being recorded across the planet

Our planet continues to go through temperature extremes.

In late August, it was reported that Arctic sea ice has shrunk below the 2005 minimum to stand as the second-smallest since observations from space began about 30 years ago. Last year was the warmest year on record in the Arctic. The fall of 2007 had temperatures more than 9 degrees above normal. Readings are almost as high in 2008, according to a team of international scientists.

While the Arctic experiences unusual warmth, other parts of the world are observing cold and even snowy conditions.

Parts of southern Brazil, on Sept. 5, had areas reporting their latest snowfall ever. The month of September turned out to be the coldest such period in recorded history in southern Brazil and parts of neighboring Paraguay and Argentina.

The recent spring freezes in south central Argentina were the worst late-season frosts on record and caused additional severe crop damage to an already hard-hit winter wheat crop beset by record drought conditions for months since mid 2007.

Earlier in the 2008 winter season in Australia, the city of Sydney reported its first measurable snowfall since at least 1836. Record snowfalls were observed in both South Africa and New Zealand.

Noted Brazilian meteorologist Eugenio Hackbart recently explained that the record cold and snowy September in his country followed a month of August that was “the first month since June of 1913 with absolutely no sunspot activity – none – zip – nada.” Sunspot activity has been measured since 1749 in the U.S.

Sunspot numbers continue to remain low as no solar storms have been reported since Oct. 18 after a brief period of activity. Also, if sea-surface temperatures in the south central Pacific Ocean cool down, then the overall winter season for the northern U.S. may be a bit snowier than usual.

Friday is one of my favorite holidays, Halloween. Remember that it will be darker than usual for the trick-or-treaters as we’ll have a new moon, or no moon, lunar phase. It would probably be a good idea to carry flashlights for the unlit areas for safety purposes.

I’m still forecasting changes to our weather pattern by early-to- mid November, when a series of Pacific storm systems will slide into the Inland Northwest from the Gulf of Alaska.

Our first measurable snowfall of the 2008-’09 winter season in the lowlands should arrive sometime around Nov. 11.