A rare early December heavy snowstorm hit Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi yesterday, setting several records. It was the earliest measurable snowfall in recorded history at Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Lake Charles. Also, this snow event set the all time record snowfall amounts for the month of December at Beaumont, Port Arthur, Lake Charles, Lafayette, and New Iberia, and was the first measurable snowfall in recorded history for the month of December at Lafayette. In Mississippi, up to 5 inches of snow fell on areas south of Jackson. The one inch of snow reported in New Orleans was that city's earliest snow on record.
A remarkable image comparing snow cover during the years 1996-2005 to the current year, 2008, shows the wobble more dramatically. In this graphic, the blue color indicates 2008 snow cover to December 18, 2008. The green lines indicate snow cover boundaries during the years 1996-2005. Note that in eastern Russia and the American southwest, which are directly across the Arctic from each other, there is less snow cover in 2008 than in previous years. Likewise in the Great Lakes region and directly across the Arctic over India there is more snow cover in 2008 than in previous years. The figure 8 pattern of the Earth wobble occurs over the Arctic, drawing a figure 8 over the N Pole.

This figure 8 pattern has been holding since early 2004, and was documented as recently as October-November, 2008 and in late December, 2008. True to the wobble pattern, Beijing is also have extreme cold this December. Beijing is across the Arctic from the Great Lakes and New England states.

Winter truly arrived in Beijing yesterday with the highest temperature of the day down to minus 8.8 C. Media reports say it was "the coldest day in December in the last 57 years."

Originally posted by Rocketgirl
reply to post by Realtruth

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Down in the south is no better. I live in Alabama and the weather has been crazy too. One day it was down in the 30s then the next day it was almost 70 degrees outside. Something is not right.