I generally stay out of the off topic areas because I find no matter how different my views are from someone else I enjoy car conversations with everyone.
However I went to school for meteorology and understand very well why some winters in the last 10 years have been so bad. There are many areas of conversation around this but keeping this simple and sticking with the cold and snow this particular year is very simple.
A tiny increase in ocean temp can cause some odd events, INCLUDING colder winters. The north Atlantic is warmer then recent history (lets just say the past 50 years) this causes a very strong ridge to form off the coast of Labrador (Newfoundland). This ridge or upper atmosphere high pressure causes a blocking effect and we here east of the Mississippi get stock in a pattern of deep troughs that continue to channel cold air and a pattern of low pressure systems moving up from the deep south. The problem is if we don't ever get a break in this we stay cold and then the next push of cold air cools us even more. Good news it is late Jan and here in NC spring will be here soon, whether it is a cool one or warm it will be nice enough to ride with the top down and golf.
People that don't believe the earth is warming point to cold winters to disprove this, in actuality we could experience colder and snowy winters for some time. Whether or not humans are causing warming or not, it is factually occurring. Having studied Meteorology I haven't taking totally to the studies that say man is doing it, BUT I do understand natural cycles of the earth tilt, shape of rotation around the sun and the oscillations of that rotation. The sun, natural things like volcanos do also effect things. The earth has been through warming and cooling more times then we can count, one super volcano and the cold brought on by it could wipe out most of us.
Remember being conservative doesn't mean one can't keep an open minded to science. Now back to car stuff!
