# Interesting fun facts from a local weather guesser



## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Interesting note: Today the official high temp. in G.R. was 91 - and the official high temp. in Battle Creek was 85 - similar air mass - 6 degrees difference. The average July high temperature in G.R. (airport) of 84.9 was 3.1 deg warmer than the July average high temperature for Battle Creek (81.8). While those readings could be correct (I don't know that for sure), representing the temperature of the air at those locations, one has to wonder if we are to believe that it was really 3 degrees cooler in Battle Creek than Grand Rapids in July. That's what the climate record is going to say. Yet, they can tell us with virtual certainty that the global (inc. the oceans and the land airs with very little temperature record) temperature was the warmest ever by one or two hundredths of a degree. If you look at the climate record for 1940-1969, Grand Rapids and Battle Creek had virtually identical average July high temperatures (83.3 vs. 83.1).

On a slightly related note…I've heard a few people blaming the big California wildfire on "climate change". We've learned that the fire started with a campfire getting out of control. Many wildfires are started by humans…either by arson, a fire that gets out of control, or discarded smoking materials (and that's marijuana as well as tobacco). Those human-started fires would never have happened without the human and had nothing to do with a dubious one-degree rise in global temperature…no more so that I could use "climate change" for a defense if I started your home on fire.

So far, 2016 is the LEAST extreme year on record.

As to the uptick in media reporting (and hype) on weather events (storms)…

​ The number of strong tornadoes has if anything been decreasing, not increasing over the past several decades (2015 and so far 2016 also have low numbers of strong tornadoes (graphic from the National Climate and Data Center). You'll have to go to this link to see the ACE Index. This is a measure of the number and strength of tropical storms - globally. Note that the trend has been downward since 2005 (I do expect a more active year in the Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico this year. However, we've now gone the longest period of time ever with a major (Category 3 and above) hit on Florida and the U.S. (graph from NOAA). Here's tornado deaths by year…in 2016 we've had only 12 tornado fatalities.

​ This is the number of wildfires and the number of acres burned to date for the last 11 year and the 10-year average. The number of wildfires is below average to date and that has been the trend for the last five years. (data/graph from the National Interagency Fire Center).

Finally, snowfall - look at this story from the year 2000. It says: "…snow is starting to disappear from our lives…according to Dr. David Viner, a senior research scientist at the Climatic Research Institute (CRU) at the University of East Anglia within a few years 'winter snowfall will become a rare and exciting event. Children just aren't going to know what snow is'".

​How's that working out? Check out this graph. In Grand Rapids, all 10 of the snowiest winters on record have come since 1951 and three of the top four since 2002 (much of the difference between years ago and today is due to measuring…but it would be hard to make the case that snow is disappearing. (pic. from Benton Township - Berrien Co. Road Commission)

​Droughts are not increasing in the U.S. and in fact were worse in the 1930s.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

He's not a big globull warming guy by any means. 

Too bad he is forced to hype his forecasts due to upper management.


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

"(and that’s marijuana as well as tobacco)."

unlike tobacco MJ is not treated with a chemical so it wont go out
and at the price $$ of MJ who discards it?

just say"en


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## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

Wildfires wouldn't be so big if we let them burn in the first place. 
Excluding damage to buildings and home as well as injuries and deaths; wildfires are a good thing.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

BossPlow2010 said:


> Wildfires wouldn't be so big if we let them burn in the first place.
> Excluding damage to buildings and home as well as injuries and deaths; wildfires are a good thing.


What wood all the feller buncher operators do if we let them burn?


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Interesting note: Today the official high temp. in G.R. was 91 - and the official high temp. in Battle Creek was 85 - similar air mass - 6 degrees difference. The average July high temperature in G.R. (airport) of 84.9 was 3.1 deg warmer than the July average high temperature for Battle Creek (81.8). While those readings could be correct (I don't know that for sure), representing the temperature of the air at those locations, one has to wonder if we are to believe that it was really 3 degrees cooler in Battle Creek than Grand Rapids in July. That's what the climate record is going to say. Yet, they can tell us with virtual certainty that the global (inc. the oceans and the land airs with very little temperature record) temperature was the warmest ever by one or two hundredths of a degree. If you look at the climate record for 1940-1969, Grand Rapids and Battle Creek had virtually identical average July high temperatures (83.3 vs. 83.1).
> 
> On a slightly related note…I've heard a few people blaming the big California wildfire on "climate change". We've learned that the fire started with a campfire getting out of control. Many wildfires are started by humans…either by arson, a fire that gets out of control, or discarded smoking materials (and that's marijuana as well as tobacco). Those human-started fires would never have happened without the human and had nothing to do with a dubious one-degree rise in global temperature…no more so that I could use "climate change" for a defense if I started your home on fire.
> 
> ...


That was very well written Mark!


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## SnoFarmer (Oct 15, 2004)

Mark Oomkes said:


> What wood all the feller buncher operators do if we let them burn?


Plow snow.


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## BUFF (Dec 24, 2009)

SnoFarmer said:


> "(and that's marijuana as well as tobacco)."
> 
> unlike tobacco MJ is not treated with a chemical so it wont go out
> and at the price $$ of MJ who discards it?
> ...


Weed in local weed shops is running about $220-221/oz and people don't toss doobies like they were cig butts, it all gets consumed.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

BUFF said:


> Weed in local weed shops is running about $220-221/oz and people don't toss doobies like they were cig butts, it all gets consumed.


Strange you wood know this.


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## LapeerLandscape (Dec 29, 2012)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Strange you wood know this.


Buffs full of all sorts of useless info.


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## LapeerLandscape (Dec 29, 2012)

I have noticed about the same between Lapeer and Grand Blanc on the temp. Everytime I looked they were always 6 to 8 degrees warmer then us and were not that far apart. I just thought it was where the sensor was located and maybe there was more asphalt/concrete there holding the temps higher.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

LapeerLandscape said:


> Buffs full of all sorts of useless info.


Plowsite's very own Cliff Clavin.


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## LapeerLandscape (Dec 29, 2012)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Plowsite's very own Cliff Clavin.


Wheres the laughy thingys at on this new site.


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## BUFF (Dec 24, 2009)

Mark Oomkes said:


> Strange you wood know this.


Why wood it be, since it's an industry that gets mentioned in local news often it's publically known.



LapeerLandscape said:


> Buffs full of all sorts of useless info.


Pfffffft....... ewe want useless info give me your cell number and Ill start forwarding a few dozen text a day from Mooky.......



Mark Oomkes said:


> Plowsite's very own Cliff Clavin.


Hey........ "It's a little known fact you're not a complete moron"....:waving:


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

BUFF said:


> Pfffffft....... ewe want useless info give me your cell number and Ill start forwarding a few dozen text a day from Mooky.......


Pretty sure there's a dog crap picker upper from Duluth that texts as mulch if not more than I do.

Although, there has been a time or two that you do such a fine job of teeing the ball up, that we just can't help flooding you with texts........at least until we get a "oh piss oof you jagoofs". :terribletowel::terribletowel::terribletowel::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:


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