clamworm
clamworm t1_j7g1a5n wrote
Reply to comment by NonDeterministiK in Did I hallucinate the arctic temps this past weekend? by [deleted]
Not a meteorologist, but this is the best way it's been explained to me.
Think of the jet stream as a river. When the equatorial air masses are significantly warmer than arctic air masses, the jet stream went like a river between two steep mountains, straight and fast, west to east. Cold stays north, warm stays south.
Now that the arctic has significantly warmed, the 'riverbanks' aren't as steep, and the jet stream slowed down and started to meander, like a river when it comes to a broad valley. Like a sine wave. So instead of having a clear line between warm and cold, we have a bunch of troughs and valleys. As these troughs and valleys move west to east we get a cycle of warm/cold/warm/cold/.
In the cold arctic scenario, it takes a lot more energy to move the jet stream north and south, taking days or weeks to move 200 miles. Now it happens in hours on a regular basis.
Something about the jet stream I see more often in the area forecast discussions is the jet stream getting low enough to clip the mountain tops. I don't know for sure if this is a new phenomenon or I just wasn't paying attention. Would be grateful for someone with more knowledge on to chime in on both parts.
clamworm t1_j7fxy53 wrote
Reply to comment by Excellent_Affect4658 in Did I hallucinate the arctic temps this past weekend? by [deleted]
Right, several days, in a row. Not a day here and a day there. That's what's different now. The 30, -30, -30, 30. Not 10, 5, 0 ,-5, -10, -10, -10, -5, 0, 10, 5... like it used to do.
clamworm t1_j8rqivp wrote
Reply to comment by whaletacochamp in Only in VT does the propane guy deliver on this like it’s nothing. by OldVTGuy
Of course not, he's getting paid by the hour, not the delivery. I always took my time and drove extra careful when I was on the clock. That's the driver's insurance getting surcharged, not the boss', if there's an infraction tagged on their license.
Plus a lot of us are just plain proud of being able to stuff with big trucks in small spaces and want to show off from time to time.