This Wyoming Winter Is Not As Unusual As You Think

When it comes to weather there is no such thing as what it's "supposed to be."

We never get an even amount of snow or rain. Temperatures are always fluctuating.

Not just from year to year but from decade to decade and even beyond that.

Fluctuation in the weather is normal

2023 brought Western states a lot of rain and snow that ended a drought. Then, it continued to rain all year giving us a green landscape that had not been seen in a generation.

This winter the northeastern side of Wyoming, and some areas in surrounding states, have experienced a bubble of nice mild weather while winter has been pounding the rest of the nation.

If we look back to our weather records we see that this has happened many times before. It's not unusual.

The 1970s were so cold and snowy that we were inundated with predictions of a coming ice age.

Below is a video of Lenord Nemoy, back when he hosted the TV show "In Search Of", explaining the "scientific consensus" of a coming ice age.

The 1950s and 60s were nowhere near as extreme, but if we look back to the late 1940s...

It’s been 75 years since the Blizzard of 1949, a relentless two-month storm that crippled Wyoming. Accumulation measured in feet. Winds clocked 65-80 mph. Double-digit subzero temperatures for weeks on end. (Cowboy State Daily).

Before then it was warm and dry.

The 1930s was an exceptional time to be in the Mountain West and High Plains.

The entire region, already a semi-arid climate, endured extreme drought for almost a decade.

From 1930-1940 a large part of the region saw 15% to 25% less precipitation.

All we have before these dates is proxy data by looking at evidence that nature has left us. What we find is an ever-changing climate that never stays the same.

Let's take a look at why the weather will never be predictable

You should not be making categorical statements that this  is the most intense El Niño ever off of an experimental forecasts

That was regional meteorologist Don Day's reaction to headlines from some major media outlets that we are heading for a "Super El Niño."

El Niño and La Niña are mainly caused by cycles of the Sun.

When the sun is more active, an area in the Pacific off the Equator heats up. That is an El Niño. That causes more evaporation and more rain and snow coming to North America.

When the Sun is not as active, the same ocean area cools and North America experiences drought- that is La Niña.

That's the simple explanation.

Scroll the 5:08 time in the video below to watch Don Day give a detailed explanation.

This has nothing to do with CO2 levels or man's use of organic fuels like coal, gas, and oil.

News outlets often look for the most shocking headlines to get your attention.

This is nothing new. Screaming headlines was a thing before the internet was invented.

It used to be called "yellow journalism", today we call it "clickbait."

Don Day calls it irresponsible. 

Despite what you hear or read, we are not experiencing warmer summers or colder winters.

We are not experiencing more or higher intensity hurricanes.

We are not experiencing more tornadoes, floods, or droughts.

Don Day calls out several major news outlets for pushing this idea of a "Super El Niño."

Be very, very careful of what you read. It often does not match up with the data