Cold Enough for Ya, Bub?

Is the next threat global cooling? Maybe:

In the middle of all those quotes being bandied about, I get an email from Burt Rutan (yes THAT Burt Rutan) with a PDF slideshow titled Winter Trends in the United States in the Last Decade citing NCDC’s “climate at a glance” data. This is using the USHCN2 data, which we are told is the “best”, no pun intended. It had this interesting map of the USA for Winter Temperatures (December-February) by climate region on the first slide:

Hmmm, that’s a bit of a surprise for the steepness of those trend numbers. So I decided to expand and enhance that slide show by combining trend graphs and the map together, while also looking at other data (summer, annual). Here’s a breakdown for CONUS by region for Winter, Summer, and Annual comparisons. Click each image to enlarge to full size to view the graphs.

Winter temperatures and trends °F, 2001-2011. Note that every region has a negative trend.

The data may shock global warming enthusiasts, but it’s no surprise to anyone in my neighborhood. During steaks over the last two winters, I have been as cold as I have ever felt in my life. And in the summers, the snowcap on Pike’s Peak last lasted longer and come back sooner. Since we average 300+ days of sunshine each year, the temperatures have got to stay low for that snowcap to exist at all. The sun starts blasting the Peak at dawn, and doesn’t let up until day is done.

I realize that the plural of anecdote is not data — but the numbers sure seem to confirm what I’ve felt.