Looking for Regime Change

A feeble low pressure area scooting eastward to the Atlantic across North Carolina is bringing clouds and some patches of light rain or drizzle to the Washington DC metro area this afternoon. In the far western Maryland panhandle and north of the Mason-Dixon line, the isolated precipitation is of the frozen variety. Temperatures ranged from the upper 30s in a few spots to the low and mid 40s at mid afternoon.

As the week wears on, warm high pressure building over the center of the country will be signaling a regime change which will reverse our recent string of mostly cooler than average days.

Tonight and Tomorrow

There is a slight chance of showers or snow flurries through this evening; lows tonight will be near 30. Clearing tomorrow will be accompanied by high temperatures still on the cool side for this time of year, around 47.

Political Climate

Friday's WaPo had a front page article, "Antarctic Ice Sheet Is Melting Rapidly", describing the results of a new study of Antarctic ice mass decreases. The research, using an innovative technique acronymed GRACE, involved measuring small variations in Earth's gravity detected by a pair of satellites flying in tandem along the same orbit. Articles about the results also appeared in:

• New York Times: "Loss of Antarctic Ice Increases"
  
• LA Times: "Antarctica Cannot Replace Ice Loss"
  
• Fox News: "Study: Antarctic Ice Melting at Surprisingly Rapid Rate"

The BoGlo reprinted the WaPo article.

Reaction from the usual oil-industry-funded suspects was quick and predictable. Also just in the nick of time to save us from the facts, Situational Science Man made an appearance in yesterday's Doonesbury.