ClimateCentral: 2011 extreme #weather

ClimateCentral

RT @capitalweather: Spring 2011 extreme weather going nuts; tornadoes off the charts, wildfires rage, floods loom, http://wapo.st/eJA8yW

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local

By Jason Samenow

Tornadoes off the charts, wildfires rage, floods loom

We warned you that this spring’s weather would be volatile. But who knew it would be as extreme as it’s been to date? And is the worst still to come?

AccuWeather’s Joe Lundberg aptly describes the weather pattern as “bipolar.” Discovery Magazine puts it this way: “Draw a line from Washington D.C. to Denver and down to Phoenix. North and west of that line, it has been cold and wet. To the south and east, it has been hot and dry.”

The bi-polar weather is a manifestation of an amped up jet stream, fueled by this spring’s moderate La Nina. Weather Nation meteorologist Paul Douglas told Discovery Magazine that jet stream winds are as strong as he can remember during April.