Can someone tell me what's up with the weather lately?

Question

Okay I live in the Midwest, and it's almost May, it's supposed to be spring almost summer here! Been up in the 70's 80's lately. Last week we had an earthquake, today we had a tornado, then this weekend it's supposed to get down to the 30's and snow!!! I heard there supposed to get like 12 inches of snow in South Dakota. What's up with this? Time to put the summer clothes away and pull back out the winter clothes! :(

Answer 1

Tell me about it!  Here on the east coast of Australia we've had 13 straight days of heavy rain and finally this morning it's fine and sunny when we've almost finished building the ark :-)

It must be global warming or something.

They said conditions would become more extreme.

Answer 2

This spring so far has been indeed crazy.  While the East Coast, especially the Northeast has been much above normal the mid-West has not.  Heading into April all the teleconnections pointed to a cold and rainy Northeast, however, that did not verify.  Right now the NAO is negative as well as the PNA.  Both are usually a setup for a blocking pattern in the Northeast.  However, a ridge developed here in the East and this has kept us warm.  Right now the mid-west is feeling the effects of the -NAO and -PNA.  A strong cold blast will make way for wintery conditions across these parts.  

Global Warming has nothing at all to do with it.

Answer 3

Don't put all the summer clothes away just put about 10 outfits of winter clothes

Answer 4

i am from the east coast 82 it hit and it was niceee now it is raining which suxs but with the windows open listening to the rain fall it is soothing

Answer 5

IF U ALREADY KNEW WAHT WAS UP WITH THE WEATHER Y DID U ASK!

Answer 6

I have lived in the midwest ALL of my life!  You do know that the new madrid fault is in the midwest, right?  I mean, it's an active seismic fault that's been on the radar of seismologists for YEARS!  In fact, I lived in Belleville, IL in 1968 when a quake of I think 5+ rocked our world.  So, you tell me....  If this fault has always been active and it rumbles now and then, how is the recent rumble any weirder than any others?

On April 4th of '69 or '70 it snowed 12 inches in the St. Louis area.  The day after April 3rd, 1974--the biggest single day tornado outbreak in American history--we had 2 inches of snow on the ground.  That's common in the spring!  You get the usual springtime warmups, followed by a strong cold front which causes lift in the atmosphere.  Storms breakout.

This is NOT the first time the midwest has seen flooding.  1992 was a wet spring too.  Blame la nina for the stormy pattern that's gone on all winter and into the spring.  There are places 20 or more inches above normal for the year.  That's extreme, but NONE of the weather events you speak about are once in a lifetime events!  Even the late spring snowstorm in the upper midwest is not that unusual.  

Honestly?  You have a future in television news.  That's precisely what news people do.  They hype and overstate the 'unusualness" of events.  They disregard the facts in order to do so.

Answer 7

it's called Spring... Ever heard the saying spring comes in like a lamb, out like a lion?

Answer 8

You must live near me, I live in wisconsin and you just described the weather here. I blame it on spring and global warming.

Answer 9

The Midwest sucks.  East Coast is where it's at!  It's been like 70's-80's every day in the past week or two.