Snow 2, Global Warming 0

Look outside and what do you see? A blanket of white, that's what. Well, at least that is what I'm seeing out of my window as I write this column. Mother Nature's white blanket is such a peaceful scene. However wonderful this may seem, it leave me wondering about something...or more like someone. That someone is a man that we are all too familiar with. A man who is
emotional in his claims. A man who is looked up to as the all-knowing political asset. No, I'm not talking about Glenn Beck. I'm speaking, of course, of Al Gore, the climate guru of our time.

Seeing all this snow concerns me. It leaves me thinking, is Mr. Gore okay? I mean, he sees snow as a four-letter word since in his world, it is always warm and we are always polluting the skies, dirtying the water, and killing the seals. This white stuff must be a shock for the gentleman who speaks about global warming more often that Mr. Obama mutters the word change. Now, that is truly something to brag about.

Before we get into what I see as the absence of global warming, I want to touch on the recent snowfall our glorious Commonwealth has received.

If you may be so kind to recall, Virginia endured her first winter pounding in mid-December, a little more than a month ago. The Commonwealth received anywhere from a dusting to 23 inches from the pre-winter storm. Some areas, like Rockbridge County in the west-central part of the state, got punched with 31 inches of powder. I live not too far from Rockbridge; however we only picked up a mere 21 inches on the back porch. While the amount of snow with that
storm was impressive, the fact that the stuff stuck around for as long as it did baffled me.

The day I returned back to Longwood, there was still about 5 inches around. It was hard to believe that some three weeks later; there was still a good amount of snow sticking around. Why? Take the constant refreezing at night and below freezing temperatures during the day as
the main reason. However, I believe it was just laying around waiting for the next storm. That next storm, the one I'm watching right now, hit sooner than many thought it would.

I returned home this past weekend for another round of winter's fury. After picking up the 21 inches last year, I was hoping that the forecasted 3-6 inches would be all I would have to see.
Waking up at 9 a.m., I already noticed that forecast was a bit off. The snow, which started just after midnight, had accumulated to around 8 inches - with more flakes throwing themselves against their friends on the ground. While this storm may not be as impressive as the December blast, snow is still snow.

The last time Virginia encountered snowfall as major as the events in December 2009 were back in 1996. The impressive 30-plus inches wreaked havoc on many parts of the Commonwealth. Since then, it took more than a decade for a considerable snowfall to arrive.

So where does good 'ol global warming come into the equation? Well, the supporting evidence for the phenomenon has been less apparent this season than many in the past. The ominous cold streak that has plagued the East Coast since December is no help in explaining the toll global warming is having on society. Where are the warm temperatures or the dry weather? Take Florida, for instance. Deep-freezing in early January caused records to be broken and farmers to
be worried about their crops of oranges and strawberries. Areas as far south as Georgia have received measurable snowfall this winter, according to the National Weather Service.

The snowfall that fell on Longwood's campus in March 2009 left about 10 inches in the area. That was no doubt the talk of the town for weeks. It was the first major storm to hit the area in many years; causing both the university and the town to realize it can happen here.

This time around, with more snow on the ground than a little less than a year ago, people may wonder why we are in a snowy pattern. The jet stream has shifted south, bringer colder air and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to our area. With years of heavy snow in the north, the mid-Atlantic is getting its dose of the mess. So the whole global warming bit is not very believable now, is it? I'm sure Mr. Gore is somewhere shaking in his snow boots as I write. Or
maybe he's living on a tropical island pretending his agenda is oh so true.

Clearly, colder temperatures and snowfall have damaged the argument for global warming
across the board. An example can be found at the latest climate summit in Copenhagen,
Denmark. The city picked up the heaviest snowfall in decades as world leaders met to discuss climate problems. Remember in high school when you tried to come up with a witty definition of the word irony? You're welcome.

So what should we do with Mr. Gore? Believe him? Stone him for false claims? I'll let you be the judge on that one. Personally, I don't buy into all this climate hype. I might recycle and I might turn off the water when I brush my teeth, but I don't let Mr. Gore's ideology gets in my way. Weather has always been crazy. Sure, man may have a little to do with what goes on, but to say we are the problem is plum crazy. Mother Nature is going to do whatever she desires. I
truly do not believe she is going to allow some guy's doctrine explaining the cause of global whining...er, warming, get in her way.