Record NYC Snow

It's one for the record books. According to The New York Times:

Big Snowstorm Sets Record in New York and Disrupts Travel

By Christine Hauser
Published: February 12, 2006

A record amount of snow fell in Central Park in New York today as a major storm inundated the Northeast, closing regional airports, canceling hundreds of flights and for several hours virtually paralyzing normal traffic for city residents who took to the snow-caked streets in snowshoes and skis.

The National Weather Service said 26.9 inches of snowfall was measured in Central Park at 4:10 p.m., exceeding the previous record of 26.4 inches, set in December 1947.

Must be that global warming we've heard so much about, huh?

Don't expect it to get the kind of play that this did. Brian Williams on NBC News attributed the warm January in the U.S.A. to global warming, but of course it had zilch to do with global warming.

Also, don't look for much attention to this aspect, as reported by NOAA:

The record high temperatures helped reduce residential energy needs for the nation as a whole. The Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI) (an index developed at NOAA to relate energy usage to climate) fell to its lowest January value on record. Using this index, NOAA scientists determined that the nation's residential energy demand was approximately 20 percent less than that which would have occurred under average climate conditions for the month. For early winter (November 2005-January 2006) the REDTI was third lowest on record.

Want to cut carbon dioxide emissions? Reduce the need for heating homes and work places during the winter -- just as this unusually warm winter has done so far.