Trapped by Siberia
Meteorologists have an explanation for this cold snap. Conditions near Greenland and a flow of air from Siberia have pushed a river of arctic air farther south than usual. It’s hard to find any comfort in that explanation especially when the extended forecast promises little relief. For most of January furnaces have run nonstop, unless of course they’ve given up the chore altogether. Schools are delaying starts, as if an extra hour or two will keep kids waiting at bus stops any warmer. Cars are groaning. A few minutes outside and your skin and hair feel as though they are brittle enough to crack and break away.
One word sums it up: Frigid. But isn’t this what winter is all about?
The relatively mild winter seasons of recent past were enough to spoil and deceive us into believing that global warming had indeed changed the climate of southwestern Pennsylvania.
We had forgotten about Siberia, an obscure place that became even more so following the end of the cold war. We neglected to take into account that ‘cold’ is still a factor that must be battled during a deep January freeze.
Take heart though, Ground Hog Day will be here before long. And if that rodent knows what’s best, he’ll call an end to this scourge lest we be tempted to ship him off to Siberia.