Warmest Winter On Record In Stockholm Since 1756 - Warmth Persists Across N. Europe

[hatrack]

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Icebreakers sit idle in ports. Insects crawl out of forest hideouts. Daffodils sprout up from green lawns. Winter ended before it started in Europe's north, where record-high temperatures have people wondering whether it's a fluke or an ominous sign of a warming world. "It's the warmest winter ever" recorded, said John Ekwall of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute.

In December, January and February, the average temperature in Stockholm was 36 degrees — the highest on record since record-keeping began in 1756. Record winter highs were set at 12 other locations across the country, according to the national weather service, SMHI.

Across the Baltic Sea, Latvia and most of Finland reported the warmest winter since 1925. Latvia saw an average temperature of about 33 degrees, nine degrees above normal, according to the national meteorological agency. Southern Finland had only 20 days of snow, compared to 70 days normally, while neighboring Estonia had to cancel a popular cross-country ski marathon in the southern city of Tartu in early February.

"I don't remember winter like this. We had almost no snow at all in February," said Merike Merilain, chief weather forecaster at Estonia's meteorological institute, EMHI. "It's been emotionally very stressful, especially to many older people, that it's dark and rainy all the time," she added. In Norway, the average temperature in February was the second highest on record, 8 degrees above normal.

EDIT

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jMWm8tRfZ5kIIwHx4Sg1JntW-sLQD8V6P5JO1

[rockymountaindem]

1. But the fact that it was this warm in 1925 proves there's no warming!!!

:sarcasm:

[Der Blaue Engel]

2. But it snowed in Texas, so global warming can't be true

:sarcasm: