The Weather Blog

This year is on pace to have the lowest sunspot activity on record.

This photo taken yesterday shows ZERO activity. Some meteorologists think that reduced sunspot activity correlates with colder winters.

Google Trends reports on volume for specific search queries. This graph shows that North Americans start to get curious about the outlook for winter right just before Labor Day. Interest peaks in long term winter outlook in October and then dies in December.

It’s also interesting to note that interest in the longterm winter forecast is primarily an east coast phenomenon. Click on images to enlarge.

“According to AccuWeather.com’s Chief Meteorologist and Expert Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi, winter will be centered over an area from Maryland to the Carolinas as a fading El Niño results in the stormiest and coldest pattern in recent years.”