Southern West Virginia's Weather Confusion

A layer of frost covering the ground gave way to driveways full of parked cars encased in a gleaming coat of ice and rime. The chill in the air dictated sweaters and scarves while the frigid wind called for gloves and heavy coats. Scrapers were used, heaters turned up, and outdoor plans postponed. It was an average winter day in southern West Virginia. Perfectly typical, except that it was mid-April.

This sudden burst of winter came immediately following temperatures in the 60s and 70s, prompting many people to begin their gardening season, only to find their tulips and tomatoes flattened beneath a blanket of cold. Others had already decided to pack away the warm clothes and bring out cooler attire, but found themselves reversing their efforts a mere week later. But for some people, weather fluctuations affect much more than plants and packing.

Barbara Mills, of Beckley, lives with a condition known as discoid lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes outbreaks of red rashes, inflamed joints, and sensitivity to both heat and cold. The combination of her condition and the changing weather patterns makes even the most basic and seemingly simple tasks difficult.

"A lot of times I can't go out and walk the dog because it gets too cold. Then it gets really hot and it makes it hard for me to get out and cut the grass. And now the weather keeps changing so much. I had to use my air conditioner one day, and then turn the heat up the next."

Since the idea of global warming was introduced, it seems as though the weather has been confused about when to change. Still, though there have been instances of warmer than expected temperatures in the winter, the two Virginias have seen more bouts of extreme, or extremely strange, chill, prompting many people to doubt the validity of global warming.

According to Chris Leonardi, with the Charleston National Weather Service, though this past February turned out to be the fourth coldest in Beckley, it was also the sixth warmest February on a global scale since 1880. "There are always fluctuations in temperature relative to what they are supposed to be," explains Leonardi. "The second coldest January on record in Charleston was in 1912. But the very next year, 1913, saw the warmest January on record for Charleston."

There is no doubt that global warming is occurring, but what many people fail to remember is that it is called global warming, not West Virginia warming. Contrary to the beliefs of many southern West Virginians, the earth as a whole is becoming warmer. It seems contradictory throughout the region because global weather is all related.

"No weather pattern really is isolated. We're all connected under one atmosphere and one wrinkle in the overall pattern in our area could have strange and complicated effects hundreds and thousands of miles away and we don't really notice because we're usually only concerned about what's overhead. This week's dry weather here means rough weather for the Plains States because the pattern is stalled. We benefit from sunshine while they can't get their stormy weather to advance east," said WVNS 59 News chief meteorologist Spencer Adkins. "Lots of people would like to point immediately to climate change. It's not as easy as that. Weather is different from climate. Climate is months and years of daily weather. A bad week of weather isn't always a sign of a change in climate."

It is common knowledge that the earth has endured several major climate changes, from the hot, dry days of prehistoric earth to the ice ages of yesteryear. In both cases, the changes occurred over many centuries, expelling the belief that a dramatic change will take place overnight, as Leonardi explained.

"We've only been paying very close attention to the weather in the last 150 years or so. There have been weather anomalies as long as there has been weather."

Adkins agrees that it "happens more than people probably recognize... In terms of a flash ice age or major instant meltdown, I'm not worried."

The power of suggestion seems to play a part in the strange weather craze, as multiple studies show cold snaps during spring and warm fronts in the summer throughout all of history. It has only been since the introduction of the global warming issue that the weather has become such a pressing issue. Whether or not global warming will have a considerable overall effect on the earth won't be definite for a number of years. Though the change in weather locally affects many different people in many different fashions, Leonardi claims eminent threat seems unlikely.

"I don't think anyone should worry about glaciers rolling into New York City anytime soon."