Snowy Norway; Here Comes The Arctic; New Report: The Barrier Reef Is Doing Great; + Big Sunspot

"...not a single reef or even a single species of reef life has been lost since British settlement."

Snowy Norway

Scandinavia's very cold winter, punctuated by record low temperatures, is extending into spring. The snow is continuing to build in Norway—for example:

“Snow falling again on Svalbard, Norway … 18 March 2024.” — Joao Carlos on X

Shown below is the global seed vault in Svalbard:

Joao Carlos on X

Across all of Europe's higher elevations in fact, the late-season snow is noteworthy.

Here is a look at the Julian Alps, Slovenia:

“Viševnik mountain (2050m), Julian Alps, Slovenia” — Dalibor Pačić on X

While here is Val Thorens, France:

“Incredible Snowfall on Val Thorens, France … 18 March 2024.” — Joao Carlos on X

The Alps are blanketed:

“Flying over the Alps felt amazing! The mountains were covered in snow and looked really majestic and peaceful. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before. Earth is truly mesmerizing!” — Chaya Mathew on X

And there's more to come, much more:

GFS Total Snowfall (cm) March 19 - April 4 [tropicaltidbits.com]

Here Comes The Arctic

Just as the mainstream media collectively bemoans a "missing winter" (ignoring the colder-than-average February), spring is nowhere to be found and all…

All weather models shows March ending cold and snowy, potentially historically so. Over the next 7-10 days, a winter-like upper-level configuration of troughs looks set to continue ushering frigid Canadian Arctic air southward into Lower 48:

The cold will break records.

The loss to spring-blooming plants/crops will be substantial.

Significant accumulations of snow are also expected over the next 10-days, across the upper-Midwest into the Great Lakes.

"Winter goes into Overtime after a scoreless 4th Quarter," writes meteorologist Ryan Maue.

GFS Total Snowfall (inches) March 19 - April 4 [tropicaltidbits.com]

New Report: The Barrier Reef Is Doing Great

A new report has been released describing the state of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in 2024. Like the now stonewalled scares of extinct polar bears and an ice-free Arctic, the GBR has gone exactly the same way…