Rare Snow In Lebanon; “Is This Spring?”; + Polar Vortex Breakdown: A Natural Cooling Mechanism; + Necessary Review

Cap Allon

Rare Snow In Lebanon

Unusual snowfall and icy conditions have blocked major roads in Lebanon, including the vital Dahr El-Baidar route, which remains closed to all vehicles due to heavy snow accumulation.

The Internal Security Forces’ Traffic Control Room reported Thursday evening that the Tarshish–Zahle road is also closed.


While some snow is expected in Lebanon’s mountainous areas during winter, this level of disruption—particularly in March—is rare.

Earlier efforts by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, in coordination with the Internal Security Forces, had managed to temporarily reopen Dahr El-Baidar. Snowplows and salt trucks cleared the road while security forces assisted with traffic and stranded drivers. However, worsening conditions have since forced renewed closures.

Authorities are urging drivers to avoid affected routes and follow official guidance, as road surfaces remain hazardous.


“Is This Spring?”

A powerful storm slammed the Midwest U.S. this week, toppling power lines, shutting down major highways, and burying parts of the region in snow—just as another system began forming in the Northeast on the first day of spring.

AccuWeather warned Thursday that “rounds of cold air and snow” will continue to sweep across the northern U.S., from the Plains through the Midwest and into the Northeast, into the week.

In Kansas, blizzard conditions shut down 250 miles of I-70 from Salina to the Colorado border. Iowa closed a 70-mile stretch of I-29 from Sergeant Bluff to Missouri Valley. Nebraska shut I-80 from Omaha to the Wyoming state line.

In the Northeast, the next wave of snow is expected to bring some 6 inches across the Green and White Mountains, as well as the Adirondacks and Catskills into Friday. Another system is expected to move in Monday bringing additional snow and a wintry mix.

Elsewhere, winter storm warnings were issued for Oregon’s Cascades, where up to three feet of snow may fall by Saturday.

Spring may be ‘officially’ here, but much of the country is still battling winter. Accumulations from recent blizzards are keeping temperatures down across the Plains and the like—instead of the 60s, thermometers are in the 30s and 40s.


Some 6″ to 10″ of accumulated from Kansas into Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin:


Polar Vortex Breakdown: A Natural Cooling Mechanism

The polar vortex at 10 hPa has collapsed early, with winds reversing direction far ahead of schedule. This isn’t just an atmospheric anomaly—it has real consequences for global temperatures.


Normally, the polar vortex acts as a containment system, keeping frigid Arctic air isolated while limiting heat exchange with the mid-latitudes. But when the vortex weakens or reverses, warm air from the south surges into the Arctic and cooler air is displaced to the lower latitudes.

This leads to a redistribution of atmospheric energy: the Arctic warms temporarily, but crucially, the heat transported north is lost to space as infrared radiation. Since the Arctic is a major heat-loss region for the planet, this process results in net cooling.

At the same time, displaced cold air can drive extreme winter weather in lower latitudes, while shifts in the jet stream contribute to disruptions like Spain’s recent heavy rains.

These patterns are part of Earth’s natural variability, its climate cycles. Temperature changes are governed by complex atmospheric dynamics—not CO2 levels. Understanding these cycles would destroy the CAGW cult.


Necessary Review

What he said…

(Physicist William Happer, Professor Emeritus of Physics at Princeton University)


Thank you for your continued support.

Enjoy your weekend.

I’ll be back Monday, as always.

Best,
Cap

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