The first half of December was very cold across the northern half of Europe and Western Russia while the Southern Black Sea region was mild. The pattern reverses much warmer the second half of December.

Daily reports of increasing delays and costs for barges moving all types of products through the Panama Canal continue to increase. A rapidly developing drought on Gatun Lake emerging this past February continuing through mid-2023 caused the drought.

Strong opposing cross-polar 10 MB height anomalies as forecast by GFS in 10 days are characteristic of strong +RI events. Based on the research, what can follow in 2-3 weeks is a shift in the troposphere of a mild 500 MB ridge pattern over North America (as forecast for the next 1-2 weeks) to shift northwestward forming a ridge bridge pattern over Alaska.

In the East, a departing El Nino storm continues to raise havoc over the Northeast Corridor featuring ongoing flooding rains in southern and eastern New England where high wind is also occurring leading to patchy power outages.