Where the heck is global warming?

The temperature in Pittsburgh, PA rarely goes subzero - only 4 times in the last 7 years did it get that cold, yet forecasters say that the region may see subzero temps for 3 consecutive days. So what's with the crazy scientists who say global waming has begun. It's getting colder in Western PA!! Where's global warming when we really need it?

To counter global warming with colder winters is failing to see the forest for the trees. Lots of local variation in weather will persist and may, in fact, become more extreme as the broader climate transitions to a higher average temperature.

Here's another fact counter-intuitive: We are colder in the winter here in the Earth's northern hemisphere, despite the fact that we are closer to the sun in our orbit during winter months! Why is that? Because the planet is tilted at a 23-degree angle away from the sun during this period, causing the sun's rays to bounce off the atmosphere compared to the more direct rays in summer.

So what does a longer view hold for Western PA considering the evidence for global warming? Warming effects will occur gradually, but eventually the changeover will be noticeable and certain. In 100 years, it may be balmy here in February thanks to global warming.