Here is a map of SST anomalies around the time of the storm:

http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/sst/anomaly/2013/anomw.2.7.2013.gif

Red and yellow represents more than expected/normal temperature, and you can see that the US East Coast and Maritimes have plenty of extra heat as does the North Atlantic in general. The region has been anomalysly warm for weeks, probably all winter.

Globally sea surface temperatures pretty much everywhere have been high. The ocean itself is significantly warmer over the last few decades than previously, and that is reflected in SST’s in part.

When you see the typical global warming temperature graph, that is a combination of sea surface temperature and air temperature (usually, not always) because the heat that is out there is constantly transferring between the two.

This has resulted in more storminess in that region. http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/02/08/extreme-weather-in-the-us-northeast-and-climate-change/

We have much less data on the deeper ocean temperatures but there are indications that the deep sea is also warming. Considering the heat holding capacities of the sea and its volume, this is impressive. One concern is that the ocean is taking a large amount of the CO2 and heat, and once it reaches a certain level will not accept much more (I’ve oversimplified that)

Though I am in school now in Western Mass., I am from the Boston Area and it was interesting to see your comparison of Boston and Minnesota, seeing as I would have promoted the myth that they had more precipitation,

Part of the reason for the perception of Minneapolis as snowier than Boston is that in Minnesota, being colder, any snow that falls in December and January tends to stay on the ground until March or even April. Coastal New England does not always keep its snow cover. Ski areas in New England play on a similar perception: their business is better when it snows in Boston, because people assume (often incorrectly) that the ski areas got even more snow. There is a correlation between mountainous terrain and snowfall: storms tend to drop more precipitation on the windward slopes (and downwind areas tend to be much drier, as can be seen in the transition from rainforest to desert as you move inland from the Washington coast). But most of the storms that produce snow in Boston approach from the wrong direction for that effect to be of much help to the ski resorts.

Have you been up to Caribou? 111 inches.

Min is about the size of most of New England so that counts too.

MINNESOTA:
Duluth, Minnesota averages 80.7 inches of snow per year
International Falls = 65.5 inches per year
Minneapolis = 49.9

MASS
Boston averages 42.2 inches per year
Worcester = 67.6

So, you see, it is in fact you who is wrong about the MA vs MN are “plain, simply, untrue.” How are we to believe the rest of your knowledge if you base an entire article off of inaccurate climatological statistics?

I do wish that comment sections had spell checkers.