Everyone wants to talk weather part 2

[waggawerewolf27]

Thank you stargazer. There is an old saying to believe only what one sees and only half of what one hears. It is good to be able to check reality with someone.

Well, I've been looking at the lovely sunny mornings after 9 am, and thinking how odd it is that it's only 2 degrees C outside! I'm recuperating from a chest and sinus infection, so it's nice not having to go out in it.
And it wasn't until after I got sick that I discovered I'm currently living in the worst city for asthma in this country. Damp and polluted, eh?
It can only get better!

I'd believe it, wherever you are. Each time I went to UK I ended up with some sort of 'lurgy', and a visit to the doctor. I hope you are better and haven't had the dreaded "Aussie flu" the International Express' latest edition was rabbiting on about. Did you have a real "White Christmas"? Or was it just plain chilly?

wagga, I simply melt at those sizzling temperatures in your part of the world!

It could have been worse. Sydney is one of Australia's largest cities, as you would expect, since it was the first one established, and it is rimmed with a collection of country towns that ended up as outer suburbs in what is called Greater Western Sydney. Some, like Penrith, Richmond, Hornsby and Campbelltown, are cities in their own right, with their own suburbia.

I noted that Sydney gets the glory for the hottest place on Earth last Sunday, according to the Washington Post, but, as locals said here in the news, Sydney is a good 60 kilometres away from the hot spot in question. The local minister there on Sunday preached a sermon on what hell is, but I doubt he meant such a literal interpretation. By the way, the highest temperature in these parts was 47.8C in Richmond, in 1939.

[stargazer]

I'm melting, melting!

That kind of heat is even harder to imagine since we're back in the deep freeze for the weekend. Spots north of here sank to about -30F/-35C overnight, and here it is a balmy 4F/-16C in mid-afternoon. The sky is crystal clear so the bottom will fall out again once the sun sets about two hours from now.

I'm sure all the (American) football fans are glad we have an enclosed stadium for tomorrow's playoff game, especially since the opponent is from New Orleans, a Southern city that doesn't get very cold even in winter (by local standards, anyway).

[Puddleglum]

Off topic I know, but the remark about the game must be responded to. After watching the local team (The Vikings) almost lose in front a home crowd after leading for more than half the game, well, it just makes a fellow want to curl up and hibernate for a hundred years
Anyway. Local weather, more suitable for the great Northwest, came back to stay awhile. Snow, light, and fluffy, came at times horizontally across the yard. That's not too bad, if you are able to grow with the wind. Not so fun otherwise
Fortunately as I said, light, and fluffy. Four to six inches by my guesstimat. Of course I have been known for inaccuracy at times, and blowing snow hardly stays still enough to measure properly.

[johobbit]

The local minister there on Sunday preached a sermon on what hell is, but I doubt he meant such a literal interpretation. By the way, the highest temperature in these parts was 47.8C in Richmond, in 1939.

And excuse me while I .

So, that mild 24 hours last week with abundant rain was enough to melt much of the snow we had. Quite something! The grass was showing for a wee bit, but then the temperature dropped last Friday and we had a good few inches of more snow, hurrah ... a white landscape again! It has remained very cold since, which meant that all the water on the ground from the melt, froze. Icy conditions were present for a while, that's for sure. We are expecting more snow this afternoon and overnight. I would think that this winter thus far we have had over a couple of feet of snow in total.

I am enjoying my early morning (dawn) and early evening (dusk) walks most days. There is no doubt I bundle up (it was near -30 with the windchill a few nights), but when one is dressed for it, it is really lovely, especially greeting the sunrise just outside our village before 8 a.m., and then watching the sun set over the fields at the opposite end of the day. ♥ Stunning.

There is a slight warm-up coming (nearing the freezing mark) towards the end of this week, but we're hoping it won't go above 0C too much. It shouldn't at this time of year!

[coracle]

We're apparently at risk of having some snow later today. Not had any for a month. I want to go out this afternoon, so I will need to be well wrapped. (I'm recuperating after some sickness, trying to be well enough to work - going out in the cold is not the best option, but there are things I need to do).

[stargazer]

Did you get the snow, Auntie?

Winter made a comeback here yesterday, with the area's biggest snowstorm since February 2011. The airport received 12.4 inches/315mm, the town I live in received 14 inches/355mm, and areas in southern Minnesota reported blizzard and whiteout conditions with 19.5 inches/495mm. With lots of wind we had to shovel a few times.

[Puddleglum]

I could be jealous of you stargazer. My snow blower has been gathering dust all winter. What little snow we have/had is mostly melted.
Though I am no fan of heavy snow fall, it would be nice for some just to cover the brown lawn.
The possible advantage is for all the cold reaching some of the mosquitos will be frozen out. Or so some bug experts say

[coracle]

No, we may have had a bit swirling around, but I didn't see it. Just a bit of rain, with some milder temperatures recently.
This might account for the crocuses I saw poking up in a bit of grass beside the main road near my home.

[waggawerewolf27]

@ Coracle, the weather in UK sounds lovely. Apparently the Seine burst its banks in Paris. However humid it has become, all the rain we have had for a month is a few prickles that wouldn't even wet the back of the proverbial threepenny stamp. This drought-like weather is coming from the direction of Cape Town where their water supply is down to about 20%.

Off topic I know, but the remark about the game must be responded to. After watching the local team (The Vikings) almost lose in front a home crowd after leading for more than half the game, well, it just makes a fellow want to curl up and hibernate for a hundred years

Have a thought for the tennis players in the Australian Open which has just finished. Whatever the temperatures - and all too many have been well above 40C - those temperatures would be much higher running around on a bakingly hot tennis court, and there have been some serious concerns about the welfare of participants. Although we've had some reasonably nice mornings it has been rare for maximum temperatures to be less than 35C (96F), for nearly two months now.

[stargazer]

Too bad we can't send some moisture (it is snowing again) or moderate that unthinkable heat for you just a bit.

The biggest sporting event in the US, the Super Bowl, is tomorrow just a few miles from here in downtown Minneapolis. Side events like concerts and NFL Live have been going on all week, and the local news outlets have enjoyed showing interviews with people not used to the cold. Tomorrow's high is predicted to be 8F/-14C, not unusual by local standards but still cold enough to make it the coldest Super Bowl on record (there have been 51 previous games, and the current record-holder for cold was also Minneapolis, back in 1992). In both cases the game is indoors.

[stargazer]

The first 12 days of February were below average temperature-wise, but now we are having a short-lived thaw. It was a toasty 30F/-1°C the 13th and an even warmer 43F/6°C on the 14th.

It will be cooler this weekend with a potentially significant snowstorm by Monday.

[fantasia]

The two day heat wave is coming to an end. I loved it! 70F and the doors were wide open! And the nice thing about the tiny periodic warm spell in the middle of winter is that there are no bugs.

[waggawerewolf27]

The two day heat wave is coming to an end. I loved it! 70F and the doors were wide open! And the nice thing about the tiny periodic warm spell in the middle of winter is that there are no bugs.

Whaaat!? 70F a "heatwave"? How delightful your "heatwave" sounds!! 21-22 C is about the most comfortable setting for air-conditioning anywhere. But it isn't a heatwave until the atmospheric temperature is 95F or 40C, whichever is highest.

Enjoy anyway. Our temperatures are a bit milder now, that summer is coming to an end soon. I hope as autumn gets here we start getting some long overdue thunderstorms and plenty of rain. It has not only been overly hot but also rainfall is horribly down, and Cape Town in South Africa, on the same latitude South as Sydney, has been running out of water altogether.

[fantasia]

It's a heatwave for the middle of winter.

We're having up and down weather this week. Some normal winter weather, . possibly some snow, alternating with almost short sleeve weather every couple days.

[johobbit]

That 'heatwave' is coming our way early next week. By Tuesday, the temperature could be up to 13C/55F! Quite unheard of for this time of year in wintry SW Ontario.

We have had a very snowy February thus far. Last weekend it just kept on falling. Beautiful! Some days are verrry cold; others are just ... cold. I'm enjoying every storm that comes, because all too soon winter and its invigorating temperatures will be gone. However, the long-range forecast is for March to bring more snow (not unusual here), so I'll appreciate every bit we get.

But this coming week much of what we have should be melting as unseasonable temps and rain descend for a few days. By next weekend, though, we're back to just below freezing when all the rain will, uh, freeze.

When I was growing up, winters would never rise above freezing so any snow that fell (a lot!) would accumulate, rather than melt every few weeks. I do miss that type of winter.

[stargazer]

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

That sentiment may be on a lot of local kids' minds as school dismisses this afternoon. A quick 6 inches/150mm of sticky snow fell overnight, and after a short break this afternoon, at least that much more is expected overnight tomorrow into Sunday.

The sun is out now and with temps hovering around freezing it's ideal snow for making snowmen and there is actually some melting going on as well.