47 replies to this topic

[maleman]

first day of spring arrives next week

hoorah!

But not safe just yet in this neck of the woods. Some big snows have hit in March. But it's just about over and warm weather's in sight.

[ScottSalwolke]

Just when the snow seemed to be about done, we had 4 more inches on Thursday. That gave us the record for the most snow fall in a year for our community. And they are caling for more snow yet. Will it ever end?

[redsonia!]

It's snowing here again. Wet and heavy! At least it's not cold, barely below freezing. But the winds are blowing a bit and roads are bad. So the university and local schools closed at 10:30 this morning. So I'm going home soon.

I am so sick of snow!

[ScottSalwolke]

Why am I reviving this thread? Because now after a record setting winter in terms of snow fall. we had the third wettest spring in our history. We had rain all last week and the forecast for the upcoming week is the potential for rain every day. Cabin fever is back with a vengeance.

[Randy]

Yeah, it's been a wet Spring here just south of you too Copywriter39. Wettest St. Louis Spring in history through mid-May, though it's let up a bit lately as the thunderstorms have become more scattered started moving a bit north of us, towards you.

Seriously though, the rain doesn't bother me much since I'm not anywhere near a flood plain anymore. We really needed a good Spring soaking after the last few years when we've been well short on rain. Here everything is growing like crazy with all of this rain and relatively moderate temperatures we've had. Hopefully the extra rain, and lots of it, is helping everything develop a deeper, stronger root system. The grass in the yard practically needs to be baled every week, instead of merely mowed. My new roses have taken off like nuts, without me really having to water them other than when I first planted them. My yucca plants I transplanted several weeks ago are thriving in their new home on the hillside.

In the garden my tomato plants are already 3-4 feet tall, look really healthy and have plenty of blooms. Unlike last years plantings when they left a lot ot be desired. I expect by this time next month I'll have more tomatoes every week than we can possibly eat, even though all by myself I can go through 20 or 30 per week. The Asparagus crop has been heavy, to the point that I've been giving bunches away to neighbors, which never happens around my house. We all love asparagus. The peppers are already forming. The strawberry crop looks like it'll be huge as well. We're just starting to harvest some of those. The neighbor kids are already eyeing my strawberries and the grapes that have already started plumping up on the vine.

All in all I'll happily put up with a little rain this time of the year. It keeps me from having to water very much at all, and I know we'll need it come July and August when the scorching weather gets here.

[Jill]

Yep, wet spring in mass. too. But this weekend is finally warm...too warm...in the 90's heatwave warm. Had to break out the AC yesterday. (Had heat on in the office the day before!) Gotta love New England.

[ScottSalwolke]

Seriously though, the rain doesn't bother me much since I'm not anywhere near a flood plain anymore.

Unfortunately we're in a flood zone. We're on the Mississippi River, which isn't the problem. It's the small streams and rivers. And the baseball fields are soaked, meaning my sons have been having a lot of games canceled.

[Scottie]

Low 100's here- walking outside feels like walking into an oven to be baked!

[ScottSalwolke]

Last year our area set a record for snow fall in one season. This year we are already way ahead of last years pace. What happened to global warming? I hope everyone is staying warm and keeping their cars on the road.

[Jill]

Yeah, imagine how cold it would be if it wasn't for "global warming."

[Randy]

You found the perfect thread to revive too!

Dunno about anybody else, but out here in flyover country many of us would love to see a little global warming about now. Just turning really cold here from the arctic clipper that came in this afternoon, but I heard on the news that up north a bit where it had already gone through (Cedar Rapids, IA) they're already down around -20F tonight, with wind chills being another 20 off of that. I hope that stays up there! Zero with the wind is bad enough to make me stay indoors. Apparently it's bad enough for all of the schools too since most of them have already called off sessions for tomorrow.

And to get way off topic, I heard something said on TV just the other day (I haven't tried to confirm it) that one of the reasons there may look like Global warming is really cooking in the US could partly be because back in the 90's NOAA closed down about 2/3's of their weather/temp reporting stations. With the vast majority of those getting closed being Rural stations. As anybody who has ever lived in both a rural and urban setting knows, temps are always 2-3 degrees warmer in urban environments than they are out in the boonies.

But on the other hand, I remember as a kid back in the late 60's and 70's that we used to go ice skating struck up a hockey game on area lakes pretty much every year. And never had to worry about falling through no matter how many kids got out there because the ice would be a good foot or more thick. We haven't seen a winter with a long enough stretch of cold to get area lakes to that point in a good decade. At least. About the most we get lately is a thin sheet of ice that anybody would fall through.

Of course that doesn't mean our winters have been all that much warmer. Just that they've not been frigidly cold for weeks on end to allow the ice to get thick.

[ScottSalwolke]

We haven't seen a winter with a long enough stretch of cold to get area lakes to that point in a good decade. At least. About the most we get lately is a thin sheet of ice that anybody would fall through.

We live off the Mississippi River and its going to get to -16 tonight. I think I could almost skate to New Orleans.

[Randy]

If the Mighty Mississippi ever freezes over solid, then we'll know it's been very, very cold for a very, very long time! That never happens 'round here (St. Louis) and even if it got that cold they'd never allow it to happen because of all of the barge traffic.

[harpsound]

We live off the Mississippi River and its going to get to -16 tonight. I think I could almost skate to New Orleans.

Global warming was a mistake, a misnomer.
The weather on average globally is warmer but locally it is far more extreme and far more unstable.

New Zealand started with this extreme stuff happening with weather coming off of Antarctica 20 years ago.
Southern oceanic climates saw it first.

Now the more stable and change resistant northern continental climates are starting to see it too.
Think one in a hundred years events happening many times a year.

This has serious agricultural and economic implications.
Insurances are about to go nuts.

GW in now called "Climate Change" which is less likely to attract denial.

S

[Hyperformance]

-37 below zero here outside Chicago when I woke this morning.... Brrrr.

-3 below will be todays high with a guess at an average of -24 below wind chill.

Makes for a nice warm cave to get lots of 2009 work started, completed, or at least put on The List.

I didn't want to go out today and still need to grow, so I ordered my new Dell from home and liked it too.

Hope you are all keeping warm and getting things done! This is usually when everyone else (in business) is still catching their end of year breath... it is a good time to get a lot done while everyone else is gasping and many others are unemployed.

Be happy or get happy - your personal contribution to 'change'. I'm freezing my a$$ off, but I am happy! Besides, this year I move to South Carolina - This is why I am NOT buying into a snowblower this year - I will never need it again.

- Scott