Weather

[lizkat]

It’s not even Dec. 1 yet and we’re experiencing what could be a real winter blast. Six-15” of snow is what they’re saying, depending on where you live.

it’s too early for this crap.

Too true. Sometimes we get a Thanksgiving blizzard in the Catskills, but generally those 12-18" snowfalls don't show up early enough to interfere with deer hunting season... they wait until Christmas Eve when Santa's trying to complete his rounds.

First Christmas for me in this house was far more exciting than I had figured on: it got down to -22ºF and the heavy snow blew around so much there were seven foot drifts out there by Christmas morning.

My dog at that time was a Norwegian Elkhound, and she definitely thought that snowfall was a wonderful gift. Me, not so much, even if I do like cold weather. We hadn't even begun to renovate the place and there was zilch for insulation really, so there was nothing for it but keep stoking the woodstove 24/7 the whole time, and hang out by that stove in the kitchen when not under a pile of blankets. Finally understood what people mean by "a three dog night" and I wouldn't have minded having had a couple more dogs on hand that weekend.

 

[Alli]

It went down to freezing last night, and at 0840 is still only 35 degrees. When I talked to my daughter in NYC yesterday afternoon, it was 20 degrees warmer there! I just looked at the 10 day forecast, and we’re looking at 60’s from tomorrow through the foreseeable future. I can live with that.

 

[lizkat]

We just had a passing hailstorm, yeah almost grape sized hail for about 30 seconds, more or less out of the otherwise sunny and fairly balmy blue. Think Canada briefly lost track of some of its marbles. For a minute there I thought a window pane had fallen out and the house was open to the weather, the hail blast was so loud. Might be time to put the rest of the storm windows on.

Weirdness abounds. They say it will be a La Niña winter.

So far weather gods having trouble leaving autumn, fine with me as long as it's sunny. But in the grey parts of the run-up to the solstice, I long for January and real winter, mitigated by return of a sun that finally remembers how to get over the southern ridge before 8:30 am.

 

[Renzatic]

All I know is that it's cold, and I don't like it.

 

[lizkat]

All I know is that it's cold, and I don't like it.

Everyone in favor of shipping this stuff back up to the far far north where it currently really belongs, put on your kicking shoes.

 

[Renzatic]

Everyone in favor of shipping this stuff back up to the far far north where it currently really belongs, put on your kicking shoes.

I've been outside huffing and puffing in a northerly direction, but I don't think it's doing much.

 

[lizkat]

I've been outside huffing and puffing in a northerly direction, but I don't think it's doing much.

Hmmm, could you maybe aim that like a little more west of north... it's snowing here now in upstate NY.

Got a funny email from a pal in NYC, expressing envy upon noticing the sun sets a couple minutes later here than there... although of course we're in the same time zone: "Life is so unfair... -- I hope you make best use of your bonus daylight."

I do actually understand that sort of preoccupation with the short length of daylight this time of year. Around here you often can't even tell when the sun has officially risen, thanks to usual late autumn overcast, unless some wintry weather's moving in.

 

[Renzatic]

Hmmm, could you maybe aim that like a little more west of north... it's snowing here now in upstate NY.

It'll probably weird you out when I tell you that I had to mow my neighbor's lawn today. It's 46 degrees out, cold as hell, but hey, it was in the 70's last week, so the grass kept growing. A trimming was required.

 

[Thomas Veil]

Yeah, that's the weird part about living up north. The latest I've ever cut my grass was late November, but Dec. 2 isn't that much of a stretch.

The flip side is the spring, when it sometimes rains so much that the grass gets tall and if you don't cut it on that single, particular day when it's not raining, you'll have to wait another four or five days when you'll find the grass is practically too high to cut.

 

[Yoused]

We put up these mountain things. The weather comes from the west, off the big wet spot and gets tangled up 8n the mountain things, often dumping its wet load on us. But it tends to be warmer that way. Youse guys on the other side of these mountain things end up getting your weather from the gulf or the muskeg. That stuff coming off the muskeg is freaking cold. We rarely get that, except for those few times that the Alaska swirl breaks loose and runs down on us.

Right now, it has been almost shirtsleeve weather between 1:00 and 1:13 in the afternoon (50s+), but once the sun gets low, the air turns into tiny broken things that scrape at the skin. I have been hit by those pineapple things, where you are outside in forty degree weather in the evening and suddenly, in minutes, it is over 60. Then you start looking for raingear, because you know it is bearing down.

 

[Alli]

This is the best time of year as far as I’m concerned. Very cold at night so I can snuggle in bed, and cool during the day unless you are directly in the sun.

 

[Huntn]

Two days ago a cold front brought our first frost In Houston. The elephant ear plant took it on the chin, wilting most of it’s ginormous leaves, but it is energetic bounces back quickly. Honestly, I’m not sure what it would take to kill it. I prepared by bringing in 3 hanging pots, a rat tailed cactus, and two succulents, I covered a large outdoor pot of succulents, the wife’s fairy garden with cloth, and finally based on my experience last year, covered a desert rose in a large pot which does not like freezing temps at all!

The small pink and red flowers in the photo are on azelias that bloom twice a year down here.

Sad droopy frosted leaves
​

Regarding hurricane season, I think it just ended, but the manual electric generator switch I ordered in August, due to being back ordered for so long, was cancelled. My goal this coming year is to get one purchased and hooked up, so that if I actually do need the generator it will be a cinch to hook up to the house circuits.

We put up these mountain things. The weather comes from the west, off the big wet spot and gets tangled up 8n the mountain things, often dumping its wet load on us. But it tends to be warmer that way. Youse guys on the other side of these mountain things end up getting your weather from the gulf or the muskeg. That stuff coming off the muskeg is freaking cold. We rarely get that, except for those few times that the Alaska swirl breaks loose and runs down on us.

Right now, it has been almost shirtsleeve weather between 1:00 and 1:13 in the afternoon (50s+), but once the sun gets low, the air turns into tiny broken things that scrape at the skin. I have been hit by those pineapple things, where you are outside in forty degree weather in the evening and suddenly, in minutes, it is over 60. Then you start looking for raingear, because you know it is bearing down.

Where do you live?

 

[Huntn]

This is the best time of year as far as I’m concerned. Very cold at night so I can snuggle in bed, and cool during the day unless you are directly in the sun.

I turn the thermostat heat setting down to 65 and enjoy the cool. Last night got more rain, another cold front, Right now it’s 67 in the house (49 outside) and I’m gladly wearing my light weight sweats and hoody with the ceiling fan on.

 

[Joe]

It's starting to get a bit nipply in Htown.

 

[Yoused]

Where do you live?

On the edge. Always on the edge (this state has a name that causes confusion, and I think renaming it "Edge" would be most fitting).

 

[lizkat]

It'll probably weird you out when I tell you that I had to mow my neighbor's lawn today. It's 46 degrees out, cold as hell, but hey, it was in the 70's last week, so the grass kept growing. A trimming was required.

My lawn care guy should still do a last mow and leaf-mulch but all his free days to do it lately have ended up too darn cold, rainy or snowing! Oh well... we'll have a couple weird days in December yet where everyone regrets having put on their storm windows and we all end up opening kitchen doors to savor the "free heat" of a warm and breezy day in the high 60s. But by then he'll have had the good sense to stash his mowing gear away until spring. I'll likely have a leaf-littered hayfield for his first lawn mowing adventure next April in between late threats of snowfall. Won't be the first time for that gig either.

Today it's sunny and gorgeous out there, mid-40s. Rest of the week looking more like winter and that's fine by me, a few snow flurries make the hills look festive. The deer won't make out well behind that shift though: a light snow makes them easy to track as they wend their way ever higher, trying to challenge hunters not ready for those steeper climbs.

Deer would rather it be like today where who the heck knows where those critters are hanging out. They could be napping in the shade of your barn pretending to be Jersey milk cows and hoping your dog is asleep at the switch. Most all the Holstein farmers around here keep at least a couple Jerseys for the extra butterfat and I bet the damn deer know that too.

 

[Huntn]

On the edge. Always on the edge (this state has a name that causes confusion, and I think renaming it "Edge" would be most fitting).

I was hoping you could name a state, no problem.

 

[Yoused]

I was hoping you could name a state, no problem.

It should be easy enough to tease out. This state has a name that matches the name of an important city on the far side of the country. We tend to refer to that city as the "other" one.

 

[Huntn]

It should be easy enough to tease out. This state has a name that matches the name of an important city on the far side of the country. We tend to refer to that city as the "other" one.

Ok I pulled this up, lol, fine it's a secret, as I wonder why? But really not a problem. with weather swings, I might guess Colorado.

US Cities Named After A Different State

Can you name the US cities or towns with another state in its name?

www.sporcle.com

 

[Alli]

Ok I pulled this up, lol, fine it's a secret, as I wonder why? But really not a problem. with weather swings, I might guess Colorado.

Washington isn’t ringing any bells?