View Full Version : Another crazy weather thread!
A couple of days ago it was cold, raining and windy and we even had lots of snow in the local mountains. Yesterday and today it is over 95 to 100 even at the beaches, humidity around 5%, and hot dry Santa Ana winds with gusts well over 50 mph and will remain like that for several more days. Very unusual for this time of year. UGH I hate it and will be trapped indoors all week (eating a gallon of ice cream and catching up on old threads here while I rapidly go insane). How's things weather-wise in your neck of the woods?
Gardenarian
4-30-14, 1:12pm
Yep, it's going to be 90 degrees here in the SF Bay Area. The little sprinklings of rain we recently had are just dried up and gone.
It's spring here. That means it is hot. Then it's chilly. Then it's warm with sun. Then it's rainy and cool.
It's called spring, folks. Perhaps you Californians expect more stable weather? But I certainly would hate 90+ degrees in May and that's why I don't live in CA.
Well we do have unstable ground so the least we can expect from Mother Nature is stable weather :-)! I put all my sister's lovely plants under the shade of the patio but I can see them wilting and dying still. Sad.
Rain, rain, and more rain here, but that's good since we were in a drought last year....as long as we don't flood!
Wind, Wind, Wind. Our winter was windy and the spring is windy. Spring is normally kind of a windy season, but even weather men on the tube say it's been especially windy this year. It's not high on my list of weather appreciation. I was reading this interesting article about the probable el nino this year with some interesting predictions for the western states including California. The tea leaf readers are saying a possible end to the Calif. drought. http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting-el-nino-1
ApatheticNoMore
4-30-14, 9:16pm
90 in late april/may of course isn't typical. It's highly untypical. Really when I grew up (in california) you'd only get 90s in the summer - mostly real late summer. So one might "expect" different weather but models of climate change might not.
I rather enjoyed the heat, was home all day and only ran the A/C for maybe an hour and a half. Heat feels good. Oh I was work-working so I wasn't going to go out and play anyway (the heat and window box a/c for a little was just way preferable to the usual office central air)
A couple of days ago it was cold, raining and windy and we even had lots of snow in the local mountains. Yesterday and today it is over 95 to 100 even at the beaches, humidity around 5%, and hot dry Santa Ana winds with gusts well over 50 mph and will remain like that for several more days. Very unusual for this time of year. UGH I hate it and will be trapped indoors all week (eating a gallon of ice cream and catching up on old threads here while I rapidly go insane). How's things weather-wise in your neck of the woods?
Sounds like my neck of the woods. Last week there was an overnight freeze. All the cool caterpillars I was aiming to collect died on the plants! But today was 90. BUT here in Oregon, spring time is the time of lots of weather fluctuations and this is pretty typical. Next week, the highs are supposed to be in the 60's.
Wind, Wind, Wind. Our winter was windy and the spring is windy. Spring is normally kind of a windy season, but even weather men on the tube say it's been especially windy this year. It's not high on my list of weather appreciation. I was reading this interesting article about the probable el nino this year with some interesting predictions for the western states including California. The tea leaf readers are saying a possible end to the Calif. drought. http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/what-to-expect-when-youre-expecting-el-nino-1
Interesting. I live in Southern Oregon, which is essentially like California. It doesn't turn into the stereotypical postcard Oregon in my area. That's about 200 miles north. And here, it's all talk of drought, drought,drought. Extreme Drought. I don't know if you are Southern, Mid or Northern California though.
I rather enjoyed the heat You be one crazy person :-)! I'm not a heat lover in any way shape or form but today was pretty extreme for April. Close to 100 with some winds in the canyons here in OC gusting over 90 mph. I don't have A/C so have to cool off by eating ice cream...lots and lots of ice cream! Suppose to rain next week (yeah, I'll believe that when I see it!).
Yeah, the weather has become bipolar. I think this is the new normal. :(
Miss Cellane
5-1-14, 6:48am
Over here on the other coast, it's a bit cooler than normal. It got down into the 30s last night. Trying not to turn on the heat after April 15, so bundled up in quilts and watched the thermometer get down to 55 degrees indoors.
Although I have to say that nighttime temps in the 30s is fairly standard for early April. It's just that last week, we had a day in the 70s, and yesterday it didn't get above 50, and it was damp and rainy and raw. And after the long winter we've had, with much lower than normal temps and lots and lots of snow, I think everyone around here is looking for a bit of sunshine and a daffodil or two.
We've had lots of wind and rain, but that's normal for spring around here.
Oh what I'd give to be somewhere where it's 30 degrees! Another hot one today (and tomorrow and the next day and...) in the upper 90's and very very windy. Have a wildfire or 2 happening (not near me) also. Fortunately I'll be resuming my travels as of tomorrow (Barkinator in tow) up towards Yosemite but I hear it's super hot there too - well everywhere in Calif. Having the whole state fall into the cool, refreshing ocean just about now sounds great. Bring on the "Big One" :-)!
Yeah, the weather has become bipolar. I think this is the new normal. :(
The weather has always been bipolar - just not many people would articulate that :~)
I've lived in the house for 30 years, and during the first 25 we had 2 flooded basements. But now we've had three over the past 3 years. Despite two sump pumps and constant vigilance, the water just rises--much more often than it used to. Last night our area got about 4 inches of rain--my flight was cancelled and I got stuck in Chicago, and while I was gone DH and DS worked constantly to keep the water from ruining our water heater, furnace and washer/dryer.
I read an article that April was the first time IN HUMAN HISTORY that the CO2 levels in the atmosphere were above 400ppm EVERY DAY.
creaker, honestly, look at the trend lines over the decades, yes, there are ups and downs, but those ups and downs are getting uppier and uppier.
I just saw all that flooding in your area on the news Catherine. Everyone is saying it is much worse then even during Hurricane Sandy. Not sure what is causing all this but it does seem like the country is experiencing more "bipolar" weather than in the past at a much more frequent and violent level.
creaker, honestly, look at the trend lines over the decades, yes, there are ups and downs, but those ups and downs are getting uppier and uppier.
Sorry - I made a very bad joke. I saw "bipolar" and thought something else. I agree the weather is getting much more volatile.
Sorry - I made a very bad joke. I saw "bipolar" and thought something else. I agree the weather is getting much more volatile.
Oh, sorry.. I'm a little slow tonight after suffering the effects of all that rain my brain is a little waterlogged!
It hit 85 degrees in Seattle today. I don't really care for this heat.
It hit 85 degrees in Seattle today. I don't really care for this heat.
That seems unusual any time of year, but esp when it's not even summer!
Like Rogar said, we've had lots of wind but that's pretty normal if annoying. However, the snowpack is high: recently dropping below the 2011 record levels but much higher than average. Normally this would be all great news: ski areas get killer snow, Front Range gets water for reservoirs. It *will* be good if it doesn't come down all at once (such as a warm period followed by warm/heavy rain). Because the river channels are all wonky and in some cases still filled with debris from the floods in Sept, and because all the mountain roads are slapped-down temporary roads, EM is sitting on pins and needles waiting to see how the melt goes. It certainly won't be like Sept was, so maybe a few property owners who have now-precarious property will be at risk, or a few roads will have sinkholes/landslide. Anyway, we're not in drought at the moment, so yay for that. We'll see what summer 2014 is like. Hopefully kind because the last two sure haven't been, weather-wise.:(
In my part of the Midwest, it's been pretty chilly. We've been lucky to hit 50. Lots of clouds and rain this week.
We set a hot-weather record. It was 85 or 86 today.
Blackdog Lin
5-2-14, 7:05pm
Been below-normal chilly all this week, even frost advisories the last 3 nights. Lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s. I've been freezing.
Starting tomorrow predictions are for 80s and hitting 90 Sunday Monday Tuesday. I intend to just go outside and BASK in the warmth. I feel a need for warmth and sunshine. (I also need to get started on the spring homestead chores, now that the garage project is done - and it's just been too chilly the last 2 days to get me motivated.)
ApatheticNoMore
5-4-14, 6:50pm
I'm thinking at what temp I need to turn on the A/C as I'm begging for mercy. I think maybe at least 90. High 80s and a fan or so is enough (yes of course it's usually a dry heat, if we got one of those rare humid heat that we never got EVER until a few years ago, and are still rare, then all bets are off). Yea there might be a lot of above 90s this year, serious climate change here.
It got to 94 today but with cool nights and all the oak trees we have been able to keep the AC off...for now. I try to remember what rain smells and sounds like - it has been so long. I have become a very reluctant gardener with this ten year drought.
We have a Winter Storm Warning for tomorrow, though it's certainly just as likely to mostly come down as rain. This does not stop the Weather Channel and other news outlets from getting hysterical about it. Interestingly, it's actually *more* common for Denver to see measurable snow in May than not. So it's not actually weird weather at all; on the contrary it's a slightly more "weird" not to have snow in May.
We're.in the 70s to 80s here. Hit 90 earlier in the week. I've got the ac on due to allergies.
Today was chilly and wet, but tomorrow is supposed to dry and hot.
We have a Winter Storm Warning for tomorrow, though it's certainly just as likely to mostly come down as rain. This does not stop the Weather Channel and other news outlets from getting hysterical about it. Interestingly, it's actually *more* common for Denver to see measurable snow in May than not. So it's not actually weird weather at all; on the contrary it's a slightly more "weird" not to have snow in May.
We're getting full blown snow today here in the Denver burbs with accumulations starting on the lawns and streets. I know it's not uncommon, but it still seems weird. I was cycling in shorts and t-shirt yesterday. At least the wind is blowing, so the leaves on the trees haven't had any accumulation yet. I suspect some close by areas will be using chain saws on down limbs before it's over.
It's hard to believe it was snowing and cold in Co. at the same time it was broiling hot here in Calif. Well, don't worry, we are sending our heat to you guys soon :-)!
Some of my garden is under water. :( My tomato and pepper plants are on the porch, waiting to be planted. It's going to be awhile.
It's hard to believe it was snowing and cold in Co. at the same time it was broiling hot here in Calif. Well, don't worry, we are sending our heat to you guys soon :-)!
I know, I'm totally going mountain biking on Sunday when it dries out! But I think the jet stream is sort of stuck...it keeps going up and over the west coast, so y'all are dry and hot, while we are having fairly normal storms for this time of year.
Some of my garden is under water. :( My tomato and pepper plants are on the porch, waiting to be planted. It's going to be awhile.
:-( Maybe raised beds for next year? I think we sent you our wet, cold stuff. But we're getting upper 70s so in a couple days you should get warming/drying too!
We had SNOW here today. Mostly mixed with rain, but some of my friends who lived in further out burbs posted pics on FB of lawn furniture being covered, snow on the grass, etc.
Thinking things had gotten back to normal, but tornadoes in the mountains (and the airport!) and now flooding in the some of the same areas as Sept. Got to experience all the emergency phone alerts this week, sigh.
awakenedsoul
5-24-14, 1:35pm
I liked that article, Rogar. I'm glad to hear that next year will be another El Nino year in CA. I was here for the one in 1998. I plan to mulch heavily. This year it's been dry, but I've made adjustments. I feel fortunate in the winter, because my heating bill is so low. I have a lot of windows, so I take advantage of the sunshine. In the heat, I can keep the curtains drawn. They still let in the light. I've got shade trees that keep the house cool, even in our hot summers. I generally don't need to turn on the air until about 3:00 p.m. At night, I can open the windows and cool down my cottage before bed. The ceiling fans help, too.
To conserve water, I'm just growing veggies in my small front garden now. (I used to have a couple of plots in back for pumpkins and melons.) A couple of months ago, we got over 4 inches of rain. I had to mulch my porch, front yard, and the easement in front of my house to soak up the water. My next door neighbors were flooded. The straw acts like a sponge.
I still feel very fortunate with CA weather. I knit an alpaca blanket for my bed in the winter. No need to put on the heat at night. The trees I've planted have changed the climate of my yard. It's cool, with lots of oxygen. As I get older, I really appreciate it. (Especially when I read about winter heating bills, snow, and ice in other parts of the US.)
Mulch is awesome! Awakenedsoul, did you ever see the video "Greening the Desert"? It's on YouTube if you want. Basically they heavily mulched deserts in the Middle East and were able to really turn things around.
awakenedsoul
5-24-14, 11:30pm
RosieTR, No I'll check it out. Thanks. I agree about mulch. It really changes the whole feel of the garden. It keeps the soil cool. It makes the plants look more relaxed and protected in the heat. When I bought my place the garden consisted of a bunch of Bermuda grass, foxtails, and weeds. (surrounded by chainlink.) The heat was blistering. You can really change the climate of your property with landscaping. A guy down the street from me planted a row of redwoods and has done the same thing.
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