That got me thinking about my weather. Yesterday in the afternoon it was minus 16 C (plus 4 F). Wind was 19 kph with gusts to 29 kph. It was dull and cloudy with light flurries. Over the last 4 days we've had about 12 cm (4 in ) of snow. I've been busy shovelling.
Now on the west coast there's been lots of snow ...up to a meter (3 ft). They rarely get snow and then not much. This much snow is difficult for them as they are not prepared for it. They don't have snow removal equipment. Their cars aren't equipped for winter and they have many very steep slopes on their roads. This weather is a challenge for west coasters.
I've been noticing other blog posts which report weather that doesn't seem threatening. Somebody reported that they had several nights close to freezing. I suppose vegetation in that area would be harmed by frost.
Other areas toy with a bit of snow. Other areas rarely get snow and when they do they have all kinds of fun making snow men.
I think many people would think of my weather as extreme and it is. We have cold warnings for tonight. A cold warning is given when wind chill is below minus 41 (minus 41 F) Yes, that's right they're both the same at that temp. We don't like weather to be this cold. We're prepared for it but that doesn't make it any easier to cope with. We have warm houses. We have appropriate clothing. Our cars are winterized. However, it's still uncomfortable. With the snow we've been having, I've had to shovel four times. It's okay if you keep moving. I don't get cold hands or face.
So my point is that the weather is relative thing. We get used to what weather we get in our area. Anything warmer than what I have would seem very pleasant.
However, I'm like everybody else. I'm looking forward to spring. It's just that I can't be in a hurry for spring yet as it's a long way off. Our snow usually disappears around April 1 depending on how much we have. April is cool with frost almost every night. So you see spring and summer come very slowly here.
Yes, "extreme" weather is a relative thing. I can't imagine living in the extreme cold like you do. Our "extreme" snow of a day ago is going away fast. Rain returns tomorrow and we'll have slush until the snow is washed away by a steady downpour for two days. But two to four inches of rain is not extreme in some parts of the country. We all put up with what we are used to.
ReplyDeleteFunny but I couldn't put up with 2 in of rain. We only get 12 in of moisture all year.
DeleteHere in South Carolina, when it snows people lose their minds
ReplyDeleteAnd if we got South Carolina temps we'd freak.
DeleteWe had our unexpected snow days here in Portland, and hopefully we're done with that for another year....But I'm glad we don't get the cold temps like you do! Stay warm up there!
ReplyDeleteI saw your post and got how excited you were about the special situation with snow.
DeleteThe Red Deer winter is very long but as you suggest people adjust to the weather conditions they find themselves in. The winter of 2016/17 has been pretty mild and dry in northern England...but it isn't over yet.
ReplyDeleteEven if we're used to our weather there's still lots of it we don't like. Our favorite activity is to complain about the weather.
DeleteWe have not that cold as in your place, can't even remember we ever had such a low temperature. Our winters are changing in some days with frost, only -6 C and than suddenly rising to +8 C. It is ging up and down all the time.
ReplyDeleteI have it in my head that Holland is a land of skaters who fly down the frozen canals.
DeleteNow that is COLD! And I've been posting about the weather and the snow because it's so unusual for us to have it. I wouldn't last long in your neck of the woods, Red. :-)
ReplyDeleteYour area has had an enormous amount of snow. My relatives at Abbotsford got 40 cm of snow.
DeleteThat pretty much sums it all up! My son's MIL is complaining that they can't have their new hot tub delivered in Surrey, since they had snowfall! Seriously.
ReplyDeleteToday, we have a driveway covered in ice. Crazy up and down weather. I like it consistent, at least. I don't mind -15 C. for two months. You get used to it. The homeless have a different opinion, but it is best for flora and fauna to have the weather be slow to change.
Oh I would really like consistent predictable weather.
DeleteComing down strong here, hoping for enough to ski. The wind was terrible yesterday, I had a hard time getting chores done outside.Thinking about brewing another pot of coffee, called out to a few neighbors
ReplyDeleteYou can always do without a storm. Some snow . but no storm.
DeleteYou're absolutely right. Your degree of cold is nothing I have EVER experienced. And I hope to keep it that way! (Although I've read that once it gets cold enough, colder temperatures really don't feel that much different. Does a wind chill of minus 40 feel any colder than a wind chill of minus 10?)
ReplyDeleteThe worst it gets here in London is usually right around freezing or a little lower.
Those two wind chill temps are hugely different. For the minus 40 there is an extreme cold warning. I remember teaching in the arctic with a black south african. He didn't even talk about the cold.
DeleteWe can get those bitterly cold spells where the temperatures drop below minus thirty, and then you add the wind chill to that. This winter, aside from a warm up of a handful of days, the temperatures have stayed consistently cold and we've been getting quite a bit of snow. I think it can feel colder depending on where the wind is coming from. Last evening here the wind was out of the northeast, and it felt rougher than it might have out of the west.
ReplyDeleteYes, we get a chinook wind that's warm. From other directions the wind is cold.
DeleteIt was -22 F here this morning and windchills were really bad. Like you said we dress for it and our vehicles are good for winter weather. Spring is a long ways off for sure so we have to make the best of it! :)
ReplyDeleteMinus 22 F is extreme. I hope you don't have that very long.
DeleteBelieve me there is a drastic difference in the weather between Texas and Oregon. I absolutely love Oregon weather, Bob, not so much.
ReplyDeleteTexas is so huge that there's a wide variety of weather. Take your pick!
DeleteWeather is definitely relative, but it seems global warming is changing our weather patterns, and not for the better.
ReplyDeleteYour key word is patterns. the patterns are definitely changing.
DeleteIt's been mostly mild for us this winter but tonight it's going to get really cold. That's pretty normal for this type of year. However, I don't like winter, so I'm looking forward to spring. It won't come too soon for me!
ReplyDelete
Deletewe have a dry cold which is easier to live in. It doesn't seem that bad.
Climate change has given us a scary but milder winter. I have bulbs coming up a few weeks too early and took pictures of hellebores today.
ReplyDeleteRecords have been kept and plants are blooming much earlier. In some locations they bloom 90 days earlier
Delete-41 degrees F? Eeeeck! That is COLD! We had really cold weather in Chicago, but -41 F would really be horrible! It's cool in Hawaii right now, but I'm sure not complaining at all.
ReplyDeleteOh Red, I can't even imagine what -41 degrees would feel like. We have had an unusually warm winter...74 degrees the last two days. Last night a cold front came through and tonight the temperature will drop to 23 degrees. I'm worried because there are buds opening on the Flowering Quince and Jonquils are opening, way too early. We really don't need this warm weather in Jan. and Feb.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think "cold" is relative, too. It's going to be "cold" here tonight, 30 F, and we have to bring our lemon and lime trees inside. And people will dress like they live in the Arctic tomorrow morning because it's so "cold"! They can't imagine 40 below.
ReplyDeleteHi Red, I think you are exactly right. Weather is relative. I spent a lot of early years in Texas and thought it was fine. Now I think it is too hot in the summer. Western Washington has a very mild climate, but as you mentioned, we have our challenges out here on the coast. I've known folks who lived in Hawaii and got tired of the same old nice weather every day. They ended up moving back over here. Right now we are getting a whole bunch of rain on the west coast. They call it the Pineapple Express. It starts down by Hawaii and streams right into our area. Yes, sir, weather is relative. Enjoyed this post. Hope you have a good weekend in Red Deer.
ReplyDeletehope spring opens it's wings now and wipe away the white layer from the face of land .
ReplyDeletespring is much awaited here too .
I think I would really notice walking out in your "cold" when we are sweltering in a heatwave. I think it is "really hot!"
ReplyDelete