Weather Check In '23-'24

The old thread was getting ridiculously long and I wanted to make a comment about the weather, so ...

We have had heatwave warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology here for the last 3 or 4 days. I'm a little surprised how much I'm feeling the heat, but 9 years in Doha were followed by 3 years in England, so I suppose I'm just not used to it. Weather app says 31.9℃ (say 89℉), feels like 30.5℃, but I reckon it's hotter than that here. We have had a few thunderstorms over the period, and there's a half-promise of another tonight.

We're having a warm (hovering around 0C) and dry December, and November was much the same. Almost no snow, no precipitation in the forecast. It's bad for the soil moisture levels and water supply, not to mention the value of snow for insulating perennial plants and trees. Plus I really love snow. It's pretty and shovelling it gets me outside and provides exercise.

We in SE PA are having quite a bit of rain at the moment, with flood warnings here and there. We've already had a couple of dustings of snow, which is more than we had last year. Most days are around 50 (F), though, so nothing lasts long.

Raining and 55 F. (13 C.)
in California, San Francisco Bay Area at midnight.

Like haydninvienna (unsurprisingly), we have 30°C-feels-like-35 right now. But the forecast is thunderstorms and showers overnight, and cloudy tomorrow with a maximum of 19°.

>5 hfglen: Wish I could say the same, Hugh!

Pretty awful here today. It's 60° F, but raining sideways. Wind gusts are close to 60 mph in some areas. The ferry from Orient Point to Connecticut has stopped running. And that is very rare indeed.

So far the only white we've seen in our December is a bunch of Styrofoam popcorn blowing down the street courtesy of an accidental garbage spill by one of our neighbors. Other than this, the only sign of a rather (so far) warm winter has been a couple of old snowmen out in the front yard (puddles of rain water).

Northern Wisconsin - Windy and in the low 20s. We got a dusting of snow and that's all we have. Really bare out there and boring and un-photogenic.

We weren't supposed to have snow until after the 25th, but we're supposed to get a few inches tonight. It won't last long though. The ski hills south of here have been getting a good amount of snow.

No snow here in central Oregon. Our winters and snows have shifted and we usually don’t get much until the end of January now. We have been getting fog the last couple of weeks. At one point visibility was only a 1/4 of a mile. Glad I wasn’t driving in that! Sad to say we won’t have a white Christmas this year. I miss the snow.

Had a first today - today I saw an airborne mosquito. I never thought it would be possible to see something like this in the Great Lakes region this time of year - oh yes, it's currently 55 F.

Sunny and 50's here today, though we had snow earlier in the week.

Thunderstorms three or four days in a row in Brisbane, and promised again today.

Started raining yesterday in Durban, and forecast to continue for about 10 days with few partly-cloudy breaks. Currently 14°C.

Christmas Day in outer London was grey but unseasonable warm at 14C. Today is sunny and still strangely warm.

I think we hit 54°F (12°C) here yesterday. I took a long beach walk with my daughter, and I had to peel off layers because the sun was very toasty.

>12 alco261: I also saw a mosquito when I was filling my bird feeders! Though that's probably not quite as rare here as it is for you. Last week I had few moths on my outdoor lit trees.

3°C, dark, rainy and windy. There was something bright and shiny in the sky yesterday, I wondered what it was ;)

Rainy, overcast, 45 F. Not the usual December weather.

Sunny and high 40s (F). Way too warm for this time of year. It’s nice running weather, though.

Max of 37°C (97.6°F) today, and still 28°C (82.4°F) at 8.30 pm. Possibly hotter tomorrow, then a thunderstorm on Saturday.

So is anyone experiencing "normal" weather? Anybody at all?

>22 MrAndrew: *raises hand* We are! We are! At least normal weather for a wet year, which thankfully this seems to be for us. Northern California.

>22 MrAndrew: not here in NH so far. It's been in the 40s and 50s and raining fairly often for the past couple weeks; usually we have several snows by now. If it doesn't get cold soon we will have to mow the lawn. I'm worried about the vegetation - the grass is turning back to green when it should be dormant now, and some trees are budding. That won't be good for them come spring.

>22 MrAndrew: For a given value of "normal", here in Durban. It seems to me that the normal weather is revolting for exactly the duration of school holidays. This is South Africa's premier holiday city, and rain is predicted every day until 5 January. Welcome to "Sunny South Africa"!

>22 MrAndrew: We're pretty much in the normal range in the Bay Area (South Bay) portion of northern California: mild to a little chilly during the day, mostly 60s C, and down into the 40s and below at night. I have the heat on and an extra blanket at night, but I haven't needed a medium-weight jacket outdoors more than once so far.

This is not far off the usual variable range. The other seasons have seemed much less typical by the standard of, say, ten years ago.

We're getting some rain, which is a whole lot better than no rain, but it hasn't yet added up to much.

We currently have a clear sky and the Moon is looking beautiful. Temperature is 6C, which is not untypical for this time of year. It was 12C a couple of days ago. It is quite windy, but we are over a storm that lasted for a couple of days.

Strongest tornado to hit the UK for 20 years landed in Stalybridge (Greater Manchester) as part of Storm Gerrit on Wednesday night.

BBC report

I didn’t realize the UK got tornados! That storm sounds like it was a doozy!

Perfectly normal weather.

We just had a blizzard blow through the mountains. Since I’m on the eastern side, we “only” got about 10 inches of snow. Today is a Snow Day! I’m reading by the fire in my pjs today. :)

>31 catzteach: Wow! My sister is still waiting for that storm in Christmas Valley. She said so far only heavy winds.

>32 MrsLee: We are supposed to get heavy winds today. And more snow to come. I guess we are expecting 7 to 15 inches Friday - Saturday. It’s been years since we had a heavy snow winter. It took The Husband and me 45 minutes to shovel the driveway this morning. And then him another 45 minutes to drive to work. It usually takes him 15 to 20 minutes. He saw three accidents on the way.

>33 catzteach: My sister is driving down on Saturday to see me. Sure hope it gives her a break.

We finally got a real accumulation of snow yesterday. Only about 5 cm, but it's lovely. It's also -21C (-31C with wind chill). I went out first thing (even before my shower) and shovelled the walks and driveway, then put the recycle out for collection and filled the bird feeders. Now I feel justified in spending the rest of the day under blankets (with a cat or two), reading, drinking tea, and maybe nibbling a bit of cheese or fruitcake.

I adore really cold weather when I don't have to go anywhere, but I also love going out in it to prove how hardy I am. Perhaps tomorrow, which is forecast to be even colder, I will walk to the library and back.

We had heavy rain all day yesterday. The we had horrendous winds go through last night, causing us to lose one of two garbage bins. My husband has gone round the neighborhood to see if he could find it again, but without success. (Winds were clocked at 45-50 mph.) They promised us sunlight today but so far just the clouds.

The next storm is due on this coming Saturday.

We have extreme cold warnings today and for the next few days. So far it got down to about -31°C this morning, but has come up to about -28 at the airport. Usually town is a couple of degrees warmer. The overnight lows for the next few days are supposed to be -36. I'm hoping the forecast is wrong. It is sunny, though.

My ski today might be a bit shorter than usual.

Until now we have been having an unusually mild winter. I should have known it couldn't last.

>36 jillmwo: We're getting the same shitty weather, with flooding and beach erosion to go with it. :o( I stacked up all my patio furniture and lashed it together yesterday afternoon. And thankfully I put my garbage and recycling cans in the garage. And yes, there is more of this on the way, sadly.

>37 NorthernStar: Yikes! Stay warm!

>35 tardis: Enjoy the down time, it doesn't sound like you allow yourself much of it.

>33 catzteach: It sounds as though you're going to get all those snow days that you haven't gotten for the last few years.

Fairly normal right now, but below freezing temps and snow are expected by Sunday. We had an inch of snow last Saturday, which was completely gone the next day. Yesterday, it rained, it drizzled, it sleeted, it snowed, and then rained again. In other words, the usual mixed bag in Missouri.

>36 jillmwo: have you checked in Kansas?

>40 MrAndrew: Hah! No, it was easier to get to Home Depot to get the replacement -- although sometimes I think my East Coast born-and-bred spouse would benefit from being dumped into the middle of the country and seeing how folks there manage real life.

We are under a winter storm warning. My city could have a total of 20 inches of snow by Sunday. The mountains are supposed to get up to 3 feet in just one night. This along with high winds and frigid temps. We are getting the arctic air blast that a lot of the country will also be getting. No school on Monday due to Martin Luther King Day. That should give people time to dig out their cars (and the schools time to dig out their playgrounds.)

It was -15C (5F) today. We're expecting some more snow tomorrow and on Sunday, and up to -17C (1.4F) on Friday. I don't feel like going out, but I am only allowed to work from home two days a week, so...

It was so cold today they had to jump start the candles in church.

>41 jillmwo:
That sounds like fighting talk.

>40 MrAndrew:
I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto.

I hope everyone keeps warm and safe with all this extreme weather. We are lucky with temperatures so far this winter not dropping below -4C.

This evening's walk was pleasant and cold.

Not so cold here. It's a good year for us. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. El Niño helps us recover from drought, long enough for everyone to forget there were droughts and go back to their water wasting ways. :/

.>45 pgmcc: I would never fight with the spouse who got up this am and shoveled out the driveway and the car so that he wouldn't miss his opportunity to be a part of the local bowling league competition. He argued with me over the priority of such a communal activity but did text me to let me know he'd safely reached the bowling alley and then again when he was coming home on treated-but-still-icy roads. He then tried to order take-out tonight only to lose to badly automated ordering software. Then after resorting to actually speaking to someone on the phone, he went out and brought back the head of the vicious cheeseburger monster so that we'd eat dinner. I offered the alternative of left over roast for dinner rather than him going out, but he was hell bent on doing things his way. I suspect he's going to want to go to bed rather early this evening. I'm just trying to be a sweet and docile companion.

>49 jillmwo: ... the head of the vicious cheeseburger monster ...: Hunter and gatherer in the jillmwo household?

It was -5 F here this morning. It’s now freezing rain. The western part of Oregon is in the midst of an ice storm. My brother has been without power since Saturday! Hopefully it doesn’t get as bad here.

>51 catzteach: Oh no. That's a long time to go without electricity with temperatures that low! I'm assuming he's got some alternative heating source. I hope you keep your power. Stay warm!

>51 catzteach: Brrrrr! My great-nieces are on a two hour delay tomorrow in Christmas Valley. Hope it's enough!

First morning it is about zero this week. 4*F at 5:30 AM in central Minnesota. Stay safe.

Well, Sunday was cold! -45°C in the morning, warming up to about -36 in the afternoon. The good news is that by Monday morning it had warmed up almost 20 degrees - to about -25, and today it is about -22. It feels warm after the -40s. For those of you using °F that would be -49, -33, -13, and -8.

>55 NorthernStar: Argh. I have experienced temperatures like that since my college days in Postdam, NY and my decade plus in Northern Illinois, and I don't want to ever deal with them again. Connecticut was balmy by comparison. (And here it's even better!)

Snow, snow and more snow here! At least it is a little warmer, 18F at the moment. Luckily we are in an area that hasn't gotten nearly as much snow, 30 miles south of here they are expecting as much as 60" from this storm, after last week's storm dumped about half of that.

We are having a cold snap here in the UK but our temperatures are so warm compared to those in the US (around freezing) that it's barely worth mentioning! There is snow further north and in Scotland but none in the South East where I live.

It's been cold or stormy here for days, and up until now it's been so warm that this weather feels even worse than it really is. Looks like there's a big warm-up coming for much of North America that might last through the end of the month. Keeping my fingers crossed.

*murfle* The car won't start this morning. Stupid battery is dead because of the cold! Has thrown off the day's planned prep for tomorrow's snow "event". (Honestly, this is small potatoes as these things go, but my husband is annoyed with AAA and a seemingly slow response. The local guy we'd normally rely on couldn't make it at all.)

>60 jillmwo: I have an electric battery charger. Assuming that your car is either in a garage or near an outside outlet (you could run an extension cord if you have to) this might be something to look into. If memory serves me correctly it takes less than an hour to charge a dead car battery. Yes, having someone come jump start it might be faster if they could get there right away, but this device has served me well for about four decades now.

You don't have to pay a small fortune for the lithium battery powered ones. Here's what I'm talking about:
YONHAN Battery Charger 10-Amp 12V and 24V Fully-Automatic Battery Charger, https://a.co/d/95QFaZb

>60 jillmwo: >61 clamairy: Because I telecommute from home full time, I don't do a lot of driving. I therefore keep one of these on the car battery to make sure it doesn't go dead from lack of use: Amazon.com: Battery Tender. If car is parked outdoors, use an extension cord and keep the charger and connection points under the hood to prevent any moisture issues.

>62 ScoLgo: That's probably a more durable unit than the one I posted. Mine is used for emergencies only, and I wouldn't leave it out in the rain. (Those emergencies almost always involved one of my kids' Subarus, back in the day. I bought it for my first car, a BMW 320i, that was on its last legs by the time I traded it in. When I say I've been using it for decades I mean it.)

>61 clamairy: and >62 ScoLgo: Thank you so much for this info. I wouldn't have known what to look for on Amazon. Makes a whole lot of sense.

Is *murfle* the sound a turtle makes when you hug it?

>65 MrAndrew: Hah! I don't know. The newer protective shells have a large percentage of silicon these days. Turtles have evolved in new and very interesting ways....

Meanwhile, the meteorologists are saying we'll get something in between 3 inches of snow precip to 7 inches of snow precip. Apparently, it's a case where reasonable minds and predictive models may differ.

It snow. Again.
And Again.

Waves of snow today.

Yesterday I left the house for the first time in a week to run a few errands. Today it is 14F. We had a bit of snow overnight. Another wave of subzero temps are predicted for over the weekend.

It's still cold, just like the forecast promised: -18C (-0.4F). It was very sunny today, though, it looked like everything was shining. I had several layers of clothes on when I went out today, it felt lovely and refreshing.

>60 jillmwo: Trish's car had exactly the same problem earlier this week. AAA came and towed it to get a new battery. She drives so infrequently, we likely need one of those battery tenders.

>67 gilroy: I hear you, same here. Been snowing every day this week. We might get a break on Sunday.

I am at 2*F now and a -10*F wind chill. I live on a lake, which is frozen, so it is probably colder. I have not gone anywhere and my car is in the garage. Next week should be in the 30s. Just a touch of snow yesterday. Stay safe.

You know, I was going to mention that, despite being below freezing for a week, with temps in the mid-teens Mon/Tue, that I had miraculously gotten through it without pipes bursting, etc. And sure, I kept a fire going in the fireplace for three days (meaning I couldn't leave the house), and slept on a mattress I had dragged down from upstairs (because I have no sofa.)

But really, the worst I suffered was static shock from walking across my carpet. Had to attach a grounding wrist strap to my laptop because whenever I first touched the keyboard, a spark (so powerful that even Thor is in awe) would arc from my fingers and the screen would go blank.

I am humbled by what you fellow denizens of the Dragon have been going through, and I wish you well and warmth.

It's -18C (with wind chill feels like -28) this morning, but according to the forecast it will go up to 0C on Friday next week, and well above 0 after that. I hope that doesn't happen - it's better if it stays below 0C, because the freeze-thaw cycle always causes an icy mess, and sometimes the trees start budding, only for the buds to be killed when the temperatures inevitably plunge again.

>52 clamairy: They do not have an alternative heat source. My SIL was going out to her car to warm up and charge her phone. My brother works for the Department of Transportation, in the winter he plows. He was sleeping in his truck because he couldn’t make it home safely in all the ice.

We got more freezing rain last night. Although schools were closed, I still had to go to a bargaining meeting. The drive home was awful. We are supposed to get more freezing rain tonight but thaw by tomorrow afternoon. It’s supposed to be in the 50s by next weekend. It’ll feel like summer after these oh so cold days.

We are looking at three days of rain ahead of us. Not freezing or ugly, just rain. The cats who normally are indoors/outdoors are moody and subdued. The new one, Grár, is in heaven pestering them. I may have to let Jinn go up the chimney, but I've been trying to keep Grár from discovering that.

>75 MrsLee: Loki is very unhappy that it is 10F and snow everywhere, so he can't do anything but huddle miserably in the corner of the patio with no snow. He stays out about 2 minutes and gives up.

>72 WholeHouseLibrary: Is your carpet wool? I hate the shocks.

It is 10* F and wind chill of -5* F. I am on a small lake and could see three ice houses that were there overnight.

>77 mnleona: No; it's some synthetic carpet-like fabric, beige. Not that the color makes a difference in its electrostatic generation, but it's a terrible color for flooring. Once it gets dirty, it stays dirty.

You could run a humidifyer, which would cut down the shocks and also make it feel warmer.

Storm Isha is battering us at the moment. Winds of up to 100 mph are forecast for coastal areas. There is a Red Wind Warning for coastal areas with Orange Wind Warning for the rest of the country. There are many households without electricity due to the storm. We are one of the lucky ones...so far.

At least it is not freezing like it was for the past few days. The temperature today was a balmy 11C.

Keep safe everyone.

>81 pgmcc: Oh, yikes! Stay safe! Have you been experiencing more of these kind of storms the last few years than you used to?

>81 pgmcc: That’s a crazy wind! I hope you keep your power.

We have finally warmed up and all the ice is melting. Driving the last couple of days was not fun. Neither were the parking lots and walking. The rest of the week is supposed to be more normal temps. Wet, but warmer than it has been.

>81 pgmcc: Bundle in those blankies!

>81 pgmcc: Ouch. Stay safe!

>81 pgmcc: Coastal areas including the Irish Sea, or only the Atlantic? Either way, stay safe -- the GD needs you.

>82 clamairy: Yes, they are becoming more frequent and violent.

>83 catzteach: As of this morning over a quarter of a million premises have no power due to the storm. For a country that only has 5m people and 2.2m addresses that is pretty high.

>84 MrsLee: We are well wrapped up and will be cuddled by the fireplace if the power goes.

>85 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you!

>86 hfglen: The North West was getting the worst of it, but all coastal areas were under warnings of the high winds. This storm has been unusual in that it has affected the whole country at the same time rather than crawling across the country over time.

This morning things have calmed a bit, and thankfully we have not lost power.

>87 pgmcc: I'm glad you and yours stayed safe. X has a lot of photos & videos of downed trees, many humorous posts about weirdly diverted flights and multiple odes to lost wheelie bins.

>88 clamairy:
I met some wandering rubbish bags yesterday on my walk. I must look for the ode to lost wheelie bins.

Flying trampolines are often a feature of storms here.

Apparently storm Jocelyn is arriving tomorrow. Great fun. I hope this does not disturb my plans for meeting my friends in the pub tomorrow night.

>89 pgmcc: Here is one. Perhaps it is more of an oath than an ode: https://twitter.com/CountBinface/status/1749363219712422132?t=hHps9QHciZnaRdn15H...

The replies are even better than the original tweet.

I did see your area has another storm incoming! Best of luck to all of you.

>87 pgmcc: Thank you. I'm glad to hear you're safe, but how's the Most Important Member (George) of the family coping?

>91 hfglen:
His excursions outside are much shorter than normal. :-) He may like going outside but he is not a stupid cat.

>90 clamairy:
We are much better bin owners. All our bins are microchipped and have our address on them. We would not like to think of them lost with no way of finding their way home.

We had rain/snow/sleet/ice overnight and all roads are currently icy. Mr Retired is working from home; all area schools and non-profits and many businesses are closed.

Today we went from -18C (-0,4F) and similar to 5C (41F). There is ice everywhere, and puddles of varying depth. Walking outside and going to work was quite an adventure!

It is 28* F where I live in Minnesota so warmer.
Stay safe for those in icy areas.

Mostly sunny, 67 F. (19 C.) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Feels quite balmy after temps in the teens last week.

We are wet and dreary. It is expected to warm up into the high fifties for the next few days and then back to cold weather.

We're a bit grey today but it's not pouring down rain the way it did yesterday. Today's expectation is that we'll hit the low 'fifties' with temps dropping down into the 'forties' over the course of the next week.

Edited to say that of course now the sun has come out all bright and shiny as if to say, why aren't you all out enjoying the nice out-of-doors? Sure, make a liar out of me, why don't you, Mr. Sun!

It has been in the 40s and only a very few patches of snow in the shade. The lakes still have ice but I would not trust them. I saw a Bluejay the other day which was a treat.

We are having fun afternoon thunder and lightening showers this week. Fun depends on who you ask. One cat is up the chimney, the others are in secret spots.

Hey, we've got SUNSHINE here.

>102 jillmwo: Here, too! Let the trumpets sound!

After some record breaking high temps, we will be getting snow this weekend. Sunny right now, though.

>102 jillmwo: Yay! We've had sunshine here as well! We've had 6C (42.8F) and similar for a while now, and nearly all the ice has melted. According to the forecast, by the end of next week we'll have -10C (14F) and more snow...

Ice is almost off the lake as there is still a little by the shore. Neighbor put his dock in yesterday. I am on a small lake. 51*F now. Because we have not had a lot of snow and it is all gone, fire is a danger. Last year I had feet of snow in the yard.

Clear and 66 F./19 C. at 11pm in Fernandina Beach, Florida.

Has anyone seen the pontoons for my car? Rain again today, at least two creeks near me are approaching flood stage.

>108 gilroy: Raining here again (still) as well. We've had almost 4" so far in March.

We are supposed to get two days of sunshine before the rains start again. I'm hoping to get some sunflower seeds started tomorrow.

>109 clamairy: yep raining here too. it's not particularly warm rain but last night I saw frogs out already so I guess spring is here early...

>111 Darth-Heather: Oh! But don't you still have some snow on the ground?

>110 MrsLee: Best of luck with the seeds.

Stupidly warm. Bare ground. Migrants returning early. I just transported a bat someone found in their basement to the wildlife rehab place I volunteer for. Poor thing probably woke up since it's warm, but in the wrong place. Not a lot of insect life stirring yet, but I predict tick season will be BRUTAL.

>112 clamairy: after several rains over the past week, we are down to just a few crusty piles of snow left in shaded corners. many years we start hearing peeper frogs in the vernal pools even if there's still some ice in them, so I guess they know when it's time, but that is not usually until at least April. This year has been a bit off.

>113 Bookmarque: Thank you for taking the bat to safety. I am very concerned about the ticks and mosquitoes. :o(

>114 Darth-Heather: Uh oh.

>109 clamairy: Yes. For the past week or two, we've had stretches of three days of warm rain and then two days or so of chilly sun; it's kind of got a rhythm going but the ground is fairly saturated. The phrase "wet and spongy and squelchy" springs to mind. In that difficult seasonal phase where you want to take the heavy winter blanket off the bed and put a lighter cotton one in place, but you're still just a tad skeptical that it's time.

>116 jillmwo: Agreed. If I take off my electric blanket, which I think I've only turned on a half a dozen times all Winter, the temperatures will surely plummet.

We've had a lot of sunshine for the last few days! It feels like the sun has put its spring outfit on, and the sky is gorgeous. The nights are still cold, though, around -4C (24.8F). During the day it's around 5C (41F). In various corners here and there, there are optimistic spring flowers (snowdrops).

>114 Darth-Heather: Oh my goodness, I hadn't thought about it, but we've heard the peepers around our house lately too. Definitely early.

Here in Georgia several plants are blooming. Pear tree, Forsythia almost done, and beginning buds on wild blueberries in the woods. Baby Carolina Wrens are nesting in an outdoor hanging flower basket. Mama is busy flying back and forth to feed them. I think they’re around 2 weeks old. Yesterday was nice and sunny, high around 74F. Today is overcast, 60F, and rain moving in. Squirrels are making a nuisance of themselves at all my bird feeders.

Ice on the lake this morning. It has been 18*F the last two mornings but will get in the 40s today. My daughter has owls and bats on her land.

Sunny and cool - 51F/10C - just before noon in North Carolina

An insane 60 F and will be warmer again tomorrow.

Gorgeously sunny and 8C here. Two degrees above the forecasted high. This is most likely second false spring but you never know! I heard geese going over.

For your edification, the seasons in Canada are:
1) Winter
2) False Spring (aka Fool's Spring)
3) Second Winter
4) Second False Spring (aka spring of deception)
5) Third Winter
6) Mud
7) Actual Spring*
8) Summer*
9) False Fall*
10) Second Summer*
11) Actual Fall
Some lists include 12) Hello Darkness My Old Friend.

* 7 through 10 are sometimes combined into Road Construction.

>124 tardis: :-)

"Mud" reminds me of early winter in Ireland when sugar beat was still grown here. The trucks with the beats would be travelling the country roads* and would shed mud everywhere. The roads became filthy and I always got stuck behind one of the beat trucks on dark, wet nights. Even with my wipers going full blast the window would still be covered in mud.

As part of international trade agreements it was agreed to stop sugar production in Ireland and leave it to less developed countries. A whole industry disappeared, as did the big, dirty, mucky trucks.

*And there only were country roads in those days.

>124 tardis: :))))) *applauding*

This sounds a bit like all of Scandinavia ;)

>124 tardis: Oh, we have an additional one that could be 7a) The Pollening

>124 tardis: Pretty sure the list in New England was the same. It's better here, but not much.

>127 gilroy: Ah yes. It finally gets nice enough to have the windows open, and everything gets covered in yellow dust.

A fine sunny day today, around 10C (50F). It will get colder (again! again!) next week with -5C (23F) during the night and 5C (41F) during the day. But we are getting more and more spring flowers, so that's good, at least...

Quite nice yesterday (high of 11C, sunny), so I went out and pruned the saskatoon, but I woke up to snow. We've had a couple of centimetres so far, and still coming down, but it's only -3C. The snow won't last - we'll be back above 0C by Saturday and into double digits next week. I have to go out later to pick up some stuff at the pharmacy and the library, and I think I'll walk.

Sunny, low 30s and breezy. Normal for this time of year.

Yesterday it was 11C (51.8F), with glorious sunshine. Lovely! There are lots of spring flowers now.

I took a nice walk, here are some photos:

>132 Alexandra_book_life:
Lovely photos.

Sunny, light breeze and 82F./18C.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, in the mid-afternoon.

>133 nrmay: Thank you :) Your weather makes me envious!

A classic round of fool's spring, then a turn to the cold again in the last few weeks here in southeastern Michigan. April is looking bright, however.

Our annual April snow storm, although that's too strong a word for what we're getting. It's just snowing. Should only amount to 4 or 5 inches. Green Bay area is getting hammered with over a foot though. Glad it isn't here.

Our weather has been typical Central Oregon: 79 degrees (26 Celsius) on Tuesday, then 4 inches of snow on Thursday. This weekend it’ll be in the 40s and 50s. And then in the high 60s again by the end of next week. One never knows what spring is going to bring.

Snow didn't amount to much, but it managed to be heavy enough to break off a tree in the yard about 15 feet up. Of course it's leaning and caught on another tree and is a dangerous situation. When a tree does this I think the general term is widow-maker. If it doesn't fall down by itself we'll probably have to get someone in. Bah.

We've had April snow storms as well! Winter returned this week, it got as cold as -6C (21F), and it snowed at least three times. Yay. The weather people are talking about 15C (59F) in a couple of days, but I'll believe it when I see it.

We've had snow the last couple of days, too. People complain, but they're all conveniently forgetting that we often get snow well into May. In fact, the only months that (as far as I recall) don't occasionally get snow are June and July. I mean, it's rare, but it has happened.

Just to give a different view, it isn't snowing in Brisbane! However, it is raining. Being convinced that this has been an unusually rainy summer, I checked the daily figures on the Bureau of Meteorology website, and yes, they have recorded rain on more than half of the days this year. This must the Sunshine State: the licence plate on my car says so.

>141 haydninvienna: We've been getting lots more rain this year as well. Our normal average for year to date precipitation is just over 10 inches thus far. This year, this area of Southeast Pennsylvania has gotten very nearly 16 inches!!

>141 haydninvienna: We're supposed to be in the throes of an El Niño drought, but it started raining yesterday and is still doing so.

ETA: Story in the local Sunday rag suggests that the weather here in the next few days includes rain, high winds (the trailer of a horse-and-trailer rig was blown off a major freeway in the Western Cape yesterday) and snow on the Berg.

Well the widow-maker is no more. While I was at a table doing some jewelry work, I heard a big crack and then watched it go down. Luckily the north-easterly wind pushed it a little and it landed perfectly on the lawn and didn't hit the woodpile which it will soon join in a more orderly fashion.

It's now raining and unfortunately, also in the part of Norway we're headed to at the end of the week. Looks like that will continue through most of our vacation unless things change. Sigh.

Perfect Brisbane autumn weather since Wednesday — temps in mid to high 20s and teens overnight, and calm clear blue skies.

I looked up the seasonal summary for the summer just past on the Bureau of Meteorology website and the summer was indeed warmer and wetter than average, in particular wetter: 30% more than the long term average. Record wet day for Queensland: on 18 December 2023 the town of Mossman in North Queensland recorded 714 mm (28 inches) of rain.

beautiful one day, flooded the next.

I had planned on working in the yard, but it's extremely windy again. I guess I will give it a shot anyway. At least the sun is out!

I’m sitting on my porch right now enjoying the moisture while we wait for the predicted thunderstorms and 1” hail. That’s supposed to start later this afternoon. The painting of sample house colors will have to wait a few weekends.

Oops, got my threads crossed. Our weather is cool and rainy. Loving it.

>146 MrAndrew: Which is what happened. Mossman is north-west of Cairns, and according to Apple Maps is 1781 km from here by road.

We did get a couple of days of 15C (59F) in the beginning of April, but after that we went right back to our April winter. It's been 0C (32F), and up to -3C (27F) during the night for weeks.. We had snow last weekend, and we had snow yesterday morning, then rain. This must be the coldest April in years, and everyone I know is traumatized, lol. The forecast promises spring weather and sunshine next week, but we'll see ;)))

Today, we're seeing cloudy skies and a coolish 60 degrees (Fahrenheit). However by Tuesday, it's predicted we'll reach the upper 80s during the day. Packing for travel later this week is going to require some thought.

It's bit toasty. It's a maritime climate where I am on the Eastern end of the Isle of Long. (Usually NY City is a lot hotter than we are in Summer and Cooler in the Winter, even though it is only about 80 miles West of me.) We broke 90° F (32° C) today, with a real-feel of over 100°. I had to drive my son's pup out to the ferry dock at Orient Point to pass her back to my son. I loved having her, but I'm looking forward to better sleep without her. When I got back into my car after stopping for a few items on the way home my car thermometer read 93° F. YUCK...

I hope the rest of you are managing to stay cool, wherever you are. It seems to be pretty awful in much of North America.

>153 clamairy: 13--14°C (55--57°F) here, but it is the middle of winter!

>154 hfglen: Yes, I assumed you guys and the folks in Oz were not sweating right now.

>153 clamairy: We hit 99 degrees Fahrenheit today which is 37 in Celsius. I turned off the AC briefly around noon to give the AC a bit of a break, but had to turn it back on before 2pm. It was just too much. The weather professionals promise that tomorrow will be only around 97 with Thursday and Friday being down into the 80s. With low humidity. But until then it's pretty awful.

At the near-peak of the day, it's a balmy 98°F here in sunny Austin, Tx. I hardly notice it; only go outside the get the mail.
A now-completed project, started in February, was to, in essence, completely replace everything on the exterior of my 48-year-old house. I've owned it for 35 of them, and there has never been a lick of maintenance done other than to replace rotted doors and the roof (4 times). I must amend that by saying I had all of the windows replaced when I first bought it.
A side project, since I had three large dumpsters in my driveway over the course of these many months, was to make sure each dumpster was as full as possible with stuff I needed to get rid of -- like six tons of rocks, for example. I learned it would have been wise to wear steel-toed boots in such an endeavor. I've been house-bound since the end of April because I crushed three toes, and an infection set in. I'll be okay, eventually. Very sure that I'll never feel anything in two of them ever again, and maybe that toenail will grow back at some point, but the upside is that, after 2 months of antibiotics, I can still count to twenty using all of my digits.
Meanwhile, I'm rebuilding the bacteria count in my guts and relearning the subtleties of walking without knowing that my foot is actually on the floor.
But, I keep the thermostats at 80°, and they read 78, so other than the fans blowing, I'm no really running any AC. These new windows an new insulation in the walls and attic -- awesome investment! Can't wait for the solar panels to get hooked up.

>156 jillmwo: Eeew. Sorry, Jill. I don't give my mini-splits a break, except to attempt to circulate the cool air more efficiently with a few quiet fans.

>157 WholeHouseLibrary: No good deed goes unpunished, does it? So sorry about your poor toes, and your gut bacteria. At least you're cooler!

>97F here in the northern Sacramento Valley of California. Tomorrow 99, then we dance between 100-112 deg. for the ne10 days. This is actually cooler than the first part of the month was. We keep the temperature in the house at 83° during the day, 78 at night. Our electric bill was nearly as much as our mortgage payments. This sucks.

>157 WholeHouseLibrary: May you heal and get back to normal activities soon!

It's very hot here, too, and looks like staying 28-34C for daytime highs and around 18-19C overnight "lows" for the next week or so. We don't have AC in our house, so I'm melting a bit, but I try not to complain too much. In January, this will be nice to remember :)

I do have to water the garden a lot, though!

I'm sorry so many of you are dealing with intense heat. It's about 70F here now and will be cooler still tomorrow, but back up into the high 70s and 80s later in the week.

>159 MrsLee: Oh yikes. Do you have a traditional central AC? I had those units at my last two houses and they used a lot of electricity. The mini-splits are more of a heart pump, and they're great, but they've never dealt with anything higher than the lower 90s. I have no idea how effective they would be over 100°. I hope I never find out.

>160 tardis: Sweet cheeses. I'm so sorry. Do you water yourself when you're watering your plants?

>162 clamairy: Actually, yes, I have been known to water myself when it's this hot. Especially at the community garden because there's a spray park!

>162 clamairy: A new system is definitely the next home improvement we make. We tried to get new windows installed, we have the crank out aluminum ones from 1957 when the house was built. Got the back side of the house done then the contractor disappeared. I don't mean literally. He's probably still around but won't return any of our calls, texts or emails. We actually owe him money, and he won't give us an invoice. I would go with someone else, but supposedly this guy ordered my made to fit windows and could conceivably have them in a warehouse. It's been two years now.

>157 WholeHouseLibrary: Very sorry to hear about your toes... I hope you'll feel better soon!

Hugs to all of you suffering from the heat.

We are having a rainy morning, and it's around 18C (64F). The forecast promises sunshine and around 24C (75F) for the rest of the week.

Today feels cooler because there are some clouds in the sky, but it’s actually already 61° F and it’s only 6 AM. It’ll be another one in the 90s today.

We’ve been fine because we have A/C. I feel for those who don’t. And I don’t even want to think about what our bill is going to be at the end of the month.

>155 clamairy: been freezing my tuchus off. But feeling for all you guys with the ridiculously high temps.

A storm went through two days ago. With all the high temps and no rain, these storms are not as welcome as I would like. I love storms, but they mean fires. And, sure enough, we’ve had lots of fires pop up around the area. And today the air quality in my city is yucky. Because of my asthma, I’ll be stuck inside all day. :/

>168 catzteach: Sorry to hear that... :(

>168 catzteach: Ugh. Our summer dilemma.

Sunny, 90 F./32 C. in Charlotte, North Carolina in the mid-afternoon. Thunderstorm expected later.

Well that's poop. Weather seems to be off the charts awful almost everywhere. Right now it's in the high 60s and sunny. Should be a little warmer tomorrow - mid 70s - with a little more breeze.

Sorry to everyone who is suffering the extreme heat, storms and fires. We've having a "heatwave" here in London of around 30C today, which is nothing compared to what you guys are dealing with, but we're all complaining anyway!

>173 Sakerfalcon: That's awful if you're not used to it, and your buildings aren't designed to handle it. Hang in there.

>174 clamairy: Thanks! I think we only have another day at most before returning to cool and rainy as normal!

We've just driven to Canberra, where it rained, and it was windy on the way back (to the point where I could feel the buffeting in the car's steering). Here we are back in Brisbane and it's 13℃ (say 55℉) and sunny.

Ugh. We are being inundated by wildfire smoke right now. The air quality level is “unhealthy” for all groups. The sky is orange. Oregon has so many fires right now. I don’t know what the count is right now. The last count I saw was 82 and that was a few days ago. There are a few small towns that have been completely evacuated. Those poor people. And no rain in the forecast, just thunderstorms and crazy winds. :(

>177 catzteach: Yikes. I'm so sorry.

Yeah that is really frightening and I'm sorry you have to endure it. The less said about how perfect today is where I am I guess. I feel a bit bad reporting on this thread so unless we get a tornado, I'll shut up. Yeah watch us get one now.

>177 catzteach: I was just reading something from NPR about the situation out there in Oregon. It's alarming. I feel for everyone in the state. Stay as safe as possible out there.

>177 catzteach: I am so sorry to hear that. Stay safe!

Prefacing note: the following was not written to spite those who are in dire weather/climactic circumstances. I feel your pain.

We're having a bit of cognitive disbelief here in central Texas. Everyone's quite edgy. Typical July weather is 0 precipitation and temperatures in triple digits.
We've had a significant amount of rain since Sunday and will continue through until this coming Monday. Lake levels have risen three feet - an improvement, but they're all about forty feet below what was considered normal. Temperatures are below 80°F, and the grass is green and needs a good mowing.

When I bought my house thirty-five years ago, a family almost directly across the street from me included a daughter and a three-year-old son. Time passes.
The daughter lives about ninety miles away; the father died seven years ago; the mother now lives in a condo in Pensacola. The son (now thirty-eight) still lives in the house - that is, until three weeks ago. A shoddy metal-roof-replacement job leaked (a lot,) caused shorts, and finally a fire. Two fires, actually. The electric meter was pulled after the first fire, but the firemen (with eleven trucks onsite) didn't quite get all the embers. Since then, and unbeknownst to me, was sleeping in a tent in his back yard and washing himself from the garden hose. (So much more I could say!) I convinced him to use one of my spare bedrooms and the guest bathroom, considering the amount (and duration) of the rain we're getting. He took me up on it. He slept a solid twelve hours the first two nights.

We had an unusually fire-free July until yesterday. My son and grandson were visiting when he got a call from his wife to come help her evacuate. He left grandson with us. Although they live in our town and only five miles away, they are on the opposite side of a very large river. Happily, soon after he got home the evacuation order was lifted and the fire was under control, not much harm done.

Today we awoke to the news that a city 30 miles south-east of us was burning (the northern outskirts, thankfully nit the city itself). My nephew and his family, along with some dear friends live there. The fire was 6000 acres kast night, it is now 70,000 plus and the largest in California so far. So long as the wind doesn't change direction, we are in no danger, though many people have been evacuated so far. This fire was started by an arsonist who is at present in jail.

I really don't enjoy summer at all. Though I am thankful thusfar not to be under a pall of smoke. Weather triple digits. Thunder and lightening in the mountains, not enough rain.

>182 WholeHouseLibrary: That poor man! A house fire is one of my all time worries/nightmares. Thank you for opening up your house for him.

>183 MrsLee: It’s crazy how fast fires can grow! I still like my summers, but the “new normal” of being really hot and smoky most of the summer is already getting old.

Thankfully tonight is nice enough that we can open our windows and let some air into the house.

>182 WholeHouseLibrary: How kind of you! Hugs to you and your neighbour.

>183 MrsLee: Stay safe and well!

>183 MrsLee: I read about the man who pushed a flaming car into a ditch and started the largest fire of the summer. I'm sure he's mentally ill, but sheesh...

Fire is now over 350,000 acres. It is mostly in the wilderness, although it has gone through a couple of small communities. Lots of structure damage, but the last I heard no human life lost yet. I think they are doing a better job of evacuation than has happened in the past, or perhaps it is just that they have had more time.

So far, the smoke is blowing away from our town and we are able to open our windows to the blessed cooler air of the last couple of nights. We get a few more days in the 90s, then it is expected to be over 100 again for a week, with lows of high 70s. Sigh.

We had two cool, rainy, windy days on Thursday and Friday. I used them to make cherry juice and saskatoon jam, and it was SUCH a relief to have cool nights for sleeping.

Now we're back up into the mid-to high 20s (C) for the next week or so. That's about my perfect summer temperature. Cool enough to do stuff outdoors, warm enough to sit in the shade with a book.

72 F/22 C and sunny
in Lake Tahoe, California, mid-afternoon.

Last week we had lovely weather in SE MO; mid 80s with some intermittent showers. We attended a couple of outdoor concerts and were very comfortable. This week is supposed to turn hot again; heat advisory for the next several days, high 90s. And with all the rain last week, the humidity will likely be pretty bad. It's currently 82, sprinkling, at 9:45am already like a sauna out there.

Sunny, 64F/18C in Lake Tahoe, California, mid-morning.
Expecting high of 72F.

Overcast with a strong Berg wind here. Forecast calls for a maximum of 31°C today, possibility of rain tonight, and a maximum of 19°C tomorrow. Persuading yesterday's washing to stay on the line while it dries is, er, interesting.

Your washing will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

Looks like the remnants of Hurricane Debby are headed up the entire East Coast of the US. After a ridiculously dry Summer, with constant emails and recorded messages from the county water authority asking me to be frugal with my water use (I already am!) we are now expecting about 8 inches of rain in the next five days. I guess it's better than all 8 in one day, but I suspect a lot of this will just run right into the bay and the sound and not get absorbed.

I've already been walking on the treadmill instead of outside because of the heat, humidity, mosquitoes and bad air quality.

Good luck to the people South of me, some of whom might be getting up to 20 inches of rain.

We had a gorgeous day today, 27C (80.6F), and tomorrow and during the weekend we are expecting 23-24C (73-75F). Lots of sunshine! I am happy that summer isn't quite over yet.

(Our son cried and cried on September 1, when dad explained to him that it was the first day of autumn...)

We have had a streak of excellent weather - high 60s to high 70s F and sun with Simpsons clouds as I call them (scattered and poofy). Today a thunderstorm and rain which is fine since I have cleaning and tidying to do after a friend came to stay for a few days. This weekend looks to be back to sunny and 70s, just in time for the Art Festival I go to with a friend.

>197 Bookmarque: Same here, the weather has been fantastic for about a week. It was 45F Tuesday morning though.

Sunny, 79F/26C
in the Piedmont of North Carolina.

Amazing here as well. Mid 70s day time and upper 50s at night. I can have the windows open 24/7!

We are back over 100 this week. Depressing, but I know a change is in the air. The angle of the sun is different. It doesn't come so early in the morning and it goes away sooner in the evening. It must give in.

It's definitely turned autumnal here, with damp and drizzle and overcast skies. Still weirdly warm though, and very humid.

>200 clamairy: Right there with you, Clam!!! Open windows make for a great sleep.

We're having a bit of a change in central Texas. We've had a lot of rain in the right places - over the watersheds that feed our reservoirs. Locally, it's been a few 15-minute showers that pass through and bring the grass back to life.
Starting tomorrow, the highs will be in the upper 80s/low 90s for the next 10 days, and the lows will vary from the upper 50s to the low 70s. No appreciable chance of rain until a week from Sunday, and low humidity. This is the kind of weather that makes me crave Macintosh apples.
In short, I may have to mow my lawn maybe twice until next spring.

It seems to be hot in many places. Our weekend will be in the 30s, but next week temperatures drop down to more seasonal low 20s/high teens. Still no frost in the forecast, though! That's what I really dread because I either have to cover all the tender veg or give up and pick them all. Both options are tedious. Our average last frost date is around the equinox, but nobody relies on that.

We’ll be a bit cooler at the end of the week. Thank goodness, as the classroom has been ridiculously hot on these 90 degree days.

There were thunderstorms all weekend. I didn’t see them as I was out of town, but The Husband said they were really active and strikes were hitting as close as 4 miles away. The bummer is they started quite a few new fires. And now we are smoked in. :(

Autumn is coming ;)

The mornings have been getting cooler all week - around 10C (50F). During the day it goes up to around 18C (64F). It's mostly sunny.

Partly cloudy, 70 F/21 C
Mid-morning in North Carolina.
We need rain.

A little rain came via Hurricane Francine into se Missouri. Cloudy all day yesterday and a 50% chance of rain today. Much needed; I don't think we got much rain at all in August.

Absolutely perfect today - low 70s F with a breeze and a few clouds. Hubby and I sat on the dock for a while and now on the deck so he can keep an eye on the chicken he will roast on the grill.

Cooler, 70s, and RAIN! So refreshing, even though it isn't much.

Does the chicken know that it's being watched? Does it suspect anything?

Chicken went to its roasting completely unaware it was being observed. As a result, it was calm and produced excellent flavor. Paranoid chickens taste terrible.

Lovely 70°, I should be working in the garden, but made a Devil's Food cake instead. Not sharing with the devil though. Only my husband, who is an angel.

...and now summer is back...high 80s again, possibly 90s; no chance of rain until possibly Sunday. Guess I'll pull the hose out again to water the plants. The marigolds, dahlias, and lavender don't seem to mind, but most everything else is looking sad, even the zinnias. Many neighbors are already putting up fall decorations, but I can't get motivated to do that until it actually feels a little but autumnal.

Here we have two snow warnings and one for rain, wind, high seas and cold. This is late spring, and it is supposed to be warm, in the 20s C. Currently 9-feels-like-7.

Really lovely weather at my point on the globe. Dreary yesterday but sunny this morning with a high of 83 F. (Google tells me that would be roughly 28 in Celsius, hfglen!) Fall officially arrives for us on Sunday morning.

Well, the temps are in the high 90s dipping into the lower-ish 90s sometime next week. Night temps will be in the 70s.
But in my head, it's Autumn. I say this because I found Macintosh apples in the grocery store two days ago. I bought a dozen, and have to go back to get more because There aren't enough to get me through the weekend. Macs are the only variety I can tolerate taste-wise (long story,) and I'll eat three or four a day while I can find them. They represent Autumn to me because I grew up in New Jersey, where you could pick them right off the trees once it got chilly.

We are back in the 90s again. I'm not going to complain though. Grandma wrote in her diary that in September of 1951 the temperature here was 110. The next February, 1952, they had the most snow there had been in 63 years. Hoping that we will get that kind of moisture to follow this heat. Although maybe not the 6' they got.

We've had a couple of days more of sunshine and 20-21C (that's 68-70F). Looking at slightly colder weather next week, but autumn has been treating us well so far.

Further to #216, last night's news was that all three passes linking this province to the economic heartland of the Reef were closed by snow. (In one case complicated by a HGV jackknifing on black ice in the pass.)

>221 hfglen: Yikes!

We're still having nice autumn weather. The overnight low today was down to 3C, but it's going up again for the rest of the week (no chance of frost, thank goodness!) and daytime highs will be in the 20s for several days. It's kind of weird, actually. The trees have barely started to turn colour. My Facebook memories today said that on this day 6 years ago, we had snow, and many years we've had to turn the furnace on by now.

First day of fall!

Sunny, 81 F. (27 C.) just before noon in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rain at last...good steady rain supposed to last several days. It also broke the heat wave. SE Missouri.

Hurricane coming toward us. It is supposed to hit about 50 miles to our east. Hoping it doesn't decide to swing further west. Hope everyone in its path stays safe as it will be a big one, CAT 4.

>226 majkia: Just looked at the NOAA page for Hurricane Helene. Looks bad, bad, bad. Stay safe!

>226 majkia: Oh, I have been keeping an eye on Helene. I will send good juju your way. Hang in there.

>226 majkia: Oh, stay safe!

Wet wet wet and wet. Summer has been and gone in drips and drabs, and now its wet autumn again, hardly distinguishable some days.

I know UK weather is very mild compared to the rest of the world and we shouldn't really be complaining, no hurricanes! no blizzards, no monsoons, a few draughts but not only for a week (and not this very wet year at all), but sometimes its very depressing.

Should be a gorgeous blue bird sky day in the 70s F with light winds so I'm going to paddle an undeveloped lake about 1 hour north. I've never been there before, but it's easy to get to and popular for fishing so I might not be alone, but at least no water skiers!

Heavy rain. Tropical storm warning. Flood watch.
North Carolina USA

>232 nrmay: Good luck and the same to all others in the path of Helene.

We’re expecting a little bit of flooding and tree issues where we are in Georgia with Helene moving through. We’re on vacation so daughter is home for a few days to cat sit. Hoping we don’t have too much damage while away. There’s a small creek that runs across our property that sometimes floods with super heavy rains. If that happens I’ll probably lose some of the trail cams I have on a path beside the creek. It recedes very quickly once rain stops, though. Also hoping daughter is able to get out, as big tree limbs falling across driveway can also be an issue with storms like this.

I hope those of you in the path of the hurricane stay safe and secure.

>235 Sakerfalcon: Same message as above - take care, Florida folks. I hope you are all in safe places.

>236 Sakerfalcon: Ditto! Sending good juju to all of Florida right now. I have quite a few family members down there, and only one has been evacuated.

Back in late August, we had a family reunion in northern New Jersey. My oldest brother lives in Sarasota, and he and his partner just arrived back home last Thursday. They did some chores, packed up again and headed north this past Sunday, well ahead of the hurricane, yet a stressful drive through torrents of rain. I believe they're somewhere in northern Georgia.
The irony of this is that they were planning on putting their house on the market this week and then to move to Asheville, NC. They're rethinking that last bit.

Best to get out while you still can.

As ineffective as it may seem, my heart goes out to all of those in the potential harm of Hurricane Milton. As with others, I have family members and friends affected by this. As a result, I worry, while also recognizing that people make decisions as to whether to evacuate or ride out the storm, according to a variety of factors. Be safe everyone.

Be safe everyone. I am thinking about you.

Thinking of those people in the path of Milton. I too have friends in Florida, on the west coast.

I’ve been thinking of all the folks on the east coast. You guys are taking another hit. Stay safe.

24* this morning. I am in Minnesota.

I am feeling for the ones like in North Carolina who do not have electricity or heat. I know crews are working hard..

We've been having a beautiful sunny October. Today it was 12C (53F).

>244 Alexandra_book_life: Gorgeous!

It's 3C here at 10:45 am. At least the wind has dropped, though. Yesterday looked nice but the wind made it hard to spend time outdoors. I still have a significant amount of yard work to get through before it snows. Mind you, there's no snow in the forecast... yet...

>244 Alexandra_book_life: ooooh!

12c sounds a bit chilly to me. Better than 3c tho...

>246 MrAndrew: Well, it felt warmer ;) And it's better than 3C for sure!

Chilly this am - 32° F so we will probably take the dock out later today. It's a new dock and we've never done it before so it will either go smoothly or we'll look like we should be in the center ring at Ringling Brothers.

Cool 50's over here with sunshine and a lot of fall color

Sunny, 61 F/16 C in North Carolina.

>249 alco261: Lovely!

It's 64°F and sunny here today, but there is some wind.

>248 Bookmarque: Let us know how that goes. I wish you luck, but I really do love the mental image of the circus shenanigans.

>248 Bookmarque: Could you have a friend film it, just in case it's the second option?

Ha! I should have set up the phone and let it roll. Definitely moments of hilarity, but we got it out and it's all set to be put back in about 7 months. Phew. Now we still have to get rid of the old dock. Thought someone was going to buy it, and he even came to look at it, but flaked out on us and now we have both of them stacked up in the backyard. Joy.

Oh and we found mice in the other shed and they had to get the boot. I felt bad that their huge cache of seeds they made in an old coffee can had to go, too, but thems the brakes....breaks...?

In the 40s F this morning in central Minnesota. It is sunny.

The Philadelphia region broke a record yesterday, one that's been around since 1874. We have gone a full 30 days without any measurable rain. We cannot reliably expect rain over the course of the next ten days. Furthermore our Halloween on Thursday may break a different record. We may hit 83 degrees (F) that day.

>255 jillmwo: It's been dry here as well. Oddly, when I checked the drought info on the gov website it seems we are still doing a lot better than much of the rest of the US. We did get a fair amount of rain up until July or so. Still, my weedy lawn is all brown. :o(

Happy to say that we've actually got rain in our forecast here in central Texas - 20 - 30% chance all next week (which means it'll evaporate before reaching the ground,) and 60% chance earlier in the day on Halloween.
Except for spots that are in shade almost the entire day, even the lawns that have irrigation systems are so dry, the grass crumbles to dust when trod upon.

zombie grass.

I have a temp of 52* and Minneapolis, 50 miles south of me, has a temp of 72* at 5AM. Duluth area and county just north of me may get 3" of snow. That time of year.

>258 MrAndrew:. How does one tell if zombie grass is taking over? Does it stand up and walk around the lawn, yelling for brains?

>260 jillmwo: More likely yelling for, "Graaiiinnnnsss."

(I'll see myself out ;)

>261 ScoLgo: *snort* Best exit is likely thru the back kitchen...

We’re very dry here in GA. Last rain was a month ago when Helene came through. And before Helene it had been very hot and dry for weeks, so many plants haven’t recovered.

It’s looking very colorful with the fall leaf drop, and there is a lot of deer activity. Seems like I’ve seen more bucks than does this year.

There's something there about dear activity and more bucks. Give me a minute...

On Halloween 1991 they predicted a few inches of snow and there was a record of over 28" in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Today they are predicting 2"-4" of snow in the MSP area.

A high of 73° (roughly 23°C) expected here today. That's warm for Halloween. Inland areas will be even higher. Did someone say Abby Normal?

I got a little over an inch of snow and Minneapolis/ St. Paul got over an inch of rain besides a little snow. 28* this morning. My kids came a few days ago, raked leaves, mowed, and pulled the dock from the lake just in time.

Over 5-8" of rain since Sunday night; there is flash flooding in St. Louis. We are an hour south of St. Louis, and there are many creeks and rivers overflowing, including several in nearby towns. A dam is in danger of breaching. Several schools are closed. It's supposed to rain all day today. All the rivers, including the Mississippi, were way down due to no significant rain for most of the summer. I believe I'll just stay home for the next couple of days.

>268 theretiredlibrarian:. That's got to be a somewhat disconcerting (if not alarming) situation. Where I am in PA, we have entered drought status and there was an outbreak of a wildfire up in the Poconos. New Jersey is also posting no fire warning signs. (So just shove some of that dampness at your end over towards us, if you don't mind?)

70 F/21 C
just before sunset.

Storm season is here in Brisbane. We've had a couple of minor ones and even a slightly ineffectual hailstorm last night. And we have a heatwave warning in effect today.

At least 3 people have died in the area...all of them drowned in their cars.

>272 theretiredlibrarian: I read that. So sad.

35* this morning in central Minnesota and Minneapolis. Rained most of the day yesterday.

We haven't had any weather for over a week now. Constant temps in the low teens (C) no wind, no rain, no sun just a heavy cloud layer. Forecast to continue for several more days. It makes cycling quite pleasant, but it's very unusual especially for this time of year.

>272 theretiredlibrarian: Oh, no! How awful.

We are finally having weather that is exceptional and so I can report. We are in the middle of a cyclone bomb! Actually, where I am is not the middle, that is out to sea. We are on the southern edge of it feeling the effects. House is shaking from the wind, rain is pouring, cats are quite annoyed with me because I won't turn it off.

We live inland, so the storm isn't as intense as it is on the coast. Roads are shutting down through the mountains. It's all very exciting when one can sit at home in a warm, dry house. So far we haven't lost electricity.

>277 MrsLee: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/153605/extratropical-cyclone-whips-over...

>277 MrsLee: I saw that on the news. Lots still without electricity this morning. Stay safe.
I had about 1/2 " of snow.

>277 MrsLee: Best of luck with that. It was all over my Weather Channel App.

We are finally getting some rain! Yay! We've gotten . 41 inches so far, but it seems to have stopped already. Keeping my fingers crossed we get more. (The forecast claims we will.)

Got only about a quarter inch of rain yesterday.
Sunny and cool today, 49F/10C.
Our first freeze alert for Friday.

>278 haydninvienna: I live about in the middle of that top section of California, so the tail of the comma is what is bringing us all our rain and wind. If this lasts the 6 days that the weather service is predicting, my cats might start a revolution. I am trying to forestall that by offering lots of cozy, snuggle-time with warm, fuzzy blankets and a human heating pad.

>282 MrsLee: Glad to hear you and your cats are staying safe and warm. I hope you can stave off a kitty revolution.

It's turned cold in the UK. Parts of the country had snow earlier this week (not where I live though). I've had to put my heating on for the first time this autumn/winter.

I am on Salt Spring Island (between Vancouver and Vancouver Island) right now, helping my mom. The cyclone bomb effects were minimal here. I think an accident of geography protected Salt Spring - Vancouver Island and other Gulf Islands sheltered us from the worst. All I noticed were a few power flickers. I do love a big storm, but of course not the damage, and since I'm driving back and forth to the hospital every day I don't want to cope with blocked roads and stuff.

My stepsister and her husband are having a little vacation on the west side of Vancouver Island and lost power the night of the storm. They were hoping it would be restored by this morning - I haven't heard if it was. I gather the waves were very impressive.

>277 MrsLee: Stay safe!
Snuggling with cats is a wonderful thing, though.

Snow arrived yesterday, and will stay for the next few days. It's been between -3 and -7C (26.6-19F). The forecast promises 10C (50F) and rain next week, so the first winter of this season will be short ;)

>282 MrsLee: Indeed, what are human beings for? Stay safe and warm.

>283 Sakerfalcon: My younger daughter in Bicester sent us a picture os snow in Bicester.

>287 haydninvienna: Oxford had some too. My friends sent a lovely photo from their canal boat.

Today is a bit warmer in London, but I've ordered a new long winter coat as my old one is too small :-( Got to get ready for December.

We are going to be rainy all day. We did finally get some snow a few days ago. It’s been a few years since having snow in November. Like Mrs. Lee, my area has been effected a bit by the storm, but the mountains protect us from the brunt of it. We did have a water spout on the coast of Oregon during the worst day.

Our power went out this morning for about an hour due to high winds. Was very glad I hadn't put the turkey in the oven yet. Mark always likes a "practice turkey" before the big day. It is in the oven now. Fingers crossed because I'm not sure how to finish cooking a turkey over a sterno can.

>290 MrsLee: You are one adventurous cook. I wouldn't normally connect those two things -- "turkey" and "sterno can". Hope all goes well.

>291 jillmwo: Agree. I find that spam is a better pairing with sterno. But it's best to keep an open mind, and not be too snobbish.

>290 MrsLee: What's a sterno can? I hope the turkey comes out ok.

>293 catzteach: Sterno is like napalm, only quite diluted. It's been around for going on 100 years, I imagine. A small can of some form of alcohol mixed in with Vaseline, perhaps. Flammable, but at not too high a temperature. Used at events where food set out to be served up is better (or required) to remain heated.

>294 WholeHouseLibrary: Thanks for the explanation. :)

>291 jillmwo: Thankfully, I did not have to live that adventure. Electricity stayed on the rest of the day and the turkey had been cooked and partially devoured.

When our power was out for three days a few years ago, I used a sterno can to boil water for coffee. That's about the extent of my sterno cooking knowledge.

>292 MrAndrew: I am a Spam snob. Can't stand the smell. I like Deviled Ham though.

>294 WholeHouseLibrary: Glad you answered that. All I would be able to say is it comes in a can and lights on fire to heat stuff.

>290 MrsLee: Ouch. I'm glad the power came back on. I have a gas oven, but of course all the controls are electric. So I can start the burners with a match, but I can't use the oven if the power goes out. In a pinch I think a turkey could be done on a grill. But it would take hours and it would have to monitored to make sure it cooked evenly.

We use a lot of sterno for our Thanksgiving gathering. You can't get everything warm and keep it warm without it. Looking back at my childhood, I'm imagining that almost everything on my plate was cold by the time I ate it on Thanksgiving. I don't remembering caring. I was really only interested in the black olives and the stuffing.

So we finally got some rain! We've gotten 1.5 inches in the last two days. It's barely going to make a dent in our deficit, but I'll take it. We're also getting quite a bit of wind, and my last two surviving giant tropical flowering plants keep pitching over despite me having weighted the pots with small bricks. So now I've tried bracing them with cider blocks. We are expecting wind gusts up to 40 mph today, so I'm not hopeful. They were still thriving until this week.

Just for the people who are suffering from drought: we have had 2 inches or more of rain in the last 24 hours, with more expected today, and a few miles south of us the Logan River is nearly at "major flood" level.

We had a dusting of snow this morning, but it was gone by noon. The next few days will have lows in the 20s.

Had our first frost on Thanksgiving night. Now it’s lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s for the next several days.

6*F at 5:30 this morning and 2*F yesterday. Most of my lake is frozen but I could see some is still open and ducks or geese in the water. They better get for going and head South.

We had our first frost/freeze the last night. I suspect my tomato plants will look like cooked spinach when it warms above freezing. They still had blossoms.

It was in the twenties this morning when we woke up. Played the "bad night of sleep" card so that my overly-tolerant husband would bring me my first cup of coffee in bed. (Although I have since navigated downstairs and am fully (and warmly) clothed.) Even so, I may need additional caffeine.

10-12 F overnight, overcast with flurries. Nothing too dramatic.

>303 jillmwo: You go for that extra caffeine, girl!
My doctor says I have too much blood in my caffeine system.

How cold was it here this morning? Well, all of the mercury in the thermometer retreated to the small bulb at the bottom and broke it.

Last night while out driving my parents home from a family event, the GPS sent us a little south of Buffalo and we were in very snowy conditions, road completely covered and going 25 mph on a 55 mph highway (interstate 90, for those that are familiar). 20 minutes later and a few miles north, no snow at all, not a flake and the same for the rest of the trip home. We still don't have any snow. For those who may have watched tonight's football game, that's what it looked like.

Sleeting today.

After a couple of weeks of cold (-10 to -20ish) and snow, we're slated for at least a week of above 0C daily temperatures. I HATE that. Everything gets soft and mucky and icy. It's also bad for the trees, which sometimes break dormancy. It should just stay below freezing until the beginning of March.

Whew. My heart is still trying to recover. 7.0 earthquake near Ferndale, CA. That's about 150 or less miles west of us. Our trees were swaying, things rattled, draperies, etc. moving, cupboard doors opened. All O.K. here. Not so much in Ferndale. That poor area has been hit multiple times in the last decade by big earthquake.

I got the alarm on my phone and didn't pay too much attention, then the house was moving and creaking. Thirty miles north of us they hardly felt it.

Cats didn't blink an eye until the house started shaking, then they disappeared. Just saw Grár in the bedroom and he is walking with extreme caution, like he doesn't trust the ground.

Does earthquake qualify as weather? We did have a red sky this morning.

It might not be weather exactly, but it counts. I've only felt one earthquake and that was when I was in NH. As soon as I realized what was happening, it was over. Just a little shake. Nothing like that MrsL. Phew.

>311 MrsLee: I am so glad you posted that you're okay. I thought of you immediately when the NY Times sent a notification of the event.

>311 MrsLee: It does count as weather. Sounds like it was in a remote area. Good all is OK.

>311 MrsLee: That sounds alarming. I'm glad you came through unscathed.

>311 MrsLee: Phew! At least you're safe!

How far are you from the dreaded San Andreas Fault? And Ferndale CA?

>316 hfglen: To Ferndale, 148 miles by twisty road, a bit less as a crow flies, or an earth tremor moves. ;) The fault line goes up to the Ferndale area, so mileage would be about the same. My husband was reading yesterday that there are about 3 fault lines that meet in the area of the earthquake yesterday.

>317 MrsLee: I'm glad nothing got damaged besides your nerves.

I did check in with JPB last night, and he said they were fine. (He's 240+ miles from Ferndale.)

>311 MrsLee: I am so glad you are ok!

>318 clamairy: Glad you are still in touch with him! My daughter lives on the south end of S.F. She felt tremors yesterday, but they were from a different quake closer to there.

>316 hfglen: Glad to hear you are ok.

>311 MrsLee: I didn’t realize you would’ve felt it! Do you often feel the earthquakes there?

I’ve been in two earthquakes here. One was during the night. I woke up and hollered “what the hell was that?” My dad, who was raised in Southern California, said, “An earthquake, go back to sleep.” He wasn’t even phased. :)

The other was during a school day. I was behind my desk. It started shaking and I wondered which little kiddo was doing it. By the time I realized it was an earthquake, it was over.

I am from West Texas (born in California). My mother and her friend were at Mass and felt a shake. Her friend said Father must have dropped something and my mother knew it was an earthquake somewhere in Texas. No damage.

>322 catzteach: I can think of about four that I noticed since I moved here about 39 years ago. Two in my life that had me wondering if it was time to dive for cover. Once in the bay area in a restaurant, and the other was this one. I did not end up diving for cover either time.

The only earthquake that I have any personal experience of was while I was in Doha. There was a cluster of earthquakes in south-western Iran, just across the Gulf, which were felt as trembles in Doha, one of them sufficiently serious that (IIRC) some of the taller buildings in Doha were evacuated.

I grew up in Johannesburg, where tremors as a result of mining activity -- both current and as a result of props in abandoned workings failing -- were frequent. In the 20-odd years we've been in Durban there have been two minor quakes offshore. Both caused widespread alarm, but would probably have gone unnoticed in somewhere like Japan or California. For the rest, I have to be grateful that the Kaapvaal Craton (Northern Cape, Free State and most of the former Transvaal) is about the most stable part of the earth's crust.

Looking at my weather app for tomorrow evening. It is a cloud with a fin sticking out of it; so, cloudy with a chance of sharks?

>327 MrsLee: :D

>327 MrsLee: Fun.I like to take pictures of clouds.

>327 MrsLee: Have you determined exactly what that is supposed to indicate? Raining fish?

After a few days of having below zero (F) it is 24* F and a winter weather advisory.

>330 clamairy: I think it is supposed to be a crescent moon behind the clouds, which would be partially cloudy. But the crescent is different in each one, and you can't see the bottom of it, so some of them look like partial clouds with possibility of sharks, and others look like bunny rabbits. I guess I'll find out tonight whether we get bunnies or sharks.

In the meantime we are getting loads of rain which is nice. It was quite blustery in the night. The creek below us, which has been dry all summer, is currently a raging muddy torrent, which we can hear and see from the house. The cats are not pleased. Although they should be grateful they have a warm dry place to shelter in. They roam from window to door and back, looking at me accusingly, thinking that perhaps the weather will be different from a different view.

Driving 70 km to a family lunch yesterday, in the heaviest rain I've ever driven in. 63 mm rainfall for Brisbane in the 24 hours up to last night.

>332 MrsLee: My cats will beg to go out and get proof that they really don’t want to be out there. We open the door. They stand there and sniff, then walk away. Ten minutes later, they’ll ask to go out. Um, it’s still cold and snowy guys. :)

We are finally getting some snow here. The mountains desperately need snow. And I got to try out my now-not-so-new car in the snow. It has “snow mode.” It helped me break and slowed me down on a downhill. Pretty cool.

Pretty disappointed here. No sharks, no bunnies, no squashed apples. Just variable cloudiness. Sigh.

Misty and foggy all day and in the mid 30s F. May get wintry mix tonight and tomorrow.

Same as >335 MrsLee: which is somewhat amazing, given that she and I live on opposite sides of the country...

>334 catzteach: Our cats don't need snow to act like that. Moderately heavy rain, or even a cool breeze, is enough.

Watching a car on FOX Weather sliding down the road on ice in Iowa. My husband and I spent the night in Iowa many years ago because of icy roads. The next morning we slid through the parking lot of Walmart and across the street to a parking lot of a pancake restaurant. Not fun.

God wanted you to have pancakes. Plus you were saved from Walmart. A blessed life.