We Need a Little Winter

 

Since February is pretty much the middle of winter, this month’s Group Writing theme is “We Need a Little Summer.” Much of the country is in the midst of cold, wintry weather and would probably like a little bit of summer.

I’m afraid I must take a contrary view. Here in Southern California, We Need a Little Winter!

Let’s take the high-desert community of Anza/Aguanga, tucked in between Temecula and Palm Desert. Roughly 3,500 feet above sea level, from mid-January through mid-February, the average high temperature was 65°F with almost two weeks with highs in the 70s. At 3,500 feet! This is 10 degrees warmer than last winter (we are talking weather here, not climate).

Then there’s the lack of rain. In this same area from mid-January to mid-February, there was 0.18 inches of rain. Last year there was five inches in the same period. I’ll admit last year was a wet year (weather again, not climate) but the statistics from downtown Los Angeles tell a story of very little rain, with us being 79 percent off of a normal year’s rain.

So, while we are having what many people would consider enviable weather, I’d like a little bit more winter. There are some storms in the forecast, so I hope they come through and give us something like this, taken several years ago in the high desert.


This is a part of the February Group Writing Series. Spots are available for the March Group Writing Topic, Feats of Strength!

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  1. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    Here in Philadelphia, we expect record temps of 74 and 78 on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

    Two days ago we had a snow flash come through with 4 inches. No shoveling though, it melted quickly.

    Mother nature is simply menopausal. Haha.

    I hope you get your storms, but gently over the next 6 weeks.

    • #1
  2. C. U. Douglas Coolidge
    C. U. Douglas
    @CUDouglas

    In the Utah Salt Lake and Utah valleys we depend on the snowfall for our summer water. In the past years we’ve had less snowfall. Today we’ve had one of the biggest snowfalls this winter and it’s still not enough. It’s going to be a very hard and dry summer unless we miraculously get more of this and temperatures stay down. More winter, please!

    • #2
  3. MeanDurphy, Archtater Member
    MeanDurphy, Archtater
    @DeanMurphy

    You obviously should have saved the extra rain from last year.  ;-)

    • #3
  4. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    It’s 65 and sunny here in Charleston SC. Our problem is pollen season has started. My vehicle was covered yesterday morning. Many things are blooming already.

    • #4
  5. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    • #5
  6. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    Wind chill factor in Bigfork MT is -11 with about 2 feet of snow. You call all pray that it moves south a little bit.

    • #6
  7. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    Hang on tight @kayofmt

    • #7
  8. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    MeanDurphy, Archtater (View Comment):
    You obviously should have saved the extra rain from last year. ;-)

    Well, if they actually built the dams with the funds the voters approved, we might have been able to save more of it.

    • #8
  9. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    Jules PA (View Comment):
    Hang on tight @kayofmt

    In spite of the dismal temps out there, the glorious sun is shining through my south facing windows and temp inside very cozy with the heat off.

    • #9
  10. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    I think you’re the third contrarian on the theme this month, Here’s hoping you get all the winter you want, plus a bunch more for asking for it.

    This conversation is an entry in our Group Writing Series under February’s theme of “We Need a Little Summer.” Our theme for March will be Feats of Strength. Our sign-up sheet is here if you have tales of any sort of strength, real or imagined.

    • #10
  11. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Percival (View Comment):

    Here in western New York state, I wish that we’d had some consistency. This winter has been especially bad with alternating between significantly below normal temperatures and significantly above normal temperatures. The temperature in the next couple of days is to be in the 50’s, but we know that won’t last. Let’s at least have some consistency so I know what to wear! [The wildly fluctuating temperatures are also murder on the roads.]

    • #11
  12. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    Arahant (View Comment):
    I think you’re the third contrarian on the theme this month, Here’s hoping you get all the winter you want, plus a bunch more for asking for it.

    Now that doesn’t sound nice. I’ve already got 2 feet of snow on top of my car. Will have to pay someone to clear it.  The sun is warm through my windows but doesn’t melt the snow out doors at 12 deg and is rapidly dropping to 7 deg. Will be down to 4 by 7 p.m. I’m going to have to turn the heat back on soon as the sun has passed away from the windows.

    Wow, the temps drop fast, from 72 to 68 in about an hour in my living room.

    • #12
  13. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Kay of MT (View Comment):
    I’ve already got 2 feet of snow on top of my car.

    Yes, but you’re not asking for it. Here’s to an early spring for you.

    • #13
  14. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    Kay of MT (View Comment):

    Arahant (View Comment):
    I think you’re the third contrarian on the theme this month, Here’s hoping you get all the winter you want, plus a bunch more for asking for it.

    Now that doesn’t sound nice. I’ve already got 2 feet of snow on top of my car. Will have to pay someone to clear it. The sun is warm through my windows but doesn’t melt the snow out doors at 12 deg and is rapidly dropping to 7 deg. Will be down to 4 by 7 p.m. I’m going to have to turn the heat back on soon as the sun has passed away from the windows.

    Wow, the temps drop fast, from 72 to 68 in about an hour in my living room.

    I’ll take all the winter I can get.

    • #14
  15. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    Clavius (View Comment):
    I’ll take all the winter I can get.

    My sister who lives in Valencia probably agrees with you.

    • #15
  16. Brian Watt Inactive
    Brian Watt
    @BrianWatt

    Like OMG, it’s gonna be 31F tonight…in Southern California. Highs all week will be in the 50s. Was Al Gore visiting or what?

    • #16
  17. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    Brian Watt (View Comment):
    Like OMG, it’s gonna be 31F tonight…in Southern California. Highs all week will be in the 50s. Was Al Gore visiting or what?

    It is currently -1 degrees in Bigfork MT.

    • #17
  18. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    Brian Watt (View Comment):
    Like OMG, it’s gonna be 31F tonight…in Southern California. Highs all week will be in the 50s. Was Al Gore visiting or what?

    Yay, my post is getting results!  If only we get rain / snow in the mountains too!

    • #18
  19. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    Kay of MT (View Comment):

    Brian Watt (View Comment):
    Like OMG, it’s gonna be 31F tonight…in Southern California. Highs all week will be in the 50s. Was Al Gore visiting or what?

    It is currently -1 degrees in Bigfork MT.

    That’s nice.  I think I’d like Montana.

    So our SoCal 31 degrees at 33 degrees north and sea level, compares to -1 degrees at 48 degrees north and almost 3,000 feet above sea level.

    Hard to figure out how those data points relate…

    Stay warm!

    • #19
  20. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Brian Watt (View Comment):
    Like OMG, it’s gonna be 31F tonight…in Southern California. Highs all week will be in the 50s. Was Al Gore visiting or what?

    Before we moved to western New York state, we lived in Southern California most of our lives. During one of those Southern California cold spells of overnight temperatures in the low 30’s, a work colleague from Iowa visited us, and he thought the dire warnings from the Southern California news media were very funny.

    • #20
  21. Brian Watt Inactive
    Brian Watt
    @BrianWatt

    Full Size Tabby (View Comment):

    Brian Watt (View Comment):
    Like OMG, it’s gonna be 31F tonight…in Southern California. Highs all week will be in the 50s. Was Al Gore visiting or what?

    Before we moved to western New York state, we lived in Southern California most of our lives. During one of those Southern California cold spells of overnight temperatures in the low 30’s, a work colleague from Iowa visited us, and he thought the dire warnings from the Southern California news media were very funny.

    Yep. The local Southern California news stations have a habit of sensationalizing the weather. The minute that rain is in the forecast, all of them emblazon their broadcasts with STORM WATCH! Prescriptions for valium must increase…presumably.

    • #21
  22. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Brian Watt (View Comment):
    The local Southern California news stations have a habit of sensationalizing the weather.

    As if it were just there.

    • #22
  23. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Brian Watt (View Comment):
    The local Southern California news stations have a habit of sensationalizing the weather.

    As if it were just there.

    Yeah, any more weather announcers hype every phenomenon. Snowmageddon!

    Although, I will say it was kind of neat in Oklahoma when they announced the tornadoes as if it was a football game. We got continuous updates as to where exactly the funnels were. In Illinois, they would tell you “the northeast corner of Grundy County.” In Oklahoma, it was “between Lutter Road and Wild Horse Creek, just south of 150th Street.”

    (And I just realized Spellcheck recognizes ‘Snowmageddon.’ We are doomed.)

    • #23
  24. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    Real results: 15 F last night in Anza.  Still need rain.

    • #24
  25. SecondBite Member
    SecondBite
    @SecondBite

    We had a hard frost last night.  Finally.  The last stormy weather we had, the only rain was over the Pacific Ocean.  I guess the fish were thirsty.

    • #25
  26. The Cloaked Gaijin Member
    The Cloaked Gaijin
    @TheCloakedGaijin

    Clavius:

    Uh, what does the map mean?

    Western Tennessee is covered in lime sherbet with some counties also covered in antifreeze?

    Kansas is covered with strawberry fields and chocolate milk?

    Wyoming is covered with Pepto-Bismol and lavender?

    • #26
  27. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    The Cloaked Gaijin (View Comment):

    Clavius:

    Uh, what does the map mean?

    Western Tennessee is covered in lime sherbet with some counties also covered in antifreeze?

    Kansas is covered with strawberry fields and chocolate milk?

    Wyoming is covered with Pepto-Bismol and lavender?

    Heh.

    It is a color-coded map of the various watches and warnings from the National Weather Service.  I believe the Pepto-Bismol color is a winter storm warning and the lavender is a winter weather advisory.

    • #27
  28. Mike H Inactive
    Mike H
    @MikeH

    Clavius: Since February is pretty much the middle of winter…

    I like to think of February as the end of winter. The coldest day of a year is basically January 15th. This means if you split the calander into 4 seasons, the coldest three months are December, January, and February.

    This has the benefit of lining up with the calander months, and it also means I start saying it’s Spring on the first of March. They actually have a name, the “meteorological” seasons.

    To me this seems like an overall better way to designate the seasons as opposed to that archaic astronomical measure. ;)

    • #28
  29. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius
    @Clavius

    Mike H (View Comment):

    Clavius: Since February is pretty much the middle of winter…

    I like to think of February as the end of winter. The coldest day of a year is basically January 15th. This means if you split the calander into 4 seasons, the coldest three months are December, January, and February.

    This has the benefit of lining up with the calander months, and it also means I start saying it’s Spring on the first of March. They actually have a name, the “meteorological” seasons.

    To me this seems like an overall better way to designate the seasons as opposed to that archaic astronomical measure. ;)

    I find that the cold and the heat trail the solstices so that the astronomical definitions are more accurate.  Generally, January and February are colder than December.  Here in Los Angeles, August and September are often warmer than June or July.

    But there is merit to your suggestion.

    • #29
  30. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    I’m just happy every day when I am neither frozen to death, or broiled by the sun.

     

    • #30
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