What's the weather like where you are?

[digitS']

Over an inch of rain fell in the last 48 hours!

There is more on the way but it's coming with wind ..! The Weather Service says not nearly as bad as 3 weeks ago but with gusts around 60mph.

Mostly, the ground in the lower elevations thawed and must have absorbed the moisture like a dry sponge. The first frosts in my garden were way back in September. We are well past the growing season but I trust, the plants will benefit from the rain. Hopefully, more trees won't fall to the wind.

Steve

[HoneyBerry]

Lots of rain this week, some wind, but not enough to take down trees. And the usual lood warnings that come with lots of rain. I've got my row boat sitting on top of my house all ready to go just in case. (just kidding on that last part)

[HoneyBerry]

The river flooded the trailer park that is next to it. I've seen that happen before at that same spot. There are some people in the river and there is a rescue in progress. I think they are homeless people. Some people are stranded over there. There is a designated evacuation area but some people didn't make it. I was pretty sure it would fllood at that location but I was too tired to keep tabs on it through the night. It's a small flood as far as floods go.

Some photos from the police website.

[digitS']

All this is again moving quickly across North America.

When the flooding was so bad in the Philippines 2 years ago, I asked a Filipino friend about the people affected. He said 2 words, "Homeless people."

After the windstorm and power outages a few weeks ago, all of Spokane's shelters were filled but so were the downtown hotels. Public libraries and a few of the public schools opened for warming and kids' lunches.

Steve

[HoneyBerry]

Yeah, the homeless people are face to face with the weather elements. Yesterday while I was driving, I saw a pitiful looking guy crossing the road (crosswalk), he was pushing a wheelchair, one leg was wrapped and elevated, he had a towel over his head, makeshift hood I guess, a thin black soaked & wimpy looking hoodless jacket, he was having a hard time pushing his wheelchair over the hump, the rain was falling like rivers from the sky, I wanted to get out and help him, he made it across just in the nick of time as the time ran out on the crosswalk signal.

[HoneyBerry]

Here's the official story about the rescue effort:

http://www.king5.com/videos/weather/201 ... /77030928/

There is flooding all over Washington. Closed roads, flooded baseball field in Carnation, Tumwater Falls is overflowing, Tolt River Bridge flooded, flooded buildings in some areas. Western Washington seems to be having a larger than usual winter flood event during this year.

[catgrass]

High today will be near 70-a bit unusual for us, even this far south. Low tonight will be in the low 60's. I am not complaining. We have not had a freeze yet, and usually have one around late november, early December.

[imafan26]

It is raining now but it is just overnight rain and should clear up later in the day.

The homeless are a problem everywhere. They have the most to lose and can least afford it. The city here has been forcibly evicting homeless off the streets. Literally they had been camping along the streets downtown and beside streams. The city would clean up one street and they would move over to another street. The city made space to accommodate 110 homeless people in city shelters but that left 100's more with no where to go. They don't feel safe in the shelters and they don't want to leave their spots, their belongings or their pets for fear that they will lose that too. Some of them are working poor and there are whole families living on the streets. There are also the druggies, a lot of veterans with PTSD and a few people who are mentally disturbed. It is hard for the homeless to get jobs if they haven't been working in a while or if they have been sick. You cannot get a job or services without an address. Recently the city handed out cell phones to the homeless. I remember thinking. O.K. and how are they going to charge them after the batteries run down. It is not like they have ready access to an electrical outlet.

[HoneyBerry]

Sounds similar to how the homeless situation is here. I don't like it but I don't know what the solution is. The Microsoft foundation poured a large some of money into helping the homeless here, but there are still problems. They said that it is difficult.

More flooding predicted for Washington. Low pressure and high tides are combining to generate flooding along the shore. Minor flooding is predicted. Another storm expected on Saturday. I've had enough of winter. I'm ready for spring.

[!potatoes!]

still unseasonally warm here - should break 70 on saturday. i wouldn't mind some actual winter.

[rainbowgardener]

it is 55 deg F, right now at 6 AM and still dark. Going up to 70 today and 72 tomorrow. I was out working in the yard yesterday in a T-shirt. I love it! This is what I came here for! It can stay like this all winter and I will be perfectly happy (but I know it won't). I know this is unseasonable for here too- average high for the date is 53 and the record is 77.

We did have some flooding here too, last week. The street our little dead end street comes off of has a low spot, and it turned in to a river running across the street. The pastures around us were swamps.

Still almost the whole time I have been here, it has been anywhere from 10 to 20 deg warmer than Cincinnati where I came from and lots sunnier, lots more and bluer skies. It makes me happy! Even yesterday it was not much more than 60. In Cincinnati, that would not be T shirt weather, because it would be gray and dampish and 60. Clear and sunny and 60 is so much more pleasant! The southern sun just feels warmer. It can be pretty chilly in the shade sometimes and still really nice once you are in direct sun. I am glad I came here!

[applestar]

Sorry for not captioning!
These are Willow oak leaves-- nearly the last to fall every year and seemingly very late this year -- frozen in a puddle of water that collected in a tub that hadn't been put away.

[digitS']

Pods ..

. frozen into an icy puddle??

Freezing here, some snow, a little falling, several more inches tomorrow afternoon .

Steve

[imafan26]

It is not so bad here. It is currently 69 degrees which is cold for me to put on long sleeves and a light jacket. It has been raining off and on for a few days and more of the same to come. The rain is scattered and locally heavy but rainfall totals are still under half inch and hour which can be handled. The problem has been the wind. It has been gusting enough to knock things around in the yard but it is still only about 30 mph. I can't do much outside but I did get some housecleaning done. I did go out in the yard when the rain stopped briefly. The seeds I planted are sprouting and the snails have not gotten to any yet. I did clean up the bench and the weeds around it. I watered the plants that are under the eaves and the orchids on the lanai. I only found 4 snails and only one was trying to make a break for it. I was surprised. I thought I would find more snails but the cold may be slowing them down. I am finding them mostly in their hiding places and not really seeing them moving around much.

Compared to what the Northwest is getting it is a much milder version.

I am staying close to home since I don't like to drive in the rain and umbrellas are useless in the wind.

[HoneyBerry]

Weather has normalized where I am. Rainy & windy this week. Some sun poked through the clouds this morning for a while. It's back to rain now that it's evening. November & December all always the worst months for me. January 1 is about when I feel relieved and start looking forward to spring. Even though it's still winter, something feels defferent about it after Jan 1. The weather report is saying snow on Thursday. We'll see. They aren't always spot on with their forecasts. It would be fun to have snow for Christmas. I put some sunflower seeds in the feeders today for the chickadees. They usually stick around for the winter. I am ready for spring.

[catgrass]

We are definitely not in winter mode here in south Louisiana. High today 73-high for Christmas day is predicted to be close to 80-the warmest ever on record! 30 years ago when I was pregnant with my son, it was 13 degrees Christmas morning. I don't want to experience that kind of cold again!

[HoneyBerry]

Now it's raining cat's and dogs. Some wind too. This is mudslide weather. I expect the severe weather alert to pop up any minute now.

Snow in the forecast for Christmas eve and Christmas day. I'm okay with that as long as I don't have to drive in it.

My bird. Isn't he cute?

[digitS']

Yes, he's cute . Is he noisy?

Okay, I will play the olde guy, remembering when . ... I remember in '68, I was out on Christmas Day looking at country property and I figured that there was 11" of snow because I measured it with my 11" boots.

After Christmas, it snowed, a lot! We had 3' +. First year here and I didn't know what was common. Didn't know 25° below zero wasn't.

There is about that much snow now, 11". This olde guy really has no idea if this winter will be repeat of that snowy cold winter, or a repeat of any winter over the last 50 years. We have had unusual weather for a couple of years with severe drought. Snow doesn't hold much water but our forest soils have been very dry.

Steve

[imafan26]

It has been raining every day and every night. The temperatures are around 67 at night and around 80 in the daytime but it feels cooler. We have had a lot of wind. 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. With all the rain, it is enough to topple some trees. The summits of Haleakala and Mauna Loa have wind gusting up to 80 mph (hurricane force) and there is some snow on the summits. Surf is 10-12 ft range but conditions are not good or safe for being in the water.

I have a few pots that have been blown over and I ran over a 6 inch pot that got knocked down in the garage.

Forecast: more of the same.

[HoneyBerry]

Today is not bad. Sunny and windy with some clouds moving across the sun. A good day to work outside, which is what I need to do today anyway. I'm cleaning up my old garage, getting it ready for a new concrete floor. Decluttering feels great. I am trying to simplify. I had too much stuff in the garage.
Winter has been stressful this year. I have 3 barrels full of water to cover water needs in case the pipes freeze. The pipes didn't freeze, so now I need to use that water. The barrels are heavy so I need to siphon the water. It's a hassel, but the water storage did give me some peace of mind during the November cold spell. Freezing weather cold spells are not unusual here, but freezing weather cold spells usually happen in December rather than November. The summer drought was very unusual, following by an unususl November freeze. And there was the flooding, which something like a 10 year or 100 year storm event.

[imafan26]

I need to do that. I am bad about throwing stuff away. I have been filling my garbage can though. If not with stuff I need to clean out of the house, it has been the weeds I have bagged from the yard. There are no more green days till Christmas and I usually only generate one 11 gallon bag of trash and another bag of kitty litter a week so I usually put out an empty can. Since this is cleaning season, I have gone through my closet and my pantry and gotten rid of some of the old stuff. A lot of expired canned goods. Old clothes, extra packages, plastic actually does deteriorate if you keep it long enough. I shredded a bunch of old papers I did not need. I gave some things away since I probably have a 5 year supply and they won't keep that long and I still have a lot of places I haven't gotten to yet.

The ground is wet and muddy but it is relatively sunny. I am going to take a look outside but I won't get much done in the mud. If it dries out a little more before it rains again I might be able to fill another bag of weeds.

I did manage to go out and do some grocery shopping. I should be good for another two weeks. I bought a lot of stuff to make soup. I had tomato soup for dinner last night. This kind of weather is perfect for saimin and soup.

[HoneyBerry]

At first I thought that 'saimin' was salmon misspelled. Then I looked it up and learned that it is a type of noodle that is popular in Hawaii. Now I have something new to try. I had never heard of it until now. Thanks imafan26. I love trying new food from other cultures. I didn't notice it when I was in Hawaii. I was young and ate differently back then. We loved a popular restaurant called Eggberts. The omelets were huge and there were so many different kinds of omelets to choose from. It was a fun place. I don't eat eggs anymore. I saw so many chicken abuse videos, and I don't trust the humanely harvested lables. It just doesn't make sense for a bird lover like me to contribute to abuse like that. I miss eggs, but I'm used to living without them. My friend has spoiled chickens, and I feel comfortable with her eggs, but it is quite a drive to her place.

[HoneyBerry]

Here is an official weather summary for 2015, for Western Washington, for those who are interested. It is longer and more detailed what I have been giving you.



Public Information Statement Statement as of 11:32 am PST on December 23, 2015

... 2015 western Washington weather year in review...

2015 weather will be remembered as a warm dry year with a Poor
Mountain snowpack that turned wet and occasionally windy in the
closing two months with a rebound of mountain snow. As of December
22nd... the amount of snow in the Cascades and Olympics exceeded the
greatest amount on the ground at any time in the winter of
2014/2015.

There were ten weather-related fatalities and five injuries - most
the result of strong winds. Weather-related damage totals through
October were in excess of 5 million dollars with damage amounts from
the flood and wind events in November and December still to come.
The bulk of the five million dollar damages were from the August
29th wind storm.

For the second year in a row it was a record warm year. With about a
week left before the end of the year... the average temperature at
SeaTac Airport was 55.8 degrees... exceeding the previous record of
55.0 degrees set just last year.

The average high temperature was 63.5 degrees exceeding the record
of 62.5 degrees set in 2014 and 1992. The average low temperature
was 48.0 degrees exceeding the record warm low temperature average
of 47.5 degrees set just last year.

There were four months that set records for the warmest month:

February 48.8 degrees... old record 48.7 in 1977
March 50.5 degrees... old record 50.3 in 1992
June 67.7 degrees... old record 64.9 degrees in 1992
July 71.2 degrees... old record 69.5 in 2009

There were four other months that ended up in the top 5 warmest:

February 48.8 degrees... old record 48.7 in 1977
March 50.5 degrees... old record 50.3 in 1992
June 67.7 degrees... old record 64.9 degrees in 1992
July 71.2 degrees... old record 69.5 in 2009

There were four other months that ended up in the top 5 warmest:

January 45.1 degrees (5th)
may 59.1 degrees (5th)
August 68.7 degrees (4th)
October 57.2 degrees (2nd)

An 18 month streak of above normal temperatures ended in September
when the average temperature was 60.5 degrees... 0.8 degrees below
normal.

With the warm Summer... records at SeaTac were set for the most
number of days of:

90 degrees plus... 12... old record 9 from 1958
85 degrees plus... 26... old record 22 from 2014
80 degrees plus... 51... old record 47 from 1958
70 degrees plus... 116... old record 115 from 1992

Records were also set for the number of warm minimum temperatures
with 35 days of a low temperature of 60 degrees or more... breaking
the old record of 34 days set in 2013. Associated with the warm
minimum temperatures... 2015 had a record total of cooling degree
days with 470... breaking the former record of 385 in 2013.

The year was dry until the final few months. Through December
22nd... this month at SeaTac Airport had a total of 10.24 inches
making it currently the second wettest December on record. The
wettest December was set in 1979 with 11.85 inches. In
addition... this December is also currently the 8th wettest of any
month on record. The wettest month was set in November 2006 with
15.63 inches.

Despite the dry early and middle of the year... 2015 will finish with
above normal precipitation. Through December 22nd... the
precipitation total for the year was 43.86. The annual normal is
37.49 inches.

In addition... a record was set for the number of days with one inch
or more precipitation with 14 days during the year. The old record
was nine set in both 1996 and 2006.

The year began with a weak en nino in place. Then in April... the
eastern Pacific Ocean tropical waters began a steady warming
trend... resulting in what may be the third warmest El Nino going
back to 1950.

As typical with El Nino winter seasons... the storm track was aimed
primarily at the Pacific northwest during the fall resulting in a
lot of active weather. This falls weather included several
atmospheric river... Aka pineapple express... events during Halloween
weekend... mid November and again in early December. Flooding was
widespread along with some landslides such as what closed US-12 near
White Pass and I-5 near Woodland. A wind storm also swept through
the state on November 17th.

There were two tornadoes in the state this year. Washington averages
between one and two tornadoes per year. An EF1 tornado moved through
the Gig Harbor area on January 18th while another EF1 tornado
touched down in the Battle Ground area on December 10th. There were
no fatalities or injuries with either event.

Below is a list of the years significant weather events and the
record temperatures and precipitation established thus far this
year.

Significant events

Tornadoes and waterspouts

January 18 - Pierce County - an EF1 tornado moved 4 miles through
the Gig Harbor area.

December 10 - Clark County - a EF1 tornado touched down in the
Battle Ground area.

Lightning/thunderstorms

April 1 - King County - lightning hit a tree outside of a Federal
Way home and radiated into the home damaging drywall... gutters and
caused a gas line to rupture.

Hail

No severe sized hail... 1 inch or greater diameter... was reported
during the year although there were a number of reports of small
hail... ice pellets and graupel over the course of the year.

High winds

January 18 - north interior/Puget Sound area - strong winds up to 60
mph knocked power out to about 50000 customers. A tree fell on a
shoreline home significantly damaging the home and displacing the
occupants until repairs could be made.

April 11 - Strait of Juan de Fuca - strong west winds of up to 30
knots produced wind waves of up to 4 feet. Two people died and one
was injured while kayaking near new Dungeness.

August 29 - much of western Washington - a late Summer wind storm
with wind gusts up to 67 mph produced widespread tree damage and
about 450000 customers without power. A tree fell on a vehicle
killing the motorist. A 10-year old girl was killed in SeaTac by a
falling tree branch. Two elderly people died in their Whatcom County
home after being overcome by generator exhaust fumes. The storm
produced over 3.5 million dollars in damage.

September 20 - Bellevue area - strong winds up to 38 mph and choppy
Lake Washington waters overturned a 21-foot catamaran dumping the
three sailors into the water. Harbor patrol pulled two out of the
water but one was trapped under the catamaran and drowned.

November 17 - much of western Washington - strong winds up to 62 mph
in The Lowlands and well over 100 mph in the mountains resulted in
widespread downed trees and over 300000 power outages. A motorist
near Monroe was killed by a fallen tree. Damages from this event
were not yet available.

Winter storms/wind chill

June 11 - Mt Rainier - a climber near The Summit perished due to
strong winds... cold and wind chill.

December 19 - Snoqualmie Pass area - a backcountry skier did not
return from a day trip. Search efforts have not found him as yet and
he remains missing.

December 19 - Snoqualmie Pass - a skier fell into a tree well and
died when he became buried in snow.

Avalanche

The poor winter of 2014/15 mountain snowpack resulted in no
fatalities or injuries. The start of 2015/2016 winter has produced
far more snow than the previous winter. No significant avalanches
had occurred thus far.

Floods/heavy rain/landslides

January 5 - much of western Washington - heavy rain amounts produced
landslides in parts of southwest Washington as well as the Seattle
area and in Snohomish County. A few Hoquiam were hit by slides.
Wsdot reported highways 101... 12... 107... 109... 105 and 4 were closed
for a while due to slides and water over the roadway. Estimated
damages were 300000 dollars.

February 6 - Hood Canal area - heavy rainfall in the Brinnon area
resulted in slides that damaged six homes. Duckabush river flood
waters also inundated some homes in the area. Estimated damages were
near 200000 dollars.

March 15 - Sequim area - local heavy rainfall resulted in several
homes and apartments with water in the dwellings. Estimated damages
were about 30000 dollars.

September 3 - San Juan Island - local heavy rainfall resulted in
accumulating water in lower downtown Friday Harbor... flooding
several businesses for a few hours. Estimated damagers were about
10000 dollars.

October 31-November 4 - much of western Washington - heavy rainfall
produced flooding on ten rivers with two exceeding the major flood
category. A number of roadways were closed due to high water. Damage
estimates were not yet available.

November 12-21 - much of western Washington - heavy rainfall of up
to 20 inches in the mountains and up to 15 inches in some lowland
areas fell during the 12th through the 18th. The runoff resulted in
22 rivers exceeding flood stage with ten rivers reaching major flood
category. The ongoing rainfall resulted in a number of rivers having
two flood peaks. A number of roadways were inundated along with many
homes. A few landslides occurred including near Newhalem on sr-20 and
scouring of a US 2 bridge near Skykomish. Total damage estimates
were not available yet.

December 1-14 - much of western Washington - heavy rainfall once
again drove 22 rivers above flood stage with eight exceeding major
flood category. The Skokomish River was over flood stage for 10
days... that may be longest time period on record. The soaked soils
also resulted in a number of landslides such as one that damaged
several Burien homes and closed the rail-line between Edmonds and
Everett. Damage estimates were not yet available.

Marine incidents including coastal flooding/high surf and rip currents

December 10 - Grays Harbor area - the combination of high Chehalis
river runoff and seasonal high tides resulted in coastal flooding.
Low lying streets and businesses in the Aberdeen and Hoquiam areas
had water rise into them. The county's juvenile detention center had
to be evacuated during the high water. Damage estimates were not yet
available.

Heat/wildfire

July 1-5 - interior of western Washington - many parts of the
interior endured five days of high temperatures of 90 or better with
some morning lows only dropping into the lower to mid 60s. Olympia
peaked at 96 degrees on the 2nd while SeaTac Airport hit 93 on the
same day.

July 31 - Mason County - the Deckerville wildfire burned eight homes
in rural western Mason County. Estimated damages were near 800000
dollars.

Here are the high... low and precipitation records that were broken
during 2015. Entries have the month/date of the record... with the
record value following. A T means that it was tied.

There were far more record daily high temperatures than lows
reflecting the record warm year. In addition... daily rainfall
records also far outnumbered the low temperature records set.
Some places did not set any low temperature records at all for 2015.

Sea-tac Airport... records date back to 1945

High temp low temp precipitation

01/24 58(t) none 02/05 1.03
01/25 63 03/15 2.20
01/26 61 08/29 1.28
02/13 60 08/30 0.40
02/16 59 10/10 1.13
02/17 61 10/31 1.30
06/08 87(t) 11/17 1.16
06/27 92 12/07 1.08
07/02 93 12/08 2.13
07/03 92 12/21 1.08
07/04 92
07/05 91(t)
07/19 95(t)
07/31 94
08/01 92(t)
08/19 89
10/25 67(t)
12/03 60(t)
12/08 60


Olympia Airport... records date back to 1948

High temp low temp precipitation

01/05 55 none 01/04 2.46
01/24 58 03/15 2.08
01/26 63 08/14 0.93
02/12 64 11/17 2.08
02/13 63 12/08 2.50
02/16 60 12/17 1.47(t)
02/17 62(t)
06/25 90(t)
06/27 93
07/02 96
07/04 93(t)


Quillayute Airport... records date back to 1966

High temp low temp precipitation

01/06 57(t) 11/26 23 01/04 4.99
01/08 60(t) 11/28 21(t) 02/05 2.10
01/09 56(t) 03/25 2.49
02/16 59 03/29 1.93
02/17 65 11/12 4.09
03/10 65 12/08 2.45
05/09 72
06/07 74(t)
06/27 94
07/05 77
07/18 90
08/01 82
08/18 90
10/05 79(t)
12/06 55(t)


Hoquiam Airport... records date back to 1953

High temp low temp precipitation

01/17 56 11/26 29 01/04 4.58
01/25 60 12/08 2.56
01/26 57
01/29 57
02/16 62
02/17 63
05/08 72
07/29 84
08/18 82
12/08 56(t)


Bellingham Airport... records date back to 1949

High temp low temp precipitation

01/24 56 none 01/04 1.25
01/25 59 01/05 1.19
01/26 60 03/15 1.14
02/05 60(t) 03/25 1.15
02/17 59 09/06 0.57
03/26 65(t)
06/07 80
06/25 83(t)
06/26 83
06/27 87
07/01 84(t)
07/05 93
07/19 89(t)
08/01 86
10/15 71(t)
10/16 71
12/02 60
12/03 62


Seattle WFO at Sandpoint... records date back to 1986

High temp low temp precipitation

01/05 55 03/04 29 02/06 0.70
01/24 59(t) 06/13 48(t) 02/07 0.78
01/25 62 09/05 47(t) 02/27 0.70
01/26 62 03/15 2.18
02/17 62(t) 03/31 0.69
03/17 62 07/25 0.09
03/28 71 07/26 0.90
04/20 72 08/14 0.90
05/20 76(t) 08/29 1.28
06/08 83 10/07 0.42
06/10 80 10/10 0.99
06/15 82 12/07 0.74
06/26 87(t) 12/08 1.51
06/27 90
06/29 89(t)
07/01 89
07/02 92
07/03 90
07/04 90
07/05 89
07/06 87
07/09 86
07/18 90
07/19 96
07/31 90
08/01 89
08/19 89
10/25 70
10/30 66
12/06 55
12/08 58(t)

[HoneyBerry]

Lots of snow in the mountains. And more predicted.
Here is a picture of majestic Mt Rainier towering over the daffodil fields near where I live. This tulip and daffodil farm has since been sold. Many of the farms around here have suffered a similar fate. I am not sure what will become of the daffodil farm property. They ran a new overpass through there.

[imafan26]

Nice and sunny on this Hawaiian Christmas day. It rained last night again and it is probably going to rain again this afternoon but for now it is a nice break.

[sweetiepie]

We just got more snow before Christmas, so that makes more than a foot. Current temperature is -11 and with wind chill -31. It actually wasn't to bad to do chores, I usually only wear a flannel shirt over a sweatshirt but today I put on the winter jacket and by the middle of chores I was sweating so still to warm to wear a coat. I love it a little colder like this, keeps the roads from getting icy.

So glad for the snow, gives my plants some protection from the extreme wind chill, maybe my plants will make it this year.

[imafan26]

Eggberts is on Kauai. I have only done day visits there so I don't know what else they have. On Oahu the egg place is Eggs n' Things. They are known for their omelettes and reasonable prices. They were a favorite place to go after work. When you get off work at midnite you have to know where the all night places nearby are. They actually opened at 4 p.m and closed at arount 10 a.m.
Saimin stands and shops are plentiful on Oahu but they are more sporadic on the outer islands especially in the smaller towns that just have basic grocery, hardware, and sundries and usually only one drive-in diner. The most well attended things there are the weekly farmer's market.

As for the weather. Christmas day was sunny and beautiful. It got very windy and wet after dark ant it is still raining off and on. It is a cool 68 degrees with light rain and the winds have backed off.

[rainbowgardener]

We got FIVE inches of rain in 24 hours yesterday, crushing previous records. All the meadows and pasture lands around us have turned in to swamps. The street our little dead end street comes off of is flooded and impassable. We also had a record high temp for the date this week, 74. Today we ate lunch on our deck in our shirtsleeves.

Being 20-25 degrees above normal for the date is fun in December. Not looking forward to it in July!

All of this is what climate change looks like!

[applestar]

Well, thanks to the rainy week, my shiitake logs bloomed big time and I posted some photos in the Mushroom Garden thread. The unusually warm temperatures this year has its benefits, even if my DDs are complaining every chance they get that they would prefer that it snowed.

Driving home from their grandmothers house in the fierce rain, they were saying it could have been a blizzard.....

[applestar]

[digitS']

So, those are 9PM EST conditions?

I'm over there above the 22°. It is a little warmer at the moment but, in the twenties and maybe dropping out of them by morning. There is about a foot of snow on the ground, locally.

It was 33° in Montana?!! I had to search ... Kalispell and Missoula are currently in the teens. Great Falls! Wow! At 29°F, Great Falls was warmer than the afternoon highs around here! Who would have thunk?!!

There is about 12" of snow on the ground. The NationalWS had expected clear skies and colder ... but, it looks like we will get a little more snow .

Steve

[rainbowgardener]

It was actually hot today.... 76 degrees! And all the spring bulbs I planted about six weeks ago are sprouting. Some of the flowering trees in the neighborhood are blooming...

Weather is too weird and all the plants are confused.

25 degrees above normal is kind of fun (in a strange way) in December. Not looking forward to it in July!!

[applestar]

Subject: What's the weather like where you are?

:shock:

So, those are 9PM EST conditions?

I'm over there above the 22°. It is a little warmer at the moment but, in the twenties and maybe dropping out of them by morning. There is about a foot of snow on the ground, locally.

It was 33° in Montana?!! I had to search ... Kalispell and Missoula are currently in the teens. Great Falls! Wow! At 29°F, Great Falls was warmer than the afternoon highs around here! Who would have thunk?!!

There is about 12" of snow on the ground. The NationalWS had expected clear skies and colder ... but, it looks like we will get a little more snow .

Steve

Yep. Screenshot was taken just before posting, give or take, and posted time stamp was 9:02PM. crazy

...yes rainbowgardener -- hopefully this won't mess up the fruit and nut trees too much, and also, I hope there won't be a repeat of massive honeybee die off from them not fully hibernating and running out of stored honey due to unusually warm winter. I remember an article that spring mentioning that 1/3 of NJ's honeybee hives were lost because the bees ran out of food midway through the winter. I hope beekeepers will remember from that experience and will put appropriate supplemental food in for them to tide them over.

Are the meteorologists saying it's going to be equality warmer next summer? Unless we have the usual deep freeze, we are likely to end up with pests that are normally killed off next summer like the last time.

(Haha is it contradictory to hope some insects will survive the abnormal weather patterns while wishing some others will not? )

[rainbowgardener]

Are the meteorologists saying it's going to be equality warmer next summer?

Well, 2013 was the second hottest year on record (global mean temp for the year) (behind 2010). 2014 was the new hottest year on record and then 2015 significantly topped that. The very strong El Nino pattern we are in is set to continue through much of the year in 2016. This is being driven by very warm ocean temperatures.

Models and expert opinion suggest that surface water temperatures in the east-central tropical Pacific Ocean [the key Niño 3.4 region] are likely to exceed 2° Celsius above average.” And that would make this El Niño the strongest event since the super El Niño of 1997-1998. .... Right now, though, it looks like we will be setting 12-month temperature records through spring 2016 — and that summer 2016 could be hotter than this summer, which was pretty darn hot worldwide

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/0 ... 16-hotter/

This was June through Aug mean temps 2015:



The redder, the farther above the local historical average temps, white is average, blue is below average.

[digitS']

Well, maybe it would be a good idea for me to move to southern Australia!

I suppose their cooler than normal temperatures were accompanied by limited sunlight and miserable plant growth ... I can see that the whole of South America is out of the question !

Normalcy is what the natives want, plant and animal. Honey bees aren't natives but part of our agricultural community of partners. Don't fret, AppleStar. Maybe your plant pests will starve ... It's okay if we pick winners and losers but we had better stay on our toes ... adjust and adapt. I wonder what grasshoppers taste like.

Steve

[imafan26]

We may all have to adapt in the long run and change our way of planting; watering; modifying the environment (shading) and even select different plants that can tolerate more heat and drought.

[rainbowgardener]

More heat for sure. Dry areas are likely to get drier, but some wet areas are getting wetter as everything gets more extreme. The area I am in much of the town looks like swamp right now. Chattanooga normally gets 52" of rain a year, which seems like plenty.

This year we have had 66.7 inches! Five and a half FEET of rain! More than 14" more rain than usual. (Not a record though, the record rainfall for a year was 73" in 1994).

[digitS']

Plenty?!

For a few years, I lived far up on the northern California coast with those kind of rainfall numbers. Mold grew on the interior of north walls and in our closets. I had chronic bronchitis and not enough sense to quit smoking ... until a future DW made it a priority ...

Rainbow', you confuse me! What is "moved to GA zone 7b?" Chattanooga is in TN altho I've never been to see. I've been in GA and didn't find it there.

Steve

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, it is a bit confusing. I live in a suburb (more like exurb really) of Chattanooga TN that happens to be just across the border in GA. My address is in GA, but the closest town to me is in TN. The TN border is two miles from me by road, less if you could go as the crow flies.

[digitS']

I should have looked at a map!

As someone on a border, I also should have guessed. Your location sounds like my big veggie garden. It's 2 miles from the ID/WA border. I have had gardens on both sides of the border. I've lived on both sides. Of course, the Idaho panhandle is narrow. One is either close to Washington or Montana.

My experiences in Georgia are near the Atlantic. There is another problem, I'm not thinking how large the state is.

Steve