How's the weather?

[markfp]

With record breaking weather, not only here in the U.S., but also in Europe, I thought that perhaps we could share the pain and swap weather stories. I'll start.

In my little corner of the world, Syracuse, New York, we're use to snow, getting an average of 120" per winter, but this time even we were amazed. In the past week, it snowed for 96 hours straight with an "official" total of about 70". Of course, that's measured at the airport and in the city proper, including my back yard, the actual total was closer to 80". As an added bonus, it's been bitterly cold, right now it's down to -05 (f). Remember, that according to the calendar, winter hasn't begun yet.

Interesting, since we're use to heavy snow, the city doesn't shut down. The city and county, for the most part, are very good in keeping the roads and streets open so, with due caution, people get around. Sure hasn't had much impact on Christmas shopping, the malls were packed today.

You'd think that with all the snow, people would be wishing for it to end, but actually many people are hoping we'll get more. You see, folks in Syracuse are a very competitive lot and while, with two weeks to spare, we broke the record for the snowiest December, now we're only 8" away from breaking the record for THE snowiest month since they started keeping track in 1902. Well, we sure wouldn't want to miss that.

To quote comedian Jeff Foxworthy, "you know you're from Upstate New York when your snow blower has more miles on it than your car". This year, he may not be far off.

[Lzcutter]

It started raining here in the City by the Bay last evening and is supposed to rain until Christmas Eve.

In the Southland (Los Angeles), it has been raining since early morning and is supposed to rain through Dec. 22nd.

The good news for me, (I'm driving home from northern California to southern California) is it supposed to keep the snow level above 8,000 feet.

I hope it does as it makes it easier for me to get home to MrC in time for our guests who join us on Christmas Eve.

Here's hoping.......

[charliechaplinfan]

9 inches of snow here, North West England which is unusual, we've spent the morning community bonding clearing all the snow.

[markfp]

we've spent the morning community bonding clearing all the snow.

I like how you phrased that. It sounds much better than "we've been out shoveling all that @#$%@*%&@ snow AGAIN!"

[movieman1957]

Down Baltimore way it has been unusually cold this week. It hasn't helped that we had plenty of wind too. Very little snow. Today is about as warm as it has been. It's all of about 35.

[knitwit45]

I like how you phrased that. It sounds much better than "we've been out shoveling all that @#$%@*%&@ snow AGAIN!"

Mark, last year was the Big Snow at Christmas week. My son, who was visiting, got snowed in with me for days. He was out shoveling every time he saw a new snowflake. At the end of his visit, on his way out to shovel one more time, he looked at me and said,"Andy Williams is a LIAR!" At my look of confusion, he started singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year".

[markfp]

Down Baltimore way it has been unusually cold this week. It hasn't helped that we had plenty of wind too. Very little snow. Today is about as warm as it has been. It's all of about 35.

We have good friends in Baltimore. As I recall, last year was your turn for getting hit badly. Wasn't it?

[charliechaplinfan]

we've spent the morning community bonding clearing all the snow.

I like how you phrased that. It sounds much better than "we've been out shoveling all that @#$%@*%&@ snow AGAIN!"

It's because it's a one off for us, hubby, kids and I started clearing and pretty soon our next door and next door but one neighbours came out and we were clearing the estate. An estate with 40 odd houses on it and our bit that we were clearing has about 10 houses. In the three hours it took us to clear a path out, four houses came back in their cars (we are expecting it to freeze badly tonight so we wanted to clear it before it got too difficult) off these people, one was a young girl who helped us immediately and got her drive cleared by the men on our team as thanks, the others all thirtyish with men in the households went inside and didn't venture out with shovels. My father's generation, from whom I get my moral sense of right and wrong would never have allowed women and children to clear a path in front of their house and seeing a team of people outside would have been straight out, my mother would have brewed up for everyone. I'm not complaining about having to clear a path, it was a real community bonding exercise for those who took part, getting to know one's neighbours, our is a fairly new estate and I relished the opportunity to be outside with everyone but am aghast at our neighbours who would drive past us without popping outside, getting to know their neighbours and lending a hand.

[mongoII]

It was cold and overcast today in Florida. It's supposed to get up in the 60s during the week and about 70 degrees on Christmas day with a bit of rain. Since I'm use to the crude winters of up state New York, I wouldn't mind colder weather for Christmas. Unfortunately some snow is out of the question.

[movieman1957]

Down Baltimore way it has been unusually cold this week. It hasn't helped that we had plenty of wind too. Very little snow. Today is about as warm as it has been. It's all of about 35.

We have good friends in Baltimore. As I recall, last year was your turn for getting hit badly. Wasn't it?

We got slammed. Nothing like you're used to but I don't want to have to go through it again.

[markfp]

I hope Lynn and all our friends in the West are safe and sound and not effected by all the flooding that's happening out there.

Here in Upstate New York, we moan and groan about the massive snow falls we get (that just comes with the territory), but unlike those floods, there's usually little damage as a result of the snow and fatalities are rare, thank goodness.

Good luck to all of you.

[Lzcutter]

Up here in Northern California, the rain hasn't been as unrelenting as they originally thought.

Down in the Southland, however, MrC says the rain has been non-stop since the weekend.

The Times is saying it's the wettest December in ten years and the weather has thrown meterologists for a loop. They thought it was going to be a dry La Nina winter after our coolest summer in 50 years.

Instead, it looks like La Nina's brother, El Nino, has shown up quite expectedly.

The good news for me, he brings warm, sub-tropical rainstorms with him which keep the snow level high, above 8,000 feet.

As I am driving this time, I need that to hold for another 48 hours to get home safely to MrC in time for the holidays. I'm leaving Thursday morning bright and early.

Wish me luck!