Heh, heh. It's kinda cooold.

There was ice on a pond next to ManNorth’s workplace this morning and frost on the vehicles in our parking lot. Temperatures dropped overnight (despite the 24hours of daylight) to -1C.

This makes me laugh just a wee bit for a few reasons:

1. Because it’s just so ridiculous to be seeing ice in July at the same time one is contemplating going out to pick wild blueberries and ward off hoards of mosquitoes.

2. Because it’s not really that unusual, given that we live 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle

3. Because making headlines in the news over the past few days was how darn warm another arctic community that is 320 kilometres south of the arctic circle has been for the past few days and how much has been made of this temporary warming in that community and how everyone is speculating that it is related to climate change and global warming etc etc..

Now, I certainly don’t deny that our climate is changing but what often gets forgotten is how variable weather can naturally be. For instance, when cold arctic air blows south to chill Northern Town and create sheets of ice on wee duck ponds, the air has to come from somewhere. The thing to remember is that where it came from isn’t suddenly a vacuum, devoid of air, but is being replaced with air from somewhere else, whose air is also being replaced.

So to just speculate a wee bit here, not knowing the actual patterns of air movement that caused this but, as a result of low pressure systems sucking in air from high pressure systems, creating something known as global winds and pressure gradients, could not one tell a simple story of cold air in Northern Town coming from the arctic which sucked up warm air from the south to pass through TemporarilySwelteringOtherArcticTown to replace it?

But one is speculated to be evidence of global warming while the other one just has sucky cold weather? Mmmm?

Yep, this makes me chuckle, just a tiny bit.

Brrrrrrr!

What was that I was saying the other day about it being warm enough for T-shirts and shorts?
Yes, well that was a short time ago. (Ahem.)

I must not have been paying much attention to the weather these past few days because today's high was a balmy 11 degrees Celsius (53 Fahrenheit), only 3 degrees below the 24-hour high and tomorrow's high is forecast to be a lovely 8 degrees Celsius (46 Fahrenheit).

Compared to a typical daily average temperature in January of about minus 27C, don't these warm July temperatures in Northern Town just make you think of piña coladas and Hawaiian lei or something?

Hmm mmm, says half the town as they wish they were in Hawaii...

Of course, ManNorth and I are faring well and didn't mind needing to pull out a wool sweater or two this evening!

(Mom & Dad, don't worry: It will be looooooovvveeely when you come to visit in September.
Just remember your sweaters and your gloves and hats, 'kay?)

Weather in our neck of the woods

A few days ago Grammarphile left me a comment asking about the weather up here.

In short, yes, we get to wear shorts, but only shortly. ;)

It is currently about 11 degrees celsius outside and given the cloud cover, today's high is likely not going to reach above about 22 C, at around 6pm or so.

Last night when I rode my bike home from the greenhouse, it was cool enough that my jeans and jean jacket were comfortable but I could have done just fine with just the jeans and my T-shirt.

A few weeks ago for about 4 or 5 days, we had temperatures in the high 20s which felt sweltering compared to the usual refreshingly cool temperatures the rest of the summer.

Incidentally, the sun will set over Northern Town for the first time in four days, although only for a few minutes! With some increase in the amount of dimness and darkness at night, the temperatures will continue to drop further and further each night so that my morning walk to work is likely to continue involving a light jacket. (We had our first snowfall in the third week of September last year so summer is rather short. Fall celebrations start happening in August!)

So that was the (relative) short of it. Here's the long of it:

For comparison, here are the annual temperatures in Windsor, Ontario where I grew up:

This is neat

Something fun for your Sunday: The recent warm temperatures in Northern Town have also warmed the snow, reducing its density and letting it streeeettttttch. I'd intended to post a photo (yet to be taken) showing the accumulated layers in the snow pack that I've left undisturbed on one half of the balcony (to the left of the centre post) all winter. I won't get to show you that photo however, because overnight the warming pile slowly bent over and has slid almost entirely off the balcony rail. It reminds me somehow of a snail or slug, twisting and drooping but yet still stickily hanging on.

Nhah Nhah!

This is new!

Northern Town is experiencing a surprising warm spell that is forecast to last for much of the week before dropping back to seasonal norms in the high (or should I say low?) -20s and -30s. Yesterday afternoon’s temperature of -14 C felt tropical in comparison to last week’s low of -41 C but already this morning, the temperature in

Northern Town is only -4 C (with a wind chill of -9)!

Here’s the kicker. Check out these simultaneous temperatures:

Prairie Town is -22 C (with a wind chill of -32)
(~ 18 degrees latitude to the south)

Home Town is -12C (with a wind chill of -23)
(~ 26 degrees latitude to the south)

It’s not been this warm here since about September. I won’t be at all surprised to see the T-shirts come out on Northern Town residents today, especially if we reach a forecast high of -1 C this afternoon. The ravens were displaying and croaking (in song?) yesterday, perhaps celebrating the warmth or just making fun of all you southerners experiencing a bit of northern cold!

This reminds me to tell you that there will be an upcoming post on staying warm by none other than ManNorth. It may not go up before the cold snap passes down south, but look for it coming soon!

In the meantime, layer up and get out the wool!

Need I say more?

Actually, yes, I do!

There was a beautiful ice fog covering the town and the surrounding land today. ManNorth was working outside today and took some photos. This is what it looks like in high humidity and low temperatures around here! (Photos coming soon -he's on his way home.)

I'll speak for him and repeat one of his platitudes (to which I hold) to head off at least one of your likely inquires in reply to this post, possibly asking us about finding this temperature cold. (Which of course it is, but one can prepare):

"There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing." -ManNorth, time interminable