Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Year Winter Came Back


Winter is back this year with a vengeance and I know we Buckeyes aren't the only ones caught in another brutal spell of cold and snow. Living in the northern U.S. (Ohio), you might think we're used to this kind of winter weather, but this one is extreme. We haven't seen temperatures this cold in 28 years, according to local meteorologists. And we're most accustomed to seeing snow come and go in 24-48 hours, but this year the snow is sticking around.

Winter started unusually early. Our first snowfall was a few days before Thanksgiving, with three inches of snow falling well before the December 21 official start of winter. This weekend we received another five inches with a bit more to come possibly. The wind was so strong yesterday that at times you could barely see the house across the street. So far this season we've received 26.5 inches of snow, with months of winter to come, compared to average winter snowfalls of 27.5 inches. Snow is pretty and all, but it is also a giant pain to shovel, drive in, etc.

yesterday's blowing snow made it hard to see across the street

But the really painful bit of this winter, to me at least, has been the number record low temperatures and below zero wind chill days. The worst so far being January 6 and 7, where we saw a new record low of -7F (-22C) and wind chills of -25 to -40F (-32 to -40C). And they're calling for it to be even colder than that tomorrow and Tuesday, with an extended period of extreme cold slated to last until mid-February. Mid-February? Seriously? It's sad that our usual January average of 30F feels like a heatwave in comparison.

Living in a house built in the 1940s means that even though the inside temperature remains unchanged at 68F, or even a degree higher, it definitely feels chilly on extremely cold days. I layer up with a long sleeve shirt, my warmest sweater, socks, slippers, a blanket and often a cat and still sometimes can't get warm and toasty. I've put extra blankets and pulled the cat bed out of storage so they have plenty of warmer sleeping options. And forget going outside without my warmest parka, a hat, gloves, a scarf and boots. Even then my block-long walk from the parking garage to work is brutal.

cold weather makes the cats extra cuddly

This winter has also meant a lot of hibernating, which can be fun for a weekend or two but can get old when you feel like you can't, or shouldn't, go out.

While these temps seem newsworthy today, it's only because we're not used to cold snaps which were considered normal in the past, according to Treehugger. While I worry about the consequences of global warming, not dealing with this crap every year doesn't seem all bad...

How are you faring in this weather (or for some of you, the record heat waves)?

8 comments:

  1. For the most part, Denver's been sitting on the other side of that jet stream trough - so with the exception of a few blasts of extreme cold, it's mostly been in the 50's and 60's here. The cold snaps were enough to get me to make some insulated window coverings and makeshift storm windows for the basement though - which helped tremendously.

    It ought to be a very interesting year for the NFL's first "cold weather" superbowl! I sorta can't believe that people are willing to pay $5K to go freeze their rear ends off... I just hope my little Broncos are up to the task!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It seems unfair for Denver to be in the 50s and 60s!

    I have old single-pane wood windows, but they all have tight fitting storm windows, which helps a lot.

    The super bowl is today? Just kidding, I'm not quite that out of it. But I wouldn't pay $5 to watch any football game, let alone a freezing cold one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ok, I guess I am out of it since I thought it was last week. I heard a bunch of news headlines last week and just assumed....at least it will be over soon. :)

      Delete
  3. I'm on the East Coast, so we're definitely feeling it here! I'm enjoying it (I probably won't be saying that when I get my heating bill, haha). Usually I'm done with winter around March when I'm sick of sweaters and coats!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Enjoying it? Ugh. I'm okay with the snow, but have had enough of the extreme cold.

      Delete
  4. Let's face it - we Ohioans are TOUGH! That being said, I am so tired of a) shoveling my driveway; b) shoveling the driveway again because a huge lake effect snowband dumped three inches of snow in thirty minutes; and c) shoveling my driveway. Oh, and digging out the car because even though I shoveled the driveway it filled up again and the car got stuck. Please remind me of this when I start whining in July that it's 91 degrees and humid and I have to cut the grass! However, every day we are one day closer to spring and the time changes in early March!! And, really, we have beautiful spring weather here in Ohio. Even when it snows in April.

    Sophie W.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you in NE Ohio then? NE Ohioans are tougher than us Columbus peeps. Also, I hate to admit that I have escaped shoveling this season. The bf is so much faster at it and has thankfully been handling it all. Cause shoveling makes me very cranky.

      Delete
    2. Yep - right next to Lake Erie! (Ah, Lake Effect snow - as our weather people cheerfully say, we are one of only five areas in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD who get lake effect snow! Whoo-hoo! So why aren't the winter Olympic Games in Cleveland, eh?) W're due for another blast mid-week, sigh. I did see two robins this weekend, which means that, well, I saw two robins. I am so jealous of your being in Columbus - my daughter and drove down there over the summer and what a gorgeous city! I really liked it - there was so much energy and we had a great time sightseeing. It's a beautiful drive from Cleveland and we had a wonderful time there. Even though it was, ahem, 91 degrees and humid.

      Sophie W.

      Delete

Comments make my day! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Note: Comments are moderated in order to keep this a spam/ad-free forum.

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin