Weather

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Let me preface this by saying I have been to 27 countries, and have lived all over the U.S. Wherever I have been, I usually have heard some variation on the phrase, "If you don't like the weather here, wait five minutes and it will change." Usually, there is little truth to this.
I am kind of a weather "buff". So, when I was getting ready to move to Colorado from Cali, I did some research. Wow.

That saying definitely applies more to the Front Range weather in Colorado than just about anywhere.
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2018/02/20/big-temp-swing-in-denver/
 
MN gets some pretty wild swings in temp too. A/C one minute and furnace the next.
 
I'm about to take a half-day and go home and enjoy this. This is the first winter in about twenty years that I've been able to bike in January. 70F? Totally going to make the most of the day. Roads will even be dry.
 
It is not just the temp swings. A couple of years ago, I came home about 5 in the morning. My street is about 100 yards long. It was snowing on my street heavily(ended up being about 1.5 inches), and not at all on the streets on either side. I have seen it snow(and rain) on a clear blue, not a cloud in the sky day. I have seen lightning strikes, on a clear blue, not a cloud in the sky days(storm is 40-50 miles away). That is why in the summer, you don't go hiking in the mountains after 11:00 a.m.
 
Texas has had the weirdest winter I have felt in 6 years down here.

Snowfall 3 times, measurable snowfall twice.

Ice on several occasions.

80 degree heat, swings to upper 30's in 12 hours.

I ran the AC last night it was super humid and 75 degrees in my house. This morning we work up and had to run the furnace it was 65 degrees because it was under 40 degrees outside.
 
We was out there last summer. Landed in Denver and made our way up to RMNP. Go from sweating down at 5-6k elevation to needing the winter coat at 12k. That must play havoc on weather there.

We say that about STL. We can have a 40 degree temperature swing in a day. But probably not as drastic as the Denver/Boulder area.


Originally Posted By: bigj_16
Let me preface this by saying I have been to 27 countries, and have lived all over the U.S. Wherever I have been, I usually have heard some variation on the phrase, "If you don't like the weather here, wait five minutes and it will change." Usually, there is little truth to this.
I am kind of a weather "buff". So, when I was getting ready to move to Colorado from Cali, I did some research. Wow.

That saying definitely applies more to the Front Range weather in Colorado than just about anywhere.
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2018/02/20/big-temp-swing-in-denver/
 
The Front Range is unique.

I've lived all over the country, and I've seen lots of things, like a thundersnow, or 80 MPH adiabatic winds, that happen ONLY in the Front Range.
 
Auckland separates the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean by only a few hundred metres, weather passes over like a land mass isn't there, unpredictable, and gets hit by big storms when they come across. In Melbourne they talk about the cool change, and it can be extreme. As an Aucklander (jafa here) I was prepared for weather changes, but in Auckland the weather changes, but the temps don't. In Melbourne the weather stays the same, but the temps change - go out in a T shirt, and a couple of hours later you are shivering, or the other way around.
 
Weather is very stable here in the desert southwest. 300+ plus days a year of sunshine. Yes summers are very hot, but rarely get wild temp swings regardless of the season. A temp change of plus/minus 10 degrees is usually considered a big change in the weather.
 
Originally Posted By: tmorris1
MN gets some pretty wild swings in temp too. A/C one minute and furnace the next.


^^^ Sounds like Texas!! ^^^

Mountain ranges have the ability to wreak serious havoc on the weather.
 
Originally Posted By: das_peikko
I can't understand how it can be clear blue skies full of sunshine and then have the highest temp reach 50 F.
Here we can have a clear blue sky and bright sun and -35 C. Clouds tend to act as an insulating blanket trapping some heat, so it's rarely that cold when it's not clear.
 
Originally Posted By: das_peikko
I can't understand how it can be clear blue skies full of sunshine and then have the highest temp reach 50 F.
A hill by a river valley on a clear night will cause the cool air to settle in the valley at the bottom of the hill.
grin.gif


PS. it was sunny and hit 73 here today.
 
You and I talked about this a bit ago...

And yes. The front range and the plains east of the Rockies is a real roller coaster in terms of weather. Mid 70s one day... And 24 hours later... Mid 10s and snow. I have seen a 50 degree drop in temps only 1 time ever in my area. Very early March 2014. Sunday afternoon.. 74°F and then 24 hours later... 24°F and snowing.

East of the Rockies and in the plains east of there... Happens quite often. Not unusual to see north of Lubbock Texas in the 10s and yet Brownsville is in the low 80s. Or in Kansas where a massive arctic front was going across the Wichita KS forecast area... Northwest corner of that area at 10°F and yet at the southeast area of that same forecast area at the same time in the morning... It was 70°F. And the distance between those locations was about 180 miles. Now that is wild indeed.
 
About a month ago, we had 4" of snow for about a week here. Today it is in the mid-high 70's and has been for 3-4 days. I don't think I have EVER run the air conditioning in February. December, early January, March, etc. Never February. We have been running it since Sunday.
 
Originally Posted By: bbhero
You and I talked about this a bit ago...

And yes. The front range and the plains east of the Rockies is a real roller coaster in terms of weather. Mid 70s one day... And 24 hours later... Mid 10s and snow. I have seen a 50 degree drop in temps only 1 time ever in my area. Very early March 2014. Sunday afternoon.. 74°F and then 24 hours later... 24°F and snowing.

East of the Rockies and in the plains east of there... Happens quite often. Not unusual to see north of Lubbock Texas in the 10s and yet Brownsville is in the low 80s. Or in Kansas where a massive arctic front was going across the Wichita KS forecast area... Northwest corner of that area at 10°F and yet at the southeast area of that same forecast area at the same time in the morning... It was 70°F. And the distance between those locations was about 180 miles. Now that is wild indeed.


The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin is a fascinating story about that kind of weather. Kids went to school without coats on a warm winter morning, but the temperature was below zero when school let out on the Central Plains. The storm killed more than 200 people. Weather forecasting has come a long way since 1888.
 
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
I have a theory:

Wild temp swings increase flu cases and upper respiratory problems.


I’ve never understood the inclination to link ambient temp to the transmission of bacteria and viruses among humans.

Here’s a more factual causation: public schools and public transportation. Airplanes in particular are nasty human petri dishes with their overcrowding and air re-circulation systems, quickly seeding germs from state-to-state and continent-to-continent. Pandemic anyone?
 
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As a liberal arts major in college, I scoured the ciriculum publication for “pud” science courses to fulfill that unnecessary portion of my graduation requirement. A favorite was Meteorology 101. Taught by a former TV weatherman, I remember one important factoid of forecasting the weather. No matter where you are on this planet, half the time tomorrow’s weather will be the same as today’s. So, you’ve got a 50-50 chance of getting it right before you lift a finger.
 
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