Well, I hope all of you summer fans out there are happy. It’s not even July yet and we’ve already hit the mid-90’s on several days here in June, the corn is already rolling up from heat stress, and as usual, there’s hardly a drop of rain in sight. July and August haven’t even reared their ugly heads yet. It’s shaping up to be a brutal summer. Welcome to the new normal. This past week, the thermometer touched 95 degrees…
Now that the holiday season is upon us, Mother Nature is also stepping back in to make another annual seasonal change. For those of you not in the know, the winter season “officially” starts on Thursday, December 21st. The National Weather Service says we should expect a snowier winter than normal, but with temps a little warmer than average. This is all due to the El Nino weather pattern, which influences both temperature and precipitation in the Northern Hemisphere. Both…
If there’s one thing I do not miss about living in Florida, it’s all the damn hurricanes. As we saw just last week, it doesn’t take long for these storms to come barreling out of the Caribbean to wreak havoc on the Florida peninsula (as well as other southern states). Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30 each year, and if you live in a coastal area down south (or literally anywhere in the Sunshine State), you pay…
Well, spring “officially” made its annual appearance this past week, but let’s not kid ourselves. We’ve had a VERY mild winter this year locally, and judging by my flowering cherry trees (which have already bloomed and faded), the landscape has been in full-on regeneration mode for several weeks already. If this keeps up, old “Punxsutawney Phil” will be greeted by crocuses and daffodils next year on Groundhog Day. I’m sure the local ski resort took a financial beating this year,…
Recent cooler temperatures have had me listening to the usual seasonal complaints from friends and family. “I hate the cold weather.” “I can’t wait until the summer temperatures are here again.” “There’s snow in the forecast? God, I hate snow – I just hate it.” Let me take a moment and throw my “two cents” into the ring and answer some of these detractors. First off, one of the reasons all of us like living in this area is the…
You can’t watch a news cycle these days and not see some news story about weather extremes – both here in the US and around the world. There have been record high temperatures in London, with daytime highs well over 100 degrees. Extreme drought in the American Southwest has caused the water level in Lake Mead to drop to its lowest levels since 1937, revealing dead bodies (stuffed in oil drums) and long lost hulls of boats that were disposed…
Well, if the forecaster’s predictions hold-up, we should be looking out the window at our first significant snowfall of 2022 here locally. One of the reasons I like living here in Maryland is the seasonality of the weather. You get a little bit of everything. The pleasant spring months, hot summers, glorious falls, and of course, cold winters. Winter also means snow, and although we don’t get as much of it here in Maryland as we used to (for a…
One of the things I love about living in Western Maryland is the change of seasons. I enjoy the changing colors of the leaves in the fall, the cold snap on my face in winter, and the greening and promise of spring. Unfortunately, I have to take the seasons as a package deal, so I must also put up with the stifling heat of summer (even if it’s only for a few months). Now, there are those I know that…
I have to admit, one of the many reasons I enjoy living in Maryland is for the chance to experience the four seasons. There’s truly something to like about each one, from the flowers of spring, the warm weather of summer, the beautiful colors of fall, and even the snows of winter. Snow? Yes, I said snow. Although I’ll be the first one to gripe about road conditions, shoveling the driveway, idiotic drivers, and the overall hassle of dealing with…
“Hot enough for ya?” Good Lord, if I hear someone start up a conversation this way one more time in the next few days, I might just end up in a mugshot. Yes, it’s warm. Yes it’s muggy. I get it. Let’s move on. People often ask me what it was like living in Florida. Well, congratulations, because from about mid-April to late-October, this was it. Stifling heat, high humidity, and that wonderfully comfortable film of sticky sweat on all…