A nice early winter
If there's one thing I've learned about blogging, it's that if you have nothing else to say, you can always comment on the weather (especially when you're a weather geek like me). It's the Old Faithful of blog topics. So, kindly indulge me as I gripe about the strange summer we've had.
When last we broached the subject, it was July and it was uncomfortably hot. It wasn't hot like back in DC, but it felt just as uncomfortable because whereas everything back home is air-conditioned, basically the only place that is air-conditioned here is my office. (Seriously--most offices in Switzerland don't have air conditioning, but I work in a newer building where the windows don't open so we're the exception.) I had fun playing around on Weather Underground and discovered that there were 11 days in July that were over 90F/32C (probably more than we had had in the previous two years combined), the average high was 87F/30C, one day got as high as 96F/36C, and it only rained on 9 days--mostly heat-related thunderstorms.
Needless to say, we were dreading the arrival of August. And we were quite right to dread August--not because it ended up being as hot as July, but rather because it was as cold and wet as a typical October. The average high has 70F/21C (and I'll bet today brings that even lower) and the warmest day was 78F/25C. That's right, it's August and it never once hit 80 degrees. We've had several lows in the 40s, and I've walked Grady in the morning wearing fleece. Worst of all, we've had 26 days with rain or fog, and only 5--five!--days in the whole month with no moisture. In August!
Maybe this is the native Southern California in me, but is it too much to ask for a few weeks of temperatures in the mid-80s with no rain or humidity? Are the only summer meteorological settings either "incinerator" or "meat cooler"? Who can I talk to about this?
[And just for the record, when we get to Spain next week and it's hot--today's forecast in Sevilla was 104F/40C--I have every intention of complaining about that as well. Forewarned is forearmed...]
When last we broached the subject, it was July and it was uncomfortably hot. It wasn't hot like back in DC, but it felt just as uncomfortable because whereas everything back home is air-conditioned, basically the only place that is air-conditioned here is my office. (Seriously--most offices in Switzerland don't have air conditioning, but I work in a newer building where the windows don't open so we're the exception.) I had fun playing around on Weather Underground and discovered that there were 11 days in July that were over 90F/32C (probably more than we had had in the previous two years combined), the average high was 87F/30C, one day got as high as 96F/36C, and it only rained on 9 days--mostly heat-related thunderstorms.
Needless to say, we were dreading the arrival of August. And we were quite right to dread August--not because it ended up being as hot as July, but rather because it was as cold and wet as a typical October. The average high has 70F/21C (and I'll bet today brings that even lower) and the warmest day was 78F/25C. That's right, it's August and it never once hit 80 degrees. We've had several lows in the 40s, and I've walked Grady in the morning wearing fleece. Worst of all, we've had 26 days with rain or fog, and only 5--five!--days in the whole month with no moisture. In August!
Maybe this is the native Southern California in me, but is it too much to ask for a few weeks of temperatures in the mid-80s with no rain or humidity? Are the only summer meteorological settings either "incinerator" or "meat cooler"? Who can I talk to about this?
[And just for the record, when we get to Spain next week and it's hot--today's forecast in Sevilla was 104F/40C--I have every intention of complaining about that as well. Forewarned is forearmed...]
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