Wind Wind Wind and lots of Rain and Snow with no Lasting Sunlight

We live in the Great Lakes area of North America and this year tops the cake for sure.
Spring was so windy and cold and wet that our usual plants did not fare well in the garden.
Our summer was short and sweet about one month of heat and sunshine but the sun was really not there every day.

Our semi tropical plants that we put out did not flower, they only flowered once we brought them back in the house (mid September).
Now its almost December and they are flowering like crazy, I think I am losing my mind because these plants do not flower in November let alone near December.

Our fall here in this area is a record for us...(I have lived all my 53 years here)
The wind is horrendous and the rain never stops, we have not seen the sun for at least 45 days that stayed out for half a day.

If you check any weather site for the forecast in our area, every day says breezy ( their new favouite term)
Today is forecast to be breezy with winds up to 60 kph.....hell we are way above that today.

This is just beyond anything the wife and myself have ever ever experienced in our lives before this year.
It's been years since we can leave our Patio Umbrella open while unattended ......We now strap it down when not outside to watch it.

Here is one of the weather sites we rely on just to show you how windy it is here.

I understand that areas of Europe get high winds, the UK area especially.
They can keep them because this wind and rain/snow with no sun is driving us batty here.

classic.wunderground.com...

Mods I figure this might be a rant so move as you see fit, however It would be nice if it stayed here for all to add to and comment on.

Are we alone here with the wind/rain/no sun/ and then some more wind?
Please chime in.

Regards, Iwinder

reply to post by Iwinder


I'm a bit confused as to what you wish to discuss.

You've been there for 53 years which is not a very long time to decide what "normal is". Perhaps every 750 years your area experiences bouts of constant wind.

How do you know its not the real normal?

Blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, tornadoes....No matter where you live, there is some natural phenomenon that makes it seem less desirable. Not much one can do other than complain about their condition. Personally, I'd move to a warmer climate...then again, I absolutely deplore the cold.

I hope 2014 is a better year for your region of the US....lord knows y'all could use a bit of a break.

reply to post by LeatherNLace


I live in Phoenix and haven't seen any changes whatsoever.

I imagine that over time everywhere changes since its part of the warming and cooling periods the Earth goes through. I know that Flagstaff used to be tropical as people have found starfish fossils in the mountains up there.

They stated on the news tonite that most of north America will be having a colder than usual winter.

I am so glad I moved out of Saskatchewan. I can't imagine that province "colder than usual".

On the plus side, if Alberta gets colder than usual, maybe it won't thaw out every second day. That makes for nasty driving.

Spookybelle
reply to post by Iwinder

 

I'm a bit confused as to what you wish to discuss.

You've been there for 53 years which is not a very long time to decide what "normal is". Perhaps every 750 years your area experiences bouts of constant wind.

How do you know its not the real normal?

I am not talking "normal" I am talking about "abnormal weather"
I am sorry if my post confused you but I say what I see.

When you have to chase patio furniture down the road for the past two years, have a new roof installed which now come with wind protection guarantees ( which never existed years ago) you get to the point where you start wondering about it.

We have been losing our power (Electricity) weekly in the past two years due to the wind and nothing can change that.

Trees down left and right because of the wind and the constant moisture we are experiencing in our area of the Continent.

Regards, Iwinder

The weather has been real damp all summer here too. Nothing could dry out well. This is going to be hard on the woods up here, these trees won't handle that kind of weather. They say that with the global warming there will be a dieoff of the normal fauna. I can see this. The weather was not normal last year. Normal is based on perception and this perception is based on a history within a certain time frame. The trees here on my property and the ones that have been around for a few hundred years cannot survive well if this climate change continues. It is too wet for them. They can live a couple of years but they can't survive many years of this. I suppose someday we may lose the maples and white pines if this continues. The Tamarack trees got hit hard this year also..

LeatherNLace
Blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, tornadoes....No matter where you live, there is some natural phenomenon that makes it seem less desirable. Not much one can do other than complain about their condition. Personally, I'd move to a warmer climate...then again, I absolutely deplore the cold.

I hope 2014 is a better year for your region of the US....lord knows y'all could use a bit of a break.

Thanks for the Laugh :-)

We are use to the cold here but the lack of sun and the wind is another matter.

Regards, Iwinder

snowspirit
They stated on the news tonite that most of north America will be having a colder than usual winter.

I am so glad I moved out of Saskatchewan. I can't imagine that province "colder than usual".

On the plus side, if Alberta gets colder than usual, maybe it won't thaw out every second day. That makes for nasty driving.

Makes me think of the "Guess Who" as in dark day's windy cities.
www.youtube.com...

I can just imagine the wind out there, are you getting any sunlight at a regular basis?

Regards, Iwinder

rickymouse
The weather has been real damp all summer here too. Nothing could dry out well. This is going to be hard on the woods up here, these trees won't handle that kind of weather. They say that with the global warming there will be a dieoff of the normal fauna. I can see this. The weather was not normal last year. Normal is based on perception and this perception is based on a history within a certain time frame. The trees here on my property and the ones that have been around for a few hundred years cannot survive well if this climate change continues. It is too wet for them. They can live a couple of years but they can't survive many years of this. I suppose someday we may lose the maples and white pines if this continues. The Tamarack trees got hit hard this year also..

That is what is exactly happening here huge Maples going down due to the wet ground and very high winds.
The white pines here are the first to go with wet ground, and wet it is and windy it is x10!
Thanks for your observations on your end.
Regards, Iwinder

This is exactly the reason I moved out west from upstate NY back in 2005; the weather started getting appreciably more drastic and nasty around 1990; we had a huge ice storm in 1992 that took out the entire electrical grid for several counties, destroyed most of the larger trees across the same area, and we were without power for nine days at my location. Then there was the hurricanes with snow (75+ mph winds), heavier snow, later snow, earlier snow, etc.

I kept track for several years before I moved; there was a grand total of 9 days, NINE DAYS of good weather per year; by good weather I mean 60-80 degrees, mild breeze, no thunderstorms or blizzards.

In my area, spring meant a few nice days, then pollen season, then T-storm season, high humidity and bugs. The fall could be nice but it was short-lived and winter set in by Halloween and didn't end until Mother's Day. Housing there is cheap but you pay big time for heating and cooling costs, not to mention salted cars, depreciation and the ever-present black ice problem where you take your life in your hands driving anywhere 6-7 months of the year.

I moved and never looked back; I prefer either the rain and gorgeous summers of the Pacific NW, or San Diego and environs if I can afford it.

Iwinder

The wind is horrendous and the rain never stops, we have not seen the sun for at least 45 days that stayed out for half a day.

Sounds like British Columbia weather year round lol

reply to post by Iwinder


Here is some climate information for the area of Port Huron, Michigan:

The effect of Lake Huron on Port Huron's climate is particularly strong during periods of northerly winds. Under these conditions, the long trajectory of the air over Lake Huron gives Port Huron cooler summer temperatures, while increased snow shower activity may accompany the milder fall and early winter temperatures. With light southwesterly winds, a localized lake breeze may be nearly as effective in giving Port Huron cooler summer temperatures. The lake effect, caused by the prevailing westerly winds blowing over Lake Michigan, often produces cloudiness which extends across Michigan's entire Lower Peninsula, modifying fall and early winter temperatures. Diminished wind speeds or winds which do not traverse large unfrozen lakes often produce clearing skies and the colder temperatures expected at continental locations.

Because the day-to-day weather is controlled by the movement of pressure systems across the nation, this area seldom experiences prolonged periods of hot, humid weather in the summer or extreme cold during the winter. Long term wind and humidity records are not available for this location, but these data should be similar to the following values which were observed at the National Weather Service Office in Flint. The prevailing wind is south-westerly, averaging 10 mph. The strongest one-minute wind speed, 81 mph, was recorded for May 1956. The average 1 P.M. relative humidity varies from 55% for May to 74% for December, and averages 62% annually.

climate.geo.msu.edu...


^For your consideration OP.

More information can be found at the link.

I have no doubts concerning the validity of your personal observations. The increasingly sporadic flow of the jet-stream could have absolutely contributed to some of the regional climate anomalies you're experiencing, and will more than likely continue to do so; Not only in your area, but across the globe.

reply to post by iunlimited491


Your post is very much appreciated, if you look at the long term forecast you will see there is no possibility
of a sunny day in the next week and a half.

This has been going on for almost the past two months.
Again thanks for your post and your link you so kindly provided.
Regards, Iwinder

reply to post by Iwinder


Sounds like perfect weather for a wind turbine,at least you wont have to worry about relying on power companies and regular blackouts. And with all the rain, your water tanks wont be getting low.
Take advantage of conditions and make them work for you . I dont like the idea of no sunlight though

I think bad weather will be the norm from now on.

I think bad weather will be the norm from now on.

12voltz
reply to post by Iwinder

 

Sounds like perfect weather for a wind turbine,at least you wont have to worry about relying on power companies and regular blackouts. And with all the rain, your water tanks wont be getting low.
Take advantage of conditions and make them work for you . I dont like the idea of no sunlight though

We can do grey/ gray days here with the best of them.........but not for two months straight with high winds.

Yeah it sucks. thanks for posting

Regards, Iwinder

reply to post by Iwinder


Not suggesting you are experiencing This
But its an interesting read .
A few days without sun has negative affects on me, but luckily this changing climate( self inflicted or cyclic ,whatever your chosen belief) has given us hotter than normal conditions for most of the year. hot days and wild storms .just right

reply to post by Iwinder


I live in the Upper Peninsula of michigan, stuck between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan What great lake are you around?