Winter was so warm, but comes spring, and we get a low of 55F! It's so cold outside! Why was winter so warm?
Is anyone else getting colder nights?
Is anyone else getting colder nights?
Why is spring colder than winter?
- Thread starter CrazyConure
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we were down to 35 last night I believe. We get colder than you guys do, but not usually THAT cold this late. I have my planter boxes all ready to go for some herbs and veggies, but im holding all the plants inside until this passes. I thought we were safe for this season and nearly set them out last weekend.
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Spring means whacky weather here in the upper Midwest. A few weeks ago it was near 70 (broke some records)...Yesterday the low was 10F and below zero with the wind-chill. 
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A big factor in weather are wind patterns. Winter was mild because of wind patterns from the southern hemisphere making its way up north. I doubt seriously that March will be colder than February. What we're experiencing now is a cold from from the Arctic, but after this little cold snap, things will warm up as normal, thanks to wind patterns and a higher sun.
I'm a cyclist (I probably only average 100-miles per year driving a car), so I think I notice wind patterns more than most, simply because wind is so much of a factor for us cyclists and I've noticed that wind direction is what really determines temperature. If you notice, during this latest cold snap, the winds are coming from the NW. Trump has it wrong, we need a wall between us and Canada, not Mexico...
Large bodies of water are also a major factor in temps, for example I live ~1-mile from the ocean, so my temps are about 10 deg warmer than what my weather forecast say on my local TV, they only give the forecast for Jacksonville proper, which is only about 20-miles inland, but that 20 miles makes a huge difference. My local weatherman were all saying I needed to cover my plants, because last nights forecast was for a low of 28 deg, but we only got down to 37, so I saved a lot of work by not covering my plants. My bananas are still fine
I've noticed that the colder temps are usually associated with a NW wind, even compared to a North or NE wind and if it's a Southern wind, it's going to be a nice day. There's nothing new about these wind patterns, it's just that we are so much more conscious of them and tend to make incorrect correlations -- it's a thing called Confirmation Bias.
But to emphasis that wind currents are the most important factor, at least over ocean effects. Many believe the myth that much of Europe experiences mild winters thanks to the gulf stream. But that's just a myth and simply not true, it's all about wind patterns. See here: http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/gs/
Excerpt from above Link:
A few times a year the British media of all stripes goes into a tizzy of panic when one climate scientist or another states that there is a possibility that the North Atlantic ocean circulation, of which the Gulf Stream is a major part, will slow down in coming years or even stop. Whether the scientists statements are measured or inflammatory the media invariably warns that this will plunge Britain and Europe into a new ice age, pictures of the icy shores of Labrador are shown, created film of English Channel ferries making their way through sea ice are broadcast... And so the circus continues year after year. Here is one example.
The Gulf Stream-European climate myth
The panic is based on a long held belief of the British, other Europeans, Americans and, indeed, much of the world's population that the northward heat transport by the Gulf Stream is the reason why western Europe enjoys a mild climate, much milder than, say, that of eastern North America. This idea was actually originated by an American military man, Matthew Fontaine Maury, in the mid nineteenth century and has stuck since despite the absence of proof.
We now know this is a myth, the climatological equivalent of an urban legend. In a detailed study published in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society in 2002, we demonstrated the limited role that ocean heat transport plays in determining regional climates around the Atlantic Ocean. Popular versions of this story can be found here, here and, in French, here.
P.S. I don't mean to simplify weather/climate, it's a very complicated topic, but there are some things that are simple to see.
I'm a cyclist (I probably only average 100-miles per year driving a car), so I think I notice wind patterns more than most, simply because wind is so much of a factor for us cyclists and I've noticed that wind direction is what really determines temperature. If you notice, during this latest cold snap, the winds are coming from the NW. Trump has it wrong, we need a wall between us and Canada, not Mexico
...Large bodies of water are also a major factor in temps, for example I live ~1-mile from the ocean, so my temps are about 10 deg warmer than what my weather forecast say on my local TV, they only give the forecast for Jacksonville proper, which is only about 20-miles inland, but that 20 miles makes a huge difference. My local weatherman were all saying I needed to cover my plants, because last nights forecast was for a low of 28 deg, but we only got down to 37, so I saved a lot of work by not covering my plants. My bananas are still fine
I've noticed that the colder temps are usually associated with a NW wind, even compared to a North or NE wind and if it's a Southern wind, it's going to be a nice day. There's nothing new about these wind patterns, it's just that we are so much more conscious of them and tend to make incorrect correlations -- it's a thing called Confirmation Bias.
But to emphasis that wind currents are the most important factor, at least over ocean effects. Many believe the myth that much of Europe experiences mild winters thanks to the gulf stream. But that's just a myth and simply not true, it's all about wind patterns. See here: http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/gs/
Excerpt from above Link:
A few times a year the British media of all stripes goes into a tizzy of panic when one climate scientist or another states that there is a possibility that the North Atlantic ocean circulation, of which the Gulf Stream is a major part, will slow down in coming years or even stop. Whether the scientists statements are measured or inflammatory the media invariably warns that this will plunge Britain and Europe into a new ice age, pictures of the icy shores of Labrador are shown, created film of English Channel ferries making their way through sea ice are broadcast... And so the circus continues year after year. Here is one example.
The Gulf Stream-European climate myth
The panic is based on a long held belief of the British, other Europeans, Americans and, indeed, much of the world's population that the northward heat transport by the Gulf Stream is the reason why western Europe enjoys a mild climate, much milder than, say, that of eastern North America. This idea was actually originated by an American military man, Matthew Fontaine Maury, in the mid nineteenth century and has stuck since despite the absence of proof.
We now know this is a myth, the climatological equivalent of an urban legend. In a detailed study published in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society in 2002, we demonstrated the limited role that ocean heat transport plays in determining regional climates around the Atlantic Ocean. Popular versions of this story can be found here, here and, in French, here.
P.S. I don't mean to simplify weather/climate, it's a very complicated topic, but there are some things that are simple to see.
JBtheExplorer
Native Gardener
a low of 55? Must be nice! I'd be happy with a high of 55°F.
We've been below average for a few days (currently 26°F, compared to average high for this time of year, 42°F), but not colder than it was in December when we had a low of -15°F. We've got 40s coming up, and maybe a day in the low 50s, so that's pretty exciting. It'll help melt the 11" of snow we just got.
They're saying we may see a warmer Spring because Lake Michigan didn't get much ice on it, so any day that the wind is blowing from the east, we could see warmer temps than we typically would. We'll see...