Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Flake news

That's what I've decided we should call the prediction of snow that doesn't materialize. I couldn't resist. Snow has not been predicted for us, so we're not the victims of "flake" news, yet. Temperatures have gone below zero as predicted, and today may be the first day in a string of days that the highs stay below zero where we live.

A frosty grape vine trunk.

Still, the news shows are all in chatter mode about the "worst cold spell in five years." There are parts of France where it is very cold and snowing. They're the parts of France you'd expect to be very cold and snowy in winter. The Alps, the Pyrénées, the Massif Central, Alsace, etc. And, gasp! It's sunny on the Côte d'Azur. In all fairness, they did have a heavy snowfall in Corsica. Above the elevation of 400 meters (about 1,300 feet).

I wonder if some people have got used to the mild winters we've been experiencing lately such that more normal winter weather is jarring. As for where we live, one week of freezing temperatures still adds up to a pretty mild winter over all.

6 comments:

  1. So far, this has been a fairly normal winter as far as my memory serves me (10 years). It's a bit dry still, but temperature wise, average range. If people can only remember the last couple of winters here, which were exceptionally mild, and not remember the couple of winters before them which were exceptionally cold for here, then all I can say is 'people are weird'.

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  2. With a forecast temperature of 38 degrees for one day, Melbourne goes into panic mode with warnings for the elderly and texts from the tram company to keep yourself hydrated. Trains slow down because of the risk of distorted tracks. Chaos. Yet just a few years ago we experienced a succession of days with over 40 degrees.

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  3. Am I the only one to see a critter in this trunk? In any case, this captures the feel of the weather this week.

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