penandpatience

WRITERS WORDS: “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” – Mark Twain, American Writer

FEBRUARY 2023 MONTHLY MUSING

THE WEATHER – FRIGHTFUL & DELIGHTFUL

Earth’s weather, wherever we live, changes every day. Weather is mostly determined by locations: country, state, towns, cities where we reside. Most often, it’s the winter months many folks find challenging.

“Weather can be defined as the atmospheric conditions over relatively short periods of time—from seconds to a few years. Climate is the average and range of weather events over longer periods from decades to centuries – or longer.” (Old Famers Almanac-2023 Special Edition)

Earth’s weather conditions are many: Blizzards, Frost, Snow, Rainbows, Rain, Hail, Tornadoes, Drought, Hurricanes, Thunderstorms, Lightning, Sleet and fog.  Ah, yes, and much appreciated sunshine. And weather doesn’t just happen. Over the years, many scientific disciplines have been studied and utilized over centuries to assist in making long-range predictions. An interesting fact: “We believe that nothing in the universe happens haphazardly, that there is a cause-and-effect pattern to all phenomena. However, although neither we nor any other forecasters have yet gained sufficient insight into the mysteries of the universe to predict the weather with total accuracy, our results are almost always very close to our traditional 80 percent. (Old Farmer Almanac-2023 Special Edition)

I muse…Sometimes weather influences human moodiness. If you’re a jogger in a very hot, humid summer in the southern and western regions, U.S. A., you may become grouchy about postponing a planned, beneficial exercise. And if you’re an outdoor winter sportsperson in the northern U.S.A regions, and an overly heavy, snowy, slippery mess clogs highways and resorts, you may become crabby when a planned event is postponed. And for this former golfer, having your league play cancelled because of a heavy rainfall, is a total “bummer.”  It’s also been said that wind may have a negative effect on our moods in spring and summer versus fall and winter.

Here are a few interesting/fun weather facts:

·       The naming of hurricane and tropical storms officially began in 1953.

·       Fire whirls are tornadoes made of fire caused by wildfires.

·       Every second around 100 lightning bolts strike the earth.

·       The fastest speed a falling raindrop can hit you is 18mph.

·       The country most affected by tornadoes is the USA which faces an average 1200 tornadoes each year. (UGH!)

I believe weather does affect many folks’ moods. However, if it’s raining and you usually take a daily walk, open an umbrella, wear a raincoat and go for it!  If your winter event was cancelled because of severe, inclement weather, have a couple of hot toddies by the home fireplace and watch an old, favorite movie for the eighth time.

I can’t help but recall my former, deceased mother-in-law’s words of wisdom: “It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, you can’t control the weather.”

Last year, 2022 and the beginning of 2023 have been fraught with horrific, damaging, and destructive weather events. (i.e., Hurricane IAN and winter heavy snows/floodings)

I note February 2, 2023, is National Groundhog Day (see former musings on the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney) Let’s hope the beloved and celebrated groundhog does not see his shadow and toughs-it-out outside heralding an early Spring.

REMEMBER – SAFETY FIRST THIS WINTER!