h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's not good that we'll be into April over the weekend and this thread is still running is it .

I'm hoping Spring will happen some time in 2014.

It's happened before. In 1946, there was snow on the ground from December to March in Ireland. (I don't know whether this was Dec 45 - Mar 46 or Dec 46 - Mar 47.)

>> snow on the ground from December to March in Ireland. <<

That's a typical winter span for Nova Scotia.
But the rest of inland North America has usually seen
signs of Spring by now. Not this year.

For what it's worth here's a link that shows how many
of my southern neighbors are also suffering from a
serious drooping of the jet stream. Americans are just
now coming to realise that 'global warming' is a bit of a
misnomer and they are starting to use the more accurate
term 'climate change'.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=Winter_s_late_hit_buries_half_the_U.S._in_snow_28_03_2013?ref=ccbox_weather_topstories


~jwf~

Here's a sign of spring. The snow all melted overnight. It's still only 4º but the snow is probably finished for this year.

We've still got snow lying. We get occasional flurries just to freshen it up a little.

Here's a pic of a village higher up than we are, but not *that* far away.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-21961502

It feels like February, apart from the fact that the sun rises a lot earlier.

Another flurry of snow in my back garden in Brussels this morning. Bored with the whole hat and gloves and winter coat malarky now.

sprout

It's still hovering around freezing point, here, but I could swear the birds were singing a different song when I popped outside a few minutes ago.

My few daffodils are in full bloom but still having snow flurries

It's finally warm enough and dry enough outside for me to chop wood - I'm breaking up an old floor and deck from my brother-in-law's house and cutting down into pieces small enough to fit in my wood-burning stove.

That big storm that buried half the US in snow a few days ago
has spread across the Atlantic as seen in this weathernet.com
image. Churning 13 meter waves from the Caribbean to Greenland
from Newfoundland to Spain. Huge! That's the scary bit about all
the recent climate change events - hurricanes, tornadoes - the
unprecedented size and frequency of stormy weathers.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=Massive_storm_stretches_from_Canada_to_Spain_31_03_2013?ref=ccbox_weather_topstories

Happily, we have a classic sunny and warm Easter Sunday here today.
I wish I had a bonnet, with flowers on it. I'd parade.


~jwf~

More snow flurries and sub-zero temps
here in Nova Scotia but on the west coast
of Canada, 4000 miles away, it is time for
the Annual Cherry Blossom Festival (not to
be confused with the annual Ankh Morpork
Cheery Bottom Festival).

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/03/28/your-quick-guide-to-the-cherry-blossom-festival/

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/03/28/how-vancouver-got-to-be-cherry-blossom-heaven/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/04/04/bc-cherry-blossom-photos.html

Links are all basic text & pics and safe from Auto Start video.
Even the third one from CBC.ca is a safe clickable slideshow.

Just thought they might cheer up folks in the UK and parts of Europe
who are still shivering and (like Tav) running out of firewood.


~jwf~

Now here's a sure sign of spring from Canada.

There's 20 secs video here that starts automatically.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cans0043

The ice is melting on the lakes and fishermen
are rushing to save their fishing shacks before
they sink through. Given that there is a half
a foot of slush on the ice I'd guess that the
ice below is likely less than a foot thick.

~jwf~

That video is there on today's weathercast page
but you have to look for it and it wont last long.

Here's a direct link:
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/your_weather/details/4029/10654642/2/hits/604800/1232?ref=ugc_mostviewed_thumbs


~jwf~