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

Last week, all of the meteorologists were gleeful about the warm weather and the record high temps. I was dismayed. All of the records have been highs, not lows. It just further signs of global warming and not something to be gleeful about. February is supposed to be cold. It's fine to not like it, but don't be gleeful that our planet is doomed.

Agreed. Looking at the 30-year average for a Texas winter I'd be happy with that, having spent so long with gloomy, grey, long, damp British winters, and if there's a cold spell I'd be a lot happier if these apartments had been built with more insulation. If that 18 deg. forecast for next Thursday happens it'll be the coldest temperature of the winter so far.

This climate change is a bugger because it doesn't always mean warming. We've had a run of winters with more and harder cold spells than I recall here previously, beginning with February 2021 and the Great Texas Shutdown which started exactly four years ago today, another one the following year (without the shutdown or the snow), then the ice storm in 2023, a hard freeze in January 2024 which made me keep the heater running overnight, and now January and February this year. We're so used to seeing monthly averages well above the norm, but last month was 5.3 deg below average. This month is running at 7.6 above thanks to that warm spell in the first week but next week will bring that down.

Come the summer when there isn't a run on them and suppliers aren't hiking up the prices, I'm buying a baseboard heater for the bedroom.

Yesterday 33/47 (actual: 32/47)
Today 37/51 (20% chance of rain)
Saturday 46/71 (20% chance of rain)
Sunday 36/55
Monday 32/62
Tuesday 51/66 (50% chance of rain)
Wednesday 24/39 (30% chance of rain)
Thursday 18/41

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -16
Average min/max for today's date: 46/66
Record high temperature for today: 86 (2014)
Record low temperature for today: 10 (1899)

h2 very wobbly again today. Unable to connect earlier this morning.

Looking at the record low temperature for this date brings back unpleasant memories. It was a Monday and the leccy hadn't gone off yet. There were rumours of rolling power cuts being necessary but it wasn't until late afternoon that mine went off, then came back after a short while, then went off for about 26 hours until Tuesday afternoon. I had no water for more than a week. I suppose the snow was nice to look at.

Yesterday 37/51 (20% chance of rain) (actual: 36/50, 0.05" rain
Today 46/71 (20% chance of rain)
Sunday 37/54
Monday 32/63
Tuesday 54/66 (40% chance of rain)
Wednesday 23/36
Thursday 19/39
Friday 27/42 (20% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -13
Average min/max for today's date: 46/67
Record high temperature for today: 91 (2019)
Record low temperature for today: 8 (2021)

I'll add one thing I've suspected for awhile and that last cold snap may have confirmed. Often when we get "arctic" air moving south across the country, that may mean that the arctic itself is well above normal temps. That was the case with the recent cold snap. It was above freezing at the North Pole... IN FEBRUARY! We hear talk about the polar vortex becoming more unstable and that's why we're getting these arctic blasts. What's not mentioned when this happens is the extreme warm temperatures there when we get the cold. The cold temps moved out of the arctic and warm temps moved in.

I could be wrong, maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe I'm just sherry picking. I'm not a climate expert, but I think there might be something to this idea.

That makes very good sense to me, but I'm also not a climate expert.

Wind chill at 7am: 28 deg.

Yesterday 46/71 (20% chance of rain) (actual: 47/77, 0.01" rain
Today 37/54
Monday 31/63
Tuesday 54/64 (30% chance of rain)
Wednesday 24/37
Thursday 21/39
Friday 30/36 (20% chance of rain)
Saturday 33/54 (20% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: +6
Average min/max for today's date: 46/67
Record high temperature for today: 84 (1982, 1927)
Record low temperature for today: 7 (2021)

I've dropped in to say that the temperature for Thursday morning has gone back down to 19 deg (was 18 a few days ago, then went above 20), and noticed there are -2 new replies here (there were no new replies here).

-3 new posts this morning

Calm conditions so no wind chill. Close to freezing though, and below freezing at the airport.

Yesterday 37/54 (actual: 35/55
Today 31/63
Tuesday 54/64 (20% chance of rain)
Wednesday 26/34
Thursday 20/38
Friday 29/37 (20% chance of rain)
Saturday 32/45 (60% chance of rain)
Sunday 34/65 (10% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -11
Average min/max for today's date: 46/67
Record high temperature for today: 92 (1959)
Record low temperature for today: 17 (1903)

20° warmer this morning than yesterday. It's going to be hard to keep up with the weather this week.

Yesterday 31/63 (actual: 33/62
Today 54/64 (20% chance of rain)
Wednesday 25/33
Thursday 20/39
Friday 29/38 (10% chance of rain)
Saturday 32/54 (50% chance of rain)
Sunday 34/69 (10% chance of rain)
Monday 44/76 (10% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -8
Average min/max for today's date: 46/67
Record high temperature for today: 91 (1986)
Record low temperature for today: 14 (1900)

-5 new posts. There'll be none left eventually

Air temperature at 7am, 21 deg.; wind calm
Air temperature at 5am, 22 deg.; wind chill 10 deg.

Yesterday 54/64 (20% chance of rain) (actual: 28/59)
Today 25/33
Thursday 20/37
Friday 27/37
Saturday 32/44 (60% chance of rain)
Sunday 39/62 (10% chance of rain)
Monday 41/73 (10% chance of rain)
Tuesday 48/76

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -13
Average min/max for today's date: 47/67
Record high temperature for today: 93 (1986)
Record low temperature for today: 21 (2021)

The airport recorded a wind chill of 5F at 07.51. That's -14.4C

-7 posts today.

The update from Camp Mabry is getting ever more slow. It took more than 30 minutes for the 06.51 reading to come up, while the reading from the airport arrives within minutes.

Yesterday we set a new *low* temperature record, bumping out one of the records from 2021's debacle, and we've already done it again this morning.

Camp Mabry at 06.51: air temperature 18, wind chill 8
Bergstrom at 06.53: air temperature 19, wind chill 5

Yesterday 25/33 (actual: 20/29)
Today 20/37
Friday 27/36
Saturday 31/44 (50% chance of rain)
Sunday 38/61 (20% chance of rain)
Monday 44/70 (10% chance of rain)
Tuesday 48/71 (10% chance of rain)
Wednesday 53/76 (10% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -32
Average min/max for today's date: 47/67
Record high temperature for today: 97 (1986)
Record low temperature for today: 26 (2021)

Air temperature at 7am: 30, wind chill 26
New low temperature record for the date

Yesterday 20/37 (actual: 18/35)
Today 27/36
Saturday 31/43 (40% chance of rain)
Sunday 38/61 (20% chance of rain)
Monday 41/70 (10% chance of rain)
Tuesday 47/72 (10% chance of rain)
Wednesday 54/75 (10% chance of rain)
Thursday 50/68

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -30
Average min/max for today's date: 47/68
Record high temperature for today: 99 (1996)
Record low temperature for today: 26 (1939)

Air temperature at 7am: 31, wind chill 27

Yesterday 27/36 (actual: 30/38)
Today 31/43 (40% chance of rain)
Sunday 38/62 (20% chance of rain)
Monday 39/70 (10% chance of rain)
Tuesday 46/72 (10% chance of rain)
Wednesday 55/75 (10% chance of rain)
Thursday 51/71
Friday 42/76

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -23
Average min/max for today's date: 47/68
Record high temperature for today: 95 (1996)
Record low temperature for today: 27 (1978, 1963, 1911)

Air temperature at 7am: above freezing for the first morning since last Monday.

I read a news story yesterday which agrees with your idea about the warm weather up north when the polar vortex heads south, BG. It also says there's another one coming in the first week of March although the NWS Climate Prediction Centre doesn't concur.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greenland-arctic-washington-nuuk-donald-trump-b2701200.html
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

Yesterday 31/43 (40% chance of rain) (actual: 30/42, 0.05" rain)
Today 38/62 (10% chance of rain)
Monday 40/72 (10% chance of rain)
Tuesday 45/74 (10% chance of rain)
Wednesday 55/77 (10% chance of rain)
Thursday 51/71
Friday 38/75
Saturday 44/76 (10% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -22
Average min/max for today's date: 48/68
Record high temperature for today: 95 (1996)
Record low temperature for today: 20 (1901)

Yesterday 38/62 (10% chance of rain) (actual: 40/65, 0.01" rain)
Today 40/72 (10% chance of rain)
Tuesday 44/76 (10% chance of rain)
Wednesday 55/77 (20% chance of rain)
Thursday 53/73 (10% chance of rain)
Friday 42/74
Saturday 46/79 (10% chance of rain)
Sunday 53/75 (20% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: -5
Average min/max for today's date: 48/68
Record high temperature for today: 87 (1917, 1904)
Record low temperature for today: 22 (1914)

The plants are, at last, back outside where they belong and soaking up the sun, which they're not doing this morning because of the fog.

Yesterday 40/72 (10% chance of rain) (actual: 39/77, no rain)
Today 44/76 (10% chance of rain)
Wednesday 56/77 (20% chance of rain)
Thursday 57/69 (20% chance of rain)
Friday 44/74
Saturday 48/80 (10% chance of rain)
Sunday 54/75 (20% chance of rain)
Monday 51/76 (20% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: 0
Average min/max for today's date: 48/68
Record high temperature for today: 92 (2008)
Record low temperature for today: 22 (1960)

Hmm.
It appeared you hadn't posted for some time. A quick look at my Brunel 'My Convos" thingy indicated you hadn't posted in a week. I now notice it indicates there are -13 new posts.

Yep. It's been doing that for more than a week, all on this page so far I think.

Yesterday 44/76 (10% chance of rain) (actual: 46/78, no rain)
Today 56/77 (20% chance of rain)
Thursday 56/71 (20% chance of rain)
Friday 43/77
Saturday 49/84
Sunday 51/80 (20% chance of rain)
Monday 61/76 (20% chance of rain)
Tuesday 64/77 (30% chance of rain)

Yesterday's departure from the historical daily average: +4
Average min/max for today's date: 48/69
Record high temperature for today: 93 (1954)
Record low temperature for today: 25 (1960, 1901)

There was also a Post announcement and a Petty Hate that didn't show up.

I posted in the "Building character" water shutoff conversation this morning. That's now at -1 posts.