December 21st

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mishawakaskirt
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December 21st

Post by mishawakaskirt »

Well here we are at December 21st the winter solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
And also one of the shortest days of the year.
A great day to curl up under a blanket and watch video Christmas movies. 36 degrees Fahrenheit here, no snow in the forecast, looking like it's going to be brown dreary start to the winter season.
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Re: December 21st

Post by crfriend »

mishawakaskirt wrote:Well here we are at December 21st the winter solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
Indeed, and my mission for later this afternoon is find me a good portion of roast beef. That's one "tradition" formed by my late ex- and I that I'm not willing to give up.
A great day to curl up under a blanket and watch video Christmas movies. 36 degrees Fahrenheit here, no snow in the forecast, looking like it's going to be brown dreary start to the winter season.
I glanced down at the thermometer in my car when I was driving back from lunch and noticed that it read 57 degrees. I managed to forget my jacket when I left the house this morning and it didn't matter. It's also pouring rain -- which is kind of odd because from a meteorologist's point of view it's already winter (which consists of the months of December, January, and March). They're going to have to reconsider that soon because climate change (which doesn't exist, mind) has turned March into the new February and December is now part of late autumn.
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beachlion
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Re: December 21st

Post by beachlion »

For me the shortest day means the days will getting longer. In the beginning it is very slow but at the end of Januari it starts speeding up and the promise of spring is there. I'm checking a few weather forcasts to see when the weather is nice enough to go to the beach, skirted of course.
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r.m.anderson
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Re: December 21st

Post by r.m.anderson »

mishawakaskirt wrote:Well here we are at December 21st the winter solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
And also one of the shortest days of the year.
A great day to curl up under a blanket and watch video Christmas movies. 36 degrees Fahrenheit here, no snow in the forecast, looking like it's going to be brown dreary start to the winter season.
Really should clarify that:

And also one of the shortest days of the year

Yes and most everyone knows what you are posting about -
BUT - the whole day - 24 hours of it is the same as any other day time wise -

IT IS THE DAYLIGHT THAT IS SHORTEST - 8 hours and 46 minutes of it calculated at the coordinates of 44.8488558,-93.5637753
And that Daylight is a COLD one unlike the longest HOT one in the summer

The longest DAYLIGHT is on June 21st - 15 hours and 27 minutes again at these same coordinates.
Source - National Weather Service Chanhassen MN

Presently:
Temperature 25 degrees F Wind 8 mph NE Feels like 16 degrees (the windchill factor)
Spotty patches of snow here and there - Santa is going to need a custom sleigh for traction unless he uses the hovercraft version

Yes a day to curl up in a blanket and watch some olde movies with a generous cup of Irish coffee although some times I make it with scotch
you know that skirted kilted thing of sorts
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
Happy-N-Skirts
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Re: December 21st

Post by Happy-N-Skirts »

I don't know what the temperature will be today. Yesterday was 76 F., blue sky, no wind. Some high cloudiness today, possibly cooler. The furnace has been on for two nights about two weeks ago. It rained a little at night about a week ago. We use our outdoor shower all year, in the rain, on cold days because the water is warm, except if it is cold and windy. On nice days we can heat up the spa in an hour, which we do, especially when our grandchildren are visiting.

We live in the desert and yes, it gets hot for about three months, but only real hot for about six weeks.
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moonshadow
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Re: December 21st

Post by moonshadow »

Well, the temp on the dashboard of the van throughout the day hovered around 32-34 degrees. The day started with a heavy rain, then changed over the a sloppy snow later in the afternoon. By the time I had gotten home from work, a little over an inch had fallen covering the ground and the neighborhood streets.

Certainly appropriate weather for the solstice... For the next three or four days, the actual length of the day will change only by a margin of seconds (thus the hours/minutes will remain unchanged) So the sun lies dead in his tomb, and on the third(ish) day... he is risen. Interesting eh?....

It's also kinda cool that the moon is considered "full" for all intents an purposes (it's actually a waxing gibbous, but still 99% full). Not that it matters much here... can't see it through the clouds. AND it's FRIDAY! I'm sure heathens across the northern hemisphere and having a blast tonight!

As for this "heathen"... I plan to stay in... take in a movie, enjoy some egg-nog, and bask in the fact that I don't have to set an alarm clock tomorrow!

Blessed Be!
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
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moonshadow
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Re: December 21st

Post by moonshadow »

r.m.anderson wrote:And that Daylight is a COLD one unlike the longest HOT one in the summer
I read somewhere not long ago that the average coldest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere) is actually sometime in late January. A lot of people assume because at the solstice, since we are receiving the lowest amount of energy from the sun that it [the solstice] would be the coldest day. While this may be true from a strictly solar standpoint, scientist say that the Earth itself still gives off heat that it has absorbed during the warmer months.

During that late January day the Earth has given off it's last ounce of heat, and from that point on will absorb the suns heat.

I believe this is why late January, February, and March feel so damned cold. I've often said a 55 degree March day feels a LOT colder than a 55 degree October day. The science of this is easily explained with the example of sitting in a cold metal chair... with a short skirt on!
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
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Kirbstone
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Re: December 21st

Post by Kirbstone »

Moon is right, generally the highs & lows of temp. tend to lag about a month behind the astronomical solstices, in that January & July tend to have those records.

Of late however, our weather here has shown some extreme variations on this, most probably due to 'Climate change'. (An Australian friend asked me what the Irish thought about all this 'global warming' and I replied that we all reckoned we hadn't had nearly enough of it yet!) But in 2010 we got a whole month of snow and minus temps in January, followed that year again by record minus temps the whole of December, from Nov. 27th to Dec. 26th to be precise. Then in early March this year we got almost a meter of level snow Country-wide, which stopped us all in our tracks for four-five days and left mountains of the stuff everywhere for a couple of months afterwards. That was the 'Beast from the East'

This was quickly followed by our hottest driest Summer on record, 2018. Right now it's 'normal' for the run-up to Christmas, Day temps in single figures Celsius, up to 45F and damp. Hardly any frost.

Unlike Moon, although I'm not working tomorrow (today!) I do have a galley-slaving assignation at 07.45 hours, which means setting the alarm for 06.00.
Carpe Diem......Seize the Day !
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moonshadow
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Re: December 21st

Post by moonshadow »

On climate change...

What's one thing that human society (culture) and the overall climate have in common these days?

Answer: There is no "normal".
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
6ft3Aussie
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Re: December 21st

Post by 6ft3Aussie »

For those in the northern hemisphere, it may be the winter solstice, with temps around 36°F, but for those of us down under in the Southern Hemisphere, it is our summer solstice, with temps (last 3 days 36°C/97°F), and the sun rising at 04.45, and setting around 18.45 (Brisbane, Australia).

Time for an ice cold beer methinks............ It's all downhill from here.
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Re: December 21st

Post by crfriend »

6ft3Aussie wrote:For those in the northern hemisphere, it may be the winter solstice, with temps around 36°F, but for those of us down under in the Southern Hemisphere, it is our summer solstice, with temps (last 3 days 36°C/97°F), and the sun rising at 04.45, and setting around 18.45 (Brisbane, Australia).

Time for an ice cold beer methinks............ It's all downhill from here.
Go on, rub it in...

Actually, thanks to the oddities of weather (as opposed to climate) we basked in record warmth for the day with the mercury hitting a balmy 62 degrees Fahrenheit. So sayeth the boffins at the National Weather Service, with a copy for the disbelievers available from my kitchen. I may actually venture out in one of my short skirts today as it's going to be in the upper 40s for most of the day.

The winter solstice (for those of us who live right-side-up on the planet) also marks the period of time when Earth is closest to the Sun (Perihelion, January 3rd, 2019 for this one actually) and is moving the fastest in its orbit (Yes, I'm in Copernicus' corner on this one, although I'll probably go to Hell for that), so we get it over with a little bit quicker. Sunrise is still getting later right now thanks to the above, but the length of day is lengthening -- imperceptibly at first -- and even though sunsets are still getting earlier as well, that'll reverse in a week or two. In about a month, there'll be hope on the horizon; until then, it's a slog in the cold wet dark.
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Daryl
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Re: December 21st

Post by Daryl »

mishawakaskirt wrote:Well here we are at December 21st the winter solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
And also one of the shortest days of the year.
A great day to curl up under a blanket and watch video Christmas movies. 36 degrees Fahrenheit here, no snow in the forecast, looking like it's going to be brown dreary start to the winter season.
Snow-free here in Toronto as well, and temperatures just barely above or below freezing. I always love the solstice because even though the coldest weather is yet to come, the days keep getting longer, and that makes the cold seem less depressing somehow.
Daryl...
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r.m.anderson
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Re: December 21st

Post by r.m.anderson »

Daryl wrote:
mishawakaskirt wrote:Well here we are at December 21st the winter solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere.
And also one of the shortest days of the year.
A great day to curl up under a blanket and watch video Christmas movies. 36 degrees Fahrenheit here, no snow in the forecast, looking like it's going to be brown dreary start to the winter season.
Snow-free here in Toronto as well, and temperatures just barely above or below freezing. I always love the solstice because even though the coldest weather is yet to come, the days keep getting longer, and that makes the cold seem less depressing somehow.
Lucky for you living on the your side of Lake Ontario - the other side gets the lake effect snow BIG TIME !
And the prevailing winds west to east help in that but not in the temperature - you get some of the residual
after effects of the Alberta Clippers across the Canadian plains if it isn't deflected thru my area in Minnesota
across Wisconsin and causing havoc in Chicago. Being diverted by southerly winds (pressure zones) the weather
movement eventually crossing Lake Ontario and moves on to tickle crfriend in New England - Ho ho ho - Bah Hum Bug !
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
john62
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Re: December 21st

Post by john62 »

Christmas Day here in Melbourne, down under, will be 27C, by Friday 36C, far too hot!

John
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Re: December 21st

Post by crfriend »

r.m.anderson wrote:[...]And the prevailing winds west to east help in that but not in the temperature - you get some of the residual after effects of the Alberta Clippers across the Canadian plains if it isn't deflected thru my area in Minnesota across Wisconsin and causing havoc in Chicago. Being diverted by southerly winds (pressure zones) the weather movement eventually crossing Lake Ontario and moves on to tickle crfriend in New England - Ho ho ho - Bah Hum Bug !
We get the Alberta Clippers here, too, but the one that hurts the most is the "Montreal Express" which cuts at us from the north-northwest and brings positively vicious cold to the region. The wind from the west blows pretty much continually during the winter months bringing an unexpected subarctic character to what one would think would be a slightly maritime climate moderated by the ocean. However, with the pressure from the westerlies the moderation doesn't extend more than several miles inland, and by the time one gets into Worcester County and beyond it's definitely subarctic with Boston usually being at least five to ten degrees warmer that the hinterlands.

One of the things I found astonishing, and it took varying my commuting routes quite dramatically and a thermometer in the car, is how widely the temperature can vary from location to location: sometimes 3 miles can mean five degrees or more. Leaving home, it might be 35 degrees, and passing through protected little woods in Northborough and even Westboro can be well below freezing. Black ice is a continual nuisance with these conditions in the winter.

What really stinks for us are the Nor'easters we get in the winter which happen when low-pressure systems stall off Nova Scotia and spin up bringing hurricane-force winds and a heck of a lot of moisture from the ocean which precipitates out over land as snow. These are usually responsible for a few deaths every winter.
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