Weather in Michigan

[TC Chris]

The rules for this category say we can discuss "anything as long as it's nice." Maybe the moderators will say I'm out of bounds if I'm talking about Michigan weather.

Yesterday the forecast was equivocal. "Scattered rain showers, especially in the afternoon." Ride the bike to work or not? Well, it was raining when I went out and yay, it poured all afternoon. Good day to drive. Today it started off as "possible rain" so I said well, I'm riding. It spit about 4 drops on me as I approached the office. It was sunny and mid 70s when I left for home.

Back home in the alley, a neighbor was throwing away an old table top that had some good hardware--spring-loaded drop-leaf props, hinges--so I got a screw driver and started scavenging. Pretty soon sweat was dripping into my eyes. It was 78 and humid. Then it was off on the daily hike in athletic shorts and t-shirt. AOK for the first 3-1/4 miles. But in that last 1/4 mile, the wind switched abruptly into the north. According to the weather site, it dropped 20 degrees all at once. I was happy to be near home.

The plan had been to toss the dinghy in the truck and row out to see if the winter markers for my mooring had survived the ice. But a north wind is from our Bay's open direction and it brings waves. And cold temps. The mooring can wait for sun and favorable winds.

By Monday it's supposed to be 90 again. This is northern lower Michigan, folks, and we don't do 90. But this will be the 3rd time this year.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

It was 109 here today and it was nice outside if you weren't in the direct sun. I worked in the shop with no AC and it was 88 inside with the ceiling fan going. Very nice. The cucumbers got cooked in the sun, their time expires in the middle of May anyways. The tomatoes are going just fine. The shop building shields them from the worst of the afternoon sun. The "germaniums" are still going pretty well, although the blooms don't last long, but they are blooming. I let them get too dry last year and they went dorment in May. I water them every day now. There was a nice breeze that made sitting out on the patio very pleasant. The weather babe said the humidity here today was 7%.

[William]

Since I'm in Michigan too, Chris, I'm not going to do anything to your post on weather but make a few comments myself.

Two weeks ago It was cold enough to snow. Damp, rainy, windy and just plain miserable. Within 12 hours the weather changed and we had 85 for 4 days in a row. On the third day I turned on the A/C to get the humidity out of the house. On the 5 day the temps dropped again with high 30's to low 40's and the heat was back on again. Two days ago I woke to the sounds of the frost fans running in the local orchard not far away. I looked out the window and noticed frost on the neighbors houses. In Michigan there is a saying, "wait 5 minutes the weather will probably change". I'm not sure I have that saying quite right, but close. And, it's so true. Welcome to Michigan!

Bill

[Firedome]

It's that time of year. But Denver takes the cake for schizo weather, they got 6 inches of snow last weekend and 200,000 were w/o power, including our daughter, now it's 80s this week. It's not unknown to get significant snow in June. In January temp swings of 50 degrees or more are fairly common there, 20s and snow one day, 70 the next, snow gone. This is due to being along the Front Range with very large mountains oriented almost due North and South.

Lots of places have that saying Bill, they say exactly the same thing in VT and Central/Upstate NY but it's 10 minutes LOL.
At least here in summertime we rarely need to turn on A/C, and I do like 4 seasons, I just wish the winter one was shorter!

[Motorola minion]

Lower Pennsyl-tucky weather never stays the same either, you can always count on a wet air blanket make even garage work miserable. Its like a jungle today, 80 - scatter showers, otherwise windless with humid cloud cover locking it in. Speaking about a fan's usefulness - LOL. It becomes very obvious how bad it was today as winds again come from the NW (thanks to Canada and the great lakes!!!) heaven here is the 60s with sunshine and dew points in high 40s .

Rain on and off next several days and I have a pool to set up and fill by monday, school is out in 1 week. It was 95 last weekend, which is usually the highest it gets even in July. Then we have that lousy lantern fly that messes with our grapes and raspberries.

Sorry to hear crappy weather happens in Michigan too. You deserve better since your winters are worse than here in muggy mid-Atlantic, at least these days. I think up north, even Firedome would agree we now have to reconsider if we're in Zone 5 or 6 anymore, it feels like Zone 7 here and new weeds appear as a result.

[19&41]

It rained here all this week and quit today. Mr. cat came by for supper and ha looked empty after having to go that long with nothing. I hate that has to be followed with a long weekend with me not here.

[TC Chris]

It's that time of year. But Denver takes the cake for schizo weather, they got 6 inches of snow last weekend and 200,000 were w/o power, including our daughter, now it's 80s this week. It's not unknown to get significant snow in June. In January temp swings of 50 degrees or more are fairly common there, 20s and snow one day, 70 the next, snow gone. This is due to being along the Front Range with very large mountains oriented almost due North and South.

One Michigan advantage is that we are downwind from Great Lakes. Those huge bodies of water moderate our temperatures and temp swings. My brother in WY has much wider swings, especially in winter.

Chris Campbell

[William]

Take Mr. Cat with you, I'm sure he would like the ride.

Bill

[19&41]

[electra225]

Perhaps a neighbor would be kindly disposed to feed Mr. Cat in your absence.

[19&41]

It's just the other folks at work. Many of them never see him.

[Firedome]

We’re downwind of Lake Ontario and mostly the result is “lake effect” snow in the winter, usually not a lot, but Oswego up N of Syracuse can sometimes get over 100 inches in a matter of a week or so. At SUNY Oswego they have to have guide ropes between buildings when they get one of those spells. Lord knows why anyone lives there!

[electra225]

We are in a cooling trend here in the Valley of the Sun. Only 99 here this afternoon.

[Firedome]

Gorgeous clear blue day in the low 70s, breezy and low humidity here in VT today, 40 miles from the US-CA border. This is the kind of weather we live for through the cold winters.

[William]

Temp here in my area was 80 today. It was partly cloudy and humid, the guesser say rain tonight.

Bill

[TC Chris]

I rode the bike to work today in shorts and Hawaiian shirt. Temps reached 88 this afternoon and are dropping. Tomorrow it may reach the low 60s. Long pants tomorrow.... Since we were going to have summer weather I drove the Mustang downstate for the weekend. What kind of fool jumps in a 36 year old car that has been sitting all winter and drives 145 miles? One who is prepared. My towing coverage is now 150 mi. and now that we can buy non-ethanol gas I don't have the heart-stopping moment 30 miles from home when it would start cutting out as it passed water. That had become a springtime ritual: the car pretends it's dying and gives Chris heart failure.

Chris Campbell

[19&41]

Hot 'n dry down here, currently.