The Aerie
Further signs of Global Warming in the Twin Cities, where the St. Paul Winter Carnival is once again issuing delusionally upbeat assessments of the survival prospects for the ice scuptures. In past years, we had an Ice Palace, this year we'll be lucky to be able to chill a Coca-Cola.
Contradicting their own upbeat public assessments, the Winter Carnival issued a clue that helped four teenagers find the Winter Carnival medallion today. The clue read:
On a whim you may take a swim
Or go in and out of the woods
Twixt high and low, we hope there’s snow
To cover up the goods
As it turned out, there wasn't, and the kids found the medallion encased in an artificial block of ice. Temperatures today are already at 46 degrees - that's twice the average high of 26 F, and one degree short of the 47 F record set 114 years ago. If we hit the expected high of 48 it will be an all-time high.
But remember, there's no such thing as Global Climate Change!
This is April weather around here, and it's not just a little warm snap. Temperatures have been very, very high for the past month. I've been monitoring the water level in my basement sump since before Christmas. Usually the sump is dry until the March thaw, but its been consistently full of water this year, indicating that the soil never froze and in fact that snow has been consistently melting. I'll be interested to see what the rest of the winter and spring are like. Usually the melt and flow of groundwater makes the basement amazingly chilly in the springtime. This year, I'm not sure that I'll feel anything.
One big problem with these warm winters is that the pests don't die off. Usually in the winter pests and even molds get frozen out by severe cold. This year the weather has barely dipped a toe below zero. Hopefully that won't encourage the growth of the beetles carrying Dutch Elm - my consistent nightmare has been needing to take down the mighty elm in our back yard. We had it treated last year, but still...
I had considered biking to work today, and now I wish I had. I went for a walk at lunch, and while there were no topless PETA protesters this time the weather was much more conducive to the activity. In fact I have no doubt there will be girls out sunbathing in front of the University sororities.
Or not. Usually they used to do that in defiance of the weather. But this year, what's to defy?
I dunno - but this weather gives me the willies! Who know's what's next?
"...absence of the warm surface Gulf Stream could result in northern Europe being 6 to 8°C colder than during interglacial times (i.e. at present)"
Posted by Albatross at January 27, 2006 1:37 PM | TrackBack