Anyone Noticed the Weather?

Is it just me or has the weather gotten more severe over the past few years. We've been in our current house for almost 20 years now. It is just in about the past 5 years that we started getting ponds out by the chicken coop when it rains enough. Never saw them before.

Overall, it seems that we are constantly hearing about floods all over the place. Areas that have never flooded before suddenly have houses under water.

Had another batch of thunder storms roll through here last night. Lightning and thunder crashing, it sounded like it was right on top of us. Seems to me that, when I was a kid, such explosive storms were rare. I think this is our third this year.

I've thought it seems that way too. Everything seems more sever. It can't just rain, it has to pour and it can't just be sunny, it has to be HOT. Just look at poor Slave Lake, first they burn up and then flood out.

We had a few very dry years since we moved here 9 years ago, but the last two have been wet. The moisture doesn't stay to make puddles as we live on a huge gravel pit. We now have a lawn that needs mowing at least twice a month instead of once or twice yearly. We have grass for the cows where none grew before. The beans struggled this summer and had to be replanted. It is July which is traditionally hot and dry, but over night it rained.

It is a common misconception that global warming means everything gets a few degrees warmer. What global warming does is destabilize weather patterns and cause more extreme weather occurrences both in frequency and degree.
What has been recently found that is that the change is happening much faster than was originally expected. Sadly it will get worst over time not better. This trend is well documented and supported by research, unfortunately special interest groups like to keep the debate going.
There is abundant reading on this topic and it does tend to be controversial.

I agree, those studies make good reading.

I was just curious about other people's personal observations.

It seems to go in cycles ever 8 years or so and yes the weather is getting more severe, when ther is drought there is bad drought when there is rain it seems to never stop when there is snow there seems to be more than last year. I think in a couple years it will turn around and we will be praying for rain here anyway

Everything to do with weather has been extreme this year, beginning with the extremely long and harsh cold snap in February.
Hmmm...countdown to the end of the world as we know it?? Those clever Mayans may have had their reasons to discontinue their calendar!

Another thunder storm here last night. I could see it coming as I shut in the birds. Clouds ending in a line of just pale grey.

I'm thinking, "Uh oh, that could be rain so thick it's obscuring the clouds." Raced to shut the doors as it got closer and closer. Finished just as it started, then I'm racing to the house in a torrent. You'd think I'd been standing in the shower with my clothes on.

Well we have had our share of extreme weather here in Manitoba and although it seldom made the news we understand how you feel .Global warming ? not a believer in that myself , seems like a huge cash cow that everyone is jumping onto and getting rich on .Our weather where I live was really wet in the begining of the year , but now the ground is cracked and I'm watering the garden every day .....which around here is a normal year ! but I'll take normal over extreme any day ............my thoughts

a horrible thunderstorm and downpour last night.. when I hit the feathers about 10 it was clear... no sign of a storm or anything so I didnt lock anything up.. about midnight I woke up to lightning and thunder... I thought the furnace had started but the sound was rain on the roof..... we were getting pretty dry around here and needed rain.... but first the hail storm and then this downpour??? Its no wonder I dont put in a garden... I had planted some " giant " pumpkins and they are beat into the ground... guess I will have to trade eggs n chickens for veggies this year... * sigh *

We had our first rain last night in weeks. I had just turned the ducklings and their adoptive goose out for free range yesterday so was out moving them into a safe pen when it started. Took me all on 1 minute to get them in and get to the house, and I was soaked. By the time we finished bed time stories it was over...

As far as I am concerned Global warming has been around for thousands of years and is a natural event. If we think that this is bad then we will be in for a surprise because the planet has been through much worse in the past. Personally I think that much of this natural disaster stuff is a wake up call from GOD to remind us how much of a nothing that we are and how much that we actually rely on him and then when we do and trust in him maybe things will calm down . Just my 2 cents worth.

Oh yes, I think the climate is constantly changing. This planet works on a schedule that our pitiful short insignificant lives cannot comprehend.

Dan Smith wrote:As far as I am concerned Global warming has been around for thousands of years and is a natural event. If we think that this is bad then we will be in for a surprise because the planet has been through much worse in the past.

I am afraid I tend to agree with Dan. I remember in the 70s when they were concerned about the next Ice Age coming!

We had a frost here last Friday that did in all my tomatos, squash, melons and burned the potatos pretty good! My first try at a Canadian garden in over 11 years is a dismal failure because of the crappy weather. We have only been getting to the mid 20s here and usually we are in the 30s by now. What is a self confessed lizard to do in all this cold, wet weather?!

I really hope for more and more and more !

Dan Smith wrote:Personally I think that much of this natural disaster stuff is a wake up call from GOD to remind us how much of a nothing that we are and how much that we actually rely on Him and then when we do and trust in Him maybe things will calm down . Just my 2 cents worth.

I agree.
This morning we got another big thunderstorm, yes @ 9.30AM. Isn't that weird?
And to be honest, I have never been so scared for it as this morning. It was right on top of us. And LOUD!
The power went of, now the generator is running.
We were also without power during a thunderstorm Monday night. It went back on at about 2am. As long as the generator runs, we can not use much power, so all the heatlamps went out, we had no choice. Next morning, 3 cute little chicks dead I feel bad about it,
now they are the only ones with a heatlamp. Don't want to take the risk of losing more chickens.

My favourite is since we have been here June 09, all I hear is 'it's an unusual year'.

My dog thinks it's going to storm shortly...

Around here at this time of year it should be 30-30+ degrees yet every day I'm dodging rainstorms. It's thundering out again right now as I type (my poor dog Rosie HATES it!) yet it was beautiful and sunny earlier.

Dan Smith wrote:As far as I am concerned Global warming has been around for thousands of years and is a natural event. If we think that this is bad then we will be in for a surprise because the planet has been through much worse in the past. Personally I think that much of this natural disaster stuff is a wake up call from GOD to remind us how much of a nothing that we are and how much that we actually rely on him and then when we do and trust in him maybe things will calm down . Just my 2 cents worth.

Good point Dan ! How quickly we forget the past and just look at the present ! Although I don't believe all that they write about past history , there are some facts that stick out and as such they are more then showing us if we look and read that the world has taken some real changes in the past ! Our weather right now might be totally different next year , so write down these days that seem "" strange "' so that later on in life you can look back and see that it has happened before , just took a long time to come around again .And as Dan said ..........read the book !

On July 13th, 2003 we were afraid to go on the 25 back acers here. We were even afraid to sent the horse back there less her shoes raise a spark on a rock. The fields and forests around us were drier than dry. Two weeks later someone ground a cigarette into the ground 20 kilometers away. About 3 days later every living creature ran from the fire resulting from that carelessly snuffed cigarette. Not all creatures survived although no human lives were lost, but many people living in that 20 kilometers between where we live and the starting point of the fire had their lives changed forever. Some lost homes, and vehicles, but everybody lost something. Some of our neighbours moved to start again in another community and some moved here to make a new start.

We have had dry years since. One summer helicopters came and went constantly from next door where there is a good landing field. There was a fire a few kilometers away. One summer night we watched planes drop retardant on a mountain top acroos the valley. The last two years thankfully have been moist.

God reminded us that we are nothing in 2003. We were helpless against a wind that was strong and hot like a blow torch. I remember standing by my truck near Bridge Lake and looking back over the North Thompson Valley which billowed with smoke.

Rosewood, what an incredible picture you painted, to view with our mind'e eye. I recall that year, and a few others, up more north than we we lived in the southwest coast. Horrific and hot fires. Last year was the first year for us to experience a dry climate. I think we brought the moisture from the coast with us, this year seems to be moist too. We have had rains like I never dreamed could exist off and on. Particularly last night when I was putting the chickens away, thunder, lightening, big, big booming and then the very heavens opened up and let loose their burden. It rained like I thought the world was coming to an end, for about 10 minutes, then stopped and carried on and off, lightly for yet another hour. A friend told me that they had hail up the mountain, not far from our place. We are low, in a valley, the heat get trapped in here me thinks. Have a wonderful and great day, CynthiaM.

Rosewood, what an incredible picture you painted, to view with our mind'e eye. I recall that year, and a few others, up more north than we we lived in the southwest coast. Horrific and hot fires. Last year was the first year for us to experience a dry climate. I think we brought the moisture from the coast with us, this year seems to be moist too. We have had rains like I never dreamed could exist off and on. Particularly last night when I was putting the chickens away, thunder, lightening, big, big booming and then the very heavens opened up and let loose their burden. It rained like I thought the world was coming to an end, for about 10 minutes, then stopped and carried on and off, lightly for yet another hour. A friend told me that they had hail up the mountain, not far from our place. We are low, in a valley, the heat get trapped in here me thinks. Have a wonderful and great day, CynthiaM.

We had been in a drought for so long, these rain storms are hard to imagine. We had that same kind of storm last night, over 1/2 inch of rain in just a few minutes, with booming thunder and flashing lightning. Yikes, I was on the phone and it snapped and cut off, scared the heck out of me!!!
The mosquitos are small, hungry and very vicious, and for the second year in a row, no bees or wasps to speak of. It has been so cold at night, usually it drops down to 8 or 9.
I am guessing another year of not very many tomatoes or pumpkins etc.
So far the garden and crops are very lush, and I keep thinking how good all this rain must be for the trees, and of course if you were a duck or a goose, it is heaven!!

Rosewood we missed that by a year but wow it takes your breath away to see all those charred trees. We lived in Westsyde and friends who live up by the ferry were only a few kms from the edge of that so we took a trail ride up there and wow it must have been terrifying.

This year we had so much snow that the fields are about a month behind last year and now that the pasture is growing it won't stop pouring rain, hailing and just miserable so now not sure how the hay crop is going to be this year. It could be a scramble to find hay this winter if this doesn't end soon. My ducks are ecstatic about this weather. As dark and dreary as it is it's hard not to smile at them quacking and just in heaven enjoying all that marshy mucky mess I do wish my boots wouldn't get stuck in the ground when I go to fetch my ponies in from the field though yuck! I would also like my kids to go outside and stay outside instead of constantly turning my floors into a mess as the skies open up yet again and bring them in at a run Grrrr!! How am I to get my new waterfowl pen built with this horrendous cold and rain!!!!! Ok done my rant now

Sky opened up again early this morning and the weather network had been saying that we were supposed to be done with the rain for a day or two. Thunder and lightning crashing, pouring rain.

My wife was NOT happy. She had hung out a wash based on what the weather had promised.

Fowler, isn't it amazing how far apart we live but are having some of the same weather. When we went to bed last night there was not a could in the sky, I hung some sheets up to dry over night. Early this morning it was pouring, thunder, lightning, yikes!!!
We are getting some heat now, and also seeing some bees around. Already 20 here and has been for about an hour.Very muggy, which we really aren't used to, and of course that is when we get those big wicked boomers!!