Finally cold here in PA too. 17F last night, colder tonight. First time I've heard the electric baseboard thermostats activate this season. It's times like this that I wish I was home enough to burn 24/7. Luckily, propane is much cheaper this year.
I always find it fascinating how our perception of "cold" or "lame" winters is influenced by one or two significant events, not necessarily by measured temperatures or total snowfall over the winter.
It seems to me that winters with a lot of snow are typically considered "bad" winters, even if measured temperatures are not low. Also, snowfall on weekdays impacts us more, so a year with lots of snow, but falling on weekends is remembered as not being so bad. We remember the extremes, last year, the mildest winter on record just about everywhere, had a very cold week in January here in the NE, prompting someone on this site to suggest that NOAA was manipulating the numbers because he remembered one cold week, but had forgotten all those other frost-free nights...
TE
I always find it fascinating how our perception of "cold" or "lame" winters is influenced by one or two significant events, not necessarily by measured temperatures or total snowfall over the winter.
It seems to me that winters with a lot of snow are typically considered "bad" winters, even if measured temperatures are not low. Also, snowfall on weekdays impacts us more, so a year with lots of snow, but falling on weekends is remembered as not being so bad. We remember the extremes, last year, the mildest winter on record just about everywhere, had a very cold week in January here in the NE, prompting someone on this site to suggest that NOAA was manipulating the numbers because he remembered one cold week, but had forgotten all those other frost-free nights...
TE
