This weather pattern has been insane! Oddly, it seems as storms come across the state, a gap forms over Wallingford. Directly north and south get hit, and we remain unscathed. Why is that? I'm afraid our good luck is going to run out.

Same in Shelton... we get a small amount of rain... maybe a rumble of thunder but nothing else.Is that because we are in the 'valley' area?

Dr Mel said, "Here is the story: A cyclonic flow from Canada is pushing southward into Connecticut while a massive, humid "Bermuda High" sends moist unstable air in our direction from the south. The two are on a collision course, and add to that a strong jet stream now and then, you have the makings of severe weather. The strong jet stream provides and outflow which lifts the air and assists in the tornado formation."

Thank you for that explanation of the 'why here and why now' question that I posted a few days ago. I'll go get some extra batteries.

To Claudia and Betsy, I'm in a good spot too, often seeing things go north of us or south of us, or even split and go north and south over us! Geography does have an influence on local weather, whether it is that you're in a valley, or I'm at the foot of a big hill, or on Long Island Sound. I'm glad I'm not in one of those localities that floods in every heavy downpour! Still, be prepared anyway, just in case something does come along and find us.

Sat might see a few more storms and temps could hit 100 F aross Connecticut. The THI might cross 110 F.

Now tell me why I'm not along the cool California coast where it will be in the upper 60's this weekend!

Why are you not at the cool California coast? UMMMM cuz rumor has it that it's going to fall into the ocean because of the San Andreas fault?

84o F at 1 PM. I wonder if it will hit 90 F, let alone 94 F. It's a beautiful day. I did some windows this morning, inside and outside. Now for the afternoon, relaxing.

Enjoy the day!

While those of you that have not experienced the over 90 degree mark today, or the crazy storms, lucky you! I must admit, I do love a great thunderstorm, but being in the Litchfield Hills, they have been a little crazy! I did enjoy sitting under my porch watching last night, but for Wednesday, that was a bit scary and my daughter and I jumped quite a few times. Thank goodness no power loss. I know today, inside all day w/ a/c...just too hot to breathe! Stay safe everyone!

Looks like another line of strong storms headed our way. Anybody have an ETA?

Here's a map:

http://www.weather.com/maps/geography/northeastus/northeastradar2100mile_large_animated.html

MEL:

Since I’m up at midnight I had to post this. I looked at the 12:00 am midnight obs across the Middle Atlantic/Tri-State area. While we are used to long, hot, tropical summers, this is pretty deep heat at this time of day:

12:00 am TEMP/DEW/HEAT INDEX:

NWS NYC (Central Park) – 88 F/73 F/95 F
NWS NYC (LaGuardia) – 92F/72 F/99 F
NWS Newark –90F/74 F/99 F
NWS Hartford, CT – 80 F/75 F/88 F
NWS Atlantic City, NJ – 86 F/72 F/95 F
NWS Philadelphia, PA – 87 F/75/97 F
NWS Baltimore, MD – 91 F/72 F/98 F
NWS Washington, DC. – 91 F/69 F/93 F

The heat and humidity combo makes it feel like 90 to 100 F…at midnight!

Here I am up at 1:30 AM awakened by a thunderstorm with a fantastic display of lightning! I also noticed that it was not cooling down at 11 PM very much. I guess it was because we have been in the line of fire.

right now, at 2 AM, it is

Tweed airport - 78 F with dew point at 73, rel. hum. 87%

Sikorsky - 79 F with dew point 74

Bradley - 76 F and d.p. of 72, rel. hum. 87%

muggy night

Okay, I have to admit, that if it ever feels tropical here, this is it. At Tweed at 3:30 AM it is presently :

Tweed - 77 F; d.p. - 74 F; rel.hum. 90%

and I can't sleep.

yep, like a tropical night alright

PS I should add -

Tweed - winds from the southwest at 3 mph.

We're in the middle of the Dog Days.

The thunder keeps rolling...Mother Nature has gas...

Many people seem stunned that the East Coast can generate this type of deep tropical weather (hot temps/high dew points/high heat indexes)…in such an unrelenting fashion. However, most of the younger folks were not around for the torrid East Coast summers of the 1950’s…and might not have ever heard the stories of the long hot summers of the 1930’s. The summer of 1955 was as hot from Washington DC to Hartford…as it was in North Africa that year.

That is one of the distinguishing features of Koppen's C climates on East Coasts - they can generate intense, sustained heat when the flow is from the south/west. When these conditions are right here in the far Eastern USA, the Bermuda High can send monthly mean temps across the region to levels rivaling the deep tropics. The monthly mean temp (high/low ave) this July at the official NWS site in NYC (CP) stands at 82.0 F…and at NWS Bridgeport 78.6 F…..about the same as the hottest month in a place like Jakarta, Indonesia….in deep tropical Southeast Asia.

http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=S06E106+1102+96747W

No wonder my bamboo seems to be doing so good – lol.

Hello, Si,

It sure was a hot one yesterday! Felt nice and (dare I say, what the heck)...................................................................................................................TROPICAL!!!!!! Hot again today it looks like, but not like yesterday. Looks like not much change for this whole week.

I sure wish I had more time off to play around with, I'd probably take another week off from work.

Have a good one, Si, enjoy the Tri-State Tropics! :)

Not stunned at all. Just that you called it 'tropical-like' too early on. We all know about and expect the Dog Days on the Northeast coast. The Dog Days are given a special name because they are a bit different than the rest of the summer up north here. You may not be familiar with that. The Dog Days are the serious part of summer, and set up for our hurricane season. Sometimes the Dog Days are of shorter duration and sometimes they kind of linger on after August 15th, and that is when hurricanes feel more invited to come farther north. This is hurricane weather.

So you may be still into your East Coast whole tropical summer thing, but up here we don't see it that way. That's the thing about temperate zones, they do swing to extremes in winter and summer, but the extreme weather is actually usually relatively short. In summer it is the Dog Days - from July 15th to August 15th, and, in winter it is in February and is called Midwinter.

So now, up here, we do our Dog Day thing, and start to really wonder how many hurricanes there will be and how far north they will come. A lot of us take vacations about now, and go to Cape Cod, or Vermont till the Dog Days are over. Or at least don't do any heavy outdoor work.

I did a little research on the Dog Days, and came up with some interesting factoids:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Days

I have used the dates from July 15 - Aug 15, but the days are set a bit differently according to some. According to some, they actually began yesterday, July 24th, and, to some others they begin a bit earlier in July.

"The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise (heliacal rising), which is no longer true, owing to precession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813"

"A casual survey will usually find that many people believe the phrase is in reference to the conspicuous laziness of domesticated dogs (who are in danger of overheating with too much exercise) during the hottest days of the summer. When speaking of "Dog Days" there seems to be a connotation of lying or "dogging" around, or being "dog tired" on these hot and humid days"

An interesting folk saying about the Dog Days, " "Dog Days bright and clear / indicate a happy year. / But when accompanied by rain, / for better times our hopes are vain."


Yeah, Shoreliner, you might want to take this time off for vacation next year if you really want to take the hottest ones off, as do many of us.

Shoreliner:

Thats the amazing thing...the "unrelenting nature" of the tropical heat/dew points on the East Coast this summer. Anyone who has lived in this region knows that summers are typically hot and humid...yet once the Bermuda High backs in and out of the picture and the prevailing flow ebbs a bit. Not this year at all.

I know your not a fan of the cold season (Dec - March), so I don't say this to get your hopes up...but with the way the pattern looks to stay in the far Eastern USA, the very warm SST along the East Coast, I think the lowlands of the Atlantic States from Long Island/southern Connecticut southward will see a very mild fall in October and November, and maybe even much of early December.

You should see the garden...looks like Thailand in the wet season - lol.

Hello, Si,

I am very happy with this Summer so far, and I hope you are correct that the current pattern holds into the cold season. I know that we will not have 80s in January, but if the temps could at least hold steady in the 40s, even that would be enough to keep the snow away.

Summer is going by way too fast, hard to believe that I will be planning my Winter vacation very soon.

Chat soon, Si. Enjoy the Tri-State tropics. :)

ah, but not like Thailand. We see that the Dog Days are more like Rome, since the term originates in Rome.

Let's picture, Shoreliner, that January stays in the 40's up here in the Northeast. What context would that have to be in? You want to change the whole world to suit your comfort in the location that you want to be in, but, fortunately that's not the way it goes. It's not all about you, and you are not the hub of the universe. January in the Northeast should be a normal January, and you should move to where it is normally 40 F in January.

Meanwhile, we are here in the Dog Days of Summer, and wet ones. Summer has been prolonged the last few years, with the hurricanes still coming as late as November! Hurricane Ida came in November 2009.

Be careful what you wish for!

Shoreliner:

I think you have a long, long time till daily highs are in the 40's my friend. Most NWS stations from Connecticut southward have only about 45 to 60 days a year, when the average or mean daily highs are below 40 F.

As far as heading into the American subtropics this year...(Southwest or Southeast)...I think the eastern subtropical zones will be much warmer than last years very cool winter. This might be one of those cold seasons when one only needs to head to Hilton Head, SC or Panama City, FL to find warm temps near 70 F in December...and not have to head deep into Florida.

Not that anything is wrong with "deep south Florida" in December - lol.

Enjoy the week, sunshine and temps in the 80's should be the rule.

That's good, that the South should be closer to Normal this year. I also paid Maine a visit this part February, and it was actually warmer up there than it was here!

Yeah, I know that it's going to be warm all week again this week. Like I said above, too bad I don't have more time to play around with, or else I'd take another week off during the Summer. But, like I said before, I can't waste my time like that, gotta save it for my Winter vacation.

Enjoy the week, Si, looks to be another nice Tri-State Summer week.

Si, speaking of the upcoming Winter, how long do you think it'll be until the 'crowd' is on here again chirping about it? My guess is probably the late September / early October range. We'll see if I'm right.

Shoreliner, it's just you that keeps harping on it incessantly.

I just checked out Sid's vid. He da man! Great maps.

60's tonight? 80's tomorrow? Hmmmm, nice! I'll sleep tonight!

What a beautiful morning!!

Tweed:

Wind from the NNW (330 degrees) at 6 MPH (5 KT)
Visibility 10 mile(s)
Sky conditions clear
Temperature 66.0 F (18.9 C)
Dew Point 59.0 F (15.0 C)
Relative Humidity 78%
Pressure (altimeter) 29.97 in. Hg (1014 hPa)

Have a great day!

I think we have a great climate here on the East Coast:

The West Coast - has milder winters but summers are too cool (I want real summer)

The far northern states (Upper Midwest/MT. West/New England)- has cooler summers...but winter sucks.

The Gulf Coast is too hot too long!

The West Coast? Are you referring to Oregon? Washington? Red Wood National Park in the North of California? Generalizing in a statement like West Coast is as bad as generalizing about the East Coast. The climate of San Diego is quite different than the climate of Port Orchard.

I did a search to see what area on the West Coast would be equivalent to where we are on the East Coast:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/activity/latlong/

The Redwood Forest is the closest major landmark to the 41o latitude on the West Coast.

Perfect day today!

I agree with others...East Coast has best climate in the USA...hot summers for the beach...and mild winters with some snow around X-Mass!

Actually, our winters are not so mild. Our first snow is usually around Thanksgiving weekend and statistically we get the most snow in the month of March, with January and February hovering at just a bit above 0 F. You must be thinking of the Southeast Coast. If you want just a bit of snow then you have to go down South a bit, like maybe Pennsylvania, or,, I'll just bet you would love New Jersey!

The first snow in most of CT according to the NWS is normally around mid December...the last is March 12th...and Penn gets more snow than most of CT and is colder.

The East Coast really has mild winters when you look at the real numbers. I think we have the best climate in the USA - and I love our long hot summers, great for midnight dips into the pool - lol.

If you've lived around here long enough you've seen snow in early April and on Thanksgiving day, so your statement is just not true.

Pennsylvania has harder winters? Why is that?

The Southeast coast, South Carolina, Georgia, does have mild winters, but the Northeast coast has harder winters. We are on the Northeast coast, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts.

I did a search on Connecticut snowfall and found this interesting page by the DEP:

http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2688&q=322366

Note that Connecticut has an average snowfall in November of 2". and that the last snowfall in the 1995-1996 winter was April 10th.

April 18th is the average last frost, which means that there have been some years later than that. October is the first frost average in Connecticut.

Former CT resident here...
Thanks to a job transfer I was able to move from Middletown, CT to Claremont, New Hampshire this past March. (I'm not the Bob who asked whether or not it mattered that the storm damage in Bridgeport was a tornado). I've followed this blog for a few years and think it's a great resource, and I was actually the "Bob from Middletown" who posted "confessions of a winter dreamer" a couple years ago. Kudos to WTNH for running it.
I will admit, I am a winter fan, one who finally came to realize after years of denial that CT simply isn't the place to get real winters. I had been a CT resident my whole life, and when the opportunity to move north arose this past year, I took it.
Even though I'm no longer in CT, I still like to follow this blog. I think the fact that I spent most of my life in CT and now live up in the true New England climate will help me add to the great perspective on CT's climate already given by SI, Shoreliner and others, and I look forward to participating in the discussion.
For geographic bearings, Claremont NH is in the Connecticut River valley about 50 miles north of the Mass-NH border and just over the border from Vermont. Mount Ascutney is very close by and visible from town. Okemo and Sunapee ski areas are nearby.
As for weather here, we've also had our share of 90 degree heat, humidity, and thunderstorms. Maybe not quite as much as CT, but pretty close. I've read that summers here are actually similar at times to places down south. The real differences are in the other seasons. Also, the mountainous topography influences the weather here and makes it vary greatly over short times and distances. Most of CT is flatter and so doesn't have that influence.
I'm looking forward to winter since I just discovered the sport of snowboarding, meanwhile for everyone who loves heat this is your summer.

Hello, to Bob-in-New-Hampshire. I love New Hampshire, the clear water, the White Mountains. We got caught in a thunderstorm in the White Mountains once and it was awesome! We were right up there in the storm clouds and the lightning was all around us. We couldn't see for the sheets of rain on the windshield and had to stop and wait it out.

So, you call the Winters there 'real winters', haha, you should have moved up a little further! to Maine! up in northern Maine you would think that New Hampshire winters are mild, and even further into Canada! the northern lights there and long nights. Everything is relative, Bob.

Connecticut is what it is, whether you like it or not, or what you are used to, whether South Carolina, Florida, Maine,or New Hampshire - frost in October is frost in October.

I hope you are enjoying the New Hampshire summer up there in the mountains. Mount Washington is reported to be at 55o F at the present moment. Manchester is reported to be at 93 F. You didn't say what part of New Hampshire you are in, the climate does vary there. Are you near Berlin? Manchester? Mount Washington? or the coast? Berlin is 77o F at this moment.

BOB IN NH -


I remember you from several years ago. I’m read your post with great interest. I think it is very important for folks in the Tri-State area/Mid Atlantic to hear the perspective of someone who has lived in the CT area…then moved to a climate that has a real winter. I remember your “confessions of a winter fan “ – lol.

Anyone who looks as seasonal snowfall totals can see than snow in the Atlantic States falls off a cliff once you get south of interior Massachusetts. While places like Burlington, VT or Worchester, MA get 80 inches of snowfall each winter on average…most places in the Tri-State area like New Haven, NYC, or Trenton, NJ average closer to 25 or 35 inches of snow. In fact, places in the southeastern parts of CT, coastal NJ, and other regions average closer to 20 inches of snow. Many people who have lived in real winter climates (upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Mt. West, New England) …find the winters on the East Coast from Connecticut/Long island southward much to mild (if they are winter fans).

Although you might be shocked at the difference between winters in NH or VT compared to say CT or NJ…you must consider that places in New England are much higher in elevation, while much of CT is lower (less than 1000 ft above sea level)…and most of the regions where people live in CT (I-95/I-91 corridor)…is really flat and low laying. You might find it interesting that climate scientist actually reconize the difference from the New England climate zone where you are…and the climate of the East coast to the south of you. Your region is known as Dab Zone (or Cold Temperate)…while the region from CT/LI southward is known as Dfa Zone (or Warm Temperate). While both climates are temperate…winters in New England are much more severe than the East Coast from VA to CT.
Here is a good map:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad652e/ad652e33.gif

You can see that much north of CT…you get into a totally different climate zone (D). I have told people for years who live in mild winter areas like the Tri-State area/Mid Atlantic…they have no idea what a “real winter is”. As I’m sure your aware in your years in CT…there are a lot of bitter winter fans down here –lol.

As far as the hot season (summer)… keep in mind the further south one gets…summers are not only longer and hotter -but the position of the subtropical High (Bermuda High)…is allows much more tropical/sultry air with high dew points to be pumped into the subtropical portions of the East Coast (Cfa on the map above). South of Virginia Beach, VA …summers are much warmer than up where you are in New England. Charleston, South Carolina for example, has average highs “everyday” from June through early September from 85 to 90 F…with high dew points. Also, the cold season is quite brief in the American subtropics – places like Charleston, SC or New Orleans, LA have only no months that have a mean temperature below 50 F…while places like NYC or New Haven have 5 months with a mean temperature below 50 F….and places up where you are in New England might have 7 months with a mean temperature below 50 F. Of course snowfall average near zero in most cities in the subtropical Gulf/South Atlantic coast. Last year however, did produce 0.1 inches of snow in New Orleans – quite a big deal on the Gulf Coast.

So if you like winter/cold/snow…your heading in the right direction my friend – lol. Enjoy.

There you go, Si, trying to put Connecticut in the MidAtlantic states, and it just isn't. lol

Of course there is more snow on Mt Washington, and there is even snow on top of the high mountains in Hawaii.

Well, but there you have your winter fan to talk to yourself with in fantasy land. Fantasies about New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, etc.

New Hampshire is part of Northern New England and Connecticut is part of Southern New England, and they both are part of the whole of New England. Connecticut is not part of the Mid-Atlantic states, no matter how much you put spin on it. NYC tri-state area itself is part of the Northeast region. You just don't get it, do you?

anyway, no matter how you try to cut it, it is what it is, and it is currently:

74 F in Concord
79 F in New Haven
83 F in Newark

I might add the temps for Maine, where there is real winter.

A good example is Bar Harbor, now that is on the East Coast, so here is a good old East Coast current temp for you -

Bar Harbor - 64 F
Bangor - 65 F

and at the other endo down in South Carolina -

Beaufort - 79 F
Eastover - 84 F

In case you didn't notice, the temp gets lower at more northern latitudes. I can give you Florida too -

Jacksonville - 88 F
Orlando - 88 F


Now, Jacksonville is more of a real tropical climate, South Carolina is a true C climate with mild winters. The shoreline of Connecticut is the upper edge of a C climate but just inland becomes a D climate (to clarify because of differing versions, it is an continental temperate zone) and New Hampshire is actually in the same climate - D, and Maine is getting up closer to a polar zone.

Right now I'm going to enjoy whatever we get. Good night

Si,

Allow me.....



Anyone who looks as seasonal snowfall totals can see than snow in the Atlantic States falls off a cliff once you get south of interior Massachusetts. While places like Burlington, VT or Worchester, MA get 80 inches of snowfall each winter on average…most places in the Tri-State area like New Haven, NYC, or Trenton, NJ average closer to 25 or 35 inches of snow. In fact, places in the southeastern parts of CT, coastal NJ, and other regions average closer to 20 inches of snow. Many people who have lived in real winter climates (upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Mt. West, New England) …find the winters on the East Coast from Connecticut/Long island southward much to mild (if they are winter fans).

Although you might be shocked at the difference between winters in NH or VT compared to say CT or NJ…you must consider that places in New England are much higher in elevation, while much of CT is lower (less than 1000 ft above sea level)…and most of the regions where people live in CT (I-95/I-91 corridor)…is really flat and low laying. You might find it interesting that climate scientist actually reconize the difference from the New England climate zone where you are…and the climate of the East coast to the south of you. Your region is known as Dab Zone (or Cold Temperate)…while the region from CT/LI southward is known as Dfa Zone (or Warm Temperate). While both climates are temperate…winters in New England are much more severe than the East Coast from VA to CT.
Here is a good map:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad652e/ad652e33.gif

You can see that much north of CT…you get into a totally different climate zone (D). I have told people for years who live in mild winter areas like the Tri-State area/Mid Atlantic…they have no idea what a “real winter is”. As I’m sure your aware in your years in CT…there are a lot of bitter winter fans down here –lol.

As far as the hot season (summer)… keep in mind the further south one gets…summers are not only longer and hotter -but the position of the subtropical High (Bermuda High)…is allows much more tropical/sultry air with high dew points to be pumped into the subtropical portions of the East Coast (Cfa on the map above). South of Virginia Beach, VA …summers are much warmer than up where you are in New England. Charleston, South Carolina for example, has average highs “everyday” from June through early September from 85 to 90 F…with high dew points. Also, the cold season is quite brief in the American subtropics – places like Charleston, SC or New Orleans, LA have only no months that have a mean temperature below 50 F…while places like NYC or New Haven have 5 months with a mean temperature below 50 F….and places up where you are in New England might have 7 months with a mean temperature below 50 F. Of course snowfall average near zero in most cities in the subtropical Gulf/South Atlantic coast. Last year however, did produce 0.1 inches of snow in New Orleans – quite a big deal on the Gulf Coast.

So if you like winter/cold/snow…your heading in the right direction my friend – lol. Enjoy.

PS As I looked at South Carolina's weather I noticed they are having a difficult time of it at the moment, and that would affect the temps also.

Regarding the regions of the USA, again, here are maps of the divisions by region:

The Mid-Atlantic states are - New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Wash. D.C. and sometimes Virgina and West Virginia. Connecticut is not one of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_states

The New England states are - Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, and Maine, though Maine has a bit of a separate history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England

The Southeastern states are basically, east of the Mississippi River and south of the Mason-Dison Line - Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/semap.jsp

The region called the Northeast does put the States of New York and New Jersey and Pennsylvania along with the New England states.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeastern_United_States

Now, in all of that,, the commuter area of NYC is only one small little area, not even worthy of mention as a separate entity.

I used to live in Chicago than moved to the East Coast, and at times I miss real winters too. Not often though - lol.

Thanks for the link SI, I'll check it out. There's no disputing the facts.
I just got home from work (I work 2nd shift) and read the latest posts. To Guest A, I did mention the part of NH I'm in, my town is Claremont, about 50 miles north of the Mass border, and right along the border with Vermont. Berlin and the White Mountains are an hour north, Manchester is an hour southeast. Lebanon/White River Junction/Dartmouth College are 20 miles north, Keene is 30 miles south. The coast(people in NH call it the Seacoast) is about 70 miles southeast. So basically it's in the inland/ West central southwest part of the state.
Our temps here were in the upper 80s but with comfortable humidity. Tomorrow is supposed to be near 90 but then later in the week staying in the 70s. NH is a big state and I'm still learning my way around, but I know that the Seacoast is relatively mild, (but still cooler than CT), the Merrimack Valley (Manchester and Concord) have the hottest summer temps, the White Mountains have The World's Worst Weather, and the area north of the mountains (Berlin) is called "North of the Notches," it's part of the great north woods, with the most cold and snow, where few people live that extends into Canada and northern Maine. It's the domain of logging companies and those who love the wilderness.
As for snow from what I understand here in Claremont (the CT River valley) we get considerably more snow and cold than the Seacoast but not quite as much as the White Mts or North of the Notches.
Even if you're not familiar with the Koppen Climate Classification, there are a couple differences from CT that you will notice right away when visiting VT or NH. First the trees-as you head up I-91 thru Mass you'll notice more hemlocks, birches, sugar maples, and white pines mixing in. The oaks and giant magnolia tulip trees so common in CT fade away. If you go into the higher elevations or far north you'll see spruce and fir. Also we have tons of places you can pick blueberries, I just got enough to freeze and last thru winter. There are lots of places to get genuine maple syrup where you can see the trees it came from.
The second difference is man-made. Look at the roofs of the houses, and you will notice that unlike CT almost none of them have gutters and downspouts. Some have metal roofs, others like mine are half shingle, half metal. This allows the snow to slide off easily and keeps damaging ice jams from forming. There is enough snow here to warrant this precaution; with a gutter the weight of several feet of snow and ice that wouldn't be able to slide off would collapse a roof.
These qualitative differences suggest a difference in climate type.
Let me add finally that I have great respect for the WTNH weather team. I grew up watching Geoff Fox, whom I admire for his professionalism and his willingness to apologize after the mistakenly forecast "No-easter" last winter, and Dr. Mel for all his work and his brave battle with cancer.

Bob in NH

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No disputing the facts - here are the currnet temps along the East Coast:

Bangor, Maine - 61 F
Bar Harbor, Me -57 F
Berlin, NH - 62 F
Boston - 70 F
Providence - 65 F
New Haven - 65 F
Newark - 74 F
Georgetown, Del - 74 F
Richmond, Va - 74 F
Wilmington, NC - 78 F
Myrtle Beach, SC - 75 F
Savannah, GA - 79 F
Gainesville, Fla - 79 F
Fort Meyers, Fla - 80 F
Miami, Fla - 81 F

You can see there is 20o difference between our northernmost east coast and the southernmost. Between New Haven and New Jersey is a 10o jump right there. New Haven and Providence are about the same. Between Connecticut and New Hampshire are only about 3o. It is Long Island that is the main divider between the Mid-Atlantic climate and the New England climate.

No, Bob doesn't have 'real winters', as 'real winters' are in Maine, at 60o this morning, so Bob is no expert on 'real winters'. I'm glad you like it in New Hampshire, though. I like it there too.

BOB IN NH:

Interesting observations. I too have noticed how oaks and giant magnolia tulip trees seem to fade away as you move north of the Tri-State area. Pin Oaks seem much more common as you move south of Massachusetts…while spruce and fir is not so common along the East Coast. Also, keep in mind (if you garden) that were you are up in New England is zone 5 (average minimum low is -10 to -20 F)….while most places on the East Coast from southern CT southward to southeast VA are zone 7 (average minimum winter lows 0 to 10 F). So you notice the change in even normal garden plants: Many folks along the East Coast can grow Boxwoods and Flowering Dogwoods while they struggle much more up in New England. Even things like bamboo grow in many areas along the East Coast ( I have actually have some growing), but would die to the soil line in New England. Although the coldest area of the USA by far is still the Upper Midwest (Zones 3 and 4)…upper New England in the Mts. is also quite cold. Here is a garden zone map:

http://www.crimson-sage.com/images/usda-zone-map.jpg

As far as the gutters…I can see that. As you work your way southward along the Atlantic states into the subtropics…rainfall “intensity” increase quickly (thunderstorms/dying tropical cyclones…etc). Also, while up where you are in winter almost all precip falls as snow...and as you know from living down in CT many times winter precip falls as rain. Those gutters need to be much bigger – lol.

Bob, you skipped from zone 5 to zone 7. what happened to zone 6?

It's true about the difference in plant life between the southern east coast and the northern east coast. The northeast plant life includes many deciduous plants that go dormant in the winter and do not need warmth to stay alive like the plant life down South does. It's also true that we have a lot of evergreens up here, including in Connecticut. Around our lakes are large stands of evergreen trees, and we have maple trees and blueberries which need good cold snaps. Maple syrup can't be made if we don't have a decently cold winter because the cold stops the sap when the tree is dormant, and the sap starts running again in the spring, and it's that first run of sap that makes maple syrup when boiled down. We've actually done that! What's the furthest south that blueberries can be found? I think North Carolina? I know New Jersey is famous for them! They sure do not grow in Georgia, and by the same token pecans do not do well up here.

One guy on this blog planted his stuff really too early this year and had to watch his stuff when we had another frost!

I did a search on Connecticut's plant zone.

Here is a link to a page by the Connecticut Botanical Society:

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/garden/index.html

Connecticut is in zones 5 and 6. There are some interesting photos and little bits about plants native to Connecticut

SI,
I checked the links you gave me, they were interesting. It looks like northern New England (DCB), and CT (DCA) have almost exact counterparts in Europe and Asia. DCB is in places like Poland and the Baltic countries in Europe and in northeast China and northernmost Japan (Hokaido) in Asia, while DCA is in Romania and Bulgaria in Europe and in East Central China, South Korea, and central Japan in Asia. Seoul might be a good parallel.
I also checked the USDA map. Far north NH is Zone 4 (-20 to -30F, a bit too cold even for me). My part of NH and VT would be Zone 5 (-10 to -20F). Similar places would be Madison WI or Traverse City, MI. Inland CT is Zone 6, (0 to-10) like Columbus, OH, Indianapolis IN or Kansas City, MO. What's really interesting is how Zone 7 (0 to 10) reaches into coastal CT, putting New Haven in the same zone as almost all the mid-Atlantic, Tennessee, northern Arkansas, and Oklahoma. That map really shows just how powerful the Atlantic's moderating influence is, giving coastal CT a climate like that of places much further south in the USA's interior, like Nashville TN. Now I do know that inland CT can vary, the Litchfield hills should probably be in Zone 5 because of their elevation and snow even though the map doesn't show it.
Thanks again for the links. I'm into both geography and weather so it's right up my alley. It's a pleasure blogging with you.
Bob in NH

Interesting post, Bob. Most of Connecticut is zone 5. It is just along the shoreline that is zone 6.
It is interesting to compare general climates in similar latitudes around the world.

current temps along the east coast:

Bangor, Maine - 85 F
Bar Harbor, Me - 73 F
Boston, Mass - 87 F
Providence, RI - 83 F
New Haven, CT - 84 F
Newark, NJ - 91 F
Georgetown, Del - 90 F
Baltimore, MD - 95 F
Chapel Hill, NC - 94 F
Columbia, SC - 90 F
Valdosta, GA - 96 F
Miami, Fla - 91 F
Pensacola, Fla - 97 F


Again we see the gradual rise in temperature as we go south in latitude, from 85 F in Maine to 97 F in Florida, with a big jump between New Jersey at 91 F and New Haven at 84 F. New Haven is in line with the rest of New England, while New Jersey is close to the rest of the Mid-Atlantic states.

Guest A,


I agree with you. All of Connecticut is in the Southern New England Zone, NOt the mid Atlantic.

We do not get the stiffling summers of the mid atlantic. There is very often a 5-10 degree lowering of temperature in the summer from southern connecticut to New york City and Newark. I also notice that nightime minimum temps are also about 10 degrees less.

I feel New york city and long island start the mid atlantic climate.

BOB

Yes you are 100 % correct…your zone ( Dcb) is much like northern Manchuria and Hokaido…while our zone (Dca) from central CT/southern RI southward to southeast Virgina is much like Seoul, South Korea or Sendai, Japan or Qingdao, China on the Yellow Sea. Keep in mind (and it’s quite interesting) that due to the stronger winter monsoon in East Asia…two things happen:

1) Winters in East Asia are bone dry – unlike winters on the East Coast.

2) For any given latitude in the eastern USA…the East Asia counterpart (meaning a place of similar monthly mean temperatures) is slightly further south. So for example (very roughly)…the closest match to Washington, DC (39 north) is Tokyo, Japan (36 North) …the closest match to New Haven, CT (41 North) is Sendai, Japan…etc. The cold winter monsoon in East Asia brings down very cold/dry air masses into subtropical and temperate zones…so winters tend to be colder (close to sea level) in East Asia.

As far as garden zone maps…they are a great guide, but they don’t always tell the whole story. For example, while your part of NH and VT would be Zone 5 (-10 to -20F) as well as places like Madison WI or Traverse City, MI…due to the fact that cold Candian air masses drop down from western Canada “west of the Great Lakes” most often… I would bet that the duration of cold is less in your zone than in WI or MI. However, perhaps (and you can check this on the NOAA site) due to your upland elevation, perhaps your lows ave a bit lower. The same is true in my zone 7 here along the CT coast. Yes, we are in the same zone as Dover on Delaware Bay…but the length of cold events and the depth of cold events is greater in coastal CT than on Delaware Bay.

One other note about gardening and East Asia...it is interesting that bamboo on the East Coast for any give latitude including the ones growing in my garden, shoot at nearly the same few weeks as the bamboo in East Asia.

Thats what I call a good climate match!

I'm glad you know realize that we are in climate zone Dca. Next you will have to realize that no part of Connecticut is in gardening zone 7. Most of Connecticut is in zone 5, and the shoreline is in zone 6.

80 F at noon, and sunny for the moment.

Enjoy the day!

A great summer weekend shaping up here in NH. Sunny with highs in the upper 70s, but only in the 50s in the higher elevations above 4000 feet. A perfect example of how the weather can vary in mountain areas.
I don't mind summer, as long as the sweltering heat and humidity stays south where it belongs.

Checking current temps in New Hampshire and around.

Mt Washington - 39 F.. hahaha
Nashua, NH - 82 F

It's hard to generalize about New Hampshire, the climate is pretty varied. There's a big spread between 39 and 82 F! It's currently 83 F in New Haven, so we are about equal to your warmest area there.
Newark is also 82 F.

Bangor, Maine is 72 F, Bob. Now that's the place to be if you really like it cool. Columbia, South Carolina is 90 F, and that's where some of the WTNH staff are from. That's the place to go if someone really likes it hot.

I'll tell you, if I were going to move anywhere for climate and cultural reasons, I would go to Virginia. Richmond is 77 F, and Roanoke is 80 F.

Adding in some more Connecticut temps:

Bradley Airport 78 F
Tweed Airport 81 F
Sikorsky Airport 83 F
Waterbury 79 F

Taking a look at my favorite weather map. Look at that jet stream!

oops,, here's the weather map:

http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteusnational/index_large_animated.html

Bob:

I used to live up in New England near Concord, NH (now I live in Stamford, CT)...and trust me as time goes on those winters up there will get to you -lol.

Stamford, Ct - being down there in that southeast corner of Connecticut, it is not typical of Connecticut climate. Waterbury is more typical of Connecticut, being right in the center.
New Hampshire is not that different from Connecticut, but most areas are a tad cooler than the shoreline of Connecticut, refreshing in the summer. For people like Shoreliner and Winterhater, who are more used to South Carolina, both Connecticut winters and New Hampshire winters would be unpleasant, mostly because they don't have the background to know how to make the best of them. Me, I try to make the best of each season,, summer, fall, winter, spring, and I think I'm probably the happiest one of y'all. I don't get miserable in the winter or summer. I love it all!

Winters in CT like winters in NH?

Only someone who has never lived in NH would say that! Winters in CT/NYC are a joke!

I was just doing some browsing, and found another article about the Koppen climate system.

Having recorded the temps along the east coast the last few days, and seeing the big difference between New Jersey temps and Connecticuts.. I see more concretely that New Jersey is in this version's Cfa zone, and Connecticut is mainly in the Dfa zone, except for the little part that is the Southwestern corner there close to NYC.
I also see that New Hampshire is also in the Dfa zone, according to this version, and Maine is where we see a real difference.

Quite interesting, this study and discussion have been.

oops! I forgot the link again. I wish we could edit our posts instead of having to do new ones, but, oh, well. Here's the link:

http://water.wikia.com/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification

Bob:

You seem ready for the cold season already up there in New England – lol.
One of the things that is shocking between the winters up where you are in the interior… and winters down along the Connecticut coast /Middle Atlantic states…is not only are winter temps colder - but the duration of cold is much greater. I think that is what you will notice in the coming years the most. A good example is the number of days the minimum temperature falls to below 32 F (0 C). It is quite interesting if you look at the numbers:

Number of day’s minimum temperature below 32 F:

“New England”:
Burlington, VT – 150.9
Concord, NH – 171.8
Kennebunkport, ME – 159.9

“Coastal Tri-State/Mid Atlantic States”:
Bridgeport, CT – 96.4
Islip, NY – 98.4
Atlantic City, NJ – 107.1
Greenwood, DE – 91.3
Baltimore, MD – 93.6
Salisbury, MD (Ocean City, MD) – 90.4
Richmond, VA – 80.8

It’s amazing that NWS Bridgeport, CT reports only 16.4 more days below 32 F…than Richmond, VA! On the other hand…places up in New England like Concord, NH or Burlington, VT report 50 to 70 more days with temps below 32 F than Bridgeport or other NWS stations in the coastal Tri-State area. Clearly, you can see the difference between the climate in New England and the coastal Tri-State/Middle Atlantic. You can check the above data by finding the closest NWS station to you by going to NOAA Now Data/Monthly occurrences/min temps below 32 F. Here is the link:

http://www.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=gyx

I guess no more winter dreaming for you…by the look of those numbers above…you’re finally in a "real winter climate" – enjoy.

Doing some more browsing, and I'll try to remember to include the link this time. I noticed that the climate zone chart said that Connecticut is similar to Beijing, China, and I wanted to see if that is also at the 41o North Latitude then. Here's a map that you can click to enlarge a bit:

http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/boilproj/images/Reference%20Material_world_pol98.jpg

this one shows the tropics of cancer and capricorn, and the arctic circle:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/WorldMapLongLat-eq-circles-tropics-non.png

Indeed, it seems that we are on the same plane as Italy as well as Beijing.
Thailand, Cambodia are more on a parallel with Florida than with us.

Here is a fascinating article about latitude -
http://geography.about.com/od/locateplacesworldwide/a/latitude.htm

SI,
Pretty interesting numbers there. What town do you live in? I grew up in Westbrook before moving to Middletown area and then up here.
Yes, I am looking forward to winter and getting on my new snowboard, but between now and then I'm also trying to get in some warm weather activities I like-walking, hiking, biking. I do enjoy summer as long as it isn't too hot and sultry. That's one reason I came up here, on average summers are pleasantly warm but not oppressive. (Of course this summer has been extreme everywhere.) Even places like Minneapolis MN have been regularly in the 90's.
Finally it is cooling a bit, highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s. Perfect.
You mentioned you had bamboo, it must be doing very well this year. I remember seeing bamboo in a yard in Chester where I worked when in CT, it was so prolific that I thought it was a clump of young trees until someone told me it was really bamboo. I've heard it can be invasive if not kept after. You also said boxwood and flowering dogwood do well in the Atlantic lowlands but not up north. We had a flowering dogwood where I grew up in Westbrook. I'll have to research what types of shrubs do well up here. There is a tall hedge behind my apartment, privet maybe but I'm not sure. We do have some rhododendrons.
You're right, Kelly and JC, winters on the CT coast are a total joke. Trust me I grew up there. I can't remember how many times it would start snowing and I'd be all excited, only to see it change to rain and get washed away. I know the winters here in western NH will be ideal-cold enough to satisfy the snow lover in me, but not so cold as to be uninhabitable all the time. It will be colder than CT, but I've got Underarmour (amazing stuff) and outerwear to handle it.
Guest A you're right about Nashua, it's one of NH's warmest cities, being just over the Mass border at low elevation in the Merrimack Valley. It really does depend on where you are.
Meanwhile we've got a great summer night here, dry and in the 50s, great for sleeping with the window open.

I looked up flowering dogwood and it does grow well in zone 5. see link:

http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/DogwoodTrees.htm

boxwood is also hardy to zone 5:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8628.html


And now you see, there are some anonymous people on this blog who state certain things as purported facts, but very reputable sites are in disagreements. Guess who I'm going to believe.

Bob, you said that Nashua is in a certain area and so is not typical of New Hampshire, and I can understand that. That's the same point I made about Stamford not being typical of Connecticut.

I just checked our temps: Bradley is 61 F at 7:00 AM, so I'll bet that went down into the 50's a bit earlier also. Norwich is still 59 F

Enjoy the day!

NOUS41 KOKX 010756
PNSOKX
CTZ005>012-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>081-021000-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
345 AM EDT SUN AUG 01 2010

...SECOND WARMEST JULY ON RECORD FOR CENTRAL PARK...

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 81.3 DEGREES THIS JULY WAS THE
SECOND WARMEST ON RECORD...4.8 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL MONTHLY
AVERAGE OF 76.5 DEGREES. THIS ALSO MAKES JULY 2010 THE SECOND
WARMEST MONTH EVER RECORDED AT CENTRAL PARK. THE WARMEST MONTH EVER
RECORDED AT CENTRAL PARK AVERAGED 81.4 DEGREES...BACK IN JULY OF
1999. RECORDS AT CENTRAL PARK DATE BACK TO 1869.

$$

Keep in mind the ave monthly mean temp in Bangkok or Rangoon is about 81- 82 F. Poor winter fans in the Tri-State area…

Hey, Matt, long time, no see! How's it going? Enjoying the Summer? I know that I am very pleased with this Summer so far. We had (and I'm sure there's still more to come) some nice, hot, toasty days, as it should be in the Summer. Unlike last Summer, when the end of June felt more like the end of October. Very happy to actually be getting a Summer.

Of course, in the Winter, I wish just the opposite, to NOT get a Winter! :)

The reason for the second warmest July ever in Central Park is Global Warming, so it comes as no surprise at all. And, of course, we are not the only ones in the world with similar temps. All around the world there are places that are on the 41o North Latitude, Italy included, Beijing,etc. But the countries you mention are more similar to the weather in Florida.

Me, I'm very content right now - 71o F at 9:30 AM. It's been an absolutely wonderful weekend!

Here is a list of current temps up and down the east coast:

Bangor, Me ---- 67 F
Bar Harbor,Me - 66 F
Portsmouth, NH - 69 F
Boston, Mass - 70 F
Newport, RI - 72 F
Bridgeport, CT - 68 F
Meriden, CT - 69 F
Newark, NJ - 77 F
Dover, Del - 75 F
Baltimore, MD - 77 F
Wilmington, NC - 76 F
Columbia, SC - 77 F
Atlanta, Ga - 78 F
Miami, Fla - 86 F
Orlando, Fla - 87 F

Again, you can see the rather big jump between New Jersey and Connecticut. That's because of Long Island.

Have a great day!

Other temps for today around the world:

Montego Bay, Jamaica - 88 oF
Santo Domingo, DR - 90 F
Bangkok (forecast for max today - 91 F
Tokyo - 82 F
Warsaw,Poland (max-82,min-62F)

79 F here at WTNH at 2 PM

I just have to praise the Lord. I praise Him no matter what happens, but there was a special event this weekend that was so wonderful partly because of the beautiful weather. Thank you, Lord!

Guest A,


There is no global warming . Last year July in central park was the second coolest on record. I believe all climate change is driven by solar activity and ocean currents.

The best explanation is from the 2009 Old Farmers Almanac article. Is Global Warming on the wane.

You can also get his information on the website ICECAP and the website iceagenow.com

I also know they are tampering with the data. Meteorologist Anthony Watts show the official temperature measuring sites on concrete and near heating elements.The only accurate temperature readings are from satellite's . They are showing global cooling since 1998

I also noted on Eastern wx website showing the redings in central park have been on the high side in the last few months. I feel there is a warm bias in the park and i doubt it was the second warmest July on record. They did something to get the warmest July on record and it backfired on them with the latest cool snap

mj, thanks for your opinion and perspectives and for sharing some links. As I said earlier, when it comes to some anonymous poster and a recognized authority on any subject, then I prefer the recognized authority. The truth is that the controversy and debate about whether global warming is a serious trend or not has credible proponents on both sides. In such a big controversy that has people worldwide going to summits, I think your voice and mine are rather small.

Here are some interesting links about the debate:

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2010/05/16/global_warming_debate_makes_climate_tough_on_friends/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/science/earth/11climate.html

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1893089

I don't expect anyone to believe just on my say-so that there is, in fact, seriously global warming trends. And I hope you don't expect me to believe that just on your say-so, whoever you are, that there is no global warming. Both opinions have validity in their arguments, so a true scientist then says, after hypothesizing, 'We will see'. We will see the concrete fact of what happens.

So, for you and I to get into a big argument about it here would serve no good purpose.

Shoreliner:

I can see MJ and Guest A (I mean G& M) are still as bitter as ever -lol

Oh and here is the temps on 7/25/2010 (thanks SI)...that certian bitter posters try to skip over:

12:00 am TEMP/DEW/HEAT INDEX:

NWS NYC (Central Park) – 88 F/73 F/95 F
NWS NYC (LaGuardia) – 92F/72 F/99 F
NWS Newark –90F/74 F/99 F
NWS Hartford, CT – 80 F/75 F/88 F
NWS Atlantic City, NJ – 86 F/72 F/95 F
NWS Philadelphia, PA – 87 F/75/97 F
NWS Baltimore, MD – 91 F/72 F/98 F
NWS Washington, DC. – 91 F/69 F/93 F

The heat and humidity combo makes it feel like 90 to 100 F…at midnight!


Yes...we can see how CT/Tri-State area share temps/dew points/heat index with the middle Atlantic states lowlands...

eat your heart out bitter winter fans....

Thanks, Matt -

NWS Newark –90F/74 F/99 F
NWS Hartford, CT – 80 F/75 F/88 F

That's a whole 10 degree jump! You didn't post any Massachusetts or Rhode Island temps. They would have been much closer to Connecticut's.

Bitter? I've had a wonderful day!! LOL I'm afraid it's you that must be bitter because it's not hotter here as you would like it to be.

It's 73 F right now.

Enjoy!

Guest A


I can not understand why some of the posters on this site would like to see our climate get warmer.

I thought the weather this weekend was superb. The best of the summer. We had clear skies Low humidity and comfortable temperatures. I was on lake candlewood on my modest boat and it was pure heaven. This weekend is my ideal summer weather. It was a little below normal temperaturewise ideal.

I agree with you, and am glad you have had such a great weekend! I did too!

I think there are two reasons why there are 'winterhaters' here, and people who are hung up on needing 'tropical' weather. One reason is because people who come up here from tropical areas and subtropical areas, who have lived since childhood in those tropical climates do have difficulty adjusting to our winters. I have known a few in my real life. They don't have a background in how to choose a proper wardrobe for the 4 seasons, they don't know any winter recreational activities, and their bodies are not acclimated to the cold either. There are a few key people on staff at WTNH who have come from Florida and South Carolina where snow and cold are very rare. They've never played in the snow, sat by a warm fire, or enjoyed shopping for fashionable and practical snuggies. The other reason some people kvetch about it is that they just kvetch about everything and are negative people, and you can see tht by the posts that they put on other forums that are also negative about people, places and things.

We have to admit that this cool weather, 70's in the Dog Days, is a bit unusual, but, I've learned over the years that when it is cooler up here the hurricanes stay down there.

Have a great day, y'all!

Poor MJ and Guest A....still trying to convince themselves they live up in New England...sorry the maps prove CT and the East Coast are in the same climate zone.

But keep up the spin...maybe someday you'll find someone dumb enough to think what your saying is true - lol.


CT/East Coast = Koppen Cf/or Trewartha Dca


New England = Koppen Df/or Trewartha Dcb

facts from scientists!

I used to live in Canada...and moved south down to the Conn/NYC American East Coast.

Let me tell you how easy you guys have it in winter: YOU DON"T HAVE A WINTER-LOL. The East Coast has easy winters compared to the Canada winters, and your summers are much more fun, it's nice to swim in a warm ocean in summer, we in Canada have never been in a ocean before. I love the climate of the NYC/Conn area, mild in winters, nice hot summers, warm ocean waters. I'm glad I don't live in a climate with severe winters anymore that for sure. I 'll take the hot humid summers of Ct and the East coast any day!!

So true, Matt, so true. Oh, well, tell them to keep their chins up. Their season is ONLY 5 months away (if they're lucky)!

As much as I hate Winter, I really do appreciate the fact that it usually does not last very long. It seems like it does not really get going until January, and by then, we're already into the 2nd month of meteorological winter, with only one month remaining. So, by the time it really gets going, it's just about over with!

JC, yep, I heard about those harsh Canadian winters. You definitely will not see me moving up there anytime soon!

Was feeling brave today, so I read the first line of MJ's post (that was as far as I got). I'll tell you why there are posters here who want our climate to be warmer. Because we HATE WINTER!

JC said, "I used to live in Canada...and moved south down to the Conn/NYC American East Coast. [[Canada is a very big country. Did you live in the east, central or west? You imply you lived east of center? Ontario? Newfoundland? Quebec? Saskatchewan? you know that a great territory in Canada is actually not north, but Toronto has similar weather to ours.]]

Let me tell you how easy you guys have it in winter: YOU DON"T HAVE A WINTER-LOL. The East Coast has easy winters compared to the Canada winters, and your summers are much more fun, it's nice to swim in a warm ocean in summer, we in Canada have never been in a ocean before. [[Canada certainly does have ocean coastline! Check this map:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/north-america/canada/
see Prince Edward Island? Newfoundland? Halifax? The Bay of Fundy? You don't know your Canadian geography very well. How do you think the early English explorers got down the Hudson River?]]

I love the climate of the NYC/Conn area, mild in winters, nice hot summers, warm ocean waters. I'm glad I don't live in a climate with severe winters anymore that for sure. I 'll take the hot humid summers of Ct and the East coast any day!! "

If you were really from Canada you would know more about Canada. Nice try, JC.

Let's look at some current temps, including Canada!

New Haven, Ct ---- 74 F
Toronto, Canada - 72 F
Barrie, Canada - 73 F
Belle River, Ca - 76 F
Collingwood, Ca - 75 F
Egbert, Canada - 73 F
Hamilton, Ca - 75 F
Kingston, Ca - 75 F
Ottawa, Canada - 72 F

Newark, NJ - 74 F

So, you see, JC,, you can't just say you lived in Canada. That's just as bad as saying you lived in the USA and then describing the climate of Florida.

Now, if you want some REAL winters, you would go up to Yukon Territory!

And Matt and Shoreliner... you can HATE whatever and whomever you want to. That's really your problem and no one else's. It's not up to us to make you happy. You choose to be unhappy and to blame it on something or somebody else.

Shoreliner:

Your so right! They are so steamed that winter is so whimpy in the Tri-State/East Coast compared to "real winter climates" like Canada or the Midwest.

But you know the deal...they have to tell themselves little fables to get through a long hot East Coast summer - lol.

What used to crack me up with Guest's posts is that he claims to not be a winter fan, however he automatically shoots down any post that has anything to do with summer, and talked about how happy he'll be once summer is over with.

I'm surprised to see MJ's name on the board during the summer, I figured that like vampires in movies go to sleep in their coffins during the day, that he probably had a coffin he went to sleep in during the summer! :)

Shoreliner:

…and that’s really what all this back and forth is about!

People like Guest A/MJ…etc or whatever he/she will call themselves this week… is always so steamed that winters are so brief on the East Coast, and get mad when summers, springs, falls are sunny and warm. The climatic truth just as SI has shown all of us time and time again (as well as Koppen and Trewartha) is that Connecticut is in a different climate zone than the climates with real winters like Mt. West, Upper Midwest/Great Lakes, and New England (MA northward). On the East Coast from Connecticut/Long Island southward, the warm season April through early November is the longest season - true winter weather with cold/snow is a fleeting vistor to the Tri-State from mid December to early March.

It’s all physiological to them from April to late November… just as I told you a long time ago. Notice how they now try to convince themselves that August is the beginning of the cool weather – lol. What is many times the hottest and most hurricane prone time of year, is the beginning of the cool season in their fantasy world. Here are some temperatures/dew points around the East Coast (both in the subtropics (SC – FL) and in the Tri-State area)…and the Caribbean nations. Notice how dew points are the same in the CT/NYC area and in the mid Atlantic. This more than anything proves how delusional they truly are:

Central Park, NYC – 85 F/71
LaGuardia, NY – 89/71
Hartford, CT – 85/72
Meriden, CT – 83/73
Atlantic City, NJ – 85/71
Philadelphia, PA – 84/72
Washington National – 85/74
Virginia Beach, VA – 85/75

…and around the tropical Caribbean: http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/current/MYNN.html

Nassau Bahamas – 89/75
Georgetown Exuma, Bahamas – 89/73
Key West, FL 88/75
Saint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles - 84/75

The dew point temps (a true measure of how tropical the air feels) is the same in Merdian, CT (center state) as it is in the the Bahamas. Poor winter fans…I guess it’s winter in their world – HA, Ha, HA, Ha…

Matt, how much longer do you think it'll be until they have their 'guess the 1st snow' contest? I'm surprised they have waited this long!