Whether and whither the weather

by Pat Laster

                “Goodness, how we’d like to know/ Why the weather alters so.” –Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939) from “Children’s Song”

               How many years has December arrived in Arkansas with temps ranging from 54 to 72? On December 2 in 1982, it was 79 degrees, a record at that time. In 1918, in February, Little Rock’s high temp was 87 degrees.

                Why is it, I wonder, that I seem to equate December with winter, though winter doesn’t actually begin until near the end of the month. But, the climatological winter season, according to the National Weather Service, begins December 1 and lasts through February. Maybe that’s why.

                Last Saturday and Sunday were warm enough to work outside and neighbors on three sides blew or raked, then burned leaves.

On Sunday afternoon, I took all the cuttings that had rooted—begonia, epesia, a lantana sprig and three African violet leaves—to the porch and potted them.

                Then I snipped off all the frozen chrysanthemum blooms, leaving a second set of buds. Don’t oak leaves in flower beds make good winter mulch? I went online and found different opinions, but most recommend shredding oak leaves.

                It was still warm on Monday, so I texted local Daughter to see if she would come over and saddle the red Troy-built Pony and ride over the yard to shred the leaves, thus helping my grass—cur and mutt grass, not like the back neighbor’s fancy stuff.

                While she did that, I blew as many leaves as I could from the foundation/flower beds. By the time Annamarie finished the front yard, there were no leaf pieces to return as mulch to the beds. Heck, I never mulch anyway.

                Lately, weather has been in the news, especially weather extremes. Here are a few items I jotted down:

                * The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season tied as being the 3^rd most-active season since 1851.

                In 2012, extremes—weather-wise—were:

*Arctic ice melt—an area larger than the US (4.57 million square miles.)

*Droughts were “devastating” to nearly two-thirds of the US, as well as Russia and Southern Europe.

* Floods swamped West Africa.

* Heat waves affected much of the Northern Hemisphere.  

* In 1917, Little Rock received 26.8 inches of snow from December – February.

* In 1918, Calico Rock (Arkansas) received 48 inches of snow through February.

* In 1983-84, Arkansas temps were below freezing for 12 straight days, December `9 – January 1.

* In 1889-90, there was NO snowfall.

* The National Weather Service (where most of this information was found and shared by K. Heard, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) records-keeping began in the early 1800s.

In the final page of “The Old Farmer’s Almanac Book of Weather Lore,” by Edward F. Dolan, is this British School Rhyme:

“Whether the weather be fine, / Whether the weather be not; / Whether the weather, / Whatever the weather, / Whether we like it or not.” #

 

c 2012 by Pat Laster dba lovepat press, Benton AR