It's been very rainy and windy in Pennsylvania for the past few days... I actually like rainy days so I'm okay with it.

"...rainy days and Mondays..."

Yesterday's 64F/18C was good enough to set the all-time record high for the date here. Today also dawned sunny but it's not nearly as warm. I did manage to see the International Space Station last evening and hope the clouds hold off until tonight.

Almost all our snow is gone now. But not to worry; more is in the forecast for Saturday. Nice way to welcome spring here in the Northland.

" ... always get me down ... "

And 'though I love how Karen Carpenter sang this pretty, yet somewhat mournful, song (btw, this was around four decades ago, and one where she sings whilst drumming), I have to admit, I do enjoy the rain from time-to-time. (See my last paragraph.)

So glad you're finally getting a clear spell, stargazer. Enjoy that beautiful stargazing.

I could ditto the first couple of sentences in your second paragraph for our area too, 'gazer. This is March: we should be getting some final spring whoppers of snowstorms instead of 10-13° above the average temperature for this time of year, which is around 3C/37F. We are currently sitting at *gasp* 15C/59F, and tomorrow the ol' mercury is supposed to reach 16C/nearly 61F! Really, almost unheard of for March in southern Ontario! After a very rainy and gloomy (but cozy) three or four days recently, the skies are clearing and my, that sun feels warm. Almost too warm for my liking. (Wups, I made an error in my last post: 14C isn't 59F; it's 57F.) The longer range forecast for next week, however, is for more seasonable temperatures, possibly with some flurries. The final vestiges of winter ...

kittengirl, even though tornadoes are rare in our area, they are more common than hurricanes. Both are scary, to be sure.

It sounds like you live in a similar climate as I do, Pyxis.

How is that ice jam situation, wolfloversk? And you enjoy bird-watching? Lovely! I saw my first spring robin, cardinal (one of my favourite birds), and red-winged blackbird the other day. (The latter is one of my least favourite: they can be so very nasssty, 'though they're quite fun to watch and spy their red markings when they're flying.) And did your wind worsen again after it began blowing the shingles off your roof!

IlF, is the heat still extreme in your area?

I'm wondering about the humidity, too, for IlF and W4J. *awaits their responses with anticipation (and melt-y-ness) beside a melting stargazer*

Sadly, Sunday night was far too cloudy for the flare. Tonight, though, we look forward to a couple of nice ISS passes.

Hello, narnialover4, I enjoy rain too. The smell after it falls is so earthy, and the pitter-patter of a gentle rain, or the blustery wildness of a strong one, is really lovely and cozy (as long as one is indoors and it doesn't go on for days and days on end ).

Well it is abesolutely gorgeous outside, warm and sunny, and our house remains intact.
Jo: unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I don't live far enough north to really know if the ice jammed or not yet. I do know some website/ relatives who might know so I'll tell you guys when I find out. I love red-winged blackbirds, their songs are gorgeous, all though they are fairly aggressive around the birdfeeder. The others still get a chance to eat however. Actually I find the bluejays much more aggresive (*considers further research into avian social behavior*)

I hope you guys won't mind if I start talking about the good and bad sides of the seasons-

Winter- Good: There is (or at least there should be where I live) large amounts of snow. Its beutiful, as are the icicles. And the white background makes it easier to see in the dark. The cold crisp air actually seems to help me breathe easier. Not to mention...sledding
Bad: Its cold season. One must worry about frostbite if one stays out for too long. Dangerous roads.

Spring- Good: Everything is beggining to grow. Animal Babies. Warm sunny days. Easier access to some areas. Patchy doesn't have to be cooped up indoors.
Bad: Its really soggy in early spring. Start of Allergy season.

Summer- Good: My b'day's in July. I can sleep in alot. Lots of things to do outside. Most bird activity. Best time to look at the stars. Lightning
Bad: Humidity, and heat... icckkk. Dryness. Fire hazards (a.k.a.: no campfires) Insects and pests get into the house. Allergies. Lightning

Fall-Good: Colorful season. Kite flying. Leaf raking. The earthy smell.
Bad: I have some sort of fall allergy. It can be chilly, esp. at night. Wet leaves from rainstorms...yucckkk.

'Twas another glorious day here today, and I celebrated with the inaugural campfire in our backyard firering. And tonight, I spotted Venus below the Moon and showed it to an excited 8-year-old girl whose family I was visiting. Abby will be an amateur astronomer yet.

Ice jams have been a problem here. Flooding along the rivers is increasing in severity by the hour, though record crests are not expected at this time. By this weekend low-lying areas in St Paul and the southwest suburbs will be under water. Fortunately at least some of this is not residential. And though the Mississippi is almost within sight of our house, we're so high up flooding won't be a risk for us.

I like your idea, wolfloversk, of mentioning each season's pros and cons. Here we go:

Spring - The earth is waking up after months of dormancy. Green reappears after an absence of 5 months or more. Days like today (no bugs, no humidity, no heat) make being outside a pleasure. Campfire season begins. The rapidly-lengthening days allow more time outdoors in the evenings. Spring wildflowers and fireflies abound. Chorus frog calls fill the spring nights. The anniversary of my natal day.
- But it's often too muddy, or too dry, to camp easily (red-flag fire warnings if it's too dry and things haven't greened up yet). And tree-pollen allergies make Claritin (R) a constant companion for some of April and all of May.

Summer - All is green and full of life. Nice days remain a possibility. Camping with friends. The Milky Way is spectacular this time of year. Barred owls and loons commonly heard at night while camping.
- But it's often hot, humid, and full of bugs (I hear tell we have legendary mosquitoes and black flies some years). It doesn't get dark until close to 11 pm, an inconvenience for stargazing when one must work early the next morning.

Fall/autumn - Oh, let me count the ways. Definitely my favorite. Crisp, clear days with no bugs or humidity. Treats for all of the senses! Wonderful fall colors. Leaves crunching underfoot. The aroma of leaves burning in my campfires. Trips to the orchards for fresh Honeycrisp apples and other goodies. Lengthening nights mean lingering under the stars for hours without having to wait until midnight - yet usually with enough warmth remaining from the day for comfort. The fall sky is lackluster in terms of bright stars but the glories of Orion are just around the corner.
- But....sometimes it can be rainy or snowy rather than glorious, knocking all the leaves down and hindering those outdoor plans.

Winter - That wonderful first snowfall. Beautiful white all over, crunching underfoot. Fresh snow sparkling in the moonlight or sunlight. Sundogs. Snowball fights with kids. Dogs romping in the snow. Holidays I love (US Thanksgiving and Christmas). The glories of Orion and company shining throughout the night, in clear dark skies rarely matched any other time of the year.
- Everyone forgets how to drive in snow (even in Minnesota ), so the first storm can be quite a challenge. Shoveling 'heart attack' snow (that wet, heavy stuff). Air temperatures below about -20F/-29C (I'm getting wimpy in my old age ). Long trips can be dangerous due to the cold or icy conditions. Ice storms (thankfully relatively rare this far north). And even that first snowfall (should it come too early and interfere with fall plans).

Please pardon the length.

I love red-winged blackbirds, their songs are gorgeous, all though they are fairly aggressive around the birdfeeder. The others still get a chance to eat however. Actually I find the bluejays much more aggresive

Hmm, I wonder if we're thinking of different birds. The song of the red-winged blackbirds around here is a harsh kind of trill.
(Small aside: hmm, maybe it's just Canadian red-winged blackbirds who sing like this and possibly I hear their call as harsh because of our negative experiences with them. A couple of years ago they had a nest in our large crimson maple out front and dive-bombed us whenever we walked to or from the car, or up the driveway. Really quite scary *think Hitchcock's Birds*, to the point where we strung fish line above the driveway to prevent their attacks and thankfully that helped. I realize they were protecting their nest, but it was high up in the tree and it's not like we were throwing stones at it. Also, we've seen them attack other birds' nests and knocking the eggs out. I grew up thinking them more of them, but my impression is changing as I see them in action. /ramble )

*really envies 'gazer his backyard campfires* Some day we hope to move to an area where this is allowed. I so miss having them on a regular basis. (Also, I miss the S'mores. ) And on another note, I do hope the flooding soon eases in your area.

stargazer, I caught a glimpse of Venus setting in the west and the moon last night as well. (Btw, it's really cool to hear of the continuing interest that Abby has in astronomy. ) The sky was clear as glass and the view, stunning. In fact, the night was so vivid that looking west, attached to the thin crescent of the moon, one could see the rest of that white orb glimmering faintly like an elusive floodlight.

This Saturday evening, at the end of the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere/first day of fall in the Southern Hemisphere, there will be a Moon/Pleiades conjunction ... always a beautiful sight, 'though it will be difficult to see the Seven Sisters partly because of the brightness of the Moon and partly because it will cover (occult) some of that tiny star cluster (of the constellation Taurus).

Great idea for listing what each of us see as the positive and negatives of the season, wolfloversk. And yes, do let us know about those ice jams.

Spring
~an alive freshness in the air
~the scent of earth and growing things coming to life again
~pleasant days; cool nights; lovely rain helping to bring forth the buds
~still a good amount of night sky viewing before bedtime, at least in the early part of spring
~bug-less, and lovely to be out-of-doors
~my birth season

~Spring means Summer is coming (my least favourite season)
~can be very, very muddy and sloppy

Summer
~the green on everything is beautiful (if it's not a dry summer, that is)
~more time for reading out-of-doors
~swimming
~thunderstorms (I love storms ... as long as everyone is safe)
~the ease of BBQing regularly (we can do it in fall and spring as well, but the weather is generally more amenable to it in the summer)

~one doesn't have much time to star-gaze at night, for it doesn't get fully dark here until after 10:30.
~bugs galore (mosquitoes, especially, are ick)
~our area can get awfully humid (the very worst for us is around 44C/111F, but that's rare; 40C/104F is not uncommon, though, blech)
~because of the humidity, I get verrry out of energy and motivation (unusual for me in the three other seasons)

Autumn/Fall *dittos 'gazer's comment here about "treats for all the senses*
~ My favourite, 'though Winter is a close second. (They might even be tied)
~cool, crisp, bonfire-scented days (no humidity, woot!)
~glorious hikes amongst coloured foliage, and the cozy, crackling sound of crunchy leaves
~very invigorating (like wolfloversk, I find the cooler/colder air allows breathing to be much more pleasant)
~raking leaves
~no bugs (good riddance, little biting and stinging fellas )
~the harvest, especially those crisp apples
~bright orange pumpkins dotting the countryside fields
~my favourite holiday: Canadian Thanksgiving (2nd weekend of October)
~night sky gazing is earlier in the evening now and quite comfortable as well

Negatives: uh, can't think of a one.

Winter
~ another
~cold, crisp days, some bitterly so, even when the sun is shining (which isn't often in our winters)
~SN♥W and sn♥owstorms! It's pristine, quiet beauty (especially against and on evergreens) warms the cockles of my heart. I love walking in it (the sound of its crunch is delicious), playing in it, even driving in it (although extra caution is needed, to be sure)
~snow shoveling, as long as it's not that really heavy-laden, wet stuff
~the crystalline night skies are the best of the year, as stargazer mentioned (even now as I see Orion gradually slipping away to make room for the spring constellations, it makes me sad)
~I love turning on all the white mini lights on these dark winter evenings and enjoying their glow whilst reading, along, of course, with the Christmas tree lights in December and early January

~driving can be treacherous
~one can't stay outside for too long on those bitterly cold days for fear of frostbite, so lengthy night sky is limited and usually requires a good bit of bundling up as one doesn't move around a lot during this activity

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now, to today's news: we have nearly surpassed our record today, which I heard on the radio was 18.9°C/66°F (but I didn't catch the year ... it might have been in the '70s). Today we are supposed to be reaching 18C/64.4F today under more clear skies, which means another sparkly night up above (high 4C/39F). Clouds may be moving in tomorrow, giving rise to rain on the weekend and dropping temperatures (forecasted daytime highs 11C/51.8F).

Because of the last few cloudless nights, there have been some lovely ISS passes and an Iridium flare or two. It's good to see these regularly again, as our skies were so overcast this past winter those sights were rare.

In my current reading of Apollo 13 (formerly Lost Moon), I once again am reminded of the glory of the heavens, especially as I read the close-up descriptions of our earthly satellite we call the Moon.

okay: it's March. and *drumroll* it's 70 degrees here in New Hampshire! wow! it's never been this warm in N.H. in March! I love it! we have not had snow in weeks! it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow! this is amazing!

^hmph that's where you are. Right now it's only 59 degrees where I am but that's still good for it being March. We still ahve snow in our yard though, believe it or not. We live in a wooded area so that blocks alot of the sun from melting the snow.

^^ I am wearing short pants and I T-shirt and I just took a walk without a coat! how is it only 59 degrees there, Ali? we aren't that far away from you.

^Idk but it is. You are a bit farther south. I'm wearing a t shirt too but I'm wearing jeans, not shorts.

I enjoyed reading your season highs and lows, jo. It seems we're kindred spirits in our season-tastes.

The bottom has dropped out of our temperatures; they've fallen over 30F/17C in the last 24 hours. 'Tis cold enough to snow, and a reminder of just where I live.

But the March equinox (which comes at 1232 CDT or 1732 GMT tomorrow) means that this cold cannot last indefinitely. (Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere at that time, and autumn begins in the Southern).

It must have snowed a tad last night, cause there was some white on the ground this morning, most of its gone now. It has rained a lot this past week, it was only sunny today and the second half of Wed. Thursday it didn't rain, but it sure was cloudy.

I thought March was supposed to be "in like a lion and out like a lamb" not "in like a lamb and out like a lion."

Today in El Paso we had wind. And that means dirt. Up north you all understand the white-out condition (blizzard and can't see anything but snow for those that don't understand). Down here, we get brown-out. Instead of snow, we get dirt. If you see it coming, get to where you want to be for a few hours, close everything up, and pray you don't end up with sand dunes in your rooms.

El Paso's annual weather patterns. This is easy.

SPRING:
Lasts March to April. We get wind and more wind. We often get steady winds of 40-50 mph, but gusts can get up to 70 or 80 mph. I've been down here for two of the strongest wind storms in recorded history. In '01, we had gusts up to 88mph and this spring already, we had a storm in which the nearby mountains recorded a 113 mph (it was 80 mph in town). Temps climb into 60's early, then quickly into the 70's and 80's for highs. We might occassionally dip below freezing overnight, but rarely.

SUMMER:
This is about 8 months out of the year, specifically May through September. Once we hit 90 in May, the highs don't drop below it until end of September. Not only that, it hits 90 by 9:00am and doesn't drop below it until just before midnight. Triple digits are frequent and lows are often in the 70's, sometimes 80's on really hot days. And there is always the chance of flying dirt.
July and August is also the monsoon season. We get only 8 1/2 inches of rain per year and it often comes in this time period during one or two storms. When it rains here, it floods.

AUTUMN:
Much like the Spring only the temperatures drop and the wind reverse direction. The best time of the year to be in El Paso though is November. Temps are bearable to be outside. The mosquitoes have receeded and we usually don't have wind then.

WINTER:
What's that?...... This lasts end of December to early Feburary. Highs are in the 50's, lows can dip into the 20's from time to time. Rarely into the teens, and VERY rarely into single digits. I still don't know if El Paso has seen sub-zero temperatures yet (wind-chill? Yes. Actual temp? No). We get snow about once every other decade, or so it seems. But amazingly we got six dustings this year (something even the natives have never seen). If we do get snow, it is gone within a few hours.

So that's life in the desert here in west Texas. Pretty boring for the most part. It makes the weather man's job easy though. I could do Boulder, CO weather next. I grew up there for 16 years before moving down here 11 years ago.

ok, I cant believe its like 50 degrees F this far south in texas in March! uasually its like 90 this time of year. due to the long, cold winter we had lots of rain and our year-long burn-ban was lifter in early december!

Great Winter in Texas!

Here in Chicagoland:
The last day of winter it was 70 degress. The first day of spring it was snowing.
That pretty much sums up what the weather is like here.