I hope everyone is managing to have a Merry Christmas, despite the very White Christmas that seems to have covered much of North America, according to the News. The cold weather seems to have been a little too much this year? Now it is 10.30 am on Boxing Day, in Australia. 

2022 ends here on a warm note, with highs the past few days just above freezing (34F/1C). Quite a change after the cold of Christmas week. Tonight is expected to be the warmest New Year's Eve here in over a decade.  Happy New Year to all!

We're still plowing and shoveling out from this week's winter storm, which (rather than moving west to east as weather usually does) stalled out south of here, which meant several waves of snow over several days.

The Twin Cities received about 15 inches (380mm) of snow, good enough for 17th place on 2-day snowfall totals going back about 150 years. We've received 48.1 inches (1222mm) of snow this season so far, good for third place all time (but nothing compared to what places like Buffalo have received this winter).

Again, rural areas to the northwest and southwest took the brunt of the storm, with more snow and high winds making highways impassable. There was an item on the local news this morning about a man who drove hours through the blizzard to deliver a kidney from the Twin Cities to a hospital in North Dakota (the airport was shut down at the time and the delivery couldn't wait).

Posted by: @fantasia

And for the first time that I even remember, we MIGHT have a white Christmas. 

And did you, fantasia? Hope so!

Posted by: @stargazer

That same cold front will guarantee a white Christmas here in Minnesota

Ditto here! That same front brought in quite the storm, mainly on Friday, December 23rd, but into the 24th, as well, causing thousands, no doubt, to adjust travel plans. Our youngest son and daughter made it here on the 24th, but our middle son and his wife were to drive eight hours (from Montréal) on the 23rd. When they heard the forecast on the 22nd, they quickly changed their plans, and drove very late into the night on the 22nd, before the snow and high winds hit. They encountered some brief freezing rain (ugh!), but mostly it was rain off and on. They arrived here safely around 2:30 a.m. on the 23rd. So, we had an extra day with them. (They all stayed until the 28th. )

I know that many, many Christmas Eve services around here were cancelled because of the storm.

Sorry to hear the parade had to be cancelled, coracle. A disappointment for many, I guess, eh?

Posted by: @glenwit

I'll be driving down to the United States to spend Christmas with some aunts/uncles/cousins I haven't seen since 2019. 

Did your trip work out okay, glenwit? Sure hope you were safe. How wonderful you were able to see family you had not seen in far too long.  

Did that ice storm hit you, @jasmine_tarkheena? They can be nasty. And dangerous!

@waggawerewolf27, how is your weather doing? Are you warming up some?

Posted by: @cobalt-jade

Everything's frozen and slippery. Seattle has a lot of hills, low sunlight, and a lack of de-icing trucks, so except for highways and main arteries, it stays frozen until it melts.

Yikes!!! How are things now, two weeks later; any improvement?

Well, after our beautiful white Christmas, toward New Year's a long, mild spell hit, to everyone's disappointment. There should not be over a week of rain in January in Ontario. But there was this year. The temperatures were just above freezing, so the cold was very raw and unpleasant. Now, thankfully, we are back to near seasonal; the air has dried out, and it is a very fresh, invigorating -10C /14F including a bit of wind chill. We are going down to -15C / 5F tonight, and we still don't have any snow. All the beautiful dump we had over Christmas melted with the rain. But this is still January, and I have no doubt we will get some good snowstorms yet, possibly through March. We have even had snow in April and early May before. Anyway, there is a lot of winter left, so bring it on!  

P.S. Don't get me wrong: I really like rain, but in the Spring and Autumn ... not in January in Ontario, Canada!  

Posted by: @jo

Did your trip work out okay, glenwit? Sure hope you were safe. How wonderful you were able to see family you had not seen in far too long.  

Yes it did, and I'm still alive! Went out on December 26, and fortunately dodged the worst of it.  Had to go through Michigan which added 3 hours to the drive, because the New York border crossing was completely snowed in (but made it just in time for some turkey).  It was a wonderful time with the extended family, and so great to reconnect after (what feels like) such a long time; thank you for asking  

Great to hear, Glenwit!  

Thankfully our air temperature has continued to be below freezing, providing very fresh, dry air. Tomorrow, however, is to be a few degrees above freezing, with rain, and a high possibility of freezing drizzle in the early morning hours. But Friday that changes, as temperatures drop again, with periods of snow all day. FINALLY!  

I used a simple pedometer for years (a gift from our kids) on my walks, which worked great, but the kids now wanted to gift me with a Fitbit. I am not a big technology person, so would have been fine with the good ol' pedometer for years yet. However, I am learning how to navigate the Fitbit, which is easier to keep on my body all day long ... moreso than the pedometer. I find that with my two long walks (early morning; early evening) and being active each day around the house or in town, I am managing between 16,000 and 20,000 steps daily. In fact, it is around 10:30 now, and I am already at 9,000 steps. I thoroughly enjoy being active ... and even moreso as I get older.

^ That doesn't have a whole lot to do with the weather, except that more than half those steps are my walks in early Spring, Autumn, and most Winter days too. The days I cannot walk are either pouring rain, freezing rain, or very icy, which, in the big scheme of things, are not so many.  

We have not seen a full day of sun here in over three weeks now. Supposedly this Saturday is to be sunny and cold, but we shall see. I much prefer clouds to sun anyway, so am fine with this pattern during the day. But at night, it is a different story, as I am truly missing seeing the vast clear night sky.  

Today we are a little chilly and a good bit blustery, but not really badly chilly. The wind has been whistling around the corners of our house.

Welcome to NarniaWeb and the weather thread, Silverlily! (I like your username).

Here in Minnesota we've settled into a cloudy January pattern (including an air quality advisory since we've been under an inversion for days). On the bright side, it's been very warm for January, actually reaching freezing temperatures (32F/0C) which qualifies as the proverbial "January thaw" we sometimes have in the middle of winter.

Statistically the next two weeks are the coldest of the year here, then it starts warming up again.

I see that in Canada at least, everyone has had a very nice White Christmas. From the perspective of the opposite side of the planet, it sounded rather grim, however, so I ended up feeling glad for our very mild Christmas weather. 

@johobbit: @waggawerewolf27, how is your weather doing? Are you warming up some?

It is in North Queensland, beset by the yearly Monsoon, which is struggling now at the moment. It seems we might be soon getting El Niño back again as La Niña breaks down towards normal. Today is the hottest day that we've had for over a year, when it is supposed to reach 36C. But here, I'm at least comfortable, thank you. 

Today was actually pretty warm. 81F/27.2C, clear skies. The mosquitoes were starting to make bold this evening.

Overcast white skies and a bit nippy, but still warm enough to comfortably go walking with a light jacket. A sprinkling of rain in the late afternoon.

Silverlily, I've lived in the northern US all my life, so the thought of mosquitoes in January breaks my brain. 😉

We've already exceeded the average snowfall for an entire winter, and have about 3 snowy months left to get some more. It's been overcast most of the month, so it's been warmer (highs around 28F/-2C) than usual.

Speaking of mosquitoes, we've been in a drought the past few years and it's been nice to be able to sit outside in the summer without clouds of mosquitoes on the attack. This upcoming summer might be different, if this wet pattern continues.

Posted by: @stargazer

I've lived in the northern US all my life, so the thought of mosquitoes in January breaks my brain.

Whereas I lived the first three decades of my life in Australia, and January is just the time for mosquitoes... I don't miss them one bit.   (Mind you, I'll be back there for a visit next month.)

After a fairly mild Christmas and New Year in Great Britain, we've just been having another really cold snap. It snowed a couple of times over the past week — nothing compared to what much of the US has been going through, I know, but precisely because we don't get snow all that often, the local borough councils aren't always well prepared for it, and they weren't in this case. The roads and walkways weren't properly salted and driving has been awful in the snow and ice. I was coming off a night shift a few mornings ago and stayed well under the speed limit and in low gear for the whole 9-mile drive home. Fortunately, everyone else on the road was behaving sensibly too!

There hasn't been any more snow falling since Thursday, but the daytime temperatures haven't gone much above freezing and the skies have been clear with no rain, so there's still plenty of residual snow and ice on the ground outside, though at least most of the roads are better by now. I do love snow, but I hope it warms up a bit here soon...

I can certainly sympathize with the local folk being unprepared for snow, @Courtenay!

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

I see that in Canada at least, everyone has had a very nice White Christmas.

I am not certain about western Canada (@aileth?), but Ontario and Québec (and most likely the east coast, too) had a beautiful White Christmas, yes.  

January is our cloudiest month, but this January seemed extra-so. And with so much rain! Highly unusual here in Ontario at this time of year. Finally, though, winter has returned, and all is white again. So pretty.

Tomorrow will bring quite a major snowstorm, lasting much of the day and into Thursday. I am meeting a friend for breakfast earlier in the morning, but should be home before too many inches of the white stuff have accumulated. (Yay for good winter tires ... and careful driving!) And then it's time to hunker down and work at home while the pristine cold winter-blue-white beauty outside swirls around. This snow should stay for a while, too, as temperatures remain below freezing, during the days and especially at nights.

Finally winter has caught up with us!