Perma-ice

[F4mandolin]

At least that's what my wife calls it. Being she is from the UK mostly she just had to deal with tons of wind and rain (and no summer). We are about 2 weeks into having ice/melted frozen lumps on the ground....which lasts until the end of February. She walks the dogs in the mornings for an hour......at this time of the year it gets WAY too interesting for her when they pull her off her feet at times. I guess a lot of people in the North side of the country are probably doing the same thing. But hey......we are getting a minute every evening lighter! 2 minutes by the end of January.

 

[W2R]

I have never lived in the North as an adult, so I don't know much about it. OK, I know zero about it. But anyway, has she tried those Yaktrax devices to put on ones shoes, for safety on the ice? Or, there are other brands that I have heard are even better. I know an elderly woman in Spokane who uses them when walking her dog, plus some sort of cross country ski poles with spikes on the bottom as dual canes when the ice gets bad.

Otherwise maybe the dogs could "do their business" near the door and then come right back inside. You don't want her breaking any bones by slipping on the ice, that's for sure.

 

[Bestwifeever]

At least that's what my wife calls it. Being she is from the UK mostly she just had to deal with tons of wind and rain (and no summer). We are about 2 weeks into having ice/melted frozen lumps on the ground....which lasts until the end of February. She walks the dogs in the mornings for an hour......at this time of the year it gets WAY too interesting for her when they pull her off her feet at times. I guess a lot of people in the North side of the country are probably doing the same thing. But hey......we are getting a minute every evening lighter! 2 minutes by the end of January.

Yes, the days are getting longer! We are on the right side of the solstice again.

Our dog is not interested in being outdoors as the wildlife is in hiding so it is boring for her besides being cold. Good that your DW is meeting the winter head-on and not hiding from it as I am doing. Today is the coldest high temperature in three years. Early winters are depressing. And I am going to steal perma-ice if you don't mind to describe it.

 

[F4mandolin]

W2R- We bought a pull over device (has metal studs on the bottom) from REI at the start of this winter. She says it works, but she doesn't like wearing them unless there is thick snow/ice.....I think she thinks she will be wearing them out too fast. I say...for $25, who cares? I'll buy a new pair next year. The other problem is one dog is just too big for her (wife is 112lbs).....I may have to start walking with her....but that wasn't the agreement when she got the dogs. I love animals....just hate walking them. Every dog I have ever had loves the snow.....so do I.......just wish Winter ended by the middle of February.

Bestwifeever- Our dogs love it outside. We have an acre fenced.....so when I go out to split some wood I just let them run around. They never seem to get cold. My wife (and I) considers this weather better than N Yorkshire where she is from. It may be a lot colder here....but there is almost never any wind. 25 F and no wind......or 40 F and lots of wind/rain (N Yorkshire...makes Seattle weather look pleasant).....the wind makes things so much colder. The downer about this time of year.....we are getting that minute back every evening.....but mornings haven't even gotten back 1 minute yet (I'm a morning person)

 

[RunningBum]

The downer about this time of year.....we are getting that minute back every evening.....but mornings haven't even gotten back 1 minute yet (I'm a morning person)

How is that possible?

 

[F4mandolin]

How is that possible?

Yeah.....I always thought it was an even turnaround in Dec/Sept. I was keeping close track of the times once when I lived in Germany about 20 years ago......went past the Dec shortest day and thought "Ahhhh.....now it gets lighter".....and technically it does. If you get a minute in the evening and lose 30 seconds in the morning....it is technically lighter. It doesn't quite do it evenly at the solstice. Below are the last few days of sunrise/sunset in Spokane....I think we lose 2 minutes after the solstice in the mornings.....this just shows 1...while the evenings are already cranking along nicely. We will be about 1.5 minutes every evening in the middle of January and 2 at the end of January. Not that I keep track of course

Fri, 27 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:05 pm
Sat, 28 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:06 pm
Sun, 29 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:06 pm
Mon, 30 Dec 2013 7:36 am 4:07 pm
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 7:36 am 4:08 pm

 

[RunningBum]

How about that. I'll have to use that for a bar bet sometime.

 

[Walt34]

When somebody invents hibernation for people I'll be one of the first to sign up for between now and about the middle of April since I can't talk DW into moving South. My only plans until then that involve going outside are trips to the grocery store and the gym.

 

[Gumby]

Yeah.....I always thought it was an even turnaround in Dec/Sept. I was keeping close track of the times once when I lived in Germany about 20 years ago......went past the Dec shortest day and thought "Ahhhh.....now it gets lighter".....and technically it does. If you get a minute in the evening and lose 30 seconds in the morning....it is technically lighter. It doesn't quite do it evenly at the solstice. Below are the last few days of sunrise/sunset in Spokane....I think we lose 2 minutes after the solstice in the mornings.....this just shows 1...while the evenings are already cranking along nicely. We will be about 1.5 minutes every evening in the middle of January and 2 at the end of January. Not that I keep track of course

Fri, 27 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:05 pm
Sat, 28 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:06 pm
Sun, 29 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:06 pm
Mon, 30 Dec 2013 7:36 am 4:07 pm
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 7:36 am 4:08 pm

30 years ago, I was a young Navy submariner who spent months at a time underwater without ever seeing the sun. Looking back, I have no idea how I ever survived it. Today I get quite grumpy when I have to drive to work in the dark and then come home in the dark.

 

[audreyh1]

How is that possible?

Sunrise and sunset times and high noon time depend on your east-west as well as north-south location within a time zone.

And then there is the standard time, versus daylight savings adjustments.

 

[W2R]

[...]I get quite grumpy when I have to drive to work in the dark and then come home in the dark.

+1

I used to HATE that back when I was working! I didn't feel safe in the parking lot after dark, and would leave with co-workers whenever possible, if/when it was still dark as I was leaving.

 

[F4mandolin]

Sunrise and sunset times and high noon time depend on your east-west as well as north-south location within a time zone.

And then there is the standard time, versus daylight savings adjustments.

I know I kinda started this...but....eh?.....All I gotta say is....I just gotta make it until the end of January.....I really need to start drinking more.....

 

[JoeWras]

Yeah.....I always thought it was an even turnaround in Dec/Sept. I was keeping close track of the times once when I lived in Germany about 20 years ago......went past the Dec shortest day and thought "Ahhhh.....now it gets lighter".....and technically it does. If you get a minute in the evening and lose 30 seconds in the morning....it is technically lighter. It doesn't quite do it evenly at the solstice. Below are the last few days of sunrise/sunset in Spokane....I think we lose 2 minutes after the solstice in the mornings.....this just shows 1...while the evenings are already cranking along nicely. We will be about 1.5 minutes every evening in the middle of January and 2 at the end of January. Not that I keep track of course

Fri, 27 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:05 pm
Sat, 28 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:06 pm
Sun, 29 Dec 2013 7:35 am 4:06 pm
Mon, 30 Dec 2013 7:36 am 4:07 pm
Tue, 31 Dec 2013 7:36 am 4:08 pm

I think this has something to do with that figure 8 thing you see on globes.

Analemma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[RunningBum]

Sunrise and sunset times and high noon time depend on your east-west as well as north-south location within a time zone.

And then there is the standard time, versus daylight savings adjustments.

That explains why Seattle has both later sunrise and sunset times than Spokane but not why sunrise comes later in a set place even as days get longer for a few days following the solstice. Standard vs DST doesn't explain it either.

I think JoeWras has it, but now my head hurts trying to comprehend that!

 

[JoeWras]

That explains why Seattle has both later sunrise and sunset times than Spokane but not why sunrise comes later in a set place even as days get longer for a few days following the solstice. Standard vs DST doesn't explain it either.

I think JoeWras has it, but now my head hurts trying to comprehend that!

Mine does too. Took a little astronomy in college and we discussed it then. There is an interplay with the tilt of the earth and eccentricity of orbit. I seem to recall getting the test question wrong.

More details:
Equation of time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

During a year the equation of time varies as shown on the graph; its change from one year to the next is slight. Apparent time, and the sundial, can be ahead (fast) by as much as 16 min 33 s (around 3 November), or behind (slow) by as much as 14 min 6 s (around 12 February).

In any case, back to the OP: the "perma-ice" thing is another issue. We are now entering the coldest time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This occurs even though we are past the solstice. This has to do with temperature lag, which is a well known phenomenon both on a day by day bases (hottest part of day beyond noon), and on a seasonal basis.

The upshot? Baby it's cold out there!

 

[F4mandolin]

In any case, back to the OP: the "perma-ice" thing is another issue. We are now entering the coldest time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This occurs even though we are past the solstice. This has to do with temperature lag, which is a well known phenomenon both on a day by day bases (hottest part of day beyond noon), and on a seasonal basis.

The upshot? Baby it's cold out there!

This one is obvious....although I have talked to some people who don't get it. There is a person I know who insisted that the warmest part of day in summer was noon......in her mind that was the middle of the day and should be the hottest. When I explained that it's actually hotter later in the afternoon she just couldn't get it. Same time lag with things getting warmer/cooler....it takes time for the cold or warm weather to build up, hence the warmest and coldest part of the year is after the solstice.

The cold doesn't bother me until about the beginning of Feb.....then I start getting a little tired of it. I do the same thing about the beginning of Sept and start wishing for a little cooler weather. I LIKE different weather. Living in Florida or Hawaii would bore me to tears. I like nice weather....but not all the time. But if we move back to N England.....I'm gonna be wishing for a whole lot more good weather.