Has Spring Ever Stayed Stuck in the Cold Like This? (Houston: living, versus)

[shyguylh]

Let me disclose a few things: first, I tend to be anal retentive about the weather, insomuch that I despise the "if you don't like the weather in [fill in the blank of the name of the state], wait 5 minute & it'll change" aspect. I absolutely DESPISE the weather being that way, especially in spring. To me, spring should be spring in terms of it's warmer than winter but cooler than summer, summer should always be hot, fall should be cooler than summer but warmer than winter, and winter should be cold. (All of this varies by region, too, Florida won't have as cold of a winter as Vermont, for instance, I understand that.)

You can tell me all day "the weather will never be the way you want it," but I strongly insist it OUGHT to be. That it isn't may be the #1 bane of my existence. I would almost say that I can even tolerate the news out of West TX and Boston MA better than I can take wacky weather, but I won't take it THAT far and be tacky about it. I do realize some things are more serious than others, but inconsistent weather is still way on up there.

Secondly, I will also disclose that I understand that NONE of us are looking forward to July - September around here, and that includes me, and thus it's easy to say "hey, as long of a break as we can get from that, I'll take it."

All of that said--I've only lived here 7 years, but I can't remember a time that spring has sputtered like this, struggled so mightily to put winter behind it once & for all. I don't recall having seen so many "cold snaps" so close together like this. Just the last 2 nights, we've gotten down to like 36 or 39 degrees at night, which is darn near the record ever for this late in April. It seems like it's NEVER going to end to where I can breathe a sigh of relief and put the darned ice scrapers and jackets away for the time being. Is it just me, or has this period of spring in fact been one of the coolest in recent memory? Maybe it's just me, I don't know.

My thing is, frankly, I hate cold weather, even if "cold" is a high of 56 and a low of 37. I like WARM weather, but I understand I don't live in the Caribbean and our winters will not be in the 70s, so I tolerate winter without complaint. Still, once spring is here, I'm ready for it to be OVER for GOOD.

And again our summers of 97'F and 85% humidity for months are brutal, I don't think ANYONE looks forward to any of THAT, so for me the springtime is about blowing winter the heck out of here until November or so, and enjoying some weather that is WARM but without it being HOT.

It just seems like we aren't getting any of it this year, it's going to be hot as blazes before you know with very little periods of 70-85'F and SUNNY (not cloudy, please, who needs clouds when it's only 70-80?) and right back into the cold of winter before you know it.

Has this been one of the more "sputtering" springs you guys have seen, or is my perception wrong? Maybe the last 2 years have tricked me--last year we were swimming almost for good by the 1st of April, but maybe that was an aberration from the norm that set me up to expect such when maybe it's not normal? I'm in no rush for the 97'F and 85% humidity days, believe me, but I'm ready for the icicles and cool breezes to be gone at the same time. At times I swear I scream to the sky, like Charlie Brown yelling "somebody up there hates me," a frustrated cry of "winter is OVER, wake up and smell the blanking coffee!"

LRH

[blkgiraffe]

I remember I think back in 2004 it snowed on Easter. However, I can't recall if it's ever stayed cold this long. It's not cold in Houston though lol

[Midessan]

Yep, it has been an unusually cool spring for most of Texas.

[High_Plains_Retired]

I've lost all of my apricot blooms this year but one expects that up here on the High Plains. It's those few years that you actually get fruit that you really appreciate it. I think one of Lubbock's prairie dogs saw his shadow.

I've been ready for summer since last September.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I've lost all of my apricot blooms this year but one expects that up here on the High Plains. It's those few years that you actually get fruit that you really appreciate it. I think one of Lubbock's prairie dogs saw his shadow.

I've been ready for summer since last September.

Typical, isn't it? Happens a LOT, unfortunately.

I am NOT ready for summer. Once it gets here, it lasts forever in TX!

[shyguylh]

(Midessan) Yes, I thought so.

By the way, I meant to post this in the "Tyler" subforum since I live not far from there, my mistake if I misposted.

But yes, I have observed that, and it really irritates me. What really irritates me is that there isn't a tangible or visible living person as such whom you can blame for it or hold responsible, because believe me I'd love nothing more than to wring their neck and tell them what a--well, remember that clip from "Christmas Vacation" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEE8mNHxWFU) where Clark Griswald ranted about what he'd love to say about his boss for not giving the usual Christmas bonus? That is what I'd love to do to whoever is responsible for this nonsense. Man it really ticks me off.

Respect the calendar! Ugh. But anyway, I wanted to compare my observations with others since someone suggested our very hot summer of 2011 and such may have biased my observations a bit.

(Cathy4017) That's precisely my point. I may not be a fan of cold weather, but I have no trouble admitting to & agreeing with the observation that, yes, our summers are HOT. As I said, that's the thing--even though that's the case, that doesn't mean I want it COLD, and spring is about enjoying some WARMTH but without it being so brutal. Frankly, here in eastern Texas anyway, we are getting pretty seriously ripped off.

[BigDGeek]

It's been a bit cool, but you'll eat those words once the blast furnace starts up.

If you think this spring has been cool and stuttering, try it in continental Europe sometime. I've seen snow falling in June.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by larrytxeast

......

(Cathy4017) That's precisely my point. I may not be a fan of cold weather, but I have no trouble admitting to & agreeing with the observation that, yes, our summers are HOT. As I said, that's the thing--even though that's the case, that doesn't mean I want it COLD, and spring is about enjoying some WARMTH but without it being so brutal. Frankly, here in eastern Texas anyway, we are getting pretty seriously ripped off.

This spring has been cool in TX and other places....but I've never lived anywhere that spring wasn't volatile, sometimes zigzagging wildly between hot one day and cold the next. The thing I hate the most about spring is the wind and dust--and the fact that summer is quickly on its way.

[Nairobi]

Oh, Larry...

[shyguylh]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

It's been a bit cool, but you'll eat those words once the blast furnace starts up.

If you think this spring has been cool and stuttering, try it in continental Europe sometime. I've seen snow falling in June.

Everyone always says that (wait til it gets hot, you'll change your mind), but no, not even. As I explained, I am in agreement that our summers are rough, but that doesn't mean I want it COLD. But again, you can't really complain about our winters, for one 56'F is not like 35'F (we have such days, but they're not often) & you can't expect 70'F in January unless you live in the Bahamas. But it's not January anymore, it's late April, it ought to ACT like it. This is the time when you're supposed to be able to enjoy that it's neither HOT nor COLD, but nice & warm after months of it being cool/cold, where you can enjoy playing basketball or bicycling shirtless & the sun shining on your skin, cute girls in tank tops & bathing suits, a dip in the lake--all activities that don't happen in winter (or are less enjoyable), and yet without it being so extreme that the plastic melts on the car's dashboard and you risk hospitalization from heat exposure.

In one way it helps to know that it's not just like that here (although people think it's a Texas thing, I think people, say, in Kentucky probably think it's a Kentucky thing too), then again it's upsetting because I would LOVE to know a place where it isn't like that. I'd be there tomorrow if I could. I'd dump everything around here for that one reason. I just despise it. There are other things in my life that I don't like or agree with but that I've come to accept that they are what they are versus being irritated about them so much, because otherwise you could drive yourself crazy. Instead my acceptance of those imperfections has brought me a lot of peace I didn't have before, but with this I still cling stubbornly to my ideals.

I mean, can you imagine if you were like this regarding your job? Let's say are supposed to show up at 8 and work until 5. What if you showed up at 5 a.m. one day and 11 a.m. the next, over & over you were like that, hardly ever showing up anywhere close to 8 itself, and you told your boss "well that's still an AVERAGE of 8 (it is). You can't expect me to get here EXACTLY at 8, that number is just an average." I give you 3 days before you're fired, and rightly so.

I wish we could fire whatever prick thinks this is the way spring ought to be, because they're sure as heck full of crap if you ask me. Sylvester & Tweety could do a better job than this when they're not busy yelling "I tawt I taw a putty tat." But anyway.

Nairobi what?

LRH