Strangest climate I have seen (Dallas, Plano: 2013, houses, school)

[k374]

This weekend lows are going to hit 0 freakin degrees, where are we, in the North Pole? And then 10 days later it's a balmy 66-70 degrees?

Never seen this kind of variation in weather before.

Is this type of climate abnormal or is it typical winter?

[citidata18]

Cold snaps are typical in Dallas, but for them to last this long and be this extreme is abnormal.

[Katana49]

Yes... going below freezing is nothing new, but the length of time it's happening now is brutal. Our pool pump is not going to make it, the bearings are already failing from running the past 2-3 days straight. Usually during the winter it would just run at night and then during the day it warms up enough so that it can shut off, but not this week.

[Threestep2]

Check 277 Blue Mound Road exit - the sign says "wait 30 minutes".

Does anyone remember the maybe or maybe not Super Bowl? Crackles solidly frozen in the ice on WallyWorld parking lots?
We moved that week and beer in the fridge on the completely covered porch busted the bottles.

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by Katana49

Yes... going below freezing is nothing new, but the length of time it's happening now is brutal. Our pool pump is not going to make it, the bearings are already failing from running the past 2-3 days straight. Usually during the winter it would just run at night and then during the day it warms up enough so that it can shut off, but not this week.

I’ve been here in the metroplex for over 2 decades now and I can’t recall the temperature going as low as 1 degree before. Maybe i missed it

[mschrief]

I live for the first 100 degree day. So sick of being cold!

[Ralph_Kirk]

What?

When we were scouting houses here in the last week of December, 2013, Dallas was just pulling out of a hellatious winter ice storm storm that had frozen the city for a week. Heck, we had just driven down here from Bloomington, IL (you think a Dallas winter is bad? Go to Illinois to see what a bad winter can look like), and we thought Dallas was bad that week...and it was bad for at least two weeks (the week before we got there, the week we were here, and another week afterward).

But we moved down a few weeks later, and there hasn't been anything 10% that bad since. This isn't nearly as bad as that 2013 storm. Here in Plano there hasn't been any precipitation. It takes two weeks of freezing temperatures to freeze the earth enough to hold snow for days, so that's not going to happen at all this year.

Shoot, this ain't a winter.

[4Movingeast]

Was it 2011 when we were out of school and had to get a dispensation from the Gov in Aledo? I need to take better notes. I googled it and it seems like that was the year. I think the kids missed a full week of school that year due to weather. I'm going to keep googling but I'm also supposed to be writing a paper... stalling.

[NP78]

Originally Posted by k374

This weekend lows are going to hit 0 freakin degrees, where are we, in the North Pole? And then 10 days later it's a balmy 66-70 degrees?

Never seen this kind of variation in weather before.

Is this type of climate abnormal or is it typical winter?

This cold snap is a little colder and more extended than what we see in a typical year, but it’s not unprecedented for sure.

In terms of variability, that is extremely common for the entire plains region of the U.S. Cities like Denver, Omaha, KC, Minneapolis, etc., all are prone to wide swings. The most extreme tend to be on the High Plains where you have down-sloping winds which can produce above average temps ahead of deep cold fronts. Also, less moisture as you go west.

Not sure where you are comparing it to, but most locations within the plains and Midwest are accustomed to rapid changes in the weather.

[Nn2036]

I don't remember ever seen temperature reach 0 degree for the past 20 years.