If you are enjoying the damp, dank start to spring then get ready (Pittsburgh: zip code, bills)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by greg42

Seriously? Did you sleep through last week? Or just go out of town?

It's actually an interesting data point to add to the endless argument. Apparently we have to go not just days but weeks without clouds for some people to consider it a stretch of "good" weather. 4 days in a row is not at all "good" weather, who knew? Too many dry days in a row would not be good weather if you're expecting to have green trees and grass and other growing things that's for sure.

Grumbling and joking about the weather is one thing. Whining about it is something else....

According to weather.com for my zip code (15219):

In May thus far this is what we've experienced:

• May 1: 0.14 Inches
• May 2: 0.11 Inches
• May 3: 0.51 Inches
• May 4: 0.02 Inches
• May 5: No precipitation yet windy with considerable cloudiness
• May 6: 0.10 Inches
• May 7: 0.04 Inches
• May 8: No precipitation yet overcast
• May 9-11: Okay, so these three days in a row were NICE (dropping my jaw), even if there was also minor measurable precipitation on May 10.
• May 12: 0.32 Inches
• May 13: 0.19 Inches
• May 14: 0.47 Inches
• May 15: 0.07 Inches
• May 16: 0.12 Inches
• May 17: 0.79 Inches
  
  More rain is predicted on an on-and-off basis today, tomorrow, and Friday.
  
  Saturday is projected to be yet another RARE "nice" day.
  
  Then more rain is predicted Sunday through next Friday.
  
  ^ Grand total? If the forecast holds true we've only had THREE nice days this month with one more (Saturday) on the way. Complaining that potentially only four of the first 27 days of the month of May to have nice weather isn't unreasonable in my eyes, especially when there was a similar number of "nice" days during the entirety of April after having above-average precipitation since the dawn of the new year.
  
  So, yes, we're almost halfway through 2011, and, yes, I WILL whine that we have yet to have any decent weather. That 3-day stretch in a row last week was quite uncommon (albeit welcomed) for this year thus far, and the fact that the article I read yesterday said to expect more wet weather through summer gives one good reason to complain if they need at least SOME sunshine.

[greg42]

It's just a matter of perspective I guess. I don't look at any day with measurable precip as a total writeoff unless it actually prevents me from doing something that I otherwise would have done.

To me, justifying your statement about decent weather with precip stats is mixing two different things. The stats are what they are. "Decent weather" is subjective. Indeed, even having three clear and dry days in a row isn't enough to pull you away from "we have yet to have any decent weather" even though those days appear to fit your definition of decent weather.

See what a tricky business this is?

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by steelcityrising

complaining that potentially only four of the first 27 days of the month of may to have nice weather isn't unreasonable in my eyes, especially when there was a similar number of "nice" days during the entirety of april after having above-average precipitation since the dawn of the new year.

It's totally unreasonable. It's subjective dammit, when will you transplants learn!??!?!

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by greg42

It's just a matter of perspective I guess. I don't look at any day with measurable precip as a total writeoff unless it actually prevents me from doing something that I otherwise would have done.

Especially since some of those days had precipitation that was only 0.02 or 0.04 inches. That's rain, I suppose, but it's almost nonexistant. Seriously, why get upset over nothing more than a short lived scattering of raindrops?

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by hempfield mania

For those of us that love fresh, local grown corn on the cob come late July/Early August, this year is going to be either a washout or, at best, very late, if things don't start drying out very soon. I will need to replant some things in the garden due to seeds rotting out...

OK, this is the one complaint I can understand. You do need a few days for seedlings to dry out, or else local produce will be hard to find & expensive this summer.

[ditchdigger]

It rained here this morning, with even a rumble of thunder. Right now, the sun is shining and there's just a scattering of high clouds. If you want to hang your hat on statistics, this will go in the books as another dreary day.

Me, I'm headed back outside to enjoy the sunshine...

[greg42]

Read more of these Mississippi flood stories:

Vicksburg, Mississippi, waits for record river levels - CNN.com

Do we really have anything to whine about?

I guess the sun might be shining there, even as their homes are under water or washed away. Guess that means they have better weather right now. Woo. Lot of good that will do them.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by ditchdigger

It rained here this morning, with even a rumble of thunder. Right now, the sun is shining and there's just a scattering of high clouds. If you want to hang your hat on statistics, this will go in the books as another dreary day.

Me, I'm headed back outside to enjoy the sunshine...

I admire your optimism, but more rain is on the way for this afternoon.

[Mugatu]

Whine or don't whine, it's your perogative. But it's not just Pittsburgh. It's pretty much the whole midwest and east that has had a rainy spring. The Weather Channel this morning was discussing that there has been an unprecedented number of rainouts in baseball, already 30 MLB games rained out this month. Most of those in other cities besides Pittsburgh. So it's just an unsually stormy pattern that has set up. Yes it sucks, but what can you do about it? Nothing. By this time of year, I'm usually out running or biking most days after work, but not this year. I look forward to some dry stretches of weather so I can get outdoors again. But in the meantime, I'll just wait it out and enjoy some other activites until the weather pattern changes. At least we don't have the tornadoes and extreme flooding that other areas have experienced.

[fleetiebelle]

On the bright side, I'm looking forward to lower electric bills this summer because I haven't had to fire up the AC yet.