Is Springtime Always This Nuts, and Cloudy? (El Paso, Tyler: to live in, stats)

[shyguylh]

I've lived in this area for 7-odd years, but I'm considering moving for one main reason--the weather, especially the springtime.

I don't like cold weather, but I'm also not all that crazy about EXTREME heat, and it seems like springtime, which ought to be when you get to enjoy some warmer temperatures but without it being BRUTALLY hot, never lives up to that ideal at all, even though the historical norms say that's exactly what you can expect. (People tell me that the norms are just statistical numbers, but in my mind it's representative of what the weather in an area ought to be like 97% of the time.) It seems to always alternate between getting TOO hot and previewing what summer will be like, then the next day it flip-flops and continues dragging winter out to make it seem as if winter is never is going to end. On top of that, it seems like it's ALWAYS cloudy, during a time of the year when it's not desirable as it would be, say, in the hot summers. Why can't it just do like the normals say it should, and have temperatures around 75'F or so (vs in the 80s one day, in the 50s the next) and with some freaking SUNSHINE for more than 5 seconds?

I know, once summertime gets here, you're going to WANT it cloudy, but that's just it--(a) during the springtime that is not the case, 75-80'F is hardly the sort of heat that makes one beg for clouds to provide relief from the oppressive heat, in fact people like me welcome it after lived through the cold for 3-4 months (I know, we don't get supercold like Vemont etc) and (b) yes during the summertime you're going to want some cloud cover, but that's just it, it won't do it then for anything, during the very time you're begging for it. Instead it wastes it on springtime when it's not only not necessary, it's frankly aggravating. When it's not superhot, I WANT the sun, lack of sunshine makes me nuts. When I hear of places like Ohio having high suicide rates because of constant cloud cover, I can believe it--it is really depressing. It might as well rain and cut into the drought and make something of it if you ask me--fish or cut bait (rain or be sunny), go #2 or get off the pot. But do not EVER EVER have cloud cover without any rain, it's pointless to me.

Are other sections of Texas, say, El Paso etc, different in this respect? I want SUNSHINE, lots of it, especially in the spring, and I'm tired of having days in freaking MAY where you're scraping ice, it's not December anymore thank you. Yes the summers are brutal, but that doesn't mean I want icicles 6 weeks into spring-time either.

I swear this place weather-wise is just downright schizophrenic in the springtime anyway. Or is it just me?

[texdav]

You could be facing wniter storms i mnay areas. Why would you not realise before moving the actual weather patterns in a area.This certainyl isn't hot to most .Now looking at where my nephew lives he will be gettig more cold and show in Conn. He can wait to retire he says and be cuttig grass this time of year and leave the snow plow forsever behind.Everyone is different; so best move.

[shyguylh]

I used to live in southern Arizona and at times wonder why I ever moved. I'm currently reading the thread "What part of America has the worst weather in your opinion" and my answer--possibly the Pacific Northwest, because I absolutely CANNOT STAND cloudy days. To me they are nothing less than morally evil. You're not providing any sunshine for outdoor enjoyment, yet you're not raining to provide for that need, because every area to one extent or the other NEEDS rain (some less than others). You're just wasting the day away is all you're doing.

Arizona was GREAT in that you had LOADS and LOADS of days where it was sunny, just loads of them. The trouble is, I love to swim, and they do have natural waterholes there (more than you'd think given the small amount of rain), but anytime there's a flash flood or a wildfire, the topography dramatically changes, a 12 foot deep hole can become filled in with silt and only be 2-3 feet, and it never recovers.

Also, in Tucson, not sure about other places, there's a tendency for the government & the locals to regard animals as above humans with regards to property rights. One thing I love about Texas--if you have nuisance animals, strays etc, causing problems on your property, you can deal with it as "pest control" and shoot it if you have to. In Tucson, not sure about other places in AZ, but in Tucson the attitude is "you chose to live in THEIR territory, you have no right to demand they leave you alone" so, for instance, if the pesky javelina come onto your place, even if it's fenced-in (they manage to somehow) and tear up your property, and you take it out to prevent it from ransacking your place again, you can be prosecuted. That's nuts to me. I'm not surrendering my property to an ANIMAL. While I love how pretty the area is, I HATE how the environmentalist and animal rights wackos have such policies in place. (Maybe not all of AZ is like that, just Tucson.)

[Mark Senior]

Weather stats for this area is another hobby of mine. Your friends were right when they told you the norm temps for any area in the country IS just an average temp for that date of the year. Themean average to be exact not the mode or median. But simply take, less say, 5 years of temps add the sum of those temps 50,40,45,70,80 and divide by five, the NORM is that number. I've even called several TV stations and asked why they call the average temps a NORM, one response was, well we had that discussion here, and we decided the public was used to the term NORM, so we will just stick with it, it doesn't matter. The term norm should mean, what something ought or is expected to be.

Now, most of the country has the huge variation we do, yes, not all but most. I noticed that in Wisconsin this winter one day it was zero and snow, two days later 40 and rain on top of the snow. It can be zero in the North followed by 50 or 60 in a week. Same as here but just a variation in where the range begins. Say 35 to 75 here etc.

Maybe the Islands or tropics would suit you best. It's even going to be cold in Florida soon, again. We have had more wind and clouds this Fall/Winter than ah, typical, this season.

Good luck.

Oh, I should point out that in July and August you could say, Tyler does have an normal temp, HOT, lol, nahh I mean it is consistently nearer a certain number. Just a side note, I looked it up, and Tyler's highest average temp is in early August of 95 degrees. So all these above 100 degree days are way above average. Another side note, a Tyler State Park Forest Agent told me the consistent hot temps contributed to the death of trees as much, if not more than the the lack of enough rain. I just saw another large dogwood not bud out this year. So hang in there, maybe one day it want be so hot. But that's not the forecast for the future, just hotter and dryer indefinently.

[love roses]

I'm not sure Central Texas would be much better in that regard. Yesterday it was comfortably warm and this morning/noon, it's windy, chilly,but not cloudy. Even though it's not cloudy right now, I know that on some other day, that could change.

[Nairobi]

Thursday was awesome, for me. Cool, damp, and cloudy with a lush, spring landscape is near perfect weather, for early April.

[Nairobi]

...and I just realized this was the Tyler forum.