NZ or Virginia more subtropical, part 2 (sunny, spring, temps, Richmond)

[WesterlyWX]

Originally Posted by easthome

This makes sense to me, though, surprising as it seems, unlike Virginia nowhere in Scotland averages sub-freezing winter lows (unless you count the mountains of course).

"muh sub-freezing winter lows!!!!!111!!!!!" ,while ignoring the very low max temps and complete lack of anything resembling warmth in a Scottish winter

Get real. Scotland is much colder and snowier than Virginia in winter. Averages do NOT tell the whole story - a 7 C mean max in Virginia will see many days over 20 C, while in Scotland it would struggle to push 10 C on the 'warmest' days lmao. And that's overlooking the fact that most of lowland Virginia averages 10 C in mean winter maxes... just a tad warmer than Scotland's 6.5 C or so don't you think... just a tad

Scottish winters are MUCH more dangerous to livestock than Virginia winters. Why do you think in AUS we only issue Grazier's Weather Warnings when the cold is accompanied by wind and rain, but NEVER when conditions are sunny calm and frosty?? Why do you think that is hmm.. let's not pretend that a sunny calm -5 C is anywhere near as dangerous as a windy rainy 5 C

[Can't think of username]

I don't get the focus of so many people on solely January when it comes to determining winter temperatures. What ever happened to post-winter solstice December, February, and pre-spring equinox March?

[sandshark]

Nothing to do with insecurity. Just a matter of understanding how climate, and not classification, affects ecology.

[Space_League]

Originally Posted by WesterlyWX

"muh sub-freezing winter lows!!!!!111!!!!!" ,while ignoring the very low max temps and complete lack of anything resembling warmth in a Scottish winter

Get real. Scotland is much colder and snowier than Virginia in winter. Averages do NOT tell the whole story - a 7 C mean max in Virginia will see many days over 20 C, while in Scotland it would struggle to push 10 C on the 'warmest' days lmao.

Scottish winters are MUCH more dangerous to livestock than Virginia winters. Why do you think in AUS we only issue Grazier's Weather Warnings when the cold is accompanied by wind and rain, but NEVER when conditions are sunny calm and frosty?? Why do you think that is hmm.. let's not pretend that a sunny calm -5 C is anywhere near as dangerous as a windy rainy 5 C

Well Scotland winters really aren't colder than Virginia on average they are very similar. Although yea the averages doesn't tell the whole story.

Lets say both have a month with average temp 5c

in scotland it will be something like 8 and 2 average high and low temps

in virginia it will be something like 10 and 0 average high and low temps

but how do we get there?

Virginia will have some days with a low of -10, which is rare in Scotland.

Virginia will have a few days with 0 and -10 and plenty of days with -5 and 5.

Then it will make up for those days with 20+ highs, which happens every winter in Richmond and never happens in Scotland.

Actually the winter low temps in Virginia can be higher than Scotland's warmest winter days.

Some warmest daily high/low temperatures by month in Richmond:
February 2024: 20/11c

January 2024: 26/17 - The daily low of 17c would break the record high temp recorded for any winter month in most Scottish cities. Never mind the high which would break records in April or Aberdeen's May record. This day was considerably warmer than the average summer day anywhere in Scotland and warmer than average throughout the UK

December 2023: 20/14 - 10 days in the month with a high over 15c (the average May high in Edinburgh)

Feb 2023: 28/14 - 9 days in the month with a high over 20c. honestly this was a record even for Richmond. Needless to say it would break records for most months of the year in Scotland. in Aberdeen it would even break their June record.

January 2023: 21/14

December 2022: 20/11

February 2021: 20/9

January 2021: 18/7, finally a month that doesn't break 20

December 2020: 22/9

Would be interested to see how this compares to either Scotland or NZ city winters

[sandshark]

Originally Posted by WesterlyWX

Uhm ya that sounds like insecurity to me

Redefining what climate is, is the definition of cope. Literally no one, and I mean NO ONE cares about what plants think. That's the reality of it old boy, you can either accept it or look away but it won't change the reality.

They aren't climates, they are classifications.

Classification is science (or an attempt at) linking cause and effect.

Climate is not something shared between classification in any practical sense.

[sandshark]

Originally Posted by WesterlyWX

The mere existence of those warm days, would take someone 'out of the moment' that they are infact experiencing a winter. That wouldn't happen in Scotland where every day of the month feels cold and miserable (miserable to most people that is... I enjoy miserable weather conditions personally...)

Looking at it on a completely absolute scale, Virginia will feel much much warmer than Scotland in winter. Let's be real... do you think 10 C, 12 C etc, is 'warm'? Because that's about as warm as Scotland gets in the winter, which as you've mentioned struggles to match the minimum temperatures on the Virginian warm winter days.

This comparison was never going to be kind to Scotland with its latitude firmly in the subarctic zone... the gulf stream can only do so much when you're THAT high in latitude.

Most or all climates would experience "out of the moment" in winter, it's a relative thing.

[sandshark]

Originally Posted by WesterlyWX

Uhm no they wouldn't lmao

Certainly not in Scotland, or anywhere in NZ or Southern AUS for that matter whose winters are all stable

It's so normal here, that it's days that feel cold all day that are the standout ones.

[sandshark]

Originally Posted by WesterlyWX

Uhm except Motueka literally IS cold ... it averages 12.7 C for goodness sake. I'm sorry but that isn't 'warm' in any stretch of the word. Summer temps like that belong in a literal tundra climate ffs

Averages 13.6C over the winter with 58% sunshine and average windspeed of 3km/h.Very easy to feel pleasantly warm for about the warmest third/half of the day imo.

[sandshark]

Originally Posted by WesterlyWX

So a max of 13.6 C in summer, would feel warm to you?? You see this is what I'm talking about... would the winter temps feel remotely like a summer? Because Virginia has many days in winter that will feel like a proper sweaty summer's day.

13.6 C for a summer max is literally polar mate

Duh! how about 7C as a summer max?

See where your argument is going?

[sandshark]

Originally Posted by WesterlyWX

Oh yah because the warmest days in a Virginia winter are totally 7 C

Well, winter maximums here typically range from 9C to 19C