Rant; Winter 2013/14

[jim]

Just hear the weather forecast. In the most nasal Chicago accent you can possible imagine, the guy said "Paaaaaahhsibly 30 on Thursday. Paaaaaaaaaasibly".

If you know people from Chicago you know that accent. But it never occurred to me why people talk like that here until this moment: Sinus infections. Everyone has a sinus infection 11 months of the year because of the crappy weather and it has found it's way into the dialect.

[cardsfansince82]

Just two or three more days and winter is basically over, here.

38 Weds, 54 Thurs, 51 Fri, 56 Sat, 51 Sun, 55 Mon, 56 Tues...

I can do this.

[jim]

-7 tonight and -12 tomorrow tonight here. 12/15 the highs. Feb 17 the forecast is finally to be above freezing (39) and Feb 19 is 48. Sun angle noticeably more favorable though. When it's out and visible which is rare it actually seems like it exists.

[33anda3rd]

The sun feels warmer the last week or so, too. It's getting through a little better during the day. If it hits 48 on 2/19 I'm wearing [expletive] shorts.

A bit off topic...

Why do weather reports focus on airports? All the time on the radio "Current temp at Ohare is ____." "Lowest reported temp at Midway today was ____." Is it because the reporting system at airports is accurate and easy to disseminate? If so, cool. But who gives a crap what the temp is at Ohare or Midway? 99% of the people who live in the Chicago area (the audience for the reports) won't go within 10000 yards of either place today unless you count suburbanites passing Ohare on the expressway and inside a heated car on the way home. Why not tell us what the temp is in the heart of the Loop, where a lot of people go to work every day, or near the lake where a lot of people from the far south to the far north side live?

[StL Dan]

The (usual) ice dam has formed on my roof. Only this year, in the last few days, my roof has become so saturated and backed up that water is running down through the window and drywall in the living room by the front door.

Carpet soaked. God only knows what else....insulation and drywall for sure.

Trying to figure out if I should get on the roof and start chipping away at it to break up the dam and remove the source of the water. Or, just call my insurance company and ask if they will cover repairs. Then hire a contractor.

[jim]

The sun feels warmer the last week or so, too. It's getting through a little better during the day. If it hits 48 on 2/19 I'm wearing [expletive] shorts.

A bit off topic...

Why do weather reports focus on airports? All the time on the radio "Current temp at Ohare is ____." "Lowest reported temp at Midway today was ____." Is it because the reporting system at airports is accurate and easy to disseminate? If so, cool. But who gives a crap what the temp is at Ohare or Midway? 99% of the people who live in the Chicago area (the audience for the reports) won't go within 10000 yards of either place today unless you count suburbanites passing Ohare on the expressway and inside a heated car on the way home. Why not tell us what the temp is in the heart of the Loop, where a lot of people go to work every day, or near the lake where a lot of people from the far south to the far north side live?

Because nobody gives a [expletive] what people in Chicago think.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Why do weather reports focus on airports? All the time on the radio "Current temp at Ohare is ____." "Lowest reported temp at Midway today was ____."

I think its because airports are required to have automated weather stations that make their data freely available. So everyone piggy-backs on the data instead of setting up their own.

[stlouie_lipp]

Why do weather reports focus on airports? All the time on the radio "Current temp at Ohare is ____." "Lowest reported temp at Midway today was ____."

I think its because airports are required to have automated weather stations that make their data freely available. So everyone piggy-backs on the data instead of setting up their own.

Plus airports are generally the "official weather reporting stations".

[thrill]

High of 77. Temps climbing gradually to a projected high of 87 on Saturday.

I hate this [expletive].

[jim]

24 days below 0
10 straight days of no temps at freezing (240 straight hours and counting)
And they are saying a cold March.

It's been a [expletive].