Cool, Cool Summer

I have lived in Colby for some 33 years now - not as long as many of the "old timers" - but long enough to have experienced some pretty strange weather. As I write this post it's snowing here. Yep, it's October 8, a full 9 days ahead of the long term, average, first frost date for the area.

I guess the real novelty of this summer's weather pattern is not this early snow as much as it's the abnormally cool summer we've had. I believe that there have been only four days this summer reaching triple digits. One day in mid September had a daytime high of only 58 degrees - very unusual. And rain well above average as I noted in an earlier post.

I'm guessing El Nino is the culprit, or at least partly responsible. With Kansas weather you never really know. Even in strong El Nino years Kansas always seems to be just between regions that the NWS characterizes as "moderate chance for cooler temps" or "slight chance for less rainfall", etc. We almost always get "an equal chance of cooler or warmer temps". Drives me crazy.

Oh well, I guess there's no need to complain. I admit that I enjoyed the cooler, wetter summer this year very much. Its the next 7 months of snow that I'll not be happy about.