Seasons

Heat

Most of the winter, I keep the main gas heat in my apartment set at 50 degrees, only turning it up to 55 or 60 degrees during periods of exceptional cold to ensure pipes don’t freeze. I don’t like wasting heat, because it’s expensive and a waste of fossil fuels that are non-renewable.

Warm

I am glad that the winter heating season is almost over. Sometimes I’m cold, but I’ve never seriously thought about leaving the heat much hotter. I could have it warmer if I turned on the electric heat upstairs, but I avoid doing that as it’s the most expensive form of heating, and I don’t need it. I’ve also considered a small space heater for my desk, but I’ve never gotten one, in fear that it will increase my electric bill.

Downstream

I enjoy the fresh air, even if it means more noise, followed hot and humid nights. But the breeze is nice, as is getting out and spending nights down at the park or breathing in the fresh air. I don’t do the air conditioning thing, preferring to save money by using less energy, and spending more time outdoors, enjoying cold beverages.

Winter Comes to a Close ?

All the evidence points to the snow being gone from the greater Capital Region, for the year, although there are many points up north that still have upwards of two feet of snow on the ground. But unless we have an unexpected snow storm further out, the 10-day forecast suggests only more melting. Maybe are done with winter. Or maybe not.

Spring Thaw Mid-March

55 degrees today with less then an inch of snow on the ground.

Historically for March 14th:
15% of years have temperature greater then 50 degrees.
43% of years have more then an inch of snow on ground.

In 2018:
It was 35 degrees, with 14 inches of snow on the ground.

March 11, 2019 7 PM Update

Average Temperatures

This table shows the average high, median, and low temperatures for the next year. Previous year values are shown in parenthesis.

Date High Median Low
Sunday, March 17 45 (38) 35 (27) 26 (15)
Thursday, March 28 50 (49) 40 (42) 30 (36)
Sunday, April 7 55 (40) 44 (33) 34 (25)
Thursday, April 18 60 (47) 49 (40) 38 (33)
Wednesday, May 1 65 (74) 54 (58) 43 (43)
Thursday, May 16 70 (72) 58 (62) 47 (51)
Monday, June 3 75 (76) 64 (67) 53 (58)
Saturday, June 22 80 (81) 69 (65) 59 (50)
Sunday, August 18 80 (77) 70 (72) 60 (68)
Sunday, September 8 75 (64) 65 (58) 55 (52)
Saturday, September 21 70 (71) 60 (68) 50 (65)
Wednesday, October 2 65 (66) 55 (59) 45 (52)
Tuesday, October 15 60 (61) 50 (50) 40 (39)
Monday, October 28 55 (51) 46 (46) 36 (41)
Sunday, November 10 50 (42) 42 (39) 33 (35)
Friday, November 22 45 (19) 38 (14) 30 (8)
Wednesday, December 4 40 (39) 33 (30) 26 (21)
Tuesday, December 17 35 (27) 28 (18) 21 (8)

Spray on Icles

Been a Fairly Long Winter

In my book, this has been awful long winter, getting started in November and having snow cover for most of the winter season. Winters like this are increasingly less common, and indeed compared to the 1981-2010 period, this was a fairly mild winter.

Cold Road