Strange Weather Lately, Eh?

So this was a strange week, in terms of weather. In fact, this has been a strange and very atypical, almost surreal time, as far as weather goes.

Let me explain:

Right now as I write this in Hillsborough, New Jersey, the Garden States has been without any significant rain now for over two months, and probably closer to three months. Indeed, we recently went from a drought watch to a drought warning. If things do not change soon, we will reach a drought emergency, and face mandatory restrictions on our water usage. 

We got a bit of rain last week, although that came in the wee hours of the morning. It was largely gone before daybreak. Also, it amounted to maybe a quarter of an inch (or 6.35 millimeters), which is hardly going to break something as serious as a drought. Now, having just checked the weather, we are expected to get rain next Thursday. And hopefully we will. A significant amount. However, much like with recent election polls, I no longer simply assume that they are correct. After all, the weather expects have predicted rain numerous times in the past couple of months, and too often, the rain simply did not come. Last week, we were supposed to get rain, also on Thursday, to follow up that little bit of rain we got earlier in the week. But it was pretty much bone dry.

Usually, I take walks every day. When I walk on the grass - and I remember that this was already the case back in September - it sometimes both looks and feels like hay. There are even times when I can hear it, and it sounds like what walking on hay sounds like, if I remembered what it sounded like correctly. 

Now what is strange is this: I feel almost like I got more of a taste of the West Coast this year than ever before. I mean, there was the trip of slightly more than a week to the Los Angeles area earlier this year from late May to early June). Prior to that, we experienced an earthquake (and yes, I am aware that earthquakes are not really usually associated with weather, but it felt strange enough of an occurrence to add it here), which was the first time that I specifically remember feeling one, and which also is more common out west. While in South Africa, there were some landscapes which felt reminiscent of the western half of North America. But now, this drought - and the wildfires that they have caused throughout New Jersey (the most significant one is currently burning in my old hometown of West Milford) - are also making this feel like a most unusual, very atypical year for us here in New Jersey. Much of this stuff really feels like what you hear happening much more frequently out west, and not in the northeastern portion of the United States.

Perhaps just as odd - or maybe even more odd - has been the unseasonably warm weather we have been experiencing so far in New Jersey. Again, this feels like something which would feel more at home out West, like on the far West Coast. True, the nights can dip down to cold, even borderline frigid temperatures. Yet on Monday, I went walking in a t-shirt and shorts in weather that was well in the 70's Fahrenheit (lower 20's Celsius), and was actually starting to feel warm maybe midway through the walk. Today, my girlfriend told me to put on another layer when we went out, and so I put on a sweater. Then, that felt actually much too warm for weather that was in the lower 60's Fahrenheit (mid-teens Celsius). Not to sound like a broken record, but that really is not normal for New Jersey in mid-November. 

On top of that, the earliest part of the month saw temperatures at or near the lower 80's (at least 26 Celsius). We're talking the first day or two here, but still. I remember when my son was born in early November of 2005, it was an unseasonably warm day at roughly 60 degrees Fahrenheit (mid-teens Celsius). And that felt warm to me. But the warm spell that we had in the first couple of days or so were quite literally summer-like in terms of temperature and feel. It felt out of place for anything that I, having lived in northern climes for almost all of my life, just would not associate with any part of November. 

Again, very unusual weather. 

Okay, so it is strange. And these days, such bizarre weather - especially when it is sustained for as long as this has been - sometimes feels too easily chalked up to changing weather patterns. Namely, climate change (or global warming, if you prefer). 

I don't want to be an alarmist. And I am not saying that this is necessarily a definitive sign of climate change. Strange and atypical weather has always existed, and surely always will. Also, I am not qualified enough with my limited knowledge of science to make serious arguments that these things are surely a sign of climate change.

However, it really feels so unnatural, that maybe we also should not ignore it too easily. Remember, wildfires are something which tends to be far more typical for the western half of North America. Yet, we are experiencing these serious wildfires here in New Jersey and in this region more generally. Also, remember that last year, we had one day where the sky was orange here in the greater New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, because of massive wildfires up in Canada, which also was not typical for them. And it feels like while hurricanes were always a thing for the East Coast beginning sometime in summer and last through most of the autumn, it feels like both the number and the severity of these storms have increased in recent years. I am old enough to remember a time when a "storm of the century" really was something which you saw....well, once. It sure feels like now, they are happening far more frequently than ever before, to the point where this feels like the new norm. 

Really, all of this feels bizarre. Alarming. 

It is not lost on me that it comes at a time when many Americans feel alarmed with other trends in this country, such as the results of the recent election. I wanted to go without mentioning this fact, but it does feel like an appropriate time to mention that, once again, we just elected a staunch climate denier to the Oval Office yet again, and in 2024, well into the 21st century now. 

The weather is unseasonably warm. And yes, there have been times when I have been able to put these facts aside and simply enjoy a pleasantly warm day during one of my walks.

That said, there also are alarm bells sounding in the back of my mind, reminding me that none of this really feels like what would pass for normal.

And that is why I am posting about this strange weather lately. Because maybe this is something other than what I suspect it is. But then again, maybe we should not dismiss this merely as only a bit of unseasonable weather. There indeed may be more sinister reasons for all of this. 

All I am saying is that maybe we should pay attention to how unusual all of this is.