Weather Early Winter? Any Ideas?

[Tundra Gypsy]

If we are in a solar minimum, will we see an early winter? Do you think we are headed towards a cooling period, with the northern regions having early snows and lots of it? The east coast sure has been slammed the last couple of winters.

I am curious because it snowed early last year, catching me off guard; or I just didn't look at what was going on around me. The patio furniture got left out; the garden didn't get completely winterized either.

I guess I will make sure I have everything done mid-October this year. Thankfully, DH got our firewood already chopped and in the woodshed for the next two years....

 

[summerthyme]

I dont think there is any way to know. Weather patterns in a solar minimum (especially a grand minimum) tend to be erratic and variable... pretty unpredictable.

About all we can do is watch the natural world,.. while its certainly possible to get heavy snow in the northern areas before the leaves turn color (happened in Buffalo in October a few years back... trashed the city and had power out for days), it's not real likely.

We'll be getting the wood down from the woods by mid September. Have to fit in second crop haying if the darned rsin will ever stop. We cant complain too much, though... we've had just enough to be inconvenient... south and east of us has been hammered by extremely heavy rains and flooding.

I'm going to start digging the potatoes in small batches ... starting with the varieties which have mostly blighted out... fortunately, not until they had set a heavy crop of nice sized tubers. I'm concerned that we might get a really wet fal snd i hate digging potatoes in the mud! Putting a bushel or so in the root cellar every afternoon is easier than digging the entire patch in an afternoon.

Watch a reputable weather forecast for signs that the jet stream is starting to dip down into the northern states.

Summerthyme

 

[Martinhouse]

Too early to tell here in Arkansas. Sometimes winter has started the end of October here, and other years not until nearly the end of November. Some years it's gotten cold enough that the comfrey and the strawberries in my greenhouse go dormant and other years, like last winter, they stayed green and leafy and never turned entirely brown.

I'm already seeing a lot of erratic weather here, but I don't think it will get nearly as bad this far south as it will across the northern half of the country. If the weather where I live changes to that of Minnesota/Iowa, I hate to think how awful it might get for those who live up there.

I'm thinking the best we can all hope for is long enough growing seasons (and a way to guard against surprises) so that most of us don't starve.

Right now the weather here is what we've been used to seeing in September.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Yes, the goldfinches don't nest up here until Mid September and they started nesting up around the end of July.

 

[Raggedyman]

took Raggedyann to the airport in AZZville Sunday to pick up a rental for her road trip . . . ALL the maples in the short term parking lot had tinges of yellow and orange. haven't seen it out here yet but the locust seems to be way ahead of schedule

 

[Millwright]

We had a coupla nights in the 60s last week. (absolutely glorious)

Hummingbirds are gone.

Saw more deer in the last two nights than I have in several months.

Pigs are moving different too.


Not really sure if this is "early", but it is happening.