For three years I lived in El Paso, which was... well, I still don't really like talking about it. There was one thing about it that I don't think I ever really complained about, though, and that's the weather. El Paso is right in the middle of the desert. (Sadly, it's not quite an oasis of awesomeness like Phoenix or some such place, but I've already told that story.) But the weather in El Paso, while it did get really, uncomfortably hot in the summer, was overall pretty good. It was also extremely predictable. Let me give you a rundown of a year's worth of weather there:
January/February: Ridiculously windy, temperature in the 60s. Sunny. March/April: Perfect, temperature in the 70s and 80s. Sunny. May/June: Ungodly hot, with an occasional hot breeze, temperature no lower than 95-105. Sunny. July/August: Actual rainfall may occur in crazy mini-monsoons. Temperature drops down to the blessed low 90s. When not raining, sunny. September/October: Pretty good weather, not too much wind, temperatures in the 80s. Sunny. November/December: Temperature starts to drop down towards the 70s and even 60s, but the wind hasn't kicked in full force yet. Sunny.
There you have it. The weather was always the same, you knew what to expect, and it was always sunny so planning around inclement weather was pretty much non-existent except maybe in the late summer. The weather forecasters there would have you believe that their jobs were somehow justified, with their detailed analysis of wind speeds and possible clouds, but really it wasn't too hard to figure out that any given day would be... sunny.
One thing that Tom and I picked up on about weather prediction there was that any forecast of rain at all meant that it would actually rain. Are they saying there's a 10% chance of rain? It will rain. 40%? 60% It will rain. It seemed that if the potential for rain appeared anywhere in the entire region, it would at least give a courtesy sprinkle sometime during the day (before, during, or after the sunny part.) So while it sort of degraded the weather guy's accuracy skills, it was still a very predictable system of living.
Returning to the present, here we are in Killeen. One of the things I was excited about when we moved here was returning to "real" weather. Not because the weather in El Paso was bad, but just because I like rain, and cloudy days, and the idea that every day might not be exactly the same. But real weather is throwing me off! I'm not normally one to worry about the weather. I don't watch the news, so unless I search it out I don't know what the forecast in a given week will be. (Maybe that's why desert weather was so suitable...)
I'm still kind of in my mindset that when the weather makes a change, that's where it will stay. For example, when it started to get into the 80s during the day, I thought, 'ok, that's it. We can put away sweatshirts and long pants, it's not going to get cold again.' BAM! Suddenly it would be 46 degrees for three days. When it's nice out for a week, I think, 'ok, seriously. It's not going to get cold again, I can put away the hoodie.' BAM! 55 degree day. But only one day-- the next day will be back up to 75.
Then there's the whole issue of precipitation. Apparently, when they say there's "a chance" of rain, that's what they mean. Even if it's cloudy and menacing outside, there's no guarantee of actual rain. By the same token, a 60% chance of rain could equal a 15-minute crazy downpour (which is the general style of rain in the desert). Or, it might just sprinkle all day (unheard of!). Why does this surprise me? I mean, I grew up in a place where it's cloudy for like three months at a time, and somehow I expect that one cloudy day will produce rain?
I'm sure that I don't need to elaborate much on this "real" weather I speak of. If you haven't been stranded in the desert for years at a time, I assume you are all too familiar with it. I just can't figure out why I'm so confused by it. It's ridiculous, really. It's weather-- by nature, it's unpredictable, right? Weather should not be hurting my brain! But while I do enjoy thunderstorms and overcast days, I now have to plan ahead because taking the kids out shopping in a hurricane is kind of a downer, planning your yardwork on a day projected to be 97 degrees is a little sweaty, and trying to do anything in gale force winds is just annoying.
You win this time, weather lady. You may keep your job; I may need your services. However, I in no way believe that your real name is Olga Breese. I just don't. (Same goes for you, Chikage Windler.)
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