There’s Winter… and Then There’s WINTER

Locals here like to talk about how miserable their winter was last year. 

“It snowed from November until March.”

“We had snow piles up to our shoulders!"

“The temperatures were so bitterly cold that we could hardly go outside.”

“We had friends in London telling us about how they were ‘snowed in’ – and then when we saw their pictures of two inches of snow on their doorsteps, we thought, ‘Snowed in!  Bah!  You ought to see our doorsteps!’”

Now, I realize that, much like some of the Mid-Atlantic states in the U.S., if a city doesn’t have the equipment to remove the snow from the streets and sidewalks in an efficient manner, it can cause major disruptionS.  But I also know how much snow would accumulate if it truly snowed from November until March, how much snow would have to fall in order for it to accumulate up to their shoulders, how much snow it actually takes to be “snowed in,” and what “bitterly cold” temperatures are.  It’s normal for weather patterns to vary slightly from year to year, so it’s quite possible for a place which doesn’t normally get any measurable snow to get some the following year. 

What’s not normal is for St. Andrews, which normally receives less than six inches of snow per year and rarely drops below freezing, to suddenly turn into the winter wasteland they all claim. 

Most of these people have never even seen snow up to their shoulders or felt air temperatures below the mild mark of zero degrees Fahrenheit – as indicated by the shovels sold: they look more like the plastic toy shovels we give to the kids at home.

I don’t fault them.  Who doesn’t like to tell a good weather story?  I’m just thinking of this because today is the winter solstice 2011.  Here in Scotland the sun rises at 8.45am and sets at 3.35pm.  That’s a 6hrs, 50mins, and 25secs day.  (Another thing people, mostly American students, like to complain about).  Today is supposed to be a high of 54 degrees Fahrenheit, and so far this winter St Andrews has received barely a trace of snow. 

As I enjoy this spring-like day only three days before Christmas, I can’t help but remember back to the FIRST DAY of WINTER last year in Cooke City, where it was as dark (if not more so due to the mountains) and as cloudy as it is here, but a whole lot more WHITE!

A beautiful sight to behold.