You want to talk about weird? The other morning (Monday) it was in the 50s, and by the end of that afternoon it had dropped ~30 degrees to the low 20s.

The weather we've been having is not unusual in Wisconsin. We have had colder than the norm for December though....also more snow. Right now we're having a snow storm. It started a little after midnight and will continue thru Friday afternoon. Possibly 12". It's just a regular cold snowy winter here.
:)

Kat

Good morning,

Its been warmer here than it should be probably mid 40's. I haven't had to wear a jacket yet on most days. However, today it is cold. Heavy frost and we are getting a snow storm. Possibly 6 - 12". Starting this afternoon. I have had all week off of work and have to go back today. I work 2nd shift. I'm going in early to make sure I get there safe.

Keep warm and safe

Linda

Here in California we are having strange weather. We've been on the news for some of it. After a very long, dry but actually very pretty fall we have had a large quantity of unseasonably early snow and for us cold temperatures. It rarely gets as low as 10 degrees here in upper CA but in the town I live in people were even reporting below zero and frozen pipes.

Things seem to be returning to normal over the next few days though which is good.

Kate

We've had the same weird fluctations here. I think it was Monday of last week when it was in the 20's and then that Wednesday it was almost 60. Again, this week, Monday was 60, Tuesday, low 30's with a chance of snow.

Overall, it's been much colder than usual, and has been since November (that's one reason I'm so behind in my fall chores!). We have had the odd unusually-warm day here and there, but in general, it's been a cold one. And threats of freezing rain every other day it seems. *That's* what I hate. I'll take the cold, but keep the freezing rain and snow, thank you!

:)
Dee

It was 72 here today. The sun nearly burned my eyes. Supposed to be even warmer tomorrow with rain. I spent the day retooling the front bed and removing all the rocks some crazy lady planted around her shrubs 20 years ago. Don't even get me started on that.

I've got daffodils coming out of the ground already. My forsythia still has leaves, new leaves. My camellias got burned by frost because they put out new growth too late in the summer. My azaleas bloomed twice this year, those that didn't die. They aren't Encore azaleas. I've got a spider lily that popped up today. It'll get zapped by the cold next week. And I'm sick myself.

72 degrees?! Sigh. In the twenties here, with at least 7 inches of snow (and still snowing).

Dee

Yep. Supposed to be in the upper 60s tomorrow. They changed it on us. Rain late in the day with rain on Sunday too. By Monday night I'll need to build a fire in the basement wood stove to warm the house again.

My fragrant tea olive is blooming too. Butterfly bushes are putting out lots of new growth. And even though I know better, I moved and divided a couple of perennials today that were in my front bed. I was itching. I'm off to the landfill in the morning to pick up a load of wood mulch from last summer's collection.

It's 62°F here this hour, but by 9PM tomorrow night it will be in the 20's, with a strong NW wind and an overnight low in the teens. Welcome back, Winter! Possibility of precipitation, also.
Winter offically begins tomorrow, Sunday, December 21 at 1204 UTC (7:04AM EST) and the weather has apparently recognized that fact!
Keep warm!
Rb

Are you guys who have temps in the 70s and are dividing perennials trying to make us jealous? Well, it's working!! It is currently 11 degrees F here, with light snow falling. We've gotten about 10 inches of snow since yesterday afternoon, and that's on top of a smaller storm earlier this week that left things crusty and messy. And another big storm predicted for tomorrow. Yikes.

And of course, that's on top of a terrible ice storm a week ago Thursday. Due to a collision/layering (or something meterological) of warm air from the south and cold air from the north, a huge tract of New england had terrible icing. Huge numbers of trees were broken from the ice, which fell on power lines and poles. Most of the wood is laying in piles in people's yards and along the sides of streets. Over a million people were out of power, and there are still some poor souls who don't have power after 8 days. The weather is not cooperating with the cleanup or with people's holiday plans here in the Northeast!

One thing you could say with 99.9% probability, it's going to be a white Christmas here.

I didn't divide any plants, something I seldom do, but I did take the opportunity to plant more than 100 little native plants, mostly spring ephemerals, during the respite from a colder than usual fall season. Haven't finished wih bulb planting yet, about 2 days work left for those and some winter seed sowing. We haven't had enough snow to accumulate on the ground, at least around here, but there has been some, just north of here, in the mountains.
I grow a number of plants, Hostas, for one, that need the cold temperatures and a long dormant period, to perform well.
It's been many years, since I've experienced a white Christmas and I really don't have any fond memories of those day's in the mid-West! (Illinois)

I recall seeing a projection by NOAA/NWS, early in the fall, that the northern tier states, from the plains eastward to NY, would experience a milder than usual winter.
Guess they were slightly off the mark, or is it really milder than recent years?
Weather happens, we try to cope with it, as best we can!
Keep warm!

Speaking of weird, how about snow in New Orleans and Las Vegas last week? I found that interesting, especially since the day it snowed in NO was the day it was 60 degrees here in CT.

Dee

"or is it really milder than recent years?" NO, not around here. This is one of the coldest Decembers we've had in nearly 25 years. Snowier too. At the moment we have about 25 mph winds out of the northwest busily building new and enlarging previous drifts. I really don't mind the snow, it's great insulation for the plants, but I really wouldn't mind skipping the wind and sub-zero temps. Would you guys near the Canadian border "Please,please close the back door."

I'm with terrene and hostaholic. The freezing and snow moved in mid Nov and never left. Very unusual. Winter normally stops and starts and keep stuttering until it finally settles into solid snow in late Dec. This year we just keep having more snow, and the last couple of days dumped a lot. We had a snow day on Friday because of the big storm.

And I still have some tulips and alliums that never got in the ground. . . .

Wish our weather was above 30F like yours donnabaskets but right now, it's unbelievable. It's so cold and wind is very strong. :(

Taken from weather.com few minutes ago.
{{gwi:285423}}

Yes, supposed to be VERY windy and around 0 tomorrow. Wouldn't mind so much, but since they did a lousy job plowing (if you can even call it plowing) it will all be a sheet of ice tomorrow. Sigh.

:)
Dee

Yep, it sure is C-O-L-D up here!! The cold isn't the miserable part, the WIND is - yikes the wind is just howling!! Supposed to be another change tomorrow, with temps slowly climbing upwards to mid-30s on Christmas.

Actually, I don't think this is all that unusual for late December. I remember when I was a kid a foot or so of snow was nothing - life as usual in the winter - and there was almost always a good amount of snow on Christmas. It's the recent years (by that I mean 15-20 years) that I recall that have been less snowy and less cold overall. Of course I'm relying on memory and no official stats to back me up, but hey this is Michigan, what do you expect? It's *supposed* to be cold up here!

Oh my goodness! Well, I guess I'll be grateful for my own weird weather. Today's high is to be 43, but they're calling for 80 on Friday, and NO, that is not at all normal! I hope that the white Christmas will somewhat compensate for the rest of you and your predicaments! I'm sure it's small comfort for those without power. We lose power in hurricanes, but at least it's warm then.

If you are a praying person, I urge you to pray for our new president, that, with all the other huge problems that need his attention, he won't forget the envirgonment.

I hope you all have a blooming Merry Christmas! :)

It snowed for 3 days in a row, and we now have about 20 inches on the ground. Today was clear and sunny, but it is still very cold and windy. This weather is harsh!

As for blooms? Well - indoors and in my daydreams only - one of the Christmas cactuses is blooming, and the Amaryllis will be blooming soon too! :)