Extremes

The highest temperature recorded in North America was in 1913 when Furnace Creek Ranch CA (Death Valley) was 134 degrees F. The world record is in Libia at 136 degrees F in 1922. The coldest temperature in North America was in the Snag, Yukon Territory, Canada in 1943 at a -81.4 degrees F. The coldest in the world was in 1983 in Antarctica at -89.2 F. The most rain in a 60 minute period in the world was in Holt MO in 1947 with 12 inches. The largest hailstone weighing 2.25 pounds was in Bangladesh in 1986. The longest dry period was in Chili and lasted 173 months in the early 1900s. The point?  Extremes can point out several things:  (1) Right Here - Right now - Things aren't all that bad. (2) Extremes have been around for a long time. (3) There's always someplace worse than here. And remember these tried and true folk sayings: A warm November is the sign of a bad Winter. Onion skins very thin, Mild Winter coming in; Onion skins thick and tough, Coming Winter cold and rough. Flowers bloomin' in late Autumn, A sure sign of a bad Winter comin'. As high as the weeds grow, So will the bank of snow. Thunder in the Fall foretells a cold Winter. If there’s ice in November to bear a duck There’ll be nothing after but sludge and muck. On All Hallow's Day cut a chip from the beech tree; If it be dry the winter will prove warm. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sunny, windy and 74 degrees here tomorrow - I'll be a happy little Midwesterner.  Hope it is where you reside, too.