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image from Old Farmer's Almanac image from Old Farmer's Almanac Good morning. Warming up to 5F ( -15C) but feels like -14F. Just cold. We do have a lovely blue clear sky and seeing the sun is awesome. Enjoy today as we are on an alert day for major winter storm tonight and tomorrow. We could have up to 5” of snow during this time. Stay safe, stay warm all.
Now Australia family and friends it is going to be the opposite high for Feb 12th will be 81F(27C) with high humidity. Stay cool, stay safe. I found this interesting about cold temperatures for us in Feb. You need to look at the pictures while you read this to make sense of it. This is why we are having these cold temperatures now. Why Is February So Cold? By Michael Steinberg Our coldest month is February in North America. Someone recently asked me how it can be colder in winter even though Earth is closer to the Sun than it is in summer. You can see how this works by using a flashlight. Although I was taught that Earth’s distance from the Sun averages about 93 million miles, in reality, this distance varies from 91.4 million miles in early January to 94.5 million miles in July—so Earth is indeed closer to the Sun during our winter. But when you think about it, Earth’s distance from the Sun can not be seen to be the reason for the seasons, as when it is winter for me in Pennsylvania, it is summer for my friend in Australia. As we all know, seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere. See How This Works With a Flashlight If you point a flashlight straight ahead, you will see a circle of light, with the brightest light in the center. Right? flashlight straight ahead first picture I have posted If you tilt the flashlight, its light is more diffuse and weaker away from where it is shining directly. diffused flashlight light second picture I have posted The weaker light in the case of the Sun and our solar system means that Earth is receiving less energy from the Sun, which is why the weather is colder and the daylight hours are shorter in winter. Since the amount of sunlight is at its minimum at the winter solstice, which occurs around December 21 or 22, you might expect that day to be the coldest of the year, on average. But instead, the coldest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs in February, nearly 2 months later. This happens because while Earth receives energy from the Sun, it also emits energy into space. And Earth’s Northern Hemisphere emits more energy than it receives for nearly 2 months after the winter solstice, so temperatures continue to trend downward. Think about what happens when you turn off the burner on an electric stove—it does not cool down to room temperature instantly, but instead remains hot for a while, until it finally reaches room temperature. Similarly, Earth retains warmth from the previous summer, and it takes more time to cool down after sunlight fully reaches its seasonal minimum. Because land and water have different specific heat capacities, they warm and cool at different rates. Thus, oceans and other large bodies of water heat and cool more slowly than the land surrounding them. This is why a sea breeze from the ocean brings cooling in the summertime and why the Great Lakes can produce snow squalls in the winter. So, the seasons are not produced because of changes in how far Earth is from the Sun, but instead because Earth is tilted in its orbit. There is a lag between when incoming solar energy reaches its high and low points and when we record the warmest and coldest temperatures because Earth receives energy from the Sun and emits energy into space. Taken from https://www.almanac.com/why-february-so-cold Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected] 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365 Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse
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AuthorHi! My name is Becky and I am a Master Gardener. I own Becky's Greenhouse in Dougherty, Iowa. Archives
December 2025
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