Yes, I’m enjoying this singular winter

As winters go, this one’s been jim dandy. I haven't worn boots yet this winter nor have I worn what would be considered a winter coat. You would have to be a Canadian to understand just what that means.

For one thing, I live in Edmonton, Alberta. On a day like today, it would normally be something like … oh, maybe as cool as -32 Celcius (that would be about -26 Fahrenheit).

In fact, it’s been known to be as cold as -40 Celcius, which just so happens to be where Fahrenheit and Celcius meet up. It turns out that -40 Celcius is also -40 Fahrenheit.

But so far this winter the temperature has remained hovering around … oh, 5 Celcius? (That’s about 41 Fahrenheit.) It’s going to be 10 or 12 on the weekend (50 to 55 Fahrenheit) … And while that may seem a bit cool for those of you who don’t live this far north, that’s damned unusual for these parts.

Also unusual is the almost complete lack of snow and ice. That’s like the Sahara not having sand, or New York lacking people.

The troubling question, however, is this somewhat balmy winter just nature having fun or is this the result of how well we’ve completely fucked the planet?

Although I’m enjoying the weather, I suspect it’s the latter and, though I may be enjoying the quality of this winter, I know some people in the southern States, around the New Orleans area, who might have a thing or two to say about how we’ve buggered things up.

Tags: Weather, Environment, Edmonton, Alberta, Winter