I am noticing throughout the world that climate change is causing erratic weather. For example on Thursday, March 14, Tashkent was hit with a snowstorm mid-morning. We received 2-3 inches of wet snow from about 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. By the end of the school day, the sun was shining and the snow was melting. That was the pattern this winter, intermittent snow with warm, spring-like temperatures. As I am writing this on Saturday morning, it is -3C (27F) and we will have a high of 14C (57F). We are on our Spring Break from school starting today. The weather this week will be lows in the 40s F (6C) in the morning and high 60s and low 70s (21+) in the afternoon.
Businesses in my home region of the Upper Peninsula are asking the federal government for disaster relief funds due to the unseasonably warm winter. Usually, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan receives between 200 and 300 inches of snow in the winter. Winter tourism of snowmobiles and skiing brings a lot of money to the region. They are calling it the “lost winter” of 2023-2024. Marquette, one of the snowiest towns in Michigan and where my son lives, is almost 5 feet below average.
This contrasts with the weather last weekend which was warm and sunny. Oliver is shown above at the entrance of an Indian restaurant we tried last Sunday evening. The Curry House was one of our favorites and they were closed for several months as they reopened in a new location. The servers were experiencing growing pains, but the food was still delicious. I am also starting to take video conference calls outside on our patio. It is the place I love most about our house, sitting in the back garden with the pool and top chan. I am happy winter is ending and looking forward to celebrating the Spring Solstice (Navruz) this week.
Bill's Blog 