I am certainly not a meteorologist, but have always been interested in weather and did take a few in depth and challenging college courses. It is no secret weather patterns are changing and historic records have recently been shattered. Living in North Carolina, we typically experience a mild climate. However, I was reminded this week how extreme conditions can become; It was 9 degrees on Tuesday and 72 by Saturday! No, that is not a typo...it went from nine to seventy-two in less than five days! In fact, we've experienced four front changes...warm, cold, warm and back to cold again. Here (photo below) was the alert I received yesterday while trying to enjoy some down time when my Toddler napped...no luck there, the Internet and community water went out within minutes. Most neighbors don't have power to date so I'm not complaining.
Many times weather warnings are just that, a cautionary notification of what could happen. Unfortunately, this warning was in good time and offered a decent prelude to the events that followed in our neighboring communities. Here are a few images from my in-laws rental property. A tree fell through the roof and into the tenants bedroom! Thankfully, no one was injured. Thank goodness this was a 2PM storm and not a 2AM storm!
Clearly, weather has become more than just elevator small talk. It is now a multi billion dollar entertainment industry, fuels the inspiration for countless movies and sitcoms and has become one of the most pinned and tweeted topic of our era. Just this past week, my sister who attends FSU, texted me this picture reminding me how no one has escaped the extremes.
Let me clarify, that is FLORIDA State University. And this is a picture of a fountain (moving water) that has frozen and now resembles an ice statue!
Weather truly can be awe inspiring or can wreak havoc within minutes. For me, it offers the perfect daily reminder of how poetically small we all are in this big bad world and how quickly life can be affected. So here's to everyone who has battled the completely frozen record lows, blizzards, floods and tree disasters. I have a feeling Mother Nature is making an impression in 2014! Take care and please heed the warnings.
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