There's an autumnal feeling in the air, supported by weather forecasts predicting lower temperatures, several days of rain, and if no rain, cloudy and gray skies. And it's still only August 20th. Too soon.
Gray and rain are the new normal. I cannot remember a summer that has been quite like this one--rainy days interspersed with a few sunny ones. We awake to mostly gray skies each day. It's been warm and humid for Oslo; temperatures in May, June and July hovered around 70 degrees during the day, with a few warmer days. So neither the garden nor I are complaining, just commenting. Although I am complaining a little bit, as too much grayness and rain can lead to depression. I know this first-hand, because when the sun comes out, I'm a different person--motivated, cheerful, energetic. All the things I'm not on gray days. The Norwegians have a saying--det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær. Translated it means, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Essentially, you should learn to dress for bad weather since it can suddenly be a reality when you are outdoors. I don't agree with this statement; bad weather exists independently of the type of clothing you wear. You cannot prepare for all eventualities. It's a statement meant to keep you positive about weather developments. It has the opposite effect on me, and when people say it to me thinking that it will cheer me up, I want to clobber them.
Weather has become the main topic of conversation among most people. People are constantly checking their weather apps on their phones. I know I do several times a day, wondering when the rain is going to start, or if a sunny day is predicted, when the gray clouds will roll in. Because they usually do at some point.
Wind is the other new normal. Wind has become a part of life when it never was before. I began to notice this a couple of years ago, because being out on our boat has become an iffy affair for me. I don't like being out on the water when it's windy: I don't like the resultant waves and choppiness. Back in the 1990s, there were weeks with stable, sunny, non-windy weather. Temperatures may not have been hot, but it was warm and nice outdoors and wind was not a problem. Gray skies were not so prevalent either. Who knew it would change so much in our lifetime?
The weather has become erratic. One nice day followed by several days of grayness and rain. Storms are now much more intense and more frequent than when we were children. The frequency of hurricanes has increased, likewise the frequency of tornadoes. In other parts of the country and in other countries, there are forest fires and wildfires that produce smoke that enters the atmosphere, changing the weather patterns, like last year when the Canadian wildfires sent smoke into the northeast US states. The fallout of hurricanes on the northeast coast of the USA has become dangerous--storm surges, flooding, high winds, and rain. Lots of rain. Not to mention what the hurricanes do to Caribbean and the parts of the world where they originate. The recent fallout from hurricane Ernesto led to flash flooding in Connecticut that killed two women. Major highways in NY and NJ were closed due to flooding. Flights were cancelled. People who live in basement apartments were told to seek higher ground.
Erratic weather is a reminder that we live on a planet in a solar system that is constantly changing. Our planet is changing. Climate change is real, whether it is natural or man-made. What difference does it make whether we created it or whether it would have occurred anyway? The fact of the matter remains is that we're in the middle of it and have to deal with it. And it's not going to be an easy task.
