Sparrows in Winter

Sparrows in Winter
They are the birds of winter, the survivors, the sparrows chirping  on the rooftops. Even in winter, puffed up against the cold, perching on the stems of the sunflowers and autumn grasses. They are bold in their audacity, earth-colored in brown and grey.  They are with us all winter, cheerful company,  even in the cold and snow... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
February 10, 2019 at 12:00 pm
• 6 comments

Chiberian Survival Tips

Chiberian Survival Tips
It’s  cold out there!  Colder than Alaska, colder than Antarctica.  And it’s going to get even colder. And there will be snow.  Chiberia is back. Remember? Yes, warmer days are coming, but in the meantime,  how do we survive this deep freeze? Drinking and brooding were  Mike Royko’s favorite ways of getting through a Chicago winter. But there... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
January 26, 2019 at 4:41 pm
• 14 comments

Weathering Winter Storm Harper

Snow will spread eastward across parts of north central and northeast Illinois late in the day Friday into the early Friday evening. This snow will then expand area wide later in the evening. Impacts to the evening commute are possible, mainly along and north of I-88. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/JMCgeQnRSQ — NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 17,... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
January 18, 2019 at 12:46 pm
• 11 comments
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New year, new moon

New year, new moon
Happy New year!  2019  on the calendar, a new page, unmarked as fresh-fallen snow. And the new moon on January 5 is the first new moon after the winter solstice. It is the first new moon of the new year on the Western (Gregorian) calendar. Chinese new year will be on February 5, 2019. This year will... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
January 7, 2019 at 6:42 pm
• 4 comments

December Lights

December Lights
Approaching the winter solstice, these are the shortest days. In fact, the earliest sunsets of the year occur before the winter solstice! In Chicago, the earliest sunsets are happening now. From December 3 to December 13, the sun sets at 4:19 pm. This is our season of lights– holiday lights, streetlights, the lights of peoples’ phones.  In... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
December 10, 2018 at 5:20 pm
• 4 comments

The ginkgo and its leaves

The ginkgo and its leaves
The ginkgo is a very old tree–you might even call it prehistoric. Fossils of ginkgo leaves have been found dating back 270 million years. The ginkgo tree was alive during the time of the dinosaurs. It survived the bombing of Hiroshima. It will survive us, still. I think of the ginkgo as  the survivors’ tree, and you... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
November 15, 2018 at 11:25 am
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Now in November

November is here. Skies are mostly gray. The World Series is over. Now comes wind and cold and rain. Snow is not unusual. We are already past the halfway mark between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. Days grow shorter, now, and it will be dark even earlier in the evening after  we  set... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
November 5, 2018 at 11:17 am
• 2 comments

U.N. climate report shows civilization is at stake if we don’t act now

U.N. climate report shows civilization is at stake if we don’t act now
Monday, October 15– It’s a chilly October day in Chicago. Friday, the sky looked like November, and the first traces of snow fell in LaSalle County. Saturday was bright and sunny for the Women’s March downtown to get out the vote in November. The sky was glorious blue. Last week, the United Nations issued a... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
October 15, 2018 at 11:20 am
• 12 comments

Autumn Equinox

Autumn Equinox
The Wheel of the Year  turns. It’s now just past the Autumn Equinox in the northern Hemisphere. The exact time was September 22 at 8:54 PM, CDT.  You can read more about the Autumn Equinox here. And it has been feeling autumnal lately–cool mornings, clear blue sky, the light ripe and gold. It’s the season of... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
September 24, 2018 at 2:25 pm
• 4 comments
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Survivors

Survivors
Hurricane Florence made landfall on  Friday morning near Wilmington, N.C., as a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of about 90 miles an hour.  On Saturday, the storm  had crossed into South Carolina about 25 miles west of Myrtle Beach. Even though Florence  has  been downgraded to a tropical storm, the torrential rains, flooding and power outages will continue for days.  Here... Read more »
By Weather Girl,
September 15, 2018 at 8:00 pm
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