Greetings, from beautifully wooded, peacefully secluded, sometimes sunny, but mostly not, Petticoat Lake where the days are cool, the nights are cooler and any day now Spring will be a reality in our area. Really. I promise.
March came in like a lion but I'm hard pressed to believe that it will go out like a lamb. During this month we have had snow, sleet, sneet, rain and hail. We have had several days when the temperatures were below zero and days when the temperature was not below zero. There were some foggy days and some sunny days and some days when there was a little bit of everything. The most noteworthy weather characteristic this month, however, has been the wind. It seems like the wind has been blowing non-stop since the first day of March. Perhaps it seems that way because during the first 25 days of March there were 17 days during which the wind speed was 20 miles per hour or more; during 7 of those 17 days the wind speed was 30 miles per hour or more and on March 11, the wind speed was recorded at 46 miles per hour.
Wind speeds of 46 miles per hour are, according to the Beaufort Scale, classified as Strong Gales. If one is on the water during a Strong Gale, one would see 18 to 20 foot waves and feel the spray from the waves as the boat scuds in the tempest. The sound of one's screams and prayers would be obliterated by the thundering crash of waves beating against the sides of the boat before the cold, frothy water spills over the sides of the boat and soaks everyone and everything aboard. Even though the "Old Spice" Guy looks well rested, refreshed and relaxed when disembarking from his journey at sea, I wouldn't care to be on the water when the waves are 18 feet high and I don't want to feel the spray on my face from the 18 foot high waves.
If one is on land during a Strong Gale, one would see flags on flagpoles unfurled and snapping in the wind, brown clouds of sand whirling and swirling across parking lots and roads, and trees swaying violently, acquiescing to the harsh forces of nature. During a Strong Gale, your empty trash can will tip over and roll along the street, perhaps coming to rest in a neighboring yard. The lid from the trash can, however, will be carried off by a gust of wind and it is unlikely that you will ever see the lid again. But if you do see the lid again, it will probably be atop someone else's trash can, and you will know it is your lid because it is blue and the neighbor's trash can is black. In 46 mph winds, your important mail will be carried away; Federal and State Tax Returns, Social Security checks, your AARP newsletter , your driver's license renewal notice and the, "You could be a Million Dollars Richer" notice from Publisher's Clearing House will be snatched from your hand and scattered with the winds. The 46 mph wind will not, however, carry away your electric bill, phone bill or auto insurance premium notice. You get to keep the bills.
During a Strong Gale, umbrellas are utterly useless and should be left at home in the umbrella stand lest they get loose and injure unsuspecting pedestrians. (There have been reported incidents of unsuspecting pedestrians suffering grievous injuries sustained from airborne umbrellas).
If one is driving a vehicle in 46mph winds, the car or truck will veer suddenly to the right or left, depending on the wind direction, and if one has the opportunity to see the face of the driver in the vehicle in the oncoming traffic lane, one will see an expression of surprise and perhaps one may even have the opportunity to do a bit of lip-reading and see the surprised driver exclaim, "Cripo!"
During a Strong Gale, walking is difficult, a hat will be blown from your head and airborne birds will appear to be in a state of suspended animation. 45 mph winds will tear slate from roofs, and cause tall trees to break and land on roofs that just had the slate replaced. It is also possible that the tall trees will break and land on newly replaced railings around the deck, the newly installed satellite dish or on your new car. Or truck. The falling trees will also take out every power line and phone line that is connected to your house where you will be left without electricity or phone service.
On the other hand, if one has a fondness for the fresh scent of clothes and sheets that have been dried outdoors, hanging them out in a 46 mph wind will certainly give the clothes and sheets a fresh scent and probably in record time. And as a bonus, while you are outside hanging clothes and sheets in 46 mph winds, there are no mosquitoes or bugs of any kind that can get close enough to bite you.
And that's all I have to say about that...
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