raft ice on the MO_ve

The city is enjoying a January warm spell that is expected to carry into the next week. Over the last few years, I noticed a change in the weather patterns - especially in the fall, winter, and early spring.

Fall tends to be much drier than it used to be. Rarely do we have those lingering 2-3 days of soaking rains in October and November. They haven't disappeared entirely, but they are rare. This could be related to a long-term drought pattern that's been skirting the Midwest for the last 5-6 years.

The winter weather patterns have also changed quite a bit. Snow, and cold weather, if we have it at all, usually comes in early December. Most of December this year, we had some snow on the ground. Unfortunately not enough for x-country skiing, but enough to keep the temperatures down and the gas bills up. This is typically followed by a warm, and usually dry, January. With highs near 60 degrees and sunshine, it makes one pine for spring, cycling, or even paddling around on the river. Dodging the pack ice on the Missouri could be adventuresome but it's not recommended without a wetsuit. Remember Mr. Fish? We started with Mr. Fish back in April, 2007.

It's a hard to see scale in the above photo, but the circular ice raft is about 20 feet in diameter.