A Wet Not White Christmas

A cardinal and a downy share a feeder and
pretend the other isn't there

December is the month of the Winter Solstice--the shortest day of the year, the official start of winter. As we've done every year since we've lived here, we got out the candles and the bells and the smudge stick and called on all and whatever Powers That Be to bless Bean Hill and all its living things in the coming year. So far, so good.

As with last Winter Solstice, we had to don, not our gay apparel, but our wellies and rain gear to go outside at sundown for the smudging of the gardens, pond, etc. It's not easy to keep a smudge stick going in the rain, but after several years of practice, we're beginning to get the hang of it. The ritual culminates in lighting the Yule Log (thank goodness it was at least a chilly day!), and quaffing a glass of mead, that stuff Beowulf drank before killing Grendel.

Winter Solstice tools--
smudge stick, bell, and mead

Although no precipitation was recorded for 16 days during December, this ended up being the second wettest December on record in Central Ohio. The near record rainfall cinched 2018's claim as the wettest year since record-keeping began (55.18”). December 2018 joined eight other 2018 months in recording above-average precipitation. 

Aberrant weather patterns and events are signs of a changing climate, so it shouldn’t be surprising that 4 of Central Ohio’s 10 wettest years have happened since 2000. Here at Bean Hill over the last 3-4 years, I’ve observed that not only is it raining more often, it’s raining harder. More times than I can remember, I've described a rain event as "torrential".  Ben Gelber, NBC-4 meteorologist, made the same observation: “Average annual precipitation and the number of days with very heavy rainfall have increased significantly in the Ohio Valley in the past half-century.” (“Columbus’ rainfall record washed away”, Dec. 31, 2018)

Come set a spell

We saw only .06" of snow in a month where we should see 5.1". In what used be a "normal" year, Central Ohio would see just under 3" of rain along with that snow. This near-record December we had 4.45" of rain. The lack of snow wasn't surprising, since 20 days of the month had above average temperature, with 14 of those being significantly above average (6-25 degrees). The month's average high temperature was 4 degrees above the historic monthly average. The month's average night-time temperature was two degrees above the historic average of 27.

As the New Year begins, we continue to see temperatures well above normal and, of course, there's rain. Welcome to the New Year and to the new "normal". 

For a little nostalgia, I've chosen photos from winters past when all our Christmases were white.

A house finch and a gold finch wait for a feeder to be filled