People elsewhere in the country would laugh themselves silly if they could see those of us basking in the [relative] warmth of Central Florida. Last night and this morning the weather forecasters put on their dire and doomed faces and warned us about bone-chilling and dangerous cold that was coming our way. Last night the temperatures were to plunge to 54 degrees, with a high not much above sixty today. And tonight, horrors! bring in the dogs, batten down the hatches, get out the emergency supplies--the temperature is to plunge into the forties, perhaps resolving at about 42 degrees.
I remember the first year I was hear, my wife and I were wandering around Sea World wearing shorts and a light jacket and the people manning the ticket stations were in parkas, gloves, hats, and even scarves. We had just come from Columbus, Ohio, where the temperatures were at a steady 30-40 degree range, and it was 65 and breezy here in Orlando. We laughed ourselves silly. Unfortunately, the next year, similar circumstances, and we had already adapted--parkas, gloves, and hats at 60 degrees.
So true. It is amazing how our bodies get recalibrated to thinking 42 degrees is really cold. It certainly feels like that even though looking a the thermometer I think something must be wrong to me when other places I have lived going back up to 42 was a hint of spring.
Thanks for posting this, Steven. As a Michigander I always lunge my chest out a bit when I hear these types of things. ;-)
Dear Tom,
Ah, yes. But you should see the wimpy Michiganders come Florida summer--red as beets at 84 degrees, you'd think the world was ending. :-D
People from Latitude 40 forget that we are very near the Tropic of Cancer (how appropriately named). The rays of the sun are quite a bit more direct and equal time exposure to that in the milder climes will get you a 2nd degree sunburn.
shalom
Steven