# Mild autumn?



## Pagey (Dec 3, 2012)

Is this mild weather nation-wide or what, fellow burners?  Here in ye good ole Southeast, we're supposed to hit 74F today.  Not shabby for December 3rd.  How's the weather in your neck of the woods this fall?  You burning less than average, too?


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## blujacket (Dec 3, 2012)

Crazy here in Ohio too. 65f right now


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## Pagey (Dec 3, 2012)

I had to dodge a few wasps to sweep the flue Saturday.


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## BrowningBAR (Dec 3, 2012)

64 today.

Pretty sure our Alaska members are giving us the finger right about now.


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## jharkin (Dec 3, 2012)

Its very warm here today... high 50s. My wife read somewhere that on average though November was colder than last year. 

So far Ive burned about a face cord. More than last year to this point, but similar to the couple years prior.


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## rdust (Dec 3, 2012)

Mild today but I think we've been pretty average around here so far.  Some ups and downs but overall I'd "guess" average.


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## blujacket (Dec 3, 2012)

It's early, but it feels like another mild Winter is in store for this year. Hopefully we can get at least 1 good snow here. I never had to use my shovel or put down salt last year. First time I never had to shovel.


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## Kaptain (Dec 3, 2012)

It hasn't been that mild in Central PA (not counting today and tomorrow).  It had been touching freezing consistently for the past month.  The bit of snow that we got last week was still laying in some spots yesterday.


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## jwoair23 (Dec 3, 2012)

Very warm here today, 60 degrees! Thats ridiculous.  I took advantage of the warm weather though and swept my chimney and cleaned the inside of my stove. I try and do that periodically through the winter when we get a warm spell. I like a monthly chimney sweeping, gives me peace of mind!


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## Pagey (Dec 3, 2012)




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## HomeBruin (Dec 3, 2012)

Not so in NJ. If fact, temps here have been below normal all season. Except for today/tomorrow. Unusually warm, 61 deg F. 46 is the normal high for today. The record is 65 (1970) for today here, for 12/4 the record is 64 (1951).


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## David Tackett (Dec 3, 2012)

Yep, I was all excited about my new Buck 91 lit it last Saturday burned it all the way to this past Saturday without relighting one time and now it is shut down.  70 degrees here.


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## BrowningBAR (Dec 3, 2012)

Pagey said:


>


Apart from the rain, that looks like a pretty good 10 day forecast.


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## northwinds (Dec 3, 2012)

Very mild here.  We've had no significant snowfall, and snow around Halloween is not uncommon.  Grass is still pretty green.  Only thing worse than a brown Christmas is a green Christmas.


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## Slow1 (Dec 3, 2012)

I don't have the exact numbers on me at the moment, but in terms of 'heating degree days' we are cooler this year than at least the last two years here.  I've burned more wood than last year (mild year) and about the same as two years ago.  Although nice weather lately, last week was a bit cool - had the stove running 24/7 for just about a full week.  No fire expected tonight though and who knows about tomorrow...  things can change fast.


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## peakbagger (Dec 3, 2012)

Burlington Vermont just broke their 18 months of above normal temps streak in November. I expect Sandy skewed the results as the area had 5 to 6 days of zero sun.

So far its a "recent normal" winter up north (I expect looking at 100 trend for this area its been downright balmy)


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## Maple man (Dec 3, 2012)

besides the warmer temps today it has bin chilly looks a  little milder this week


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## BrotherBart (Dec 3, 2012)

Ten to fifteen below normal day and night all of November. Burned more wood in November than I have in years. It ate my wood savings from last year. Two days of seventy and then we slide back down.


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## fishingpol (Dec 3, 2012)

Ponds were skimming over with ice last week, but they are all melted now.  It may be the second year without ice fishing. 

It looks like I will get the last leaves raked up after all.


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## Pagey (Dec 3, 2012)

BrotherBart said:


> Ten to fifteen below normal day and night all of November. Burned more wood in November than I have in years. It ate my wood savings from last year. Two days of seventy and then we slide back down.


 
Now, BB, you just seem one of them thar fancy cat stoves.


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## jharkin (Dec 3, 2012)

I went back and look at the numbers... Im anal retentive enough to track the heating degree days and fuel usage each winter so I can determine if insulation improvements etc are making a difference. Here is the result for me

Nov 2012 - 751 HDD
Nov 2011 -503
Nov 2010 -688
Nov 2009 - 571


So far this is the coldest November since we moved into this house.


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## Slow1 (Dec 3, 2012)

Ok - hard numbers 

As of Dec 2nd each year...  HDD are 65* Heating degree days for my local.

Year - HDD - Splits burned - HDD/Split (weird efficiency number of sorts, higher is better?)
2012 - 1284 - 410 - 3.13
2011 -  988 -  259 - 3.81
2010 - 1157 - 427 - 2.71
2009 - 1272 - 339 - 3.79 (10 day vacation in November, no wood burned)

So it looks like this year is the coldest I have recorded for the last 4 years.  Also seems that I'm not doing much worse than I did two years ago in terms of wood consumption... new stove and all I figured I was way above in terms of burn rate...


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## David Tackett (Dec 3, 2012)

jharkin said:


> I went back and look at the numbers... Im anal retentive enough to track the heating degree days and fuel usage each winter so I can determine if insulation improvements etc are making a difference. Here is the result for me
> 
> Nov 2012 - 751 HDD
> Nov 2011 -503
> ...


 
What do the numbers mean?


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## n3pro (Dec 3, 2012)

November in Harrisburg, PA ended up 3.4 degrees below normal.  Tomorrow looks to be the warmest day this week then reality sets in and back to near normal.  Several models have the second half of the month quite frigid.  Time will tell.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 3, 2012)

We've had ups and downs too but that is normal. Much of October seemed colder than its been in the last several years and definitely November had some cold weather.

Typically in the first week of December we usually get 3-4" of snow but it usually does not stay long. Then toward the middle of he month we typically get our first really cold spell. Christmas can be either way but is usually cold and I think we have over 77% chance of white Christmas.

Our real cold weather normally comes in around January 10.

I have a feeling that this winter we'll see lots of cold air but yet frequent warm-ups with those lasting 2-3 days or shorter. I do not expect deep snow but perhaps more ice. I hope I am all wrong.


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## jharkin (Dec 3, 2012)

David Tackett said:


> What do the numbers mean?


 
Those are heating degree days.   They are calculated using a starting point of 65F, assuming that an average house doesnt need any heat above that temperature. then you just add up the degrees below that point for each day of the month.

For example if on day one the average temp for the day is 50, thats 65 - 50 =  15 HDD.
And on day 2, the average temp for the day is 40, that's 25 HDD
And on day 3 the average temp is 60, that's 5 HDD.

You sum those figures up over whatever time period you want.


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## corey21 (Dec 3, 2012)

It hit 70 here today.


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## David Tackett (Dec 3, 2012)

How do you know what the average temperature of the day is?


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## woodgeek (Dec 4, 2012)

Ave Nov temps at my location:

2012  41°F
2011  50°F
2010  48°F
2009  50°F
2008  45°F

IOW, coldest Nov in memory.  This November was colder than the ave temp for last December (42°F).


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## Pagey (Dec 4, 2012)

Some interesting replies in here.  Apparently weather truly is local!


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## jharkin (Dec 4, 2012)

David Tackett said:


> How do you know what the average temperature of the day is?


 
There are services that compile this info from meteorological records. I get it from http://www.degreedays.net/


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## David Tackett (Dec 4, 2012)

jharkin said:


> There are services that compile this info from meteorological records. I get it from http://www.degreedays.net/


 
Hm, this site isn't working for me.  I can download the data, but it tries to open MS Excel for me to see it and it says there is an error and I can't see anything.


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## David Tackett (Dec 4, 2012)

Ok, found a site to get these numbers.  This November was very cold here, it was as cold as February, which is usually our 2nd coldest month behind January.  November is normally the 4th coldest month behind Jan, Dec and Feb.  With these abnormally warm temps we are having this week, I don't think December is going to be able to be colder than November.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 4, 2012)

Ah, but there are still 27 more days in December; we've only had 4 to much too early for any predictions on colder or warmer.

Today was typical after a warm-up. Kept getting colder as the day progressed. Was working outdoors and thought it was just me but the temperature had dropped more than 10 degrees already by 4:00 or 4:30. Tomorrow I'll probably break out the Carhartts.


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## jharkin (Dec 4, 2012)

Of course now we are jinxed.  The 10 day is calling for 60s again.


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