Winter Sucks

My phone can take pictures with voice command by saying "capture".
Winter is not bad here I don't have to keep the air-conditioning on to maintain 70F in the house, less electricity is used. In fact 4am now it's 65F.
Rain makes it suck during winter months for riding. Many times I went and go for rides sunshine and mild tradewinds in the morning then 3 miles from home rain starts pouring and I didn't bring my rain jacket. Eye glasses get wet making vision blurry. I don't like riding in the rain it socks.
Only good part is it turns grasses green making pathways more desirable for the next ride.
 

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35 degrees and rain.
Yeah, that's my least favorite - a couple degrees above freezing and rain. I can deal with riding in the rain, and riding in the cold, and riding in the dark. But all three together really suck.

30's are fine when its dry or damp. Took me a while to figure out not to overdress. Dress too warm then sweat and catch a chill. As long as my hands, ears, and feet aren't too cold the rest will be ok. Luckily I don't have to deal with anything more than a couple degrees below freezing.
 
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I was expecting the snowfall yesterday. Reluctantly, I put the winter cycling clothes on (the clothes were inedequate a little bit) and pedalled for the last big grocery shopping around in early afternoon when the bike paths and streets were still black. It started snowing in the evening. Not riding. I'm waiting either for the thaw or until the roads are cleared. (Not sure whether local bike paths would be adequately cleared).

I could have caught a cold. (Hopefully not!)
 
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Yeah, that's my least favorite - a couple degrees above freezing and rain. I can deal with riding in the rain, and riding in the cold, and riding in the dark. But all three together really suck.

30's are fine when its dry or damp. Took me a while to figure out not to overdress. Dress too warm then sweat and catch a chill. As long as my hands, ears, and feet aren't too cold the rest will be ok. Luckily I don't have to deal with anything more than a couple degrees below freezing.
ya last year that was Christmas Eve morning 33 degrees and heavy rain.
 
Conditions were much different back in October when we received our first major snowfall of the season. Since then, much of it has melted and we’ve only received a couple of inches since then which doesn’t bode well for wildfire risk in the spring and dry conditions also spark concern for farmers. Temps remain consistently above average for December indicative of a stronger El Nino weather pattern.

Oct 24, 2023 - First Snow Ride - frame at 2m36s.jpg
 
It has been rainy in Nor. Cal. as predicted with El Nino. I still ride in it. And can view radar for breaks between the showers. We got lucky and did not have any major fires her in September and October this year. Now the hills are starting to green with new life after the dry season.

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Hey, @fooferdoggie & @DaveMatthews; How bad is it this week in the Pacific NW with the atmospheric river storms? I heard that you are getting slammed. I wish you both well. Here it gets cold as a storm approaches and then oddly warm as it passes. There is a lot of stored energy in that El Nino water.
 
It was not horrible. 1 inch of rain Saturday and the same on Sunday. 30mph gusts but not as windy as I expected and above 50 degrees. hell today its 60 right now. wife and I were sick as dogs with vaccinations and such.
so no riding.
 
It has been rainy in Nor. Cal. as predicted with El Nino. I still ride in it. And can view radar for breaks between the showers.
I am not that far south of you and so far I think we've had one rainy day. Which of course I was out riding in. Poured on me pretty good. I tried that whole ride in between the showers by watching the radar. On my way out to Costco, I got hit about halfway there, but only lightly. When I parked, I had to make sure I kept my cargo bay covered and sure enough, when I came back out the lid was its own little small lake. This was my usual insurance picture before going in. If you zoom in on it you can see there's quite a bit of rain coming down:
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So I come back out and its a break in the clouds and glorious sunshine. I pour the water off the lid, load up my groceries and head home. A short way down the path I round the corner and I see .... clouds and obvious rainfall on the other side of the bay, heading straight for me, and that is where my destination lies. I have to go all the way around that bay's edge and back up the hill on the other side. Look at the sand on the ground to get an idea how wet the ground actually is, and thats before the rain hits again.

Clouds move fast around here and less than a mile further along it got to me. I got absolutely hammered the rest of the way home. The bike was fine (saran wrap covers the handlebar bits, and the battery is safely insulated and enclosed), but my shoes took a couple days to dry out.
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I ordered a couple more sets of waterproof socks afterwards, and I found a really awesome tandem-sized bike cover that fits great so next time I park in the rain it'll be fewer bucketfuls of the stuff poured on the bike.
 
We got to go on a ride 63 degrees with only a little bit of sprinkle. shots weather but I just got a new/used long sleeve winter jersey was perfect kept warm but to overwarm.
 
If I could only afford it...

Still, my December visit to London would feel as a warm vacation compared to what we are experiencing in Poland! :D

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I do not deny my Helly Hansen Crew Midlayer Jacket (the best thing I have bought in years) was bought with the UK winter in mind :)
 
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