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jimhanson 
Group: Moderator
Posts: 8491
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Feb. 09 2006,3:48 pm |
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Winter is getting old. Every year, I start a countdown calendar until the 15th of March--the average "snow-free day" in Albert Lea. It will snow after that date, but the ground cover is usually gone by then.
Today, it's "33 days and a wake-up"! 
Days are getting longer. On December 21 (shortest day of the year), sunrise was at 7:44, sunset at 4:39--with 8:55 of daylight. As of today, sunrise is 7:20, sunset 5:35, and there is 10:15 of daylight, an improvement of 1 hour and 20 minutes. The days are getting longer at the rate of 2 minutes, 41 seconds--a rate that will be accelerating through Mar. 21.
The days are getting warmer, as well. The coldest high temperature is 19 degrees on the 19th of January--today's average high is 26 degrees.
Spring comes North at the rate of about 100 miles a week--Minneapolis is about 1 week behind us, Des Moines about 10 days ahead.
Next event to look forward to--March 21--12 hours of daylight, and not coincidentally, average temps above 32 degrees.
Hey, we need SOMETHING to look forward to! 
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"If you want to anger a Conservative, tell him a lie. If you want to anger a LIBERAL, tell him the TRUTH!"
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| Post Number: 2
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magter
Group: Moderator
Posts: 356
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 10 2006,10:52 am |
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Jim, Maybe you can put an end to the arguement (all in fun of course) between my husband and me. I say December 21 is the shortest day of the year . No other day is as short and they get longer from then on until summer. He says that whole week the days are just as short as December 21.
So wouldn't that make it the shortest "week" of the year? 
I have shown him the days are seconds different, but that doesn't prove anything to him.
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"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
If breastfeeding in public offends you, feel free to put a blanket over your head.
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| Post Number: 3
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REPOMAN
Group: Members
Posts: 1556
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Feb. 11 2006,4:40 pm |
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I always figure that winter lasts from November 1st thru March 31st...
that's about the earliest and latest that we get bad weather...
so in my book winter is about 5 months long - any reprieve from that is a bonus...
so by my demented way of looking at it we are about 70% of the way thru winter... 
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| Post Number: 4
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TheTruth
Group: Members
Posts: 1053
Joined: Feb. 2006
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Posted on: Feb. 12 2006,8:07 am |
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| Quote (REPOMAN @ Feb. 11 2006,4:40pm) | | I always figure that winter lasts from November 1st thru |
Thats what I was thinking because doesn't it usually snow Halloween night (except for the last Halloween)??
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GOT TRUTH?
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| Post Number: 5
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jimhanson
Group: Moderator
Posts: 8491
Joined: Aug. 2003
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Posted on: Feb. 12 2006,3:04 pm |
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Magter--Dec. 21 IS the shortest day of the year. Perhaps what your husband is talking about is that there is not much change in the length of the day in the couple of weeks before and after Dec. 21, due to the Earths inclination, relative to the sun.
On Dec. 21, for example, sunrise at Albert Lea is at 7:44, and sunset at 4:39--giving total daylight as 8:55. One week later, the times were 7:46 for sunrise, 4:43 sunset, and 8:57 total time. Note that SUNRISE was actually 2 minutes LATER than on Dec. 21, but SUNSET was 4 minutes LATER--so the length of the day was 2 minutes LONGER. The length of the day in the week before and after Dec. 21 changed by only seconds per day. As of TODAY, the length of the day is longer by 2 minutes, 45 seconds every day.
You are correct.
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"If you want to anger a Conservative, tell him a lie. If you want to anger a LIBERAL, tell him the TRUTH!"
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