I don’t know what we’ve done to appease the Danish Weather Gods this year but – holy mackerel, Batman – we’ ve had the mildest winter since I arrived in Denmark 16 years ago!
Normally we have the first snowflakes in November. Hats, coats, gloves and thermal undwear are de rigueur through December, January and February. And, come March, we can be thoroughly sick of the white stuff, yearning for spring. Because a) it’s constantly c-c-c-cold and b) getting from A to B is a constant chore. Yep, even the short journey from home to school can involve hot chocolate and a sledge… 😉
But this winter has been ridiculously mild. Average daily temperatures of 6c (42f). Lots of rain. And long, dull, dark (and therefore pretty dreary) days.
But today the calendar says Monday 13 January. The first day we’ve awoken to a real, old-fashioned, woah-it’s-ch-ch-ch-chilly-out-there morning and a very hard frost on the ground.
And this afternoon we had our first big, beautiful snowflakes!
But, if – like me – you’re a winterbather, here’s a little word of warning. Watch your step! Here’s a video I made last week (that’s me in the green bathrobe). The noise you can hear? No, it’s not bad audio. It’s the howling wind 😛
Now, add to the above scene an air temperature of -4c (25f) with a windchill of -10c (14f) and – wow – this morning we had extreme winter bathing conditions. We ran down to the water’s edge, bathrobes flapping. Wearing gloves, hats and with extra towels around our necks – my sweetie friend H even had a fleece blanket wrapped around her waist! There was ice on the steps of the bathing bridge and on the handrail. Very slippery stuff! And your bathrobe and shoes are in real danger of flying away in those high winds. So make sure to take it in turns to swim/hold each other’s gear…
Here’a a photo I took of our bathing bridge in March last year. There was so much ice on the bridge that we had to walk into the sea from the edge… Yep, you don’t have to be mad to be a winterbather, but it helps!
Have a marvelous wintry Monday and let’s keep warm out there!
Diane 🙂
I think we have had your weather in Wisconsin in America. We are already way over our annual snowfall and expecting two more 5+ inch snowfalls this week. We had an ice storm this weekend, and temperatures below -20F all last week. Wind chills were down around -50F. Today we are right around the freezing mark, but it isn't going to last. I'd be very happy to trade weather with you.
Hi Pat! Our snow disappeared overnight and won't be back for a few days – whew! Sounds like you are having a tough winter. Let's hope spring comes soon for you!:)