Charlie here, checking in. I'll be drinking in Stoddard's Food and Ale in downtown Boston (Massachusetts, USA, not the Boston in England) tomorrow evening from about 7pm. Map here; nearest T stops are Downtown Crossing or Park Street.
(I don't have a table reserved, so in case of upsets check here for an update, or see my twitter feed: @cstross.)
Ah, you're in town for Boskone then? See you there. Promise not to bulrush you this time.
So, who has worse winter weather -- New England or Scotland?
Boston gets a lot more snow, apparently.
See you Thursday assuming the weather isn't completely appalling (inbound snowstorm, it hit Virginia/Maryland Wednesday night and here Thursday morning, with significant accumulation (more than 30 cm) in some areas expected.
As for Wednesday night, there's a truck to load atthe NESFA Clubhouse...
Boston is MuchMuchMUCH colder at this time of year, as a rule. (We come over most years; just once in the past decade it's been warmer in Boston than in Edinburgh in February.)
On the other hand, this year the UK is MuchMuchMUCH wetter ...
On the other hand, this year the UK is MuchMuchMUCH wetter ...
Indeed so - our area had about 200% of the usual January rainfall, and others had it worse. The exception appears to be NE Norfolk, which actually got less than average rain. Presumably because it was landing 50 miles short, on us.
40+ days into the year, and only 4 so far that it hasn't rained here.
The climate scientists aren't actually saying this is caused by climate change. They're just pointing out that this is what they said we should expect.
Coasts or areas with water to the east are MUCH colder than areas with water to the west. Most weather travels west to east so those with water to the east have a warming sink to keep them milder.
And enjoy the current storm. Maybe not too bad in Boston but I'm in Washington DC for a 1 1/2 day driving trip from NC and might likely get to stay for 3 or 4 days as this storm comes up from the south with lots of sleet and ice. Not good for driving. Oh, well.
Looking at the Boston forecast is seems that the temps will drift just above and below freezing which is great for tuning snow into a frozen mess. Walking on top of lumpy ice is no fun at all.
Planet Earth calling: here in sunny Boston it is currently -11 celsius, with wind chill on top. Snow due tomorrow evening/Thursday, when it warms up towards freezing. My cold weather gear is getting a work-out, and I am really happy I bought the fleece-lined Ecco winter boots before I flew out here ...
Well, parts of the UK are Much*3 wetter; OTOH NW Scotland has only had about 85% of average annual rainfall.
The central Highlands are getting shedloads of rain. One result is that the hydro power generators are running flat out in a use-it-or-lose-it basis since the reservoirs are nearly full and there's more water to come as the hills decant their water surplus over the next few weeks.
On the other hand it's been very mild this winter in Britain. It nearly fell to freezing in Edinburgh last night and that would have been the first frost this season pretty much. No snow at all anywhere around here.
There's another Atlantic storm headed up the west coast of England, with 100mph winds due to hit the Irish Sea. I'll be interested to see how the assorted offshore windfarms located there get through the ordeal.
FFS, I left town last night and you arrive. This is not the first time this kind of near miss has happened. Eris, this is not funny.
Charlie -
Any word on which day/which bar you can be found?
Oh crap. Looks like I missed you already.