Mar 1, 2024 By Jack Hughes 3 min read

So far February is producing temperatures well above our normal or what is usual for the month.

Along with the mild weather for this month, both December and January have also been well above average. You may recall Christmas Day the high was 65 and the morning low was 44.

Temperatures so far this winter are averaging eight degrees above normal and the trend looks like it will continue. March calls for above normal temperatures and precipitation to be about normal.

The El Nino weather pattern that developed promised mild and dry weather here and cool and wet weather in the south. We did have two snows and two periods of cold weather but overall this has been an unusual winter and a pleasant one at that.

Is this the new normal as a result of climate warming or just a fluke?

Recently the Herald-Standard featured an article on the milder climate that appears to be taking hold across our region. You may have noticed, too, that fall is coming later, spring earlier and winters are milder. Summer last year was about average with our share of sunny warm days but nothing like the heat and humidity that gripped much of the south and west.

An interesting article on retirement in “Moneywise” discussed a number of areas to avoid if you want to be comfortable. Cities and areas to stay away from include much of the west and south due to the increasing heat and humidity.

Cited were New Orleans which also has a Hurricane threat and Houston with its flooding, Phoenix and Tucson were cited for their almost unbelievable heat along with Las Vegas which has plenty of entertainment but not much beyond that.

Oklahoma was cited since it lies close to tornado alley and the Dakotas and upper Midwest due to the snow and brutal cold in winter. Much of the west is plagued with fires, drought and so little rainfall. While Florida is still popular it has gotten crowded and expensive and most folks leave in the summer and head north to get away from the heat, humidity and hurricanes.

When you think about it, our Southwestern Pennsylvania with its longer spring and fall, milder winter and decent summers may just be the place for retirement as well as year-round living.

With climate change disrupting the weather patterns over much of the country we may become the new Comfort Zone!