SE Texas weather...Odd last 3 years

[Flyinman]

I have always been a closet weather observer but not until the last three years have I really noticed how odd the weather has been. Three years ago, I relocated from Beaumont, which is near Louisiana and the coast to The Woodlands which is approximately 90 miles to the NW of Beaumont. In the three years I have lived here the following has occurred:

2008- Mild spring and Summer for temps. but several tropical systems came through the area followed by Hurricane Ike in September, then what I would consider normal winter

2009- Winter normal, spring mild, record heat in the summer with mild drought, record cold in winter with two days of measurable snowfall

2010- Another day of measurable snowfall in winter, normal spring, record rainfall in summer and now drought in the fall.

In addition I can only recall a handfull of days of rain that were not accompanied by strong winds, intense lightning and downpours.

I apologize for the non scientific terms but I cannot recall such extremes in the past. I welcome all comments to further my learning.

[vbhoutex]

I've been in Houston for 40 years. I have learned a lot more about the weather and how it works in the last 15-20 yrs as the internet has become available. My early years here saw many extremes from cold to hot with some tropical systems thrown in, but nothing like Ike until Alicia in 1983. I've always observed the weather thanks to my dad but Alicia really got me going again. I think that with the technology we have available now we see a lot more weather than we used to. I'm not sure if that has changed our perceptions or not. I do have to agree that the last three years seem to have had some extremes along with our "normal", whatever that is. What I have found very interesting is how many apparent micro climates, probably caused by the heat island effect among others, that the Houston metro area seems to have.