By Jim Ingebrigtsen
I think my first conscious memory of anything weather related was when we lived in Vancouver. I was seven. I remember walking to school and realizing I couldn’t recall the last time I saw the sun. Weeks can go by in the winter with nary a glimpse of sunlight. Having spent most of my early years in Winnipeg, I was used to seeing that big ball of burning gas. About the only other time when weather affected me was the occasional blizzard when school was cancelled. But, it is the Halcyon days of summer I remember the most.
Back then I thought the summers felt longer. I’m sure there were only a couple weeks, tops, when the air was humid. My mother used to say, “It’s very close out there.” Humidex, by the way, is a Canadian term and didn’t exist until 1979. The days were always sunny and warm. Occasionally a thunder storm would roll through sometime during the night. If there was a lot of lightning we’d call it an electrical storm. When you woke up the next morning there were puddles everywhere, the air smelled fresh and it was another sunny day. That’s the way I remember summers.
One comment often heard when people get into a conversation about weather in this part of the world is, “We get to enjoy all four seasons!” Maybe. Not all seasons are as enjoyable as others. Also, not all four seasons seem to be as distinguishable as they used to be. Last winter was the warmest I remember and this past spring was one I’d rather forget. The older we get the less we like the winters unless you are among the many who escape to warmer climes such as Palm Springs. Golfers who are prisoners of the prairie winters must endure the cold dome by visiting the Golf Dome.
I don’t want to get into the whole ‘climate change’ conversation but the weather is changing. Sure, we don’t have hurricanes or cyclones. We might have the odd tornado but, the times they are a changing and so is the weather. It seems we experience stronger winds that we used to have. Hail was, at one time, a real anomaly. We’ve seen it three times this past June and July.
It was on September 1, 1988, almost 36 years ago the Weather Network was launched. People laughed out loud. “Who cares about that?” “What a stupid idea.” “Who would watch that?” Well, about 16.2 million Canadian viewers have access to the channel, including both official languages, and that doesn’t include thousands of offices and various waiting rooms. You can add to that almost 1,000 radios stations and 130 television stations across the country that have the Weather Network on 24/7 in their respective newsrooms and who relay the updates in a timely manner to their listeners every hour on the hour. Apparently, people are interested in weather. Why? Family reunions, weddings, festivals, golfing and fishing tournaments, cottage weekends and the list goes on.
My favourite quotes about the weather are: “Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it.” “Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” Or, “If it wasn’t for the weather 90% of the people you know wouldn’t be able to start a conversation.”
Have a good rest of the summer. You’ll see something from me next month… weather permitting.
Jim was a writer-broadcaster and producer on television and radio for 40 years. Listen to his podcasts on Lifestyles 55 Digital Radio. Find Radio Redux, and Mid-Century Memories at https://www.lifestyles55radio.ca/
