Warm November Weather has Michiganders Behaving Strangely

Temperatures set records and were anywhere from five to 20 degrees above average for four days in a row here in Michigan this week. Normally in the first week of November we’re bundled up in warm coats. Often snow is even flying.

When you live in a place where winter can hang on for four to six months and you get a reprieve, you better believe you take advantage of it! This unseasonably warm fall week had Michiganders playing hooky and doing strange things, like wearing sandals in November. Here’s some of the “odd” behavior that happened all over the Mitten State this week.

1. We went down to the basement or up into the attic and pulled our shorts and sandals out of storage where we packed them away at the end of summer.

2. We went outside as much as possible. Teachers held class in the school yards, local parks were full of children after school and folks marveled at being able to dine al fresco on Nov. 3rd. The end of daylight savings time on Sunday meant darkness came around 6 pm, but we lingered in the warm twilight until the last ray of sunshine was gone.

3. Boats that normally would be put away until spring set sail on the lake one last time. People put kayaks and paddle boards back in the water. A few hardcore Michiganders even went for a chilly swim.

4. Everywhere we went, we commented to each other about how warm it was.“Can you believe it?” “Isn’t this amazing?” “Remember that year we had a foot of snow on Election Day?”

5. We kept pinching ourselves and knocking on wood because we couldn’t believe it is was 76 degrees on November 4th.

6. We wondered if we would, and hoped that we wouldn’t, pay for this with a blizzard in February.

7. We rolled our eyes at those one or two friends who went on Facebook and posted, “I wish it were snowing!”

8.  We lamented that it wasn’t this warm when were trick-or-treating just a few days before.

9. We ordered ice cream and stood outside on the sidewalk to eat it. Who knows how long until we can do that again?

10. We walked, hiked and road our bikes with crisp leaves crunching under us and warm sunshine on our backs.

11. We used the extra warm days to finish outdoor projects we put off and thought would have to wait until spring.

12. We went to bed Thursday night knowing that we’d need our jackets again on Friday. All good things must come to end. Besides, it’s time for ski season to start!