Those Shifting, Whispering Sands

"What's the weather like in Cairo?"

That's a popular question when people find out that we spend our winters here.  It is generally in the 60s or low 70s during the day in January and then begins trending upward.  By the end of March, there might be an occasional day approaching 90.

Today, when we checked the local weather in the morning, we saw this:


The Khamasin season doesn't usually begin until April.  So maybe that is why the forecast only says "sand" and not "sandstorm."  A 19th-century account of khamsin in Egypt goes:

" These winds, though they seldom cause the thermometer of Fahrenheit to rise above 95° in Lower Egypt, or in Upper Egypt 105°, are dreadfully oppressive, even to the natives. When the plague visits Egypt, it is generally in the spring; and the disease is most severe in the period of the khamáseen."

A few days ago I captured these images to compare the weather report at home, at the lake and here:







Aside from the temperatures at that time:

• minus 5 in Bloomington
• minus 14 in Hayward
• 68 above here 

the biggest difference is in the number of reporting stations.  Back home, a lot of Minnesotans have their own weather station and have them on-line.

Since we Minnesotans have such an obsession with weather, I am adding a weather tag to this site.  Just click on the "weather" label below this post to locate other weather-related posts.

Here's the current view from the front balcony, by the way.