Cold – CountUp

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about our cold winter season here in Sebring Florida – in which we experienced 50 cold mornings with lows in the 30s or 40s, and 19 cold afternoons in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. It was my coldest winter season in over 30 years !

It certainly affected my walking this past season – both positively and negatively. I won’t walk when it’s too cold out. I generally won’t walk when the temperature is below 60°F / 16°C, so if it’s cold in the morning then I’ll walk in the afternoon. If it’s hot in the afternoon then I’ll walk in the morning. If it’s cold all day long then the walking can wait.

My season of walking started on the 19TH of September of 2024, and it ended on the 06TH of June. Here are the number of times I walked around my neighborhood in each month: September (3), October (10), November (3), December (13), January (10), February (10), March (15), April (12), May (10), and June (4).

My goal for this season was to walk more times than last season (2023-2024). I walked 87 times last season, and I made it to 90 walks this season. Goal met. Actually – my goal may have been to reach 100 walks. Didn’t make it. I’ll blame it on our cold weather in January. I also failed to surpass the number of miles I walked last season. I walked 109.72 miles this season – versus 113.50 miles last season. The average length of my walks was a bit shorter this season (1.22 miles) versus last season (1.30 miles).

Next season will be Season 19 of my neighborhood walks. Season 1 was 2007-2008, and you can read about my very first walk here. Season 19 will probably start in September when we start getting some cooler mornings here with the return of cold fronts from the north. My goal will be 100 walks and more miles than this season – and last season. I’ll try for 125.

#ButWait – Our local Performing Arts Center a couple of miles up the road is opening their doors every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10 AM to 2 PM for people like me to come in out of the heat and get their steps in amongst air-conditioned comfort. You can basically walk around their 1,460-seat venue (excluding the stage). That actually sounds like fun. I may participate once or twice or more. (Those walks will not count towards my seasonal numbers.)

Next #TravelThursday I’ll write about my recent Flag Day / Father’s Day Weekend visit back to Homestead Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This week it’s a change-of-pace blog post. Here in Sebring Florida our wintertime population increases exponentially from the summertime – perhaps even doubling or even more. In my 55+ neighborhood we are about 35% year-round residents and 65% “snowbirds” – our endearing term for our friends and neighbors who fly (or drive) south for the winter. They come from the north (many from the Great Lakes States) to all over Florida – especially Central and South Florida – along both coasts and down the spine. They come for our weather in-between hurricane seasons.

Some of our snowbirds arrive as early as September and depart as late as May. The majority are here from December to March with January and February being peak season. It gets busy around here from about Thanksgiving to about Easter, and especially after the New Year !

Our coldest months up here in the Highlands of South-Central Florida are December, January, and February. Our average afternoon high temperatures are in the low-70s, and our average morning low temperatures are in the mid-50s. A cold day is when we don’t reach 70°F / 21°C. A cold night is a night in the 40s / below 10°C. We are generally warmer during the day and colder during the night than our neighbors at both coasts some 80 miles away.

This past winter season we had 19 cold days when we did not reach 70°F. 14 of them occurred in January – including a brutal stretch of 6 days in a row from the 20TH to the 25TH – when on a couple of days – we couldn’t get out of the 50s – and on one day – we were stuck in the 40s all day. In fact – we were stuck in the 40s for 46 hours in a row. I briefly thought about flying to the U.S. Virgin Islands during that Arctic blast.

We also had 50 cold nights when we were into the 40s (and 30s too). 4 were in November, 12 in December, 23 in January, 2 in February, and 9 in March. January was a very cold month indeed with 4 mornings into the 30s. In fact – it was one of the Top 10 coldest Januarys in modern recorded history – and the coldest in 15 years !

It was my 2ND full winter season here in Sebring Florida. (I moved here at the end of the 2022-2023 season.) I previously lived in Homestead Florida for 36 winter seasons. Down there we averaged less than 20 cold days and nights combined per season (compared with 60 to 70 combined days and nights here).

I know that those cold days and nights are just about 5 months away, and the snowbirds – well – they will be heading back here to their winter homes starting in less than 3 months.

We’re in our 4-month rainy season now. That’s when about 70% of our annual rainfall occurs. We’re also in our 6-month hurricane season. That started on June 01ST and continues until November 30TH with peak season being September and October. Hopefully the rain will fall (we’re recovering from a severe drought), but the hurricanes will stay out at sea.

Next #TravelThursday I’ll recap my walking season. Let’s keep traveling together.