Woo-boy! The weather in Northwest Arkansas!
I'm hoping y'all can help me out. As most of you know, I am from the frigid, frozen land known as central Illinois. In central Illinois, we 'enjoyed' a huge range of temperatures and weather patterns that comes with being located in the Midwest. In the summers, the temperatures are hot and humid, and in the winter downright Arctic. It was cold when it was supposed to be cold, and it was hot when the thermometer should have read the same -- in a word: predictable.
I also lived in Chicago for a bit. Anyone who has ever lived in Chicago can attest to the veracity of what I witnessed: it would snow before Thanksgiving, and you wouldn't see grass again until Easter. It was predictable. Depressing, but predictable.
Although our move to Georgia showed us that the weather can actually cooperate, we still had our bouts of ridiculous weather-related gaffes. A brisk wind would knock out power lines because Georgia pines have a very shallow root system. Tropical depressions and the leftovers from hurricanes would bring tons and tons of rain. It was nothing particularly out of the ordinary.
When we began prepping to move to Northwest Arkansas, we were under the impression that the weather was predictable. If you look at Northwest Arkansas on a map it lies halfway between the latitudes of Georgia and Illinois. Naturally, my only thought was that Northwest Arkansas would experience fairly sensible and predictable weather. I know what you native Northwest Arkansans are thinking, 'the joke's on him.'
Little did I know that the weather could be the kindest, gentlest and sweetest force on the planet one day followed by a murderous, disastrous killer that would try to destroy you the very next. One day, it's 65 degrees and sunny, that night we get torrential downpours and thunderstorms. The next morning we wake up to 20-degree temperatures, sleet and the threat of frozen pipes. A few days later, it's all gone and the 65-degree temperatures are back -- rinse and repeat throughout January, February and March. (And possibly April, and maybe May).
I have never seen weather like this in my life.
It's baffling to me. I don't understand it. So, I would like to present a challenge to you, the readers. I would love for you to email me with the craziest weather, weather phenomena or storm that you have witnessed here in Northwest Arkansas. I would love to hear your stories.
Because I comment on the weather insanity here in Northwest Arkansas a lot to friends and church family, I've heard some of the stories in my two and half years here, but I know I haven't heard them all.
So, if you would indulge me, please send me an email at [email protected] and let me know what crazy weather phenomenon you have experienced in Northwest Arkansas. In doing so, you are helping this non-native Northwest Arkansas guy gain some insight and context into this insane weather pattern that we are so blessed and fortunate to endure. I love Northwest Arkansas, but the weather needs to learn to behave.
Listen: "Stormy Weather" by Royal Crown Revue.
Jeremy DeGroot is Lead Pastor at FBC Siloam Springs, a husband, daddy, and musician. You can contact him via email at [email protected] or reach out on Facebook.