by Alix Messer |
Between the extreme weather conditions of Missouri, such as tornadoes and blizzards, the turmoil of the weather is almost too much to bear. Missouri seems to be able to only make extreme heat and extreme cold these days, but nothing in the middle. A nice seventy-degree day? Forget about it. One day you will get 100 degrees with 90% humidity and the next will drop down to 40 degrees with blustery winds.
Missouri just cannot seem to get my favorite kind of weather right, which is sixty or seventy degrees and sunny. This perfect weather usually only happens around early spring or fall. But since Missouri is usually only extremely hot or cold, fall is mostly cold and blustery and spring is hot. I love the fall season and I am constantly disappointed that it does not last longer than a month. The only seasons that last a long time are the white winter wonderlands and the dog days of summer. I love many things about the fall season, like the leaves changing color and the cool weather, but I especially love the scent of fall: crisp air and a certain earthy scent.
Spring and fall have their downfalls. The first thing that comes to mind are the tornadoes. Some are minor and don’t even touch the ground, others are town destroyers. If you were here for the tornado in May 2003, you know how hard Liberty was hit. William Jewell had a lot of damage and one of my friend’s houses got blown away. When that tornado hit, I was at the grocery store, right after I had gone to my elementary school carnival. The sky turned black and the sirens started wailing. It was terrifying. At the time, I was that weird kid that thought tornados were cool and did not mind that one was right on top of us. Besides that tornado, there was the Joplin tornado and that tornado’s damage still speaks volumes.
Spring and fall tornadoes are worse than anything a summer storm could whip up, but summer and winter have their weather worries, too. Winter brings a wonderful clean, cold scent, that promises to clean away the allergens of fall, but with it comes freezing winds. Before I was born, there was an awful blizzard in 1993, which trapped people in their houses. The snow was two feet high and you couldn’t open your front door. But if a blizzard does not come with the cold weather, a freeze certainly will. I love the winter season, but sometimes, it is too extreme. To balance the extreme cold of winter comes the extreme heat of summer. I can safely say that summer is the worst season ever. It was over 100 degrees during a few weeks this past summer. And sure, you can swim when it’s blistering hot and risk getting crispy fried by the sun, but that is why there are indoor pools. After walking outside in the hundred degree heat a while with some humidity, your shirt can become soaked with sweat, leaving you with that gross, sticky feeling. It just makes you want to jump in a swimming pool with all your clothes on.
Missouri is a miserable place to live if you are seeking beautiful, mild weather. The skies cannot decide whether to shine sun or pelt us with snow. The seasons can be cruel and the weather confusing, and that is why I call Missouri misery.
