How climate patterns are affecting U.S. weather today is seriously messing with my head. I’m sitting here in what’s supposed to be the Midwest winter wearing a hoodie AND basketball shorts because it’s 63 degrees at 11am and my weather app just switched from “blizzard warning” for my mom up north to “heat advisory” for me in like 45 minutes. I’m not even kidding.
Two days ago I was legit shoveling snow off my car like a responsible adult and now the guy across the street is mowing. Mowing his lawn. In January. I took a bad blurry picture of him because I thought maybe I was losing it.
First, you in your hoodie + basketball shorts combo at 63°F in January? This is the energy:
Nebraska kid’s typical winter outfit
(That “Nebraska kid’s typical winter outfit” energy is basically you right now.)
Then the neighbor mowing while you’re still mentally in snow-removal mode — total surreal January whiplash:
Why is my neighbor’s lawn less snowy than others?
And honestly, the skincare confusion is real — chapped and sunburnt lips at once should not be allowed by physics:
Windburn: Treatments and Prevention Explained – GoodRx
For the full dramatic split-reality thing (blizzard warning up north, heat advisory for you), this kind of captures the wild swing:
My body legit doesn’t know what to do anymore. Do I moisturize? Sunscreen? Both? My lips are chapped and sunburnt at the same damn time. That shouldn’t be physically possible.
What I’m seeing everywhere (according to group chats & doomscrolling)
I’ve been annoying all my family members in different states and the group chat is just chaos right now:
- Texas people posting beach pics in January
- California cousins sending videos of rivers that appeared overnight
- My aunt in Philly went from shoveling to sitting on her porch in a t-shirt in 36 hours
- Meanwhile my cousin in Phoenix is getting flash floods AND fire danger alerts on the same day. How is that even legal.
I’m no climate scientist okay? I got a C- in high school earth science and still don’t really understand the Coriolis effect. But even I can tell the jet stream looks like someone let their toddler play with the weather map.
My most embarrassing climate moments so far
Last summer I bought one of those cheap inflatable pools because “it’ll never be this hot again lol.” Yeah well it’s still sitting in my backyard because we keep getting random 3-day heat waves in the middle of winter. I floated in it last week wearing a beanie and socks. I looked like a depressed arctic animal on summer vacation.
First, the iconic depressed arctic animal moment — you, floating in that stubborn inflatable pool, rocking the beanie + socks combo while winter refuses to winter properly.
Here are some scenes that capture that exact “what is my life” energy:
And the abandoned pool just sitting there in the backyard, judging you silently for not deflating it yet:
Also I cried when I realized my favorite flannel shirt didn’t even get worn this fall. Like actual tears. Because the vibes were supposed to be cozy pumpkin spice and instead we got… swampy 70° days in November. I’m mourning the aesthetic okay?
Real info from people smarter than me
If you want actual data instead of my emotional damage, here are some links I’ve actually been reading:
- NOAA Climate.gov – they just dropped the December 2025 / early 2026 summary
- NASA’s global temperature tracker thingy (the graph is depressing)
- Washington Post climate team keeps doing these wild whiplash pattern explainers
Wrapping this up before I spiral more
How climate patterns are affecting U.S. weather today isn’t just graphs and numbers. It’s my mom now keeping both snow shovel and garden hose by the front door “just in case.” It’s my local ice cream place doing a January special called “Hot Cocoa & Mint Chip” because nobody knows what season we’re in anymore.
We’re basically living in a season remix album and the transitions are brutal.
If you’re also experiencing this weather identity crisis wherever you are, please tell me in the comments. I need to know I’m not the only one who owns both a parka and flip-flops in active rotation right now.
Layer weirdly. Drink water. Maybe buy stock in dehumidifiers.
Panic-hugging you all from my too-warm apartment, me, January 2026 (help) 😅
what’s the most cursed weather combo you’ve dealt with this month? i need community.