So I suited up this past Sunday for a brisk winter jog outside and discovered that I was hot. It was 15 up in Goldiwil, so I changed clothes and ran in shorts and a tee shirt. I find this bizarre because it was December 4th and my assumption of Switzerland was that it was actually cold in the winter (and snowy, but thats another discussion). But the real scary thing was when I called my friend from back in Florida and at 10:00 am his time, the temperature was 17. It just blew my mind that Florida can be just 2 degrees warmer than Switzerland in December. Isn't this the sign of the apocalypse? When Florida and Switzerland's temperatures are almost the same in the winter? Mind blowing!!

Further on that, last week Zurich was around 10 F warmer than my hometown of Jacksonville, FL. Some of it had to do with the 6-hour time difference, though. Since I haven't been here for a Swiss winter yet, I just chalk it up to the Swiss Weather Gods breaking me in gently.

Yeah, we're all gonna die real soon.

First whilst we're jogging. Then if that doesn't get us the sun is going to implode. The Earth will freeze within 3 to 4 days and all life will cease to be.

As irony would have it, my iTunes just started playing Porcupine Tree's "Russia On Ice", which is about how cold a human can be when love goes south.

On another note, here's a picture of a cuddly rabbit:

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That was the Föhn. It's quite common to experience this before bad weather, like now. It doesn't exist in Florida as there are no mountains.

The first winter I was here 1989/90 there was a fall of snow in November, then nothing until early January, when the ski season could then start. So this is not even unusual, let alone an " apocalypse"...

I know when the hair-dryer turns into a biter, I get a pox on the lips, too - when I don't have a dragonfly.

^^^^^This

On Sunday, there was a relatively strong south foehn (hence the warmer temps on the northern side of the alps). As the storm front passed through on Sunday evening, it rapidly changed to a north foehn bringing in colder temps up here and warming up down in Ticino.

Here is what things look like for the coming days:

Thanks for that. Have you ever thought about applying for a job as "The Local's" resident meteorologist?

Is this type of weather normal? I grew up in New England, US and temperatures near 15 degrees Celsius in December was unheard of. For those of you who have been here a long while, was it always like this?

No it's NOT normal - but you'll be glad to know that things are indeed back to normal for December since yesterday - cold and very snowy.

Don't worry the cool weather will arrive in a hurry when you least expect it and the difference year to year cna be drastic.

Last year the snow arrived Dec 1 and then was full on for the month and salt suppli8es were running low by christmas. Then the snow went on holidays during January before returning in mid Feb.

2007 it was christmas before the first snow arrived.

2009 Le Brevine tipped -42.5C

So when you least expect it the weather will certainly cool down.

Me too! Stripped down to my t-shirt with my warmer layer tied round my waist, carrying my beany hat and gloves, sweating like a pig in pyjamas.