Summer Weather Update

Through A.D. 2009 May 25:

Days at or above 30º Celsius (86º Fahrenheit): 02

We had two days in April with temperatures at or above 30º Celsius. The first was 88º Fahrenheit and the second was 96º Fahrenheit. The latter marked the highest temperature EVER recorded in the month of April. It was ridiculous.

We had four consecutive days at or above 80º Fahrenheit until yesterday. As far as I'm concerned that's too hot - especially for May. Http://www.weather.com/ reported that Penn Yan, New York reached 30º Celsius two of those four days, but it didn't happen here. We reached 84º Fahrenheit twice, though.

I'm sick of the heat. I need to live (1) on a lake or (2) in northern Canada. Better yet, I could live on a lake in northern Canada! Too bad Canada's gun laws are terrible... Wait! So are New York's! ...

Weather Update

Through A.D. 2009 May 25:

Days with snow cover: 121

Days with complete snow cover: 65

Total snowfall: 144 centimeters

Maximum snow depth: 25 centimeters

Greatest snow event: 20 centimeters

Maximum low temperature: about -24.5º Celsius (-12º Fahrenheit)

Latest date with complete snow cover: A.D. 2009 March 03

Latest date with any snow cover: A.D. 2009 April 08

Latest snowfall: A.D. 2009 April 23

Latest light frost: A.D. 2009 May 19

Latest hard frost: A.D. 2009 May 19

Latest date with a high temperature at or below 0º Celsius: A.D. 2009 April 07

We had our (presumably) final frost of the season on A.D. 2009 May 19 and it was a doozie. The temperature reached 27º Fahrenheit (about -3º Celsius) and the damage was incredible. The grapes suffered significant dieback. The garden plants suffered significant dieback. Small Black Walnuts (Juglans nigra) suffered potentially fatal dieback. Undoubtedly, there will be a significant reduction in tree fruit yields this year. Worst of all, our small grove of Chestnuts was hammered. Dieback ranged from 50 to 75%. I hope that the trees will survive (I can't imagine they won't), but we will be lucky to get ANY chestnuts this year.

This was, by far, the worst late frost that I have ever seen. (Not that I've seen that many.) The reason for the destruction was not the lateness of the frost - we've had frosts this late in recent years. The problem was that we had at least one month and two days of warm, completely frost free weather leading up to May 19. That was unprecedented. It was the first time since I've lived in New York that we had gone more than a week and a half without a frost leading up to the tenth of May. I was beginning to think that we weren't going to get another frost, but I figured that we still had a good chance for one. Sure enough, it came, it hit, and it killed. I was very happy to get one last frost; I just wish we hadn't gone a month+ without one leading up to it.