Winter Weather Update

Well, we had our first snowfall of the winter of A.D. 2009/2010 on Thursday, A.D. 2009 October 15. It was the earliest snowfall that anyone in my family could remember. (They've lived in this area since 1977.) The snowfall marked the midpoint of about six straight days of extremely unseasonable weather. After a full day of light-to-moderate snow, it began sticking at about 19:30 at my home. When we awoke the next morning, a full 6 centimeters (about 2.5 inches) had accumulated. The rarity of such an early storm is illustrated by the fact that a coworker's father (whose birthday is October 15) could not remember ever having snow on or before his birthday...and he's 85. The storm really was a special treat, and I feel blessed to have experienced it. The statistics for the storm are as follows:

First snow: 2009 October 15
First snow accumulation: 2008 October 15 (06 centimeters)

Through A.D. 2009 October 17:

Days with snow cover: 03
Days with complete snow cover: 00
Total snowfall: 006 centimeters
Maximum snow depth: 06 centimeters
Greatest snow event: 06 centimeters

P.S. Complete snow cover lasted until about 14:00 on Friday, October 16. Friday's high temperature was only 34 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1 degree Celsius) and much of the snow remained at nightfall. The following morning, there were still pockets of snow dotting the landscape.

First hard frost...for real.

Well, the growing season of 2009 came to an end on Monday, A.D. 2009 October 12. We had experienced a few light frosts in the weeks leading up to the 12th, but none that left the entire yard white. Monday was 27º Fahrenheit (-2.7º Celsius). The tomato plants were totally wiped out, which pretty much defines a "hard frost." With this information, I can tally the length of the 2009 growing season:

Last hard frost of spring: 2009 May 19
Last light frost of spring: 2009 May 19
First light frost of autumn: 2009 September 20
First hard frost of autumn: 2009 October 12
Length of the 2009 growing season: 145 days

The statistics for the growing season of 2008 were:

Last hard frost of spring: 2008 May 05

Last light frost of spring: 2008 May 28

First light frost of autumn: 2008 September 19

First hard frost of autumn: 2008 October 07

Length of the 2008 growing season: 154 days

The statistics for the growing season of 2007 were:

Last hard frost of spring: 2007 May 14

Last light frost of spring: 2007 May 22

First light frost of autumn: 2007 September 17

First hard frost of autumn: 2007 October 29

Length of the 2008 growing season: 167 days

The statistics for the growing season of 2006 were:

Last hard frost of spring: 2006 May 07

Last light frost of spring: 2006 May 07

First light frost of autumn: 2006 September 29

First hard frost of autumn: 2006 October 06

Length of the 2008 growing season: 151 days

I'm not sure of the spring statistics for 2005 because my wife and I lived in western New York for a brief period of time. The autumn statistics were as follows:

First light frost of autumn: 2005 October 20

First hard frost of autumn: 2005 October 28

First Light Frost

The growing season is still going (strong), but it nearly ended this morning. It was 35 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1.6 degrees Celsius) this morning, and there were patches of frost throughout the landscape. Our backyard was particularly frosty after having been mowed yesterday afternoon. I was very pleased to see some ice again (my favorite season is winter), and I look forward to even colder dips in temperature (and the subsequent killing of the pollen-producing weeds that are currently plaguing me) in the near future.

Now that we've had our first light frost, I can pull out the old "autumn weather updates" template:

First light frost of autumn: 2009 September 20

First hard frost of autumn: 2009 ???

By the way, did I mention that we've had about a quarter of an inch (about 6 mm) of rainfall in September, which is less than 008% of average? Our well water, for the first time since we've lived here, smells like sulphur. Seven out of eight VERY dry months are finally catching up to us...

Autumn is here! (at least temporarily)

Wow! Autumn came in like a rocket! Sunday, August 30 was chilly by late August standards with a high temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit. The following day was also autumn-like, with sun and a high temperature of only 63 degrees Fahrenheit. This morning was the coldest since May with a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius). Awesome stuff!

Summer Weather Update

Through A.D. 2009 August 23:

Days at or above 30º Celsius (86º Fahrenheit): 08

Last week's forecast was pretty accurate: we had two days with a high temperature of 85º F. (29.5º C.) and four days with high temperatures that reached or exceeded 30º C. It is hoped that this will be the last stretch of really hot weather this summer.

Summer Weather Update

Through A.D. 2009 August 17:

Days at or above 30º Celsius (86º Fahrenheit): 07

This is our third consecutive day with a high temperature at or above 30º Celsius. It was almost our fourth consecutive day, but the temperature stopped climbing at 29º on Friday. Tomorrow is also forecast to be hot, though it may or may not reach 30º.

This past week has been the hottest of the summer despite the fact that average high temperatures are supposed to be dropping now.

Summer Weather Update

Through A.D. 2009 August 12:

Days at or above 30º Celsius (86º Fahrenheit): 04

We had our fourth day with a high temperature at or above 30º Celsius a couple of days ago. It was beginning to get very dry again until four of five days ago, when a warm (25º to 30º C.) and extremely humid pattern came into effect. We've had four or five intense thunderstorms since then, and they left about 2 inches of much-needed rain. Unfortunately, it appears that Mother Nature is going to extract a cost for the rain that includes about a week of 30º+ high temperatures. Such stretches of hot weather are not uncommon (we probably average two or three each summer), but this stretch will be the first this year.