Here are two dandy posts about the exceptionally warm weather this month. First, from the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, Michigan:
000
SXUS73 KGRR 221753 CCA
RERGRR
RECORD EVENT REPORT...CORRECTION TO RECORD HIGH DEPATURE [sic]
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
148 PM EDT THU MAR 22 2012
...ALL TIME RECORD HIGH DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL SET AT GRAND RAPIDS
MI...
WITH A HIGH OF 87 DEGREES YESTERDAY AT GRAND RAPIDS ON THE 21ST AND
WITH THE NORMAL HIGH BEING 47 DEGREES THE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL WAS
40 DEGREES. THAT BEATS ALL TIME PREVIOUS RECORD OF 38 DEGREES ON
SET ON JANUARY 22 1894.
THE MEAN TEMPERATURE ON THE 21ST WAS 74 DEGREES. THAT WAS THE
HIGHEST DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURE EVERY RECORDED IN MARCH. IT BEAT THE
PREVIOUS RECORD OF 72 SET ON MARCH 29TH IN 1910. THE PREVIOUS
RECORD FOR THE 21ST OF MARCH WAS 62 DEGREES IN 1938.
THAT 74 DEGREE MEAN ALSO RESULTS IN THE ALL TIME RECORD DEPARTURE
FROM NORMAL AT GRAND RAPIDS FOR ANY DAY OF THE YEAR FOR THE ENTIRE
PERIOD OF RECORD. THE MEAN OF 74 DEGREES WAS 37 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL. NO OTHER DAY ON RECORD AT GRAND RAPIDS HAS HAD SUCH A LARGE
DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL. THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 34 DEGREES HAPPENED
TWICE... ONCE ON MARCH 8TH IN THE YEAR 2000 WHEN THE MEAN WAS 67
DEGREES AND THE NORMAL 33...THEN AND ON MARCH 13TH IN 1990 WHEN THE
MEAN WAS 68 DEGREES AND THE NORMAL 34 DEGREES.
$$
WDM
And, from the Capital Weather Gang (Washington Post blog) yesterday March 21, 2012, posted at 3:11pm:
Pellston, Michigan: After reaching 80 or higher for three straight days - hotter than ever before in March - it reach 84 Tuesday, a phenomenal 29 degrees above its previous record high (55 in 1976 and 1948) and 44 degrees above average. It has at least matched that today, standing at 84 p.m. as of 2 p.m. central time. In Traverse City, the high has reached at least 87 (45 degrees above normal), surpassing the monthly record set just yesterday.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Turning under the cover crop/Early tree bloooming
A sunny, warmish day today for turning under the rye and winter pea cover crop in the kitchen garden (photo (above) is how the cover crop appeared in the fall). First time I have really succeeded with winter cover. The soil was so friable because of the fine rye roots penetrate the soil. I'm very curious to see how it affects this year's vegetable crop.
Today I saw a street tree in the photo above blooming away with big male catkins and tiny female flowers peeking out of the twig ends. Nothing else is in bloom right now except snowdrops, a few early crocuses, the witchhazels. After consulting my tree ID books, I think this tree is a Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna: "Widely planted in parks and gardens, this hazel is also useful as a street tree.... Males and females [flowers] on the same plant, appearing before the leaves; males: in long, drooping, pale yellow catkins; females: small, budlike, with red stigmas." (Eyewitness Companions: Trees: 262).
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Mappist
I've just finished listening to a reading of "The Mappist," a story by Barry Lopez read by Joe Spano on Selected Shorts. Remarkable. It doesn't seem to be available in an online archive, but it's in print. Should be read out loud.
Info at http://www.wnyc.org/shows/shorts/2009/dec/06/.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Highlights of an east coast/west coast January
My six weeks of adventure time is winding down; by next Tuesday I'll be back at work. So what have I made of my time off this winter?
Christmas in Brooklyn was certainly memorable: a blizzard, good eating at numerous restaurants--some new and some familiar. A visit to the High Line in winter. It was a particular pleasure to return to Mogador for dinner with Anna and Kate. Mimi's Hummus was a welcome discovery on Cortelyou Road. Frankie's in Carroll Gardens was a revelation and a snowy brunch at The Farm on Cortelyou.
Mid January in San Francisco was also rich--four days in North Beach and then six more in Glen Park. Much warmer-than Ithaca weather although the locals were complaining. Hey, what's not to like about 50s and low 60s during the mostly sunny days? The Slanted Door in the Ferry Building was memorable. A day trip to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach was a major highlight. Muir Woods is overwhelming. The mass, old redwood trees, the mounds of dead leaves and branches, and the canyonate lighting, rich patches of brilliant sunlight in the darkness of midday. Compelling.
I also enjoyed the Italian stone pines in Washington Park. The eucalytus were in bloom around Coit Tower. The air was full of Anna's hummingbirds, parrots, and warblers. Wow. Lots of trees and shrubs in bloom during the winter coolness and damp.
Christmas in Brooklyn was certainly memorable: a blizzard, good eating at numerous restaurants--some new and some familiar. A visit to the High Line in winter. It was a particular pleasure to return to Mogador for dinner with Anna and Kate. Mimi's Hummus was a welcome discovery on Cortelyou Road. Frankie's in Carroll Gardens was a revelation and a snowy brunch at The Farm on Cortelyou.
Mid January in San Francisco was also rich--four days in North Beach and then six more in Glen Park. Much warmer-than Ithaca weather although the locals were complaining. Hey, what's not to like about 50s and low 60s during the mostly sunny days? The Slanted Door in the Ferry Building was memorable. A day trip to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach was a major highlight. Muir Woods is overwhelming. The mass, old redwood trees, the mounds of dead leaves and branches, and the canyonate lighting, rich patches of brilliant sunlight in the darkness of midday. Compelling.
I also enjoyed the Italian stone pines in Washington Park. The eucalytus were in bloom around Coit Tower. The air was full of Anna's hummingbirds, parrots, and warblers. Wow. Lots of trees and shrubs in bloom during the winter coolness and damp.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Yard Boy Snowed in in the Big City
Jane and I were in Brooklyn with Kate and Anna for a week over Christmas where we got an up close experience of a nor'easter that spawned a mighty, windy snowstorm.
The storm started about 10:30 Sunday morning the 26th. Blizzard warnings were up. We were in Manhattan shopping and visiting the Met until 12:30 or so. When the snow started, it was steady but fairly light. Back in Brooklyn about 1 pm the north wind and the snow started increasing in intensity. After a fine late lunch at the The Farm on Cortelyou Road, we headed to Kate's 5th floor apartment to wait and watch. By dark the wind was howling and the snow flying by horizontally. Traffic had a ground to a halt as the snow continued to pile up. Visibility was minimal. Thirty-five mph winds gusting to fifty blew the snow into 4-foot drifts and howled at the window.
When we walked to our B&B late Sunday night, I taped plastic bags over my running shoes to wade through the snowy streets. Never thought to take my snow boots.
Streets were blocked by abandoned vehicles of every description. A city bus was crosswise on Cortelyou Road. Taxis, cars, vans, ambulances--the impassable streets were filled with stuck vehicles. The wind blew the snow into long streamers; on the downwind side, parked cars were buried in deep snow.
Monday morning the sun came out. The snow was over but the wind blew as strongly as ever. Only the major streets--Coney Island Avenue and Ocean Parkway had even an occasional motor vehicle. Everything else was frozen in place. Hard to tell how much snow fell because of the wind--easily 18 to 20 inches, though. Everything was simply buried. People walking on the unplowed streets passed by high on a causeway of snow.
Tuesday was little different from Monday--cars buried, streets unplowed, wind howling and blowing and drifting the snow.
We had planned to leave on Tuesday, but nothing could move on the side streets where we were parked; traffic was barely moving on main arteries that were barely passable.
The stalled MTA bus in the background blocked Cortelyou for three days. Every other vehicle visible in this view was stuck, too.
Early Wednesday morning, a snowplow cleared Rugby Road. After breakfast and a final shovel job to clear the snow between our car and the snowplow track, we headed out of town, back to an Ithaca with just a trace of snow on the ground, our blizzard adventure over.
The storm started about 10:30 Sunday morning the 26th. Blizzard warnings were up. We were in Manhattan shopping and visiting the Met until 12:30 or so. When the snow started, it was steady but fairly light. Back in Brooklyn about 1 pm the north wind and the snow started increasing in intensity. After a fine late lunch at the The Farm on Cortelyou Road, we headed to Kate's 5th floor apartment to wait and watch. By dark the wind was howling and the snow flying by horizontally. Traffic had a ground to a halt as the snow continued to pile up. Visibility was minimal. Thirty-five mph winds gusting to fifty blew the snow into 4-foot drifts and howled at the window.
When we walked to our B&B late Sunday night, I taped plastic bags over my running shoes to wade through the snowy streets. Never thought to take my snow boots.
Streets were blocked by abandoned vehicles of every description. A city bus was crosswise on Cortelyou Road. Taxis, cars, vans, ambulances--the impassable streets were filled with stuck vehicles. The wind blew the snow into long streamers; on the downwind side, parked cars were buried in deep snow.
Cortelyou Road Sunday night:
Monday morning the sun came out. The snow was over but the wind blew as strongly as ever. Only the major streets--Coney Island Avenue and Ocean Parkway had even an occasional motor vehicle. Everything else was frozen in place. Hard to tell how much snow fell because of the wind--easily 18 to 20 inches, though. Everything was simply buried. People walking on the unplowed streets passed by high on a causeway of snow.
Anna waded into one of the drifts:
Tuesday was little different from Monday--cars buried, streets unplowed, wind howling and blowing and drifting the snow.
We had planned to leave on Tuesday, but nothing could move on the side streets where we were parked; traffic was barely moving on main arteries that were barely passable.
Our street on Tuesday morning:
The stalled MTA bus in the background blocked Cortelyou for three days. Every other vehicle visible in this view was stuck, too.
Early Wednesday morning, a snowplow cleared Rugby Road. After breakfast and a final shovel job to clear the snow between our car and the snowplow track, we headed out of town, back to an Ithaca with just a trace of snow on the ground, our blizzard adventure over.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
early cold & the vagaries of LES
LES (lake effect snow in meteorological jargon)continues to pummel (favorite news reporter's meteorological verb) nearby areas of New York state, leaving us high, dry, quite cold, and very windy. We reached a high of 15 today with windchills below zero F since early morning. This is the second round of the lake effect snow no-show for Ithaca. I do wish the NWS would either back off or get more granular with their accumulation forecasts. And yet I find comfort in the unpredictability of complex, dynamic invisible air envelope that we live within and upon which we rely for life.
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