July Was Much Wetter and Warmer Than Normal Across Southwestern Connecticut

Wet, warm, and humid.

That's the best way to sum up the month of July across southwestern Connecticut.

The total monthly precipitation of 7.68" was almost four-and-a-half inches above the normal average for the month (3.32"). Thirteen days (42%) featured at least one-hundredth of an inch of rain; 12 days had at least one-tenth of an inch; six days delivered at least a half-inch; and four days featured at least an inch. 

The greatest 24-hour precipitation total happened over a two-day period from July 3 through July 4 when 2.49" fell at the Bridgeport climate station.

The average monthly temperature was 76.9 degrees, which is 1.2 degrees warmer-than-normal. The temperature never dropped below 60 degrees the entire month. The hottest temperature of 92 degrees happened July 12, and the coolest temperature of 60 degrees occurred on the last day of the month.

Only three days featured a high temperature of at least 90 degrees, including July 27 (90 degrees) and July 28 (91 degrees). The following day, July 29, had a high temperature of 89 degrees, which was one degree shy of an official three-day heat wave at Bridgeport.

Just six days had an average temperature below normal, four of which averaged just one degree below normal.

Paul

Strong to Severe Thunderstorms Possible Across Southwestern Connecticut Late Today Into Tonight

The atmopshere will be most certainly "juiced" today due to the heating of the Sun, high dew points and humidity levels, and hottest temperatures of the year thus far across southwestern Connecticut.

Strong thunderstorms are expected to develop early this evening into tonight. Some thunderstorms may contain heavy rain, gusty winds, and small hail. In fact, there is even a two percent chance of a tornado across the region.

Here is the Storm Prediction Center's regional severe weather outlook for today, including the potential for severe weather, tornadoes, wind, and hail.

Paul

Hottest Weather of the Summer Expected Across Southwestern Connecticut

The hottest stretch of weather this Summer across southwestern Connecticut will happen this Thursday through Saturday, with heat indices expected to eclipse 100 degrees Thursday and Friday. Heat indices will approach 105 degrees across much of the Northeast Thursday.

Please exercise caution if you must be outside Thursday afternoon. Here are a few tips, courtesy of the National Weather Service.

A Heat Advisory has been issued for southwestern Connecticut from Thursday at 11 a.m. through Friday at 9 p.m. EDT, and an Air Quality Alert will be in effect Thursday from 11 a.m. through 11 p.m. EDT.

A cold front is expected to cross the region late Saturday, bringing a threat for strong thunderstorms. A more pleasant air mass will arrive by the end of the weekend with daytime temperatures in the low 80s and lower humidity levels. 

Paul

Tuesday Rain Pushes Monthly Total Close to Seven Inches

A strong thunderstorm moved across southwestern Connecticut late Tuesday afternoon, bringing pockets of heavy rain, gusty winds, and vivid lightning.

Slightly more than one-third of an inch of rain was recorded at the Bridgeport climate station at Sikorksy Memorial Airport.

That brought the monthly total to 6.73 inches, which is 4.16 inches above normal through July 25. In fact, eleven days this month have featured at least one-hundredth of an inch of rain; 10 days have featured at least one-tenth of an inch of rain; five days brought at least a half-inch of rain; and four days produced at least one inch of rain.

More rain is expected from thunderstorms late Thursday and late Saturday, potentially pushing the monthly total to more than seven inches.

Paul

First Completely Dry Weekend Across Southwestern Connecticut in Six Weeks

This is the first completely dry weekend across southwestern Connecticut since June 10 and 11, which was six weeks ago. The weather is absolutely beautiful along Samp Mortar Lake in the Lake Hills section of Fairfield.

Each of the last five weekends featured measured rain at the Bridgeport climate station. Measured rain was recorded Saturday, June 17 (0.01"), Saturday, June 24 (0.13"), Sunday, July 2 (0.21"), Sunday, July 9 (0.13"), Saturday, July 15 (0.01"), and Sunday, July 16 (1.47").

Another beautiful Summer day is ahead under a mostly sunny sky and a high temperature in the mid 80s.

Paul

Today Marks 54th Anniversary of First Moon Landing and First Human Steps on the Moon

Some dates naturally carry more significance than others. Birthdays and anniversaries come to mind instantly. One such "anniversary" happened 54 years ago today. Those of you old enough to remember Sunday, July 20, 1969, no doubt can recall watching Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong descending the steps of the lunar module’s ladder and setting foot on the Moon for the first time. I was mesmerized by what I saw that night on the black-and-white Zenith television set in our living room.

Apollo 11, the fifth human spaceflight of the Apollo program, launched from the Kennedy Space Center four days earlier. As a young child of 10, watching the late Armstrong walk on the lunar surface was probably the most significant news event of my youth. I can still remember the late Walter Cronkite on CBS television describing the landing, and the bundle of nerves I felt for myself and the Apollo astronauts, Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins.

I was fascinated by the space program in the 1960s. Naturally, I couldn’t wait for the landing of Apollo on the Moon. As I recall, while on the far side of the Moon, the lunar module, called the Eagle, separated from the Command Module, named Columbia. Collins remained alone in Columbia, while Armstrong and Aldrin used Eagle’s descent engine to right themselves and descend to the lunar surface. The wait seemed interminable for this youngster, who couldn’t believe that we would actually see LIVE images from the Moon later that night.

I kept asking questions of my Mom and Dad all day and evening. “What will it look like on television?” “When will the astronauts climb out of the Eagle?” “How are we able to see it if they’re so far away?” They couldn’t answer most of my questions since this had never happened before. I still couldn’t believe what we were about to see. I’m sure it’s what ultimately piqued my interest in astronomy, subsequent space missions, and Science in general. 

Our family gathered in the living room in front of the small TV set with rabbit ears and watched as Cronkite prepared us for the first step on the Moon. Just over six-and-a half hours after Apollo 11 landed on the Moon at 4:17 p.m., we sat in silence and awe as Armstrong made his descent to the Moon’s surface at 10:56 p.m. and spoke his famous words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Incredibly, well more than half the people living in the United States today weren’t even born when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. It was arguably the most historic event of the 20th century. I, for one, am glad I saw it LIVE, and I will never forget it for the rest of my life!

Paul

Today Marks 54th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Launch

Fifty-four years ago today, the launch of the Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle took place with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A.

The launch occurred at 9:32 a.m. EDT. Four days later, Armstrong would become the first human being to set foot on the Moon, and Aldrin soon followed as Collins orbited the Moon.

Let's go back 54 years and watch what happened that day.

Paul

Ninety-Nine Percent of Earth's Population Will Receive Some Degree of Sunlight at the Exact Same Time Saturday

Ninety-nine percent of the Earth's population will receive some degree of sunlight Saturday, July 8, at 7:15 a.m. EDT. At that exact moment, the most populated areas are on the day side of Earth or in one of the twilight zones. https://t.co/YiHryaRKlP

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorek) July 7, 2023

Paul

Earth at Farthest Point from the Sun During Its Annual Elliptical Orbit

Despite the hot weather this week, our planet is actually at its farthest point from the Sun today. According to the U. S. Naval Observatory, the Earth reached a point in its orbit called "aphelion" at 4:06 p.m. EDT. The Earth's aphelion is the point where it is the farthest from the Sun than at any time during the year at a distance of 94,509,598 miles.

The Earth is typically about 93 million miles from the Sun. However, because our planet's orbit is not a perfect circle but an ellipse, it has a farthest point and a closest point to the Sun. In case you're wondering, the Earth's closest approach to the Sun is called perihelion, and that occurs in early January. The Earth is exactly 3,104,641 miles (or 3.28 percent) farther from the Sun than at its closest approach. The Earth actually receives about seven percent less heat at its aphelion than at its closest approach, according to researchers.

Although the date for both will vary from year to year, the Earth will always be closest to the Sun in early January and the farthest away in early July. Not surprisingly, that comes as a shock to most people. At perihelion, our planet is about 91 million miles from the Sun. It moves outward to about 95 million miles from the Sun at aphelion. Naturally, some people have the mistaken impression that our seasons are caused by the changes in Earth's distance from the Sun, but this is not the case.

The temperatures and the seasons are not affected by the proximity of the Earth to the Sun or even the rotation of the planet on its axis. Rather, it is the tilt of the Earth that determines the climate. When it is at perihelion in January, the Earth is tilted away from the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere, and the sunlight is not "getting a direct hit" on the Earth's atmosphere. However, when it is at aphelion in July, the Earth is tilted toward the Sun.

Happy Aphelion Day.

Paul

"Dog Days" of Summer Begin Today Through August 11

The “Dog Days” of Summer officially start today, Monday, July 3. Most people casually refer to the "Dog Days" as a period of hot and humid weather. But did you know that the dog days are a 40-day period which lasts from early July through mid-August?

The dog days of Summer run from July 3 through August 11 in the Northern Hemisphere and have to do with the star Sirius, known as “the dog star.” Sirius is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere other than the Sun, and it is found in the constellation Canis Major; thus the name “dog star.”

In the Summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. During late July, Sirius is in “conjunction” with the Sun. The ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the Sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, the “dog days” after the dog star.

In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture.

The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.

They saw images of bears (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins (Gemini), a bull (Taurus), and others, including dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor). The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius. The star can be seen prominently in the Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, adjacent to Orion the Hunter.

The conjunction of Sirius with the Sun varies somewhat with latitude. Also, the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Although we are in the middle of the dog days of Summer right now, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. The heat of Summer is a direct result of the earth’s 23.5 degree tilt on its axis, meaning the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun during the Summer.

Welcome to the "Dog Days."

Paul

Full "Buck" Moon Happens This Monday Morning

The Full Buck Moon occurs Monday, July 3, at 7:39 a.m. EDT. Named for the Summer regrowth of deer and elk antlers shed in the Winter, this month’s Full Moon is also called the Thunder Moon, Hay Moon, Mead Moon, and the Rose Moon. 

July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer rush out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon since thunderstorms are common during this time of the year. 

Full Moon names date back to Native Americans in what is now the Northern and Eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring Full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names but, in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. 

A Full Moon rises at about the same time the Sun is setting. The Full Moon will rise later and set earlier this time of the year. In addition, the Full Moon will appear lower in the sky since it won’t be visible nearly as long as during the mid-Winter nights. The Moon will be visible for about nine hours and 45 minutes. 

Conversely, six months from now in January when the amount of daylight is at a minimum, the Full Wolf Moon will appear higher in the sky and be visible for about 17-and-half-hours. That’s over eight hours longer than this time of the year! 

Paul

June Featured Cooler and Drier Than Normal Weather Across Southwestern Connecticut

The month of June will most certainly be remembered for the smoke from the Canadian wildfires which affected southwestern Connecticut. The smoke was thick and reached "very unhealthy" levels during the first week of June. Indications are that the smoke will return intermittently through the foreseeable future.

June was much cooler and drier than normal across southwestern Connecticut. In fact, there were only three days with a high temperature of at least 80 degrees, and the warmest temperature of 81 degrees happened twice, June 2 and June 28.

Twenty days featured cooler-than-normal temperatures at Bridgeport, including a nine-day stretch from June 3 through June 11 and a six-day stretch from June 18 through June 23. 

Six days delivered a high temperature only in the 60s, including a high temperature of 69 degrees on June 21, which was the first day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

The coolest temperature was 46 degrees, which occurred the morning of June 4.

The average monthly temperature at the Bridgeport climate station was 66.9 degrees, which is 2.7 degrees below normal. It marked the second consecutive cooler-than-normal month at Bridgeport.

The monthly precipitation total of 1.53" was more than two inches below normal (3.77"). There were six days with at least one-tenth of an inch of rain and 11 days with at least one-hundredth of an inch of rain. Believe it or not, there were no days which featured at least a half-inch of rain. Nineteen of the 30 days did not have any measured rain.

As far as sky conditions are concerned, 10 days (33%) were clear, 16 were partly cloudy, and four were mostly cloudy. 

Paul