A Summer Reality Check

Believe it or not, the days are indeed getting "shorter." In fact, we have lost nearly 40 minutes of daylight since the first day of Summer. Sunrise on June 21 happened at 5:19 a.m. EDT. This morning's sunrise was at 5:44 a.m., 25 minutes later. Sunset is now at 8:16 p.m., 14 minutes before the latest sunset, at 8:30 p.m., on the Solstice.

By the end of the month, sunrise occurs at 5:47 a.m., while the Sun sets at 8:10 p.m.. Two weeks later, by mid-August, the shorter days become even more pronounced, with sunrise and sunset times at 6:02 and 7:51, respectively. 

The "shorter" days have to do with the Earth's revolution around the Sun, and the 23.5 degree tilt on its axis. By the end of September, the Autumnal Equinox begins a six-month period of "longer nights" and "shorter days" in the Northern Hemisphere.

Paul

Panel Discussion About Connecticut's Historic Tornadoes Highlights Debut of New Twisters Movie at Greenwood Features Theater in Bethel

I was thrilled and honored to be one of four panelists discussing Connecticut's historic tornadoes prior to the debut of the new Twisters movie at Greenwood Features movie theater in Bethel last night.

Meteorologist Jack Drake of the Connecticut Weather Center in Danbury orchestrated and hosted the event, which included a meet-and-greet, question-and-answer session, tornado-themed cocktails, and door prizes.

Also on the panel was meteorologist Sam Sagnella and Dan Clark, the first selectman of Bethel. Each of the panelists answered a few questions and spun stories about his experiences with tornadoes, locally, regionally, and nationally.

"Paul, what a joy it was to formally and finally meet you this evening," said Mr. Sagnella. "I will remember this experience forever, and it was an honor to share the 'stage' with you tonight. Well done, and this was super fun."

"I will echo Sam's sentiments," added Mr. Drake, who grew up in Redding and was an avid News 12 Connecticut viewer. "Really honored to share the stage with someone I grew up watching on News 12. Fantastic stories."

Bethel First Selectman Mr. Clark also lived in Redding and reminisced about watching News 12 Connecticut for many years.

Paul

Today Marks 55th 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 55 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

Full "Buck" Moon Happens This Sunday Morning

The Full Buck Moon occurs this Sunday, July 21, at 6:17 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

Today Marks 55th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Launch

Fifty-five 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 55 years and watch what happened that day.

  

Paul

A Flood Watch is in Effect for Fairfield County Through Early Saturday Evening

A Flood Watch will be in effect for Fairfield County from Friday at 12 p.m. through Saturday at 6 p.m. EDT: https://t.co/O2QDWd8ZOu pic.twitter.com/WMRd9BRo0b

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorekWICC) July 12, 2024

Paul

Deadly and Destructive Tornadoes Struck Connecticut 35 Years Ago Today

One of the most unforgettable weather days happened 35 years ago today when a series of deadly and destructive tornadoes hit Connecticut on the afternoon of July 10, 1989. I was the early morning forecaster at the Western Connecticut State University weathercenter in Danbury back then. Although I predicted strong to severe thunderstorms for the region that afternoon, I never imagined the magnitude of the tornadoes which would strike Connecticut later that day.

I remember the storms began early that morning in upstate New York. A tornado hit Ogdensburg just before daybreak, injuring one person. One inch hail and wind gusts of over 50 miles an hour were a telltale sign that the approaching frontal boundary meant business. Many reports of wind damage in New York, Vermont, and Massachusetts occurred before noon.

Unfortunately, the timing of the storm had it moving into western Connecticut by the afternoon hours, when the atmosphere is most volatile due to the heating of the Sun. By midafternoon, as the atmosphere continued to heat up and the front moved eastward, the tornadoes developed. The first tornado, which may actually have been three distinctly separate tornadoes, started in the Northwest community of Cornwall, and leveled the Cathedral Pines forest.

The tornado continued south-southeast through Milton, leveling hundreds of trees and virtually destroying the village of Bantam before dissipating. A 12-year-old girl, who was on a camp out with family and friends, was killed by falling trees in Black Rock State Park. Not much later, another tornado touched down in Watertown, passing through Oakville and northern Waterbury. That either damaged or destroyed over 150 homes and injured 70 people.

However, the most destructive tornado occurred in Hamden by late-afternoon. The path was only about five miles long, and it stopped just short of New Haven. The tornado destroyed almost 400 structures, and even cars were tossed into the air. 

Rows of houses and an industrial park were flattened as a result of the tornado. The storm was so strong that much of the area was without power for at least a week, and there were some trees still being cleared months later. The adjacent photo shows some of the damage in Hamden. This video was made for the Hamden Fire Department's Training Division the day after the tornado struck.

The powerful F-4 tornado which struck Hamden caused $100 million in damage and another $20 million in the Greater New Haven area. Forty people were injured in the tornado. After the tornado dissipated, a wind gust of 80 miles an hour was reported in New Haven. At about that time, another tornado struck Mount Carmel, tearing the roof off a condominium and injuring five people.

Of course, 35 years ago we didn't have the technology we do today, but I was still able to monitor the radar by the time I arrived home early in the afternoon. Remember, the Internet and access to instant local weather coverage didn't exist in those days. By the evening, the violent weather had ended, skies were clearing, and the damage had been done. It was certainly a day I'll never forget.

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 1:06 a.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 94,510,539 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 perihelion, 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 Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, However, when it is at aphelion in July, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun.

Happy Aphelion Day.

Paul

"Dog Days" of Summer Begin Today, July 3, Through August 11

The “Dog Days” of Summer officially start today, Wednesday, 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

June Was Drier and Warmer Than Normal Across Southwestern Connecticut

The Bridgeport climate station recorded 3.50" of precipitation in June, which is 0.27" below normal. There were six days with at least one-tenth of an inch of rain and three days with at least one-half inch. pic.twitter.com/UQamV1PHzg

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorekWICC) July 2, 2024

The average temperature for June at the Bridgeport climate station was 72.6° F, which is three degrees warmer-than-normal. The range was 91° (June 21) and 57° (June 11 & 12). Every month this year has been warmer-than-normal. pic.twitter.com/iTGjmRkbzG

— Paul Piorek (@PaulPiorekWICC) July 2, 2024

Paul