May Brings Longer, Warmer Days

Can you believe today is the last day of April? Where did the month go? When the final statistics are tabulated, this will be the 14th straight warmer-than-normal month across southwestern Connecticut. That's quite a remarkable stretch. The temperatures are expected to climb into the 70s by the end of the week, just in time for the start of May. There will certainly be a hint of Summer in the air by Thursday and Friday.

The average daily temperature for May jumps from 54 degrees on May 1 to 64 degrees by the end of the month. There have been several days on which the mercury topped 90 degrees, the most notable being 97 degrees on May 20, 1996, which came one month after the last snow of the snowiest season on record, and 94 degrees on May 26, 2010, which was a record for the date. The record low for the month is 31 degrees, set on May 10, 1966. The warmest May on record was in 1991 when the mercury averaged 64.4 degrees.

Can it snow in May? Yes. Believe it or not, there have been two days with at least a trace of snow, including May 27, 1961, which is just over three weeks from the start of Summer! There was also a trace of snow on May 9, 1977. May is the second wettest month of the year, on average, behind March. The normal rainfall for the month is 4.03 inches, based on 40 years of record-keeping. The wettest May happened in 1989 when 9.53″ fell, while the wettest single day rainstorm delivered 3.21″ on May 29, 1968.



The amount of daylight continues to grow each day through the end of the month. There are exactly 14 hours of daylight on May 1 when the Sun rises at 5:50 and sets at 7:50. However, by the end of the month, there are just about 15 hours of daylight as the Sun comes up at 5:22 and sets at 8:19. Three weeks later, on the Summer Solstice, the Sun sets at 8:30, which is only 11 minutes later than on the last day of May.

According to weather legend, "Those who bathe in May, will soon be under clay. Those who bathe in June, bathe a bit too soon." The Full Flower Moon happens this Saturday, May 5, at 11:35 p.m. EDT. In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon. Happy May!

Paul

Bluefish to Battle Mother Nature & Riversharks on Opening Night

The Bridgeport Bluefish open their 15th season of play in the Atlantic League when they host the Camden Riversharks at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard this evening at 7:05. If you're planning on attending the game, make sure you bring your jacket and umbrella. We have a threat of showers this evening, and temperatures should be in the mid 50s at game time.

The Atlantic League opens its season much earlier than any of the other Independent baseball leagues. Although that's good news for fans of the eight teams in the circuit, the weather can be the most difficult opponent this time of the year. The average high and low temperatures for this date are 60 and 44 degrees, respectively, but it can get much colder than that. The record low temperature for today is 33 degrees, set in 1967.

April is one of the wettest months of the year, too. The average rainfall for the month is just about four inches (3.99"). There have been some memorable April rainstorms recently, including 5.30" of rain which fell on April 23, 2006. Four dates brought record rainfall of over three inches, most recently 3.34" on April 21, 2000; 3.08" on April 13, 2004; and 3.02" on April 15, 2007.

There are 10 dates this month on which measured snow fell, including a half-inch on April 19, 1953. Nearly four inches of snow fell (3.7") as late as April 14 in 1950. It can also get quite windy in April, as Spring establishes its grip on southwestern Connecticut. The ballpark, which is located adjacent to Long Island Sound, can be a chilly place for spectators when the wind blows off the water during the evening hours. Many times fans bring blankets and heavy jackets during April and May.

The Bluefish, who lost a one-game playoff last season, won their only league championship on a cold September night at the Ballpark in 1999. Bridgeport, by the way, is one of only two original teams still in the league. Somerset, a five-time Atlantic League champion, is the other.

As for today's weather, early sunshine will fade behind increasing cloudiness with a chance of scattered showers late this afternoon and this evening. Daytime high temperatures will hold close to 60 degrees. Any showers will end after midnight with lows in the 40s. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny, windy, and cool with a high in the upper 50s. The weekend should be fair and dry with highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s.

Paul

Weather Jingles Appeared in Local Newspaper 50 Years Ago Today

Here's a neat find I came across while looking through my daily weather record book this morning. The Bridgeport Post ran a feature called Haskin's Answers, which appeared 50 years ago today, Tuesday, April 24, 1962. A reader could get an answer or two to any question by writing to the newspaper's information bureau and enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

The reader wrote, "Please give the jingle about the weather in various months that starts, 'January snowy.'" Quite frankly, I never heard of such a jingle, but apparently Haskin did.

Here is the reply: "January snowy; February flowy; March blowy; April show'ry; May flow'ry; June bow'ry; July moppy; August croppy; September poppy; October breezy; November wheezy; December freezy."

Another weather jingle is "Autumn --- wheezy, sneezy, freezy; Winter --- slippy, drippy, nippy; Spring --- showery, flowery, bowery; Summer --- hoppy, croppy, poppy."

Have you ever heard of these jingles? It's interesting to find something like this after all these years. Click on the article to see an enlarged version.

Paul

This is National Severe Weather Preparedness Week

Nearly three inches of rain fell across much of southwestern Connecticut over the last 24 hours, marking the heaviest one-day rainfall since last September 6 (2.34"). The official total of 1.72" yesterday at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford broke the previous record for the date of 1.64" set in 1969. Certainly, we needed the rain, but we are still running below normal for April and this year. Here is a sampling of some of the rainfall totals from across southwestern Connecticut:

• Norwalk: 2.90"
• Redding: 2.75"
• Stamford: 2.73"
• Stratford: 2.59"
• Orange: 2.35"
• Bridgeport: 2.15"

There weren't any reports of serious flooding, but there were some power outages due to the gusty winds during the storm. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are teaming up during this week to save lives from severe weather by encouraging the public to know the risks, take action, and be a force of nature by taking proactive preparedness measures and inspiring others to do the same.  The week of April 22 to April 28 is National Severe Weather Preparedness Week.

In late April last year, tornadoes raked the central and southern United States, spawning more than 300 tornadoes and claiming hundreds of lives. That devastating outbreak was only one of many weather-related tragedies in 2011, which now holds the record for the greatest number of multi-billion dollar weather disasters in the nation’s history. The country has already experienced early and destructive tornado outbreaks in the Midwest and South this year, including a significant number of tornadoes last weekend.

May is the peak season for tornadoes so it is important to take action now. “The damaging tornadoes that struck this year, causing widespread devastation as well as loss of life, also spurred many heroic survival stories,” said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. “In every one of these stories, people heard the warning, understood a weather hazard was imminent and took immediate action. We can build a Weather-Ready Nation by empowering people with the information they need to take preparedness actions across the country.”

“One of the lessons we can take away from the recent tornado outbreaks is that severe weather can happen anytime, anywhere,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “While we can’t control where or when it might hit, we can take steps in advance to prepare and that’s why we are asking people to pledge to prepare, and share with others so they will do the same.”

According to the NOAA Web site, to “be a force of nature,” NOAA and FEMA encourage citizens to prepare for extreme weather by following these guidelines:

* Know your risk: The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand the type of hazardous weather that can affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you and your family. Check the weather forecast regularly and sign up for alerts from your local emergency management officials. Severe weather comes in many forms and your shelter plan should include all types of local hazards.

* Take action: Pledge to develop an emergency plan based on your local weather hazards and practice how and where to take shelter. Create or refresh an emergency kit for needed food, supplies and medication. Post your plan where visitors can see it. Learn what you can do to strengthen your home or business against severe weather. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio. Download FEMA’s mobile app so you can access important safety tips on what to do before and during severe weather. Understand the weather warning system and become a certified storm spotter through the National Weather Service.

* Be a force of nature: Once you have taken action, tell your family, friends, school staff and co-workers about how they can prepare. Share the resources and alert systems you discovered with your social media network. Studies show individuals need to receive messages a number of ways before acting – and you can be one of those sources. When you go to shelter during a warning, send a text, tweet or post a status update so your friends and family know. You might just save their lives, too.

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. You may find NOAA on Facebook and Twitter. FEMA's mission is to support its citizens and first-responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Paul

Celebrate Earth Day This Sunday

This Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day, which was first observed 42 years ago on the same date in 1970. There's no question we've become better stewards of our planet over the last four decades. Earth Day founder Senator Gaylord Nelson passed away in July of 2005 at the age of 89. He believed strongly that education is the key to changing people’s attitudes about the environment, and he devoted much of his time and energy to that challenge.

“The idea of Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962,” he wrote before his death. “For several years it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November of 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political ‘limelight’ once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue. It was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.”

According to Senator Nelson, the first Earth Day “worked” because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. Though he felt he and his committee had neither the time nor resources to organize the 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated, “it organized itself.”

So, how have things changed in the last 42 years? Certainly, we’ve become more aware of the need to take better care of our planet. Many imporant laws were passed in the wake of the first Earth Day, including the Clean Air Act, and laws to protect water, wild lands, and the ocean. The Environmental Protection Agency was created within three years of the first Earth Day.

Personally, I’ve seen a dramatic change over the last 42 years. What I clearly remember as a child is taking a weekly pilgrimage with my Dad every Saturday afternoon to the town dump. Dad loaded the family car with all kinds of debris and junk from the basement, and we followed the dirt path, greeted the seagulls, and dumped everything at the landfill. The garbage was simply buried. Today, our garbage is turned into electricity or, in some cases, steam.

Garbage isn’t something most of us want to think about, but managing nearly 230 tons we generate each year has consequences. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the amount of garbage Americans generate has increased from 88 million tons to over 229 million tons since 1960. Forty-seven years ago, Americans produced about 2.7 pounds of garbage each day. By 2001, though, that amount jumped to 4.4 pounds a person each day.

I’m impressed at what has been done locally to address the issue of waste reduction. The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority’s Bridgeport Project consists of a 2,250 ton-per-day mass-burn trash-to-energy facility, eight transfer stations, two landfills, a regional recycling center, and the Children’s Garbage Museum. The Bridgeport Project provides solid waste disposal and recycling services to 20 Connecticut communities in Fairfield and New Haven counties.

The Bridgeport Project trash-to-energy plant, which is located at 6 Howard Avenue in Bridgeport is truly an impressive facility. Take your family there, and I’m sure all of you will be amazed at what you see. It’s the perfect example of how “one man’s trash becomes another man’s treasure.” I’ve visited the plant several times, and each time I come away with a better understanding of how we manage our trash.

The solid waste is burned in a controlled environment to create electricity. Through this process, the volume of solid waste is reduced by about 90%. Waste-to-energy plants nationwide generate enough electricity to power nearly 2.3 million homes. Energy created in the Bridgeport facility has about the same environmental impact as energy produced from natural gas, and less impact than from oil or coal plants.

Recycling? We never bothered to recycle anything over a generation ago. Everything was considered “trash” back then. Now, we carefully sort our recyclables each week and place them in the blue bins. Recycled items include paper, aluminum, steel, plastics, glass, scrap tips, cell phones, and electronics. Americans recycled and composted nearly 30% of municipal solid waste in 2001, diverting 68 million tons to recovery.

Did you know, for example, that 71% of all newspapers are recovered for recycling? Over a third goes back into making more newsprint. The remainder is used to make paperboard, tissue, and insulation. Seventy-four percent of boxes are recycled, and nearly 46% of office papers are recovered for recycling. These become raw material for printing and writing paper.

So, yes, we’ve come a long way since the first Earth Day was “celebrated” on April 22, 1970. Much has been done since then, but there’s still a long way to go. Gaylord Nelson said education was the key to changing people’s attitudes about the environment, and the more aware we become about our planet, the better we'll be able to take care of it.

Paul

Fishing Season Opens This Saturday

Opening Day of the new fishing season is just two days away, and it looks as if our weather will become unsettled by Saturday. Some rain is expected to develop during the afternoon, and there is the chance of a scattered thunderstorm, too. However, it should be dry when local anglers make their way to their favorite fishing spots early in the morning.

Fishing season officially opens this Saturday, and anglers young and old alike are looking forward to the day. Fishing is great family fun and a healthy outdoor activity enjoyed by everyone. The Department of Environmental Protection stocks many lakes and streams with a wide variety of fish species throughout the year. Some of the other programs developed by DEP to enhance fishing opportunities include fishing education for children and families and the creation of special fishing areas such as trout parks.

One of my neighbors told me that there's nothing quite like getting up in the middle of the night and heading to the nearest river or stream on Opening Day. He always looks forward to the first day of fishing season. He told me that he packs his breakfast and lunch and leaves the house well before sunrise. He admitted that he enjoys the peace and quiet of being out on the water so early in the morning. I'm sure his sentiments are shared by many others, too.



Connecticut is fortunate to have over 180 public lakes and ponds and thousands of miles of rivers and streams teeming with a variety of gamefish and panfish. Anglers from all over the country come to Connecticut to fish for prized trout in the Farmington and Housatonic Rivers. Eleven water bodies in Connecticut have been designated as Trout Parks. Trout Parks are located in easily accessible areas to enhance trout fishing opportunities for everyone.

The DEP Web site adds that anglers should consult their 2012 Angler’s Guide for the current fishing regulations that apply to the waters in which they plan to fish. Trout Parks and the many waters designated as Trout Management Areas, Trophy Trout Streams, Sea-Run Trout Streams, and Wild Trout Management Areas each have special regulations.

The 2011 Angler’s Guide is available at all Town Clerks Offices and at tackle stores selling fishing licenses. Anglers can now purchase their fishing licenses online, too. Both the Angler's Guide and the online licensing system can be accessed on the DEP web site at: www.ct.gov/dep/fishing. Good luck to all the anglers this Saturday.

Paul

Severe Drought Magnifies Brush Fire Danger

A severe drought exists across southwestern Connecticut. Recently, it seems as though there is a brush fire story in the region just about every day. The fire danger remains quite high, and it looks as though there won't be any rain through the end of this week. Officials are urging people not to start any outdoor fires. The unusually dry April weather is certainly cause for concern. In fact, this calendar year is much drier than normal.

Since January 1, we've received less than six inches (5.91") of rain, which is more than a half-foot below the 12.09" normal through this date. Last year, we had a whopping 14.44" during the same time frame. That's quite a difference. The last three months, however, have been especially dry, with just a little more than three inches of rain since February 1. This is the driest April on record thus far, with less than a third of an inch of rain measured.

April's precipitation summary is quite alarming. There have been just two days with more than one-hundredth of an inch of rain this month. Other than a healthy 0.27" of rain on the first day of the month, we've had only 0.04" the last two weeks. The ground is parched during what is normally one of the wettest months of the year. Some of the heaviest rains in recent memory have happned in March, including a Nor'easter which brought over a half-foot of rain to some local communities five years ago today.

March was quite dry, too. The total rainfall (1.04") was more than three inches below normal, and more than ten inches below the record of 10.19" set just two years ago. There were only nine days with measured rain, including the first three days of the month. However, just six wet days were recorded over the last 25 days of March, accounting for just a little more than a half-inch (0.56"). The driest March on record happened in 1981 when just 0.69" of precipitation fell.

February was another dry month. The monthly total of 1.58" was far short of the 2.79" normal for the month. There were only eight days with measured rain, including a four-day stretch of 0.26" from February 15 through February 18. However, nearly an inch of rain (0.94") happened February 24. A nine-day dry streak from February 2 through February 10 set the tone for the month, which was capped by more than a quarter-inch (0.27") February 29.

It looks like some much-needed rain is headed our way by this weekend. I, for one, will welcome the rain. The lawn, flowers, and bushes certainly need Mother Nature's sprinkler system. For the first time in recent memory, I have seen many people watering their lawns and gardens in April. That's quite unusual. Let's hope this weekend's rain puts a damper on the fire danger across southwestern Connecticut.

Paul

Remembering the Nor'easter Five Years Ago Today

Hello.
We need rain badly. We are experiencing severe drought conditions across southwestern Connecticut with less than a third-of-an-inch of rain thus far this month. Since January 1, rainfall is running more than a half-foot below normal. The fire danger remains quite high the next several days before some much-needed rain arrives this coming weekend.

Our weather was anything but dry five years ago today. The Nor'easter of Sunday, April 15, 2007, caused widespread flooding, damage, and destruction to many homes and businesses across southwestern Connecticut. My basement was a disaster area, and the sight of water pouring into the cellar through the walls was alarming. Many local communities received well over a half-foot of rain in one day, including an incredible 7.50 inches in Weston.

Our viewers became an active part of the News 12 Connecticut weather team with their weather observations, comments, and photos. They always come through for us in major storms, and that day was no exception. Geoff Wood of Darien sent the adjacent photo of his home on Crimmins Road in Darien. "For us, this is the second time we have been flooded out of our house in six weeks," he wrote. Many people shared his pain.



Perhaps no picture better illustrates the destruction of the Nor'easter better than this one. Viewer Donna Dutko sent this photo of "the little pink antique store at the corner of Route 7 and Branchville Station." As you can see, the store collapsed from the force of the water and was partially submerged. The water was almost up to the railroad tracks, too.



Judy Callirgos of Redding sent many photos of the flooding on her street, in her yard, and around her home. "I live on the Saugatuck and my house was truly an island yesterday," she wrote. "I had to create a dam at the end of my driveway to divert the water." Redding also received over a half-foot of rain, leading to flooding problems throughout town.



Cynthia Zizzi of the Cos Cob section of Greenwich sent several photos along upper Valley Road in North Mianus. Cynthia wrote, "Paul, I walk my dog, Dodger, a golden retriever, every day weather permitting, and these are some of my favorite views. The best is the old foundation. I believe it was an old home or could have been part of the woolen mill that burned in 1938."



Sheridan Black of Milford forwarded some photos from Bayview Beach of waves crashing against homes along the shoreline. She wrote, "Last night (Sunday night), I decided to stay the night at my beach house with my aunt and uncle. The whole road was flooded and the water came right up to the deck. The water is usually 30 feet away from the house, and now, if I wanted to, I could stand on the deck and touch it."



Stamford recorded nearly seven inches of rain (6.84"), causing massive flooding of roads and headaches for motorists. Martin Silverman told of "the extreme road conditions at the intersection of High Ridge Road and Wire Mill." Notice the plow attempting to push the standing water off High Ridge Road near the Merritt Parkway. I've heard many stories from motorists who had to find alternate routes or who were stranded on flooded roads during the height of the flooding.



Darien received nearly a half-foot of rain (5.93"). Richard Miller took this photo of Hoyt Street Sunday afternoon, April 15, at 4 o'clock. He jokingly wrote, "I thought I would share this with you before we go for a lap swim." As you can see, driving was dangerous just about everywhere.



New Canaan was another community which received nearly a half-foot of rain (5.40"). John Festo sent us several pictures of Mill Pond overflowing its banks. It almost looks as though the force of the raging water is about to cover the bridge and send it sailing downstream. Also, the banks of the river were already flooded.



The view from Fairfield Beach was wet and windy. Kathy wrote, "This is a view of my backyard. I live one block from Fairfield Beach on Reef Road. My yard is flooded from the rain only, and now we are waiting for high tide to see if we need to evacuate. It was so windy we could lean into the wind, and it held us up." Fairfield was one of the communities which received well over a half-foot of rain (6.55") in one day.



As for April 15, 2012, Mother Nature is delivering Summerlike weather across the region. We'll see partly sunny skies with afternoon high temperatures climbing into the 70s, well above the 57-degree normal high temperature for the date. Extremely dry conditions will continue through the rest of the week before rain arrives this coming weekend.

Paul

Annual Visit to West School in New Canaan a "Hit" With Fourth-Grade Weatherkids

One of my favorite stops on my annual Weatherkids tour is West School in New Canaan. One of the administrators is a neighbor of mine and a former classmate from Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield. The fourth-graders are always excited for the hour-long program. This year was no exception.

The theme of this year's visit was baseball. Two of the fourth-graders had batting practice during the taped class introduction, and the entire class sang a unique version of a classic seventh-inning stretch song.

What a great bunch of kids!

West School's Fourth-Grade Weatherkids by PaulWXman

Paul

Milford Brush Fire Highlights Danger of Red Flag Warning

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through this evening for high fire danger across Connecticut. The warning was issued due to the gusty winds, extremely dry ground, and low humidity levels in the atmosphere. This is the eighth straight day without any rain across the region.

Firefighters are battling a massive brush fire in Milford late today. Train service was shut down for hours due to the flames. The fire started during the evening commute in the woods behind Bridgeport Avenue where many car dealers are located, and the blaze almost spread to a hotel and church.


Milford brush fire by PaulWXman

We've measured just 5.87" of precipitation since January 1. That's nearly a half-foot below the 11.21" normal through this date. Last year, 13.23" fell through the same period. Some isolated showers are possible tomorrow and Wednesday, but a steady rain is what's needed for the area.

Paul

Today Marks 30th Anniversary of Snowiest April Day on Record

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the snowiest April day on record in southwestern Connecticut. Take a look out the window today, and it's hard to imagine that exactly a half-foot of snow fell on April 6, 1982. What made the storm even more memorable were the gusty winds and cold temperatures. Record lows of 19, 18, and 23 degrees were established from April 6 through April 8, 1982, respectively, well below the 38-degree normal low temperature for this time of the year.

The snowstorm of Tuesday, April 6,1982, was one of the most remarkable late season snowfalls to strike the Northeast. Snowfall accumulations from 10 inches to over a foot occurred over much of Long Island, but the accompanying very cold temperatures and high winds caused extensive blowing and drifting of snow which was unprecedented for early April. Take a look at the following photo from New York City during the height of the storm.



More than a foot of snow (13") fell at Newark, New Jersey, 10 inches (9.8") blanketed New York City, and over two feet of snow was measured in upstate New York. The primary storm resurfaced off the New Jersey coast, producing gale force winds of up to 60 miles an hour. It was the heaviest April snow in New York City since April 3 and 4 of 1915 when 10 inches fell.

The heavy snow forced the cancellation of the Yankees’ 1982 home opener against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Even worse, the weather stayed cold, and the Yanks cancelled another game against Texas, two games against the White Sox, and they eventually opened on Easter Sunday, April 11, 1982, by dropping both ends of a doubleheader to Chicago.

While the storm of 30 years ago had a mid-Winter look and feel, today will be much quieter across southwestern Connecticut. Another sunny and breezy day is ahead, and the fire danger remains quite high with low humidity, gusty breezes, and extremely dry ground. High temperatures will reach the mid-to-upper 50s. That's nothing like the weather we experienced 30 years ago today.

Paul

Clear Skies Afford Great View of April's Full Pink Moon

Our stretch of splendid weather will continue today and through the upcoming Easter weekend under sunny skies and seasonable temperatures. We'll be able to see April's Full Pink Moon later tonight under clear skies. A Freeze Watch is in effect for Southern Fairfield and Southern New Haven counties for late tonight and early tomorrow.

The first Full Moon of Spring, however, is usually designated as the Paschal Full Moon or the Paschal Term. Traditionally, Easter is observed on the Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. So if the Paschal Moon occurs on a Sunday, Easter is the following Sunday. Following these celestial rules, we know that Easter can fall as early as March 22 and as late as April 25.

Although the Moon won't be completely full until 3:19 p.m. EDT tomorrow, it will certainly appear full tonight. How did the Full Pink Moon get its name? The name comes from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the Spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, and the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

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



Farmers are encouraged to transplant during a Full Moon, when the lunar flower force is supposedly strong. The moisture content becomes low during the waning phase and less sap is rising in the trees and shrubs, so it’s a good time to do your pruning and attack weeds. According to lunar planting folklore, root plants should go into the ground during a waning Moon. It is also the best time to turn over the soil.

Paul

Spring Colors In Full Bloom

Viewer Hilkka Schulz of Stamford sent the following photos to us. She wrote, "Spring colors are gorgeous. (The) sky is is sunny and blue. (It is) perfect Easter weather. I have pictures from Stamford to prove it. Happy Easter to everyone."

Paul

Raking the Lawn a Rite of Spring

I'm finished procrastinating, and now it's time to get down to business. Every year at about this time I rake my lawn. Yes, I think of every excuse not to get started but, other than a brisk breeze, today should be a good day to take the first step. Today will be sunny, breezy, and slightly milder with daytime high temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s.

Naturally, it takes some preparation. This afternoon I'll go to the hardware store and purchase my supplies. They include durable gloves, lawn bags, a sturdy rake, and batteries. I need the batteries for my transistor radio, which keeps me company outside. Then, I'll survey my lawn by looking for any matted patches in which the grass blades are stuck together. This can be caused by a disease known as ’snow mold.’ New grass may have difficulty penetrating these matted patches. But a light raking will be sufficient to solve this problem.

A good raking cleans up dead grass which would otherwise clog up the soil surface. The ‘natural compost’ value is not all that great, and raking does free the grass plant crowns which keeps them healthier and allows sunlight in which prompts grass to grow earlier. Raking in Spring is more beneficial than Fall, as the organic matter can help protect crowns during Winter. It should certainly be done before you apply any pre-emergent crab grass control.


Fortunately, lawn raking is also a great form of aerobic exercise. Not only does raking involve upper body activity, it also helps to strengthen the back and core muscles and requires moderate walking. According to several Web sites, raking the lawn burns about 280 calories per hour for a 150-pound person. Since I'll spend about five hours raking this weekend, I figure that I will burn about 1,400 calories just by raking the lawn.

According to beginner.gardening.com, “Don’t forget to keep your lawn well watered if Mother Nature doesn’t provide this for you. If you don’t receive timely Spring rains, watering will certainly help.” This week, our dry weather pattern will continue. Other than an isolated shower or sprinkle late tonight, we'll enjoy smooth sailing the rest of this week and Easter weekend. Daytime highs will reach the 50s tomorrow and close to 60 degrees Thursday through Sunday.

Happy raking.

Paul

Record-Breaking March Much Warmer & Drier Than Normal

April started on a wet and cool note with just over a quarter-inch of rain yesterday and a high temperature in the lower 50s. That's a far cry from what we experienced last month. The official weather statistics for March have been tabulated and, not surprisingly, it was, by far, the warmest March on record. In addition, it was one of the driest on record, too, with just a little more than an inch of rain.

The average temperature last month was 47.1 degrees, which is nearly eight degrees above the normal (39.3 degrees) and well above the previous record of 43.0 degrees set in 1979. Incredibly, 28 of the 31 days were warmer than normal, and 14 days were at least 10 degrees above normal. The highest temperature was 71 degrees on March 22 and 23. There were five record high temperatures established last month.

It marked the 13th straight warmer-than-normal month across southwestern Connecticut. That's quite a streak. The last time we had an average monthly temperature below normal happened in February, 2011, at the end of one of the snowiest stretches in recent memory. However, the average temperature that month was less than one degree (0.8) below the normal average of 31.9 degrees.

Last month was extremely dry, too. Just over one inch (1.04") of rain fell during what is normally the wettest month of the year. That's more than three inches below the normal average of 4.05" and slightly more than the driest March on record when just 0.69" fell in 1981. Nearly a foot of rain fell two years ago in March of 2010.

There were only nine days with measured rain last month, including the first three days of March (0.48" combined) and three of the last seven days of the month (0.38" combined). The longest dry spell happened from March 17 through March 24 (eight days) when only a trace of precipitation was recorded. The wettest day of the month was March 3 when over a quarter-inch (0.27") was recorded.

Fairly quiet weather is expected the rest of this week and the upcoming Easter weekend. However, it will be rather windy today, tomorrow, and Wednesday. Winds may gust up to 40 miles an hour this afternoon out of the North. It will breezy and cooler Thursday and Friday. The weekend will be mostly sunny and pleasant with daytime highs near 60.

Paul