June Weather Preview

A cold front pushed through the region early last night, and a much more comfortable day is in store. We'll enjoy mostly sunny skies and lower humidity, courtesy of a Northwest breeze. Although the official statistics for May won't be available until after midnight tonight, this will be the 15th straight warmer-than-normal month. That's quite a streak. It was also wet this month with more than four-and-a-half inches in the rain gauge.

So, what can we expected for June? As far as our local weather is concerned, the average high temperature for southwestern Connecticut jumps to 80 degrees by the end of the month, a leap of seven degrees from June 1. The all-time record high for the month is 97 degrees, which was established during the record-breaking heat wave on June 9, 2008.

That unusual late-Spring heat wave four years ago forced early dismissals and closings at area schools. The unseasonably warm air arrived Sunday, June 8, when the mercury reached 90 degrees. The next two days featured daytime high temperatures of 97 and 96 degrees, respectively, capping a most unusually hot stretch of weather for early June.

The mercury also reached 96 degrees two other times (June 19, 1994, and June 26, 1949). Record high temperatures of 95 degrees have been set three times, including back-to-back days of June 16 and 17 of 1957. The warmest June on record happened in 1994 when the average temperature for the month was 71.7 degrees, well above the 68.0 degree normal.

On the flip side, early June can still be gray, damp, and cool. Although the temperature has never fallen below 40 degrees for the month, the record lows for the first half of June are consistently in the lower 40s. The chilliest morning was 41 degrees on June 1, 1967. The “coldest” June on record happened in 1982 when the average temperature was 63.8 degrees, over four degrees colder than normal!

The wettest June on record happened 38 years ago in 1972 when nearly a foot-and-a-half of rain fell (17.7″). That’s well above the 3.57″ norm based on 40 years of climatology. Unbelievably, there was nearly a completely dry June in 1949 when only 0.07″ of rain was recorded. The most rain recorded in one day happened on June 19, 1972 when 6.18″ fell. Nearly five inches (4.79″) fell on June 5, 1982.

The length of daylight continues to grow during the month. In fact, by the start of June the sky begins to brighten in the East a little before 4 o’clock in the morning. I can actually hear a few birds chirping when I arrive at the News 12 Connecticut studios shortly after three o’clock in the morning. June features the “longest days” of the year, and by the end of the month the Sun sets at 8:30, the latest ever in southwestern Connecticut. The earliest Sunrise happens at 5:18 from June 13 through June 16.

June features the Full Strawberry Moon. It will be full this Monday, June 4th at 7:12 a..m. This name was was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. The relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June, so the Full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!

Happy June.

Paul

Hot Streak Continues Into June

It's a given that this month will be warmer than normal. The average temperature for May in southwestern Connecticut through yesterday is 62.3 degrees. That's 3.5 degrees above normal. With just two days left this month, there's no question this will be the 15th straight month with above-normal temperatures. That's quite a streak. There's no telling when this "hot" streak will eventually come to a close.

The last time the average monthly temperature was below normal happened in February of 2011. The average temperature that month was 31.1 degrees, which was less than one degree (-0.8) below normal. The warmest stretch happened from December through March when the average monthly temperature was more than five degrees above normal each month. In fact, this past March was the warmest on record in the region.

Take a look at the following chart, which shows the average monthly temperature as compared to the normal value for each month.

Month/Avg. Temp./Normal Temp./Departure

• May 2012     62.3     58.8     +3.5 
• April 2012      52.9     49.3     +3.6
• March 2012     47.1     39.3     +7.8
• February 2012     37.8     31.9     +5.9
• January 2012     35.7     30.1     +5.6
• December 2011     41.1     35.4     +5.7
• November 2011     49.8     45.5     +4.3
• October 2012     57.0     54.9     +2.1
• September 2011     70.1     66.2     +3.9
• August 2011     74.8     73.3     +1.5
• July 2011     77.6     74.0     +3.6
• June 2011     69.5     68.0     +1.5
• May 2011     61.1     59.0     +2.1
• April 2011     50.4     48.9     +1.5
• March 2011     39.7     39.5     +0.2
• February 2011     31.1     31.9     -0.8

Today will be another warm day with temperatures climbing into the lower 80s inland and upper 70s along the shoreline. There is a threat of a few showers this morning and later this evening. However, the humidity will be gone late tonight as  drier air arrives from the North and West. Fair weather should continue through Friday before rain moves in Saturday.

Paul

Memorial Day Forecast Includes Mother Nature's Fireworks

Memorial Day weekend --- and the unofficial start of Summer --- is upon us. Unfortunately, this will not be an ideal weekend weatherwise, but it won't be a washout, either. Tomorrow will be the best day of the three-day holiday weekend with partly-to-mostly sunny skies and afternoon high temperatures climbing well into the 80s. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely Sunday and Monday with highs in the upper 80s. Here is my latest forecast:


Memorial Day Forecast by PaulWXman

Although it seems like we've had a fair share of rain recently on Memorial Day, last year was the only time in the last five years there has been measured rain on Memorial Day in southwestern Connecticut. You may recall that Monday, May 30, 2011, brought a third of an inch of rain and extremely warm temperatures. In fact, the mercury climbed to 87 degrees last Memorial Day, establishing a new record high for the date.

According to the National Weather Service climate summary for the Greater New York City metropolitan area, measured rain fell on Memorial Day just nine times in the last 25 years (since 1987). The rainiest Memorial Day occurred on May 26, 2003, when over an inch (1.28") of rain fell during the morning hours. Rain fell on successive Memorial Days in 1995 (0.68") and 1996 (0.11"), and then again in 2003 and 2004 (0.21").

Take a look at the last five Memorial Day weather summaries for southwestern Connecticut, including the high and low temperatures, daily average, and rainfall totals:

• May 30, 2011: 87 - 67 - 77 - 0.33"
• May 31, 2010: 73 - 62 - 68 - 0.00"
• May 25, 2009: 76 - 61 - 69 - 0.00"
• May 26, 2008: 73 - 55 - 64 - trace
• May 28, 2007: 85 - 60 - 73 - 0.00"

A frontal boundary will be the focus of our holiday weekend weather. A weak warm front to the South will dissipate today, while high pressure remains to the East, and a cold front approaches from the West. The front will approach later tonight and stall over the Northeast through early Sunday, and then lift slowly North as a warm front later Sunday and Sunday night. Low pressure will approach from the Great Lakes Memorial Day and move through southern Canada Monday night through Wednesday morning.

If you're wondering, the normal high and low temperatures across southwestern Connecticut for this time of the year are 70 and 54 degrees, respectively, for a daily average of 62 degrees. The record high and low temperatures for this Monday, May 28, are 90 (1991) and 40 (1961), respectively. Sunrise is at 5:23 a.m. and sunset is at 8:17 p.m. The wettest May 28 on record happened in 1985 when nearly an inch-and-a-half (1.48") was recorded at Sikorsky Airport.

Happy Memorial Day weekend.

Paul

Near-Normal Hurricane Season Predicted

The official start of the hurricane season is just over a week away, and with Tropical Storm Irene still fresh in our minds, many people are wondering what this year will bring. Fortunately, it shouldn't be an above average tropical season in the Atlantic basin, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's prediction center, which issued its forecast earlier this morning.

NOAA predicts that there’s a 70 percent chance of nine to 15 named storms with top winds of 39 mph or higher this year. Four to eight of them will strengthen to a hurricane with top winds of 74 mph or higher and, of those, one to three will become major hurricanes with top winds of 111 mph or higher, ranking as either a category three, four, or five. Based on the period from 1981 to 2010, an average season produces 12 named storms with six hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

“NOAA’s outlook predicts a less active season compared to recent years,” said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. “But regardless of the outlook, it’s vital for anyone living or vacationing in hurricane-prone locations to be prepared. We have a stark reminder this year with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.” Andrew, a category five hurricane that devastated South Florida on August 24, 1992, was the first storm in a late-starting season that produced only six named storms.

The seasonal outlook does not predict how many storms will hit land. Forecasts for individual storms and their impacts are provided by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, which continuously monitors the tropics for storm development and tracking throughout the season using an array of tools including satellites, advance computer modeling, hurricane hunter aircraft, and land- and ocean-based observations sources such as radars and buoys.

Tropical Storm Irene will long be remembered by residents of southwestern Connecticut for the number of lives it affected. According to Mitch Gross, a spokesman for Connecticut Light and Power, more than 700,000 customers were without power early Sunday, August 28, 2011, easily breaking the previous record of 480,000 following Hurricane Gloria in September of 1985. Rainfall totals ranged from just over three inches to more than a half-foot in Northern Fairfield County. Officially, the airport set a record of 2.50 inches August 28, bringing the two-day storm total to 3.35 inches.









Although the storm's effects were felt for quite some time, it could have been much worse. The highest wind gusts reported in the region was 63 miles an hour at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford just before daybreak, Sunday, August 28. The highest wind speed was 46 miles an hour, and the average wind speed was 24.9 miles an hour. Fortunately, winds never reached hurricane force, but that certainly was little consequence to the thousands of people who were without power or who suffered damage from Irene.

“Every hurricane season we ask families, communities, and businesses to ensure they are prepared and visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes,” said Tim Manning, FEMA deputy administrator for protection and national preparedness. “Being prepared includes developing a family emergency plan, putting an emergency kit together or updating your existing kit, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and getting involved to ensure your community is ready.”

Paul

May Rain Totals Growing Year-by-Year

Have we had enough rain yet? I'm sure that's a question you thought you'd never ask just over a month ago when we were worried about a potential drought. However, the recent weather pattern has pushed our monthly rain total well above normal. Tuesday's rain was originally supposed to taper off by midday, but light rain and showers persisted through much of the afternoon and into the evening.

Officially, 0.35" of rain fell Tuesday at Sikorsky Memorial Airport. That boosted May's total rainfall to 4.25" and nearly two inches above normal (2.57") through May 22. It also helped close the yearly deficit gap to under four inches. Since January 1, we've received over a foot (12.82") of precipitation, still much lower than the normal amount (16.64") through Tuesday. Yesterday was also the 12th day with measured rain this month.

Ralph Fato of Norwalk wrote, " It hasn't stopped raining all day. This is nuts. I'm at 7.00" for the month here in Norwalk." Yes, some parts of southwestern Connecticut have seen even more rain, especially the extreme southwestern corner, where the heaviest rain fell Monday. Ralph also pointed something else out. After looking at the weather record book, he noticed that the rainfall amounts in May have increased each year since 2007.

Ralph created this graph illustrating the sky cover for the month of May over the last five years, including the rain total for each month. The colors of blue (clear), gray (partly cloudy), white (cloudy), and green (rain) represent the weather for the number of days which are labeled. We still need 1.37" of rain through the end of May for that trend to continue. Last year's total of 5.61" was helped in no small part by back-to-back days of record rain.

Here are the rainfall totals for each of the last five years in May at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford: 

• 2007: 1.05"
• 2008: 2.44"
• 2009: 2.93"
• 2010: 3.16"
• 2011: 5.61"

Can the monthly rain top last year's impressive amount? Although there aren't any major storms in the immediate future, we will see scattered showers and thunderstorms the next couple of days. Of course, any thunderstorm may be accompanied by heavy rain. The Memorial Day holiday weekend, though, looks fairly good. Although it won't be nearly as perfect as last weekend, a weather front will be in the area, causing scattered showers or thunderstorms later Saturday and Monday.

Paul

Spring Roses in Full Bloom

Today's rain is certainly good for the lawns and gardens. This is the 11th day with measured rain this month, pushing our total May rainfall to close to four inches. Viewer Hilkka Schulz of Stamford wrote, "It is really pouring right now. Our street looks like a river. Wow. However, this weekend was just gorgeous, and roses are looking their best here in Connecticut. These are a few samples from my backyard. Have a wonderful week." They look great! Thanks, Hilkka!

Paul

Today Marks 16th Anniversary of Warmest Spring Day on Record

Today marks the 16th anniversary of the warmest May day on record. The mercury soared to 97 degrees at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford on Monday, May 20, 1996, nearly 30 degrees higher than the average high temperature for the date. In fact, only one other Spring day has been as warm, and that happened on June 9 of 2008. What made the record high of 1996 so memorable was that it happened just 40 days after nearly a foot of snow capped the snowiest Winter on record, and just days after much colder-than-normal temperatures.

“Just over a week ago, the climate got rewound to Winter,” wrote N. R. Kleinfield of The New York Times in an article dated May 21, 1996. “Six inches of snow coated parts of upstate New York (as if the year required more snow). In the city last week, the high temperature dipped to the 50s. Spring, you might have noticed, either got lost or just forgot to come. Then came yesterday (May 20, 1996). It all got fast-forwarded to August. Bathing suits instead of ski parkas,” he continued.

“Turn off the heater and turn up the air-conditioner. What’s going on? Is this Earth or is this Mars? People could be excused for being mystified, discombobulated, distraught, furious, dazed, crazed, tentative, dizzy and, of course, just plain really, really hot.” The temperature reached a record high of 96 degrees in Central Park, eclipsing the previous record of 91 set in 1959, and a new record was established in Newark, where it was 99 degrees. Incredibly, just over a week earlier, on the weekend of May 11 and 12, 1996, it snowed in upstate New York.

Remember, the first two-and-a-half weeks of May in 1996 were unseasonably chilly. The record heat and outages at two power plants, one in Westchester and one in upstate New York, reduced the electricity reserves of New York state’s power pool, leading Consolidated Edison to ask customers to curtail electricity consumption. With air-conditioners thrumming away, demand in New York City reached around 9,000 megawatts, well above the normal 7,000 to 8,000 megawatts for this time of year.

Twelve years later, a late Spring scorcher, which included another 97-degree Spring day, forced area schools to dismiss early and close in early June of 2008. Temperatures soared to 90 degrees or hotter on Sunday, June 8 (90 degrees), Monday, June 9 (97), and Tuesday, June 10 (96). The normal high temperature for the first week of June is 74 degrees. It’s the first time in recent memory that school systems shut down due to the oppressive heat.

It won't be nearly as hot today, but the humidity will be on the rise. After a picture-perfect weekend, some showers can be expected from late-morning through this afternoon with high temperatures in the 60s to close to 70 degrees. Our weather picture will remain unsettled through the next couple of days before we begin to see some improvment by Thursday and Friday. The Memorial Day holiday weekend looks fairly good, too, with the exception of a shower or thunderstorm Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Paul

Second Straight Day of Record Rain Soaked Region One Year Ago

The recent rainy pattern helped close the gap in our rainfall deficit this year, but it pales in comparison to the nearly-week-long stretch of record rain one year ago. There were six straight days of measured rain from May 14 through May 19, 2011, soaking southwestern Connecticut with more than four inches (4.19") of rain in less than a week. An additional half-inch of rain fell over the next five days, bringing the monthly total to more than five-and-a-half inches (5.61").

Officially, nearly two-and-a-half inches (2.35") of rain fell exactly one year ago today --- May 18, 2011 --- at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, marking the second straight day of record rain. Well over an inch (1.26") of rain was measured the previous day, bringing the two-day total to more than three-and-a-half inches. The total amount of rain over the six-day stretch was greater than the normal rainfall (4.03") for the entire month, based on 40+ years of averages.

Take a look at the rain amounts during the week of May 14 through May 19, 2011:

• May 14: 0.45"
• May 15: 0.09"
• May 16: 0.03"
• May 17: 1.26"
• May 18: 2.35"
• May 19: 0.01"

Our weather won't be anything like that the next couple of days. High pressure will dominate through tomorrow bringing mostly sunny skies. Today's highs will reach the lower 70s, while tomorrow's highs will climb into the upper 70s to close to 80 degrees. An ocean storm will eventually bring showers to the region Sunday night through the middle of next week, continuing our recent theme of wet weekdays and dry weekends.

Paul

Recent Rains Put Dent in Yearly Deficit

It seems like yesterday we were quite concerned about a possible long-term drought. Rain totals were running close to a half-foot below normal for the year, and Red Flag Warnings were becoming routine. Lawns were "burning out" in mid April, and we needed rain desperately. Thankfully, Mother Nature responded this month with nearly four inches of rain, bringing the yearly total to over a foot (12.41"), closing the gap to just three-and-a-half inches below normal (15.90").

The weather pattern changed drastically during the latter part of April. A heavy rainstorm on April 22 and 23 brought over two-and-a-half inches (2.55") of rain to the region, bringing the monthly total to just under three inches (2.97"). Although measured rain happened just once the remainder of the month, it seemed we finally turned the corner, even though the April rain gauge was still more than an inch below normal (4.13").

You may recall that March was one of the driest on record. 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 in March, including the first three days of the month (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.

The weather picture in May has been quite wet. In fact, 10 of the first 16 days this month have produced measured rain. The wettest day this month was this past Tuesday when 1.07" fell, establishing a new record for the date. Three other days featured more than a half-inch of rain, and one day saw over a third of an inch. As of today, the total for the month (3.84") is more than two inches above normal (1.83"). The lawns and gardens have responded beautifully.

Another pattern is beginning to establish itself, too. Recently, we've enjoyed fine weekend weather while the rain falls during the week. Yes, that pattern will continue through the upcoming weekend and into next week. High pressure should bring plenty of sunshine and milder temperatures Saturday and Sunday while, at the same time, keep a storm system offshore. However, moisture from that storm will more than likely "back up" and spread showers and thunderstorms into the Northeast Monday and Tuesday of next week.

Paul

Extreme Weather Text Alerts Beneficial to Public

We've certainly had our fair share of extreme and dangerous weather over the last year. Tropical Storm Irene, which hit the region Saturday night, August 27, will long be remembered by residents of southwestern Connecticut for the number of lives it affected. Two months later, the Nor'easter of October 29 and 30, 2011, was one for the record books. The unusual early Autumn storm delivered record-breaking October snow and massive power outages across Connecticut.

Most of us were well-prepared for both events, especially Irene. Generators and sump pumps were in short supply days before the storm hit, and most people were ready for the heavy rain, gusty winds, loss of electricity, and the storm surge along the shoreline. According to Mitch Gross, a spokesman for Connecticut Light and Power, more than 700,000 customers were without power hours after the storm, easily breaking the previous record of 480,000 following Hurricane Gloria in September of 1985.

The October Nor'easter delivered record-breaking October snow and massive power outages across Connecticut. By the time the storm pulled away, over a foot of snow fell across much of Northern Fairfield County, and four inches blanketed Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford. Many trees and tree branches came crashing down due to the weight of the heavy, wet snow, the leaves still on the trees, and the gusty winds. This storm left more than 760,000 customers of Connecticut Light and Power and 9,000 United Illuminating customers in the dark.

Preparation is most important when severe weather is about to strike. That's why I am pleased to know that wireless carriers and the federal government are launching a system to automatically warn people of dangerous weather and other emergencies via a special type of text messaging to cellphones. The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service, which begins this month, is free, and consumers won't have to sign up. Warnings will be location-based. If you're traveling, you'll get an alert for whatever emergency is happening where you are.

Alerts will be issued for such life-threatening events as tornadoes, flash floods, hurricanes, typhoons, tsunamis, dust storms, extreme winds, blizzards and ice storms. Private forecasting companies have offered warnings to subscribers before, but this is the first national service by the federal government and the wireless industry. The weather alerts will be used specifically for weather "warnings," not the less-severe weather "watches."

"These text alerts will be very brief, under 90 characters," according to National Weather Service spokeswoman Susan Buchanan, "and are intended to prompt people to immediately seek additional information through the wide range of weather alert communications available to them, such as the Internet, television, radio or NOAA Weather Radio." Buchanan said alerts about very dangerous situations such as tornadoes will give advice such as "seek shelter immediately."

"This is another great way of receiving warnings immediately, just like weather radio and other sources," weather service spokesman Chris Vaccaro said. However, Vaccaro says people should not rely only on mobile devices for weather warnings since they can lose power. He urges using a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio, which has longer-lasting battery backup. I have one in my kitchen, and it's always on during inclement weather.

Modern technology, when used in a responsible and informative way, can be extremely beneficial. This is just one way that modern technology can help us prepare for dangerous or violent weather and potentially save lives. I'd like to know if you will be signing up for the service. After all, you can't beat the price. It's free. I'll be signing up.

Paul

Dogwood Festival Shines on Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day weekend is here, and Mother Nature will deliver a gift to us with a fairly nice Sunday under a mix of sun and late-day clouds with high temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s. However, there is a slight chance of a sprinkle or shower late in the day and into the evening. The weekend will get off to a great start, however, with sparkling weather tomorrow. In fact, Saturday will be the first day this month with mostly sunny skies. Daytime high temperatures will climb into the lower 70s by tomorrow afternoon.

Our weekend weather is batting just about .500 this year. Ten of the 19 weekends (53%) have been completely dry, while nine weekends (47%) have seen measured rain. January, February, and March were evenly balanced as far as wet and dry weekends, while April featured three weekends with measured rain. Two of the last four weekends have seen rainy weather in southwestern Connecticut. Here's a look at our weekend weather this year

• January: 2 wet weekends, 3 dry weekends; total weekend rain 0.48"
• February: 2 wet weekends, 2 dry weekends; total weekend rain 0.05"
• March: 2 wet weekends, 2 dry weekends; total weekend rain 0.38"
• April: 3 wet weekends, 2 dry weekends; total weekend rain 2.21"
• May: 0 wet weekends, 1 dry weekend; total weekend rain 0.00"
• Yearly total: 9 wet weekends, 10 dry weekends; total weekend rain 3.12"

The Mother's Day weekend gets off to an early start today as the 77th annual Dogwood Festival begins high atop Greenfield Hill in Fairfield. The event, which is traditionally held on Mother's Day weekend, draws people from all over the Northeast. From its humble beginnings on a card table that displayed handmade aprons and similar items three-quarters of a century ago, the Festival has grown into an event which attracts thousands each year.

Every year, the festival offers an opportunity for all to share the beauty of the historic hill. I've been at Greenfield Hill to provide LIVE weather reports a number of times to promote the Dogwood Festival, and it seems that rain has always been in the forecast just about every year. This year, Mother Nature is promising a fairly nice weekend for Mom. Enjoy it!

Happy Mother's Day!

Paul

Vibrant Spring Colors in Stamford

Hilkka Schulz of Stamford sent the following photos to me which I included on the News 12 Connecticut Facebook page and during our daily newscasts. They have been well-received.

She wrote the following to me.

Dear Paul,

Thank you so much for showing my photograph today. Throughout the day I have received calls from my friends in the area hospitals and doctors' offices telling me how much they liked the fact that a nurse's picture was shown on channel 12. This week is a National Nurses Week and I am also an RN (in addition to being an avid photographer). I am also a solid supporter of channel 12 and everyone who is part of it. Thank you for all you do, Paul.

Sincerely,
Hilkka.

Rare May Snowstorm Clobbered New England on This Date in 1977

One glance at our weather this morning, and it's hard to believe that a snowstorm hit much of New England on this date 35 years ago. Our daybreak weather this morning was rainy, foggy, humid, and quite mild with temperatures close to 60 degrees. You'll need to keep the umbrella handy through early tomorrow before our weather picture brightens later in the day.

However, it was quite a different story around these parts Monday, May 9, 1977. A storm system brought snow and record-cold temperatures to much of New England. In fact, at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, a trace of snow fell, and the temperature dropped to 37 degrees that morning, establishing a record low for this date. Other than a trace of snow which was reported May 27, 2010, it's the latest Spring day on which any snow has ever fallen in southwestern Connecticut.

The storm was quite shocking for this time of the year. Consider the normal high temperature for May 9 is 65 degrees, and the normal low temperature is 48. Snow in southwestern Connecticut is almost unheard of seven weeks after the Vernal Equinox. The coldest temperature ever recorded this month was 31 degrees on March 10, 1966.

According to the Naugatuck Daily News, "A Spring storm dumped several inches of snow on some parts of Berkshire County in Massachusetts. The area hardest hit by the storm was Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where police reported 10 inches of snow on the ground. Similar amounts were reported in parts of Vermont. Great Barrington police said there 'were about 100 trees down, wires are down, and we've got reports of accidents we can't get to.'"

Residents in the northwestern Connecticut rural communities of Goshen and Cornwall reported unofficial snow depths of up to five inches. The snow began to fall heavily in the Hartford area at the height of the commuter rush, slowing traffic considerably on most roads. The National Weather Service said a deepening area of low pressure over Connecticut produced a variety of weather conditions across Western Connecticut.

I consider myself a local weather history buff, but I honestly don't remember this storm. Special thanks to viewer Ralph Fato for recalling it and bringing it to my attention. It certainly had to be memorable for those who had to dig out of nearly a half-foot of snow in the northwestern corner of the state. I'm sure they were wearing their Winter coats, too, with the mercury plunging into the 30s.

Paul

Full Flower Super Moon & Meteor Shower Illuminate Weekend Night Sky

The Full Flower Moon takes place late tomorrow evening at 11:35 p.m. EDT. Just 25 minutes later, however, the Moon will arrive at perigee, which is its closest approach to the Earth, a distance of 221,802 miles away. Since this month's perigee is the closest of any in 2012, tomorrow's Full Moon will seem even bigger and brighter than usual, resulting in a stunning sight known as a Supermoon.

As a result, the Moon will appear about 16 percent brighter than the average Full Moon. It will also be accompanied by unusually high and low tides this weekend and into the new week. The Supermoon may make it difficult to witness the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which occurs when the Earth passes through the debris from Halley's Comet. The meteor shower begins tomorrow evening and lasts until the early morning hours Sunday.

In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. That’s how the Full Moon in May became known as the Flower Moon. Other names include the Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon. 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.

A Full Moon rises at about the same time the Sun is setting. Since the length of daylight continues to grow each day through the Summer Solstice, a Full Moon will rise later and set earlier in May and June. In addition, the Full Moon will appear lower in the sky since it won’t be visible nearly as long as during the long Winter nights. That’s because the Full Moon is a lunar phase which occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun.

For example, the Moon rises at 6:27 this evening, nearly an hour-and-a-half before the 7:53 sunset, and it sets at 5:05 tomorrow morning, 40 minutes before the 5:45 sunrise. Conversely, in November, when the length of daylight continues to dwindle, the Full Beaver Moon will appear higher in the sky and be visible for about 16 hours. Although there will be some patchy clouds around, we should enjoy a fairly good view of this weekend's Supermoon.

Paul

Journal Wins 2012 Communicator Award of Distinction

I won a 2012 Communicator Award of Distinction and a silver statuette for my Local Weather Journal for Southwestern Connecticut. The Communicator Awards, founded nearly two decades ago, is the leading international awards program and receives over 6,000 entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the world.

My local weather journal, which was originally created six years ago, covers a wide range of topics, including local climatology, the effects of weather on mood and sports, in-depth summaries of local storms, weather history, astronomy, monthly weather previews and summaries, and photos and videos from viewers. New blog entries are published two-to-three times a week.

The Communicator Award continues an impressive ten-year stretch, which includes a prestigious New York Emmy award (2007), four Emmy nominations (New England, 2005; New York, 2007, 2008, and 2010), four Connecticut Associated Press Broadcasters' Association awards for Best Weathercast (2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012), and two Associated Press honorable mentions (2004 and 2011).

The Communicator Awards is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms. IAVA members include executives from organizations such as Airtype Studio, Big Spaceship, Conde Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, Lockheed Martin, MTV Networks, Pitney Bowes, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Time, Inc, Victoria's Secret, Wired, and Yahoo!

Winning entries for the Communicator Awards are selected by the IAVA to uphold a commitment to fairness and merit-based achievement. This ensures each entry is afforded an equal chance of winning an award as all entries are judged to evaluate distinction in creative work. In determining Excellence and Distinction Winners, entries are judged based on a standard of excellence in marketing and communications. Judging is based purely on quality of craft.

Paul

April Was 14th Straight Warmer-Than-Normal Month

The streak continues! Amazingly, April marked the 14th straight warmer-than-normal month across southwestern Connecticut. The last time we had a cooler-than-normal month happened in February of last year at the end of a cold, snowy, and icy six-week stretch. I can't remember the last time we had at least a year of above average monthly temperatures. This photo from a viewer was taken by the Bridgeport Public Library.

April's average temperature was 52.9 degrees, which is 3.6 degrees above normal. The warmest temperature last month was 81 degrees on April 17. Each of the first 22 days last month was warmer-than-normal, including a three-day stretch (April 15 through April 17) which featured average daily temperatures of 14 to 19 degrees above normal. However, the last eight days of April were cooler-than-normal as the weather pattern changed dramatically.

Last month was also much drier than normal, too. There were nine days with measured rain, but three of those had just one-hundredth of an inch and one other had two-hundredths of an inch. The heaviest rain happened during the storm of April 22 and 23 when a total of 2.55" fell. We measured just under three inches (2.97") of rain last month, which is more than an inch below normal (4.13"). May is beginning on a much wetter note.

Spring is usually the windiest time of the year across the region, especially from mid-March through mid-April. Last month was certainly no exception. Peak maximum winds of 30 miles an hour or greater were recorded on 13 days, including a peak wind of 41 miles an hour from the West on April 9. A peak wind of 38 miles an hour happened during the rainstorm of April 22, and a peak wind of 37 miles an hour occurred on April 27.

Any rain should taper off by midday today, but skies will remain mostly cloudy with high temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with patchy fog and a low of 45 to 50 degrees. Tomorrow will become partly sunny and seasonable with a high in the 60s. We'll experience a warm-up by the end of the week as temperatures climb into the 70s Friday and Saturday. There is a chance of thunderstorms Friday, and some showers are possible Saturday night into early Sunday.

Paul