Stunningly Beautiful Sunday in Southport

03/23/2025 @ 1:00 p.m. EDT: The air temperature is 42° F with a dry 9° dew point and a norththwest wind gusting to 22 mph under a sunny sky at the mouth of the Mill River near Sasco Hill in the Southport section of Fairfield.

[image or embed]

— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 23, 2025 at 1:10 PM

Paul

Spring Arrives Today at 5:01 a.m. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere

Spring officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere at 5:01 a.m. EDT. That's when the direct rays of the Sun pass over the Equator, technically creating "equal day and equal night" over the face of the Earth.

I've always observed the change of seasons with more reverence and awe than New Year's Eve. After all, the beginning of a new year is an arbitrary date which can actually be recognized just about any time during the year. However, an equinox or a solstice is a much more meaningful "event" and can be explained astronomically. The time is exact and changes every year although, for the most part, the date doesn't vary much.

The change of seasons is due to the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. Because of the tilt, we receive the Sun's rays most directly in the Summer. In the Winter, when we are tilted away from the Sun, the rays pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant, bringing lower temperatures. If the Earth rotated on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, there would be no variation in day lengths or temperatures throughout the year, and we would not have seasons.

Now that Winter is just about in our rear-view mirror, how did we fare as far as snow is concerned? Officially, one-and-a-half feet (18") of snow fell this season at the Bridgeport climate station, which is well below the normal snowfall (31.2) through today.

Southwestern Connecticut didn't experience much of a Winter. However, recent history suggests that the official change of seasons in the Northern Hemisphere doesn't necessarily mean a smooth transition from Winter to Spring.

Happy Spring!

Paul

Heavy Rain Expected Sunday Night into Monday

More than two inches of rain are expected across southwestern Connecticut through Tuesday at 8 a.m. EDT.

[image or embed]

— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 16, 2025 at 4:34 PM

Paul

More Than One Inch of Rain Expected Across Southwestern Connecticut Through Monday

More than one inch of rain is expected across southwestern Connecticut through Monday at 8 p.m. EDT.

[image or embed]

— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 14, 2025 at 4:08 PM

Paul

Beautiful Afternoon at Samp Mortar Dam & Mill River in Fairfield

03/09/2012 @ 4:45 p.m. EDT: The air temperature is 51° F with a 22° dew point and a southwest breeze under a mix of sunshine and clouds along Samp Mortar Lake and dam and the Mill River in Fairfield.

[image or embed]

— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM

Paul

Wind Advisory for Southwestern Connecticut Through Friday Afternoon

A Wind Advisory will be in effect for Fairfield and New Haven counties from Thursday at 6 p.m. until Friday at 4 p.m. EST: forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.ph...

[image or embed]

— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 6:41 AM

Paul

Colder, Blustery, and Brilliant Day in Bucolic Easton

The air temperature is 30° F with a -2 degree dew point and a northwest wind gusting to 30 mph under a sunny sky in alluring Easton.

[image or embed]

— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM

Paul

"Meteorological Spring" and March Opened on a Snowy Note Ten Years Ago

A snowstorm socked southwestern Connecticut with an average of a half-foot of snow Sunday, March 1, 2015. Officially, five inches of snow fell at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, tying the record for the date. However, Weston (7.5"), Darien (7"), Stamford (6"), and Fairfield (6") received at least a half-foot of snow. Here is the official report from the National Weather Service.

The five inches at Bridgeport brought the season total to 46.1" which is more than double the normal amount (22.4") through March 1. However, it still paled in comparison to the previous year's amount of 56.5" through the same date. It was also the 17th day out of 29 since February 1st with at least a trace of snow at Bridgeport.
                                

Paul

February Slightly Colder and Wetter-Than-Normal at Bridgeport Climate Station

The average monthly temperature for February at the Bridgeport climate station was 32.9° F, which is 0.2° F colder-than-normal. The range was 57° (Feb.26) and 14° (Feb. 2).

[image or embed]

— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 12:11 PM

The Bridgeport climate station recorded 3.27" of precipitation for February, which is 0.15" wetter-than-normal. More than one foot of snow (12.6") was measured, including 4.7" February 8.

[image or embed]

— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 12:20 PM

Paul