Red Flag Warning Issued for Fire Danger

March is normally the wettest month of the year across southwestern Connecticut. In fact, over four inches (4.15") of precipitation can normally be expected this month on average. Thus far, we've measured nearly three-and-a-half inches (3.45") of liquid through the first four weeks of March. However, 12 of the last 16 days have been dry, and that's one of the reasons why a Red Flag Warning has been posted from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.

A Red Flag Warning alerts area firefighters and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire ignition. The warning becomes a critical statement for firefighting agencies, which often alter their staffing and equipment resources dramatically to accommodate the forecast risk. To the public, a Red Flag Warning means high fire danger with increased probability of a quickly spreading vegetation fire in the area within 24 hours.

In addition to the dry ground, a North wind will continue to gust over 20 to 25 miles an hour through this afternoon, along with extremely low humidity levels. Dew points are only in the single digits, while the relative humidity is holding close to 40 percent. These ingredients could result in the rapid spread of a brush fire if one were to start. Also, air temperatures will continue to run about 10 degrees below normal.

You can do your part to help prevent fires during extremely dry conditions. Obviously, always put out cigarettes properly and don't jusy discard them on the ground. That's the easiest way for a fire to start. Keep firewood away from your home, clean up weeds and grass clippings, and pick up any extra trash and debris which may be in your yard. Remember, it only takes a carelessly disposed cigarette to ignite a wild fire, and it could spread rapidly with the dry and windy conditions.

Today will be mostly sunny, breezy, and chilly with a high in the low-to-mid 40s. Tonight will be mostly clear and cold with lows in the 20s. Tomorrow will feature a mix of sun and clouds with a high in the mid 40s. The next storm arrives Friday with wet snow changing to rain with daytime highs in the lower 40s. Clearing skies are expected for the weekend with the mercury touching 50 degrees by then.

Paul

Raking the Lawn a Rite of Spring

Quiet but chilly weather is expected this weekend, so it's time to get down to business by raking my lawn. Normally, I reserve the first weekend of April to complete the annual task, but I have decided to get a head start since this coming weekend will be dry. Quite frankly, I won't mind it at all since my lawn needs it, and it will provide great exercise for me!

Naturally, it takes some preparation. Tomorrow morning 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. Even as snow melts, it normally runs off due to still frozen subsoil. If you don’t receive timely Spring rains, watering will certainly help.” This weekend, though, will be dry. Saturday will be mostly sunny and quite chilly with a high in the upper 30s, while a storm system to our South will provide for more clouds by Sunday with a high near 40 degrees.

Have a good weekend.

Paul

Full Worm Moon is a "Super" Moon

This month's Full Moon will be the first "Super" Moon in 18 years. The March Full Worm Moon rises Saturday at 2:10 p.m. EDT, and we should be able to view its rare size and beauty beautifully tomorrow evening. It's called a "Super" Moon because it will arrive at its closest point to the Earth this year at 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. The Moon will be just 221,565 miles away from the Earth.

When the perigee Moon lies close to the horizon, it can appear absolutely enormous. That is when the famous “Moon illusion” combines with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, a low-hanging Moon looks incredibly large when hovering near trees, buildings and other foreground objects. The fact that the Moon will be much closer than usual this weekend will only serve to amplify this strange effect.

That means that at its peak, tomorrow's "Super" Moon may appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than most other Full Moons or when the Moon is at its farthest distance from Earth. Yet to the casual observer, it may be hard to tell the difference. Although a Full Moon theoretically lasts just a moment, that moment is imperceptible to ordinary observation.

Why is this month's Full Moon called the Worm Moon? Well, as the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, signaling the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter, or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation.

This time of the year, the sunlight is getting stronger, temperatures are slowly rising, and the frozen ground begins to thaw. You can tell the worms have begun to come awake when you find the little curly mounds of dirt on the ground. These mounds, or castings are part of nature's way of preparing the Earth for new growth. Then the flowers and herbs and trees and green grass suddenly burst out and let us know Spring is here.

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.

By the way, did you know that if the Full Moon happened just two days later, Easter would be a week from Sunday? That's because Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox. The Vernal Equinox is this Sunday evening, March 20, at 7:21 EDT. Enjoy the Full Worm Moon and the "Super" Moon. Have a great weekend.

Paul

Spring Officially Arrives This Sunday

Tomorrow is the last full day of Winter. Spring officially arrives this Sunday at 7:21 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. That's the time when the direct rays of the Sun pass over the Equator, technically creating "equal day and equal night" over the face of the Earth. Actually, yesterday, March 17, we experienced exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. The days will only get longer for the next three months. I don't know about you, but after this Winter, I'm counting the minutes until the Vernal Equinox.

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 over the last three months as far as snow is concerned? Officially, just about five feet of snow (59.4") fell at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford. That's more than three feet above the normal (22.9") through this date and well above last year's total of 38.1" of snow. Most of the snow fell from late December through January. Snowfall was well below the record of 78 inches, which was set in the Winter of 1995-96.

Our Springlike weather will continue for at least one more day. Today will feature a mix of sun and clouds with high temperatures reaching the upper 60s inland and close to 60 degrees along the immediate shoreline. It will be quite windy, though. The record high temperature for this date is 68 degrees, established in 1999. A cold front will pass late tonight and early tomorrow with a threat of a brief shower or sprinkle. Tomorrow will become mostly sunny and much cooler with highs close to 50.

Happy Spring!

Paul

Fourth Anniversary of St. Patrick's Day Snow and Ice Storm

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It looks like the luck of the Irish will shine brightly across southwestern Connecticut today. We'll enjoy mostly sunny skies with high temperatures climbing into the 50s along the shoreline and close to 60 degrees inland. Tomorrow will be even milder as the mercury soars into the 60s. However, four years ago today, Old Man Winter was still going strong, delivering an unforgettable snow and ice storm.

I experienced one of the most difficult drives to work in my many years of providing morning weather to our viewers, Saturday, March 17, 2007. My car was a block of ice. My kitchen door froze after I shut it, locking me out of my own house while I attempted to get into the car. The battle with the car door to get it open took me about 10 minutes. And, I had to wake my son out of a sound sleep to accompany me on my harrowing drive to work.

The drive was, without question, extremely difficult. The roads were covered with ice and snow, and snow plows created some embankments at intersections, making it difficult to drive through the mounds of snow and ice. I got stuck twice in "cakes" of snow and ice. Our morning news anchor told me he "did a 360" on the turnpike, and he was obviously unnerved before we went on the air.

According to Lieutenant Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police who appeared on our morning newscast that day, "Troopers have responded to over 477 accidents. We've been non-stop, busy, constantly during this whole storm. There are really treacherous conditions out there," emphasized Vance. "Many motorists have been stuck."

The storm began on Friday, March 16, 2007, with a moderate snow blanketing the region. The numbers were very impressive for mid March. Easton (6.5 inches), Fairfield (6.4"), New Canaan (6.0"), and Darien (6.0") each received at least a half-foot of snow unofficially. Even Bridgeport (5.0") had substantial snow. The average monthly snow for March is 4.3 inches based on 40 years of climatology. One of our viewers sent this photo from Norwalk.

"It was a tough storm," admitted John Kerry of the Department of Transportation storm center. "We're telling people that if they can hold off on their travel they will probably be in a lot better shape. We are seeing spin outs because the roads are slippery." One snow plow driver was asked by News 12 Connecticut's Kristi Olds if this was the worst storm of the Winter. "This one was," he answered immediately. "This one was by far the toughest. All the snow, the ice, and wind. It was tough!"

Nora Massella of Milford, who is a devoted viewer to our morning newscasts, sent this photo of her home and neighborhood. Nora wrote, "Paul, my husband, Mike, tried to get out and it was impossible. When he put down onto the snow, it was thick, thick ice. In order to get rid of this ice, you have to chop it and crack it in order to get rid of it. Our cars are frozen closed."

Thankfully, Mother Nature is giving us a preview of Springtime weather three days early! Today will be a great day to spend time outside and soak up the sun. March is one of the most unpredictable months for weather in southwestern Connecticut. Fortunately, we won't have to worry about any major storms over the next few days.

Paul

Celebrate National Wildlife Week

This is National Wildlife Week. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the annual week-long observance has been essential to wildlife conservation, bringing awareness about the issue to people of all ages since 1938. Observing National Wildlife Week is a time to honor wildlife, bring communities together through service, ignite the minds of children and adults, and instill an absolute love of nature.

Children are especially encouraged to celebrate National Wildlife Week by doing what comes naturally. Whatever you do --- at home, school, or play --- do it outdoors and have fun! Climb trees, chase butterflies, dig in the dirt, and celebrate nature. You’ll become healthier, happier, and more connected to the world around you.

Research shows that a daily "Green Hour" improves one's physical, mental and emotional well-being. This is especially important for children who typically spend hours in front of electronic gadgets. Additionally, families and communities connected to nature raise healthier kids and inspire a life-long appreciation of wildlife and the environment.

The federation's Web site includes ideas and activities for young children, teens, parents, and educators. One of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to celebrate this week is to go "wildlife watching." It's a great time to head outside and see what's going on in the natural world as Spring arrives. Carefully and quietly observe your surroundings.

Parents are urged to make time in their children's lives for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. Children can celebrate the wonderful wildlife that lives around them and explore outside. Teens can make a difference in the community for wildlife and the environment. Educators can find fun ways to get their students excited about studying nature and wildlife, and spending more time outdoors.

Start a new family tradition this year with National Wildlife Week. With the exception of rain tomorrow, the remainder of the week looks good. Today will be mostly sunny and pleasant with a high in the mid-to-upper 40s. A half-inch to an inch of rain is possible tomorrow before much milder air arrives by the end of the week. For more information, visit the National Wildlife Federation Web site.

Paul