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