Mild March Temperatures to Continue Through This Week

How warm has it been this month? The average daily temperature through the first three weeks of March is 45.0 degrees, which is a whopping 7.6 degrees above normal. In fact, every day this month except one has been warmer than normal. Yesterday's high temperature of 68 degrees broke the previous record of 67 set in 2010. Another mild day is ahead with afternoon readings in the 60s along the shoreline and lower 70s inland.

A closer inspection of this month reveals some eye-popping numbers. First of all, four record high temperatures have been established this March, including a streak of three straight days from Monday, March 12, through Wednesday, March 14. In addition, six of the last eight days and nine days overall have been at least 10 to 20 degrees warmer than normal.

This will mark 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.

Whereas March through August of last year were slightly warmer than normal, the average monthly temperature has spiked considerably over the last half-year. Consider that the average monthly temperature has been at least four degrees above normal since November, and the last three months have been five-to-six degrees above normal.

The biggest spike in average monthly temperatures has occurred over the last two months when February finished 6.3 degrees above normal while this month has averaged 7.6 degrees above normal. Temperatures will continue to run well above normal through the end of the week, and I'm confident a few more record highs will be established. The normal daytime high temperature for this date is 48, while the normal morning low is 33.

Today is officially the first day of Spring, but it's felt and looked like Spring for quite some time now. Cooler air is expected by the weekend with daytime temperatures holding in the 50s Saturday and Sunday. Some showers are expected by the end of the weekend. We sure could use the rain, but that's a topic which can wait for another day.

Paul

Vernal Equinox Arrives in Time for Spring Warmup

Today is the last full day of Winter. However, Old Man Winter packed his bags and departed quite some time ago. A big-time warmup is expected this week, just in time for the Vernal Equinox. Spring officially arrives in the northern hemisphere tomorrow morning at 1:14 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. The days will only get longer for the next three months.

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, just a little more than a foot of snow (13.6") fell at Sikorsky Airport in Stratford. That's exactly a foot below the normal of 25.6" through this date. Last year, though, nearly five feet (59.4") of snow fell, making it one of the most memorable in recent history. Most of the snow fell from late December through January. Two years ago, we measured over three feet (38.1") of snow. What a difference a year makes.



Our Springlike weather will continue through much of the week. Today will become mostly sunny and mild with a high temperature in the lower 70s inland and 60s along the immediate shoreline. The record high is 67 degrees set in 2010. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with patchy fog and a possible shower with lows in the 40s. Tomorrow will become sunny and mild with highs in the 60s. The two warmest days this week will be Wednesday and Thursday.



Happy Spring!

Paul

Saturday Marks Fifth Anniversary of St. Patrick's Day Ice Storm

It looks like we'll enjoy the luck of the Irish this weekend across southwestern Connecticut. After a few showers and a possible thunderstorm cross the region today, skies will become mostly sunny later tomorrow through the St. Patrick's Day weekend. Daytime high temperatures will reach well into the 50s tomorrow and close to 60 degrees by Sunday. However, that wasn't the case five years ago tomorrow. 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 will give us a much better weekend this time around. Remember, 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

Memorable Day in Local Weather History

Today will be the warmest day of the week as temperatures climb close to 70 degrees inland this afternoon. Some showers are expected this morning, and there is a slight chance of a shower or isolated thunderstorm later this evening. However, today's weather pales in comparison to what happened on this date in 1990, 1993, and 2010.

As hard as it may seem to believe, the temperature climbed to an incredible 84 degrees at Sikorsky Memorial Airport on March 13, 1990. That established a record high for the date, month, and the Winter season. The normal high temperature for this date is only 45 degrees, and the normal low is a chilly 31. Although it feels rather balmy today with the mercury climbing into the 60s, it's still about 20 degrees cooler than that Summerlike day 22 years ago.

During March, a battle rages between the Spring and Winter seasons, and that makes predicting the temperatures during this month as difficult as any time during the year. The amount of daylight continues to grow longer each day, and the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring, is still a more than a week away. But, Old Man Winter has no intentions of packing his bags just yet.

I distinctly remember watching the temperature climb that day due to a strong Westerly wind. The wind direction was extremely important, since the flow didn't come from the cooler waters on Long Island Sound. I was the evening weather anchor at News 12 Connecticut 20 years ago, and our "weather video" showed people flocking to a local beach to soak up the sun and warm temperatures. I'll never forget that day.

Then, just three years later, Saturday, March 13, 1993, the famed Storm of the Century pounded the Eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine. Locally, over a foot of snow fell across southwestern Connecticut, winds gusted over 40 miles an hour, and wind chills hovered at or close to zero throughout the day. It was the second snowiest day on record for March, and it will always be remembered because it affected such a large area.

Very heavy snow accumulated in the south. Birmingham, Alabama, picked up a foot of snow. Snow covered the ground from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle. The heavy snow spread northward along the East Coast to Maine. On Saturday, March 13, every airport in the Eastern states was closed. Snowfall ranged up to four feet on Mount Mitchell, North Carolina. Atlanta, Georgia, picked up three inches. Chattanooga, Tennessee, received up 21 inches. During the peak of the storm, about 30 percent of the entire country was hit by the rough weather.

Very warm, humid air moved across central Florida and, combined with the energy of the storm, helped spawn the 27 tornadoes. Winds were clocked at 99 mph on an oil platform off the Louisiana coast. Overall the storm took 285 lives, mostly because of tornadoes. The storm became the costliest nontropical storm in Florida's history. States of emergency were declared throughout the eastern portion of the country. The adjacent map shows the total snowfall for the storm.

I was called in for storm coverage that Saturday morning, and we remained on the air for more than 12 hours. Aside from the heavy snow, what I remember most from that day was the rapidly falling barometer. The pressure dropped to 28.35 inches in parts of New England, which is usually only observed in hurricanes. They peak at almost the exact opposite time of the year. By comparison, this morning's barometer read 30.18 inches, and the normal average barometer reading for southwestern Connecticut is 30.02 inches.

The storm was deepening and intensifying as it moved toward New England, and the howling winds didn't let up. In the wake of the storm, back-to-back record low temperatures of 16 and 12 degrees were established on March 14 and 15, respectively, at Sikorsky Airport.

Then, two years ago, a powerful Nor'easter hammered Connecticut and, specifically, Fairfield County. The damaging wind gusts of 60 to 65 miles an hour, flooding rains, massive power outages, impassable roads, and week-long school closings won't soon be forgotten. We received incredible videos and photos of the widespread destruction across southwestern Connecticut. The following photos were sent by News 12 Connecticut viewers.

Former Governor M. Jodi Rell announced that the storm caused more than $7 million in damage statewide, and she requested a visit from Federal Emergency Management Agency officials to assess the damage. The Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security estimated $2.8 million worth of damage in Fairfield County alone. Fairfield County qualified for federal disaster assistance.

Preliminary damage estimates in Norwalk totaled more than $335,000, and damage to private homes was even greater. Damage to public buildings and parks, and the cost of funding police, fire, and city employee overtime reached about $335,065, according to the city's director of finance. The scoreboard at Brien McMahon High School was the single most expensive piece of property destroyed in the storm. It was estimated at $18,000.

Stamford officials estimate private property damage at $3.58 million. Damage to public property was estimated at $262,000, and total overtime for city crews at $143,086. Tens of thousands of people lost power, and three school systems were closed for a week. Heavy rain delivered up to one-half inch per hour during the afternoon of March 13. Here is a sampling of area rainfall totals for that day:

• New Canaan: 4.34"
• Easton: 4.33"
• Wilton: 4.01"
• Stratford: 3.33"
• Woodbridge: 3.12"
• Westport: 2.97"
• Milford: 2.91"

Fortunately, the weather should be fairly quiet the remainder of the week. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny and pleasant with a high in the 60s. Thursday will be partly sunny and cooler with a high in the 50s. Some showers are likely Friday with highs in the mid 50s. It looks like we'll enjoy the Luck of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day.

Paul

Remember to "Spring Ahead" Sunday Morning

It certainly felt like Spring yesterday as temperatures soared well into the 60s. Although the official high temperature was 61 degrees at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, it was much milder inland. Today, however, will be cooler and breezy under a mix of sun and clouds with highs in the mid 40s to close to 50. Tomorrow will be sunny, windy, and colder with a high in the low-to-mid 40s.

Don't forget to "Spring ahead" to Daylight Saving Time this Sunday morning at 2 o'clock. Traditionally, the start of Daylight Saving Time was originally set on the first Sunday in April. However, former President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in August of that year. The Act changed the date for Daylight Saving Time.

Aside from the benefits of brighter evenings and commutes home from work, one of the biggest reasons we change our clocks to Daylight Saving Time is that it saves energy. Energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting our homes is directly connected to when we go to bed and when we get up. Bedtime for most of us is late evening through the year. That's when we turn off the lights and TV.

According to the energy commission, in the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can cut the amount of electricity we consume each day.

Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that we trim the entire country's electricity usage by about one percent each day with Daylight Saving Time. We also use less electricity because we are home fewer hours during the "longer" days of Spring and Summer. That's certainly welcome news for those of us living in southwestern Connecticut. If you're a parent like I am, you probably find yourself telling your children to turn off lights and any electrical devices they are not using.

Most people plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours. When we are not at home, we don't turn on the appliances and lights. A poll done by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans liked Daylight Saving Time because "there is more light in the evenings (and they) can do more in the evenings."

So you may be wondering if there are any drawbacks to the switch. For one, it will be darker in the morning. Next Monday, March 12, the sunrise in southwestern Connecticut will happen at 7:09, which is the time the Sun normally rises in early-tomid-December. Unfortunately, it will stay darker longer in the morning, and many high school students will be waiting for the bus in the dark.

Another negative is that the earlier change to DST puts the United States out of sync with the rest of the world for longer than usual, almost certainly disrupting not just computers but the business and travel schedules of workers and travelers. Most internal clocks in computing devices were programmed for the old daylight-time calendar, which Congress set in 1986. And, don't forget, we lose an hour of much-needed sleep, too.

How do you feel about starting Daylight Saving Time nearly a month earlier? As far as energy savings are concerned, I'm all for it. However, I think it will give many of us a false sense of Spring. I prefer the start of DST on the first Sunday of April, even though the Sun won't set until 6:55 Sunday evening.

Paul

Full Worm Moon Brightens March Night Sky

You may have noticed how bright it was last night. Clear skies and a nearly-full Moon illuminated the early-March night sky. In case you're wondering, the Full Moon happens tomorrow, Thursday, March 8, at 4:39 a.m. EST. This month's Full Moon is known as the Full Worm Moon. However, the March Full Moon has also been called the Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, and Lenten Moon.

Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of 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.

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. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon and was considered to be the last full Moon of Winter.

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.







It will certainly look and feel like Spring over the next couple of days. Today will be mostly sunny, breezy, and milder with a high tempertaure in the mid 50s. Tonight will be partly cloudy and not as chilly with a low near 40 degrees. Tomorrow will feature a mix of sun and clouds, but it will be breezy and quite mild with a high reaching the lower 60s. Enjoy the Full Moon and the taste of Spring.

Paul