Lawn Care Tips During July Heat

How is your lawn doing? My lawn is beginning to feel the effects of the strong July sunshine and hot weather over the past several days. Thursday's high temperature climbed to 91 degrees at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, and a potential heat wave will culminate tomorrow when a Heat Advisory will be in effect for the afternoon hours. The average temperature this month is a whopping 6.3 degrees above normal.

The brown spots and dried-out grass are becoming more widespread on my lawn. According to my weather record book, we've had just one day of measured rain this month, and eight of the last ten days have been dry. The only rain in the extended forecast will happen when a cold front approaches late tomorrow and Saturday night, triggering thunderstorms, some of which may be strong to severe.

I've been watering the lawn every day for the last week. However, you may wonder when is the best time to water the lawn? According to allaboutlawns.com, the best time to turn on your sprinkler is about 5 o'clock in the morning. Why? "Early morning watering is best due to the lack of evaporation that takes place, low winds that can blow you lawn dry, high humidity, and morning dew that adds to the moisture.

"Early morning watering helps to prevent lawn diseases that can be caused by watering at night because it gives your lawn time to dry by night fall. Obviously, this can be best accomplished with a sprinkler system, unless you just can't sleep, especially during the Summer months."

Here's another tip. Try watering a day before you plan on mowing your lawn if you dislike the browning that forms on the tips of the grass afterwards. This will allow your lawn to recover from the cutting and help it to look nicer as a result. Did you know that during the hottest Summer months, the surface of your closely cropped lawn can easily climb two dozen degrees above the outdoor air temperature? Heat is a killer.

So is moisture loss, which occurs when the lawn is cut too frequently during high temperatures. Heat-stressed, dry lawns are extremely susceptible to insects, spotting, weeds, and root disease as they try to heal from literally being scalped. Many of my neighbors hire lawn cutters who appear at the same time every week to mow the lawns, whether they need it or not. I don't think I'll cut my lawn this weekend. It just doesn't need it.

According to allaboutlawns.com, "It's important to realize that mowing actually creates a routine lawn injury. You can minimize the damage by using sharp blades and mowing in cooler morning or evening hours, but only when the lawn is dry. In the Summer months, you may have to mow more frequently, but always mow at a higher cut. If you're cutting more than 1/3 of the total height of the grass, you're scalping it.

Take care when mowing your lawn this Summer. Properly mowed lawns retain moisture, fostering deeper root growth, and the healthy blades of grass produce more of the nutrients necessary for your lawn to thrive in difficult conditions. So, even in the driest and warmest time of the year, it is possible to keep your lawn watered regularly and cut when needed.

Paul

Despite Heat, the Earth is Farthest from the Sun Today

Despite a heat wave roasting parts of the United States and forecast high temperatures close to 90 degrees across southwestern Connecticut, our planet is actually at its farthest point from the Sun today. According to the U. S. Naval Observatory, the Earth reached a point in its orbit called "aphelion" at 12 o'clock EDT this morning. The Earth's aphelion is the point where it is the farthest from the Sun than at any time during the year.

The Earth is typically about 93 million miles from the Sun. However, because our planet's orbit is not a perfect circle but an ellipse, it has a farthest point and a closest point to the Sun. In case you're wondering, the Earth's closest approach to the Sun is called perihelion, and that occurs in early January. The Earth is exactly 3,104,641 miles (or 3.28 percent) farther from the Sun than at its closest approach. The Earth actually receives about seven percent less heat at its aphelion than at its closest approach, according to researchers.

Although the date for both will vary from year to year, the Earth will always be closest to the Sun in early January and the farthest away in early July. Not surprisingly, that comes as a surprise to most people. At perihelion, our planet is about 91 million miles from the Sun. It moves outward to about 95 million miles from the Sun at aphelion. Naturally, some people have the mistaken impression that our seasons are caused by the changes in Earth's distance from the Sun, but this is not the case.

The temperatures and the seasons are not affected by the proximity of the Earth to the Sun or even the rotation of the planet on its axis. Rather, it is the tilt of the Earth that determines the climate. When it is at perihelion in January, the Earth is tilted away from the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere, and the sunlight is not "getting a direct hit" on the Earth's atmosphere. However, when it is at aphelion in July, the Earth is tilted toward the Sun.

Officially, at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, the high and low temperatures yesterday, Independence Day, were 88 and 72 degrees, respectively, for an average of 80 degrees. That's seven degrees above normal. The record high temperature for today --- when the Earth is farthest from the Sun --- is 100 degrees, established in 1999. The normal high and low temperatures for this date are 82 and 65 degrees, respectively.

So, as you cool off at the pool, beach, or by the air conditioner today, take comfort in the fact that our planet is farther from the Sun today than at any other day of the year. Today will be mostly sunny, hot, and turning less humid with a high temperature of 86 to 91 degrees. Hot weather will continue through the start of the weekend before a cold front arrives Saturday night and early Sunday, bringing more seasonable temperatures and lower humidity for Monday through Wednesday of next week.

Paul

"Dog Days" of Summer Begin Today

The “Dog Days” of Summer officially arrive today. No, that’s not because I relented and turned on the air conditioners. Most people casually refer to the "Dog Days" as a period of hot and humid weather. But did you know that the dog days are a 40-day period which last from early July through mid-August?

The dog days of Summer run from July 3 through August 11 in the Northern Hemisphere and have to do with the star Sirius, known as “the dog star.” Sirius is the brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere other than the Sun, and it is found in the constellation Canis Major, thus the name “dog star.”

In the Summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. During late July, Sirius is in “conjunction” with the Sun. The ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the Sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, the “dog days” after the dog star.

In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture.

The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.

They saw images of bears (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins (Gemini), a bull (Taurus), and others, including dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor). The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius. The star can be seen prominently in the Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, adjacent to Orion the Hunter.
The conjunction of Sirius with the Sun varies somewhat with latitude. Also, the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Although we are in the middle of the dog days of Summer right now, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. The heat of Summer is a direct result of the earth’s 23.5 degree tilt on its axis, meaning the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun during the Summer.

So, the "Dog Days" of Summer have officially arrived as of today. We'll have a warm and dry day ahead with temperatures climbing well into the 80s. Showers and thunderstorms are expected late tonight and early tomorrow before another round arrives tomorrow afternoon. Daytime high temperatures will hold in the 80s through the rest of the week and the weekend.

Happy Dog Days!


Paul

Full Thunder Moon Arrives Just in Time for Mother Nature's Fireworks Show

I had company on my way to work this morning. Yes, the nearly Full Moon smiled directly at me from a fairly low angle above the horizon as I drove westbound along I-95 in the middle of the night. And what a sight it was. You, too, may have noticed the light of the Moon filtering into your window last night.

In case you’re wondering, the Full Thunder Moon happens at 2:52 this afternoon. The Full Thunder Moon is so named since thunderstorms are common during this time of the year. Another name for this month’s Moon is the Full Buck Moon. July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer rush out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. Another name for this month’s Moon is the Full Hay 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. 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.

A Full Moon rises at about the same time the Sun is setting. Since the length of daylight is about 15 hours and four minutes today, the Full Moon will rise later and set earlier this time of the year. In addition, the Full Moon will appear lower in the sky since it won’t be visible nearly as long as during the mid-Winter nights.

For example, the Moon rises at 8:23 this evening (99.4% full) and sets at 6:30 tomorrow morning (99.6% full). That means the Moon will be visible for ten hours and seven minutes. Conversely, six months from now in January when the amount of daylight is at a minimum, the Full Wolf Moon will appear higher in the sky and be visible for about 17-and-half-hours. That’s over seven hours longer than this time of the year!

We won't be able to see much of the Moon tonight since an approaching warm front will bring clouds, more humidity, and showers and thunderstorms late at night. Tomorrow will be quite warm and muggy with more showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. High temperatures will climb into the mid-to-upper 80s once again. I suppose the Full Thunder Moon will come just in time for Mother Nature's Independence Day fireworks show of her own.

Paul

Heat Wave Caps Warm & Wet June

A three-day heat wave which began Friday, June 29, and continued through Sunday, July 1, capped a warmer and wetter-than-normal June across southwestern Connecticut. The average temperature last month was 69.7 degrees, which is exactly one degree above normal. It was the 16th consecutive month of above average temperatures. Nearly four-and-a-half inches (4.39") of rain fell in June, which was 0.78" above normal.

It sure didn't look as though the monthly streak of above-normal temperatures would continue through the first three weeks of June. Eleven of the first 19 days last month were cooler-than-normal, including a streak of eight out of nine days from June 11 through June 19. In addition, three of the first six days of June featured below-normal temperatures. Only one day out of the first 19 days last month was at least five degrees above normal.

However, our temperature pattern changed dramatically over the last 11 days of June. Nine of the 11 days were warmer-than-normal, including daytime highs of 92 and 96 degrees on June 20 and 21, respectively, and 91 and 92 degrees on June 29 and 30. All told, 17 of the 30 days were warmer-than-normal. In case you're wondering, the warmest June on record in southwestern Connecticut happened in 1994 when the average temperature was 71.7 degrees.

Twelve days last month (40%) featured measured rain, including four in a row from June 22 through June 25 and three in a row from June 5 through June 7. Over an inch of rain fell June 2 (1.27") and June 13 (1.03"), and more than three-quarters of an inch of rain fell June 25 (0.76"). There were four days on which a trace of rain was recorded. The longest dry stretch was eight days from June 14 through June 21. David French took this photo of a rainbow at Sterling Farms Golf Course in Stamford last month.

After a high temperature of 92 degrees yesterday, we'll experience somewhat more comfortable weather today. A cold front pushed through the Northeast late Sunday, bringing strong thunderstorms to the Eastern part of Connecticut. Today will be mostly sunny, warm, and less humid with a high temperature in the mid 80s. A sunny and slightly more humid day is expected tomorrow before Mother Nature delivers fireworks in the form of thunderstorms early Wednesday morning and during the afternoon for the Fourth of July.

Paul

Looking Ahead to July

Half the year is nearly over. July arrives this Sunday, and it’s time to look ahead at what the month brings climatologically to southwestern Connecticut. Not surprisingly, July is the warmest month of the year with a mean temperature of 74 degrees. The hottest temperature ever recorded at Sikorsky Memorial Airport happened last July 22, when the mercury topped 103 degrees, tying the record originally set in 1957. The following day, July 23, 2011, another record high of 96 degrees was recorded.

The mercury reached the century mark two other times — July 2, 1966 and July 5, 1999. In fact, the average daily temperature climbs from 72 degrees at the start of the month to 75 by July 31. The warmest July on record happened 18 years ago, in 1994, with an average temperature of 78.4 degrees. However, last July was one of the warmest on record with an average temperature of 77.6 degrees.

July of 2010 was another hot one. You may recall the heat wave over the Independence Day holiday weekend. The high temperatures from July 4 through July 7, 2010, were 97, 93, 98, and 95 degrees, respectively. In fact, record high temperatures were established July 6 and 7. The mercury also reached 95 degrees July 24. The average temperature for the month was 78 degrees, just shy of the all-time record.

Many people have asked me why the hottest time of the year happens over a month after the first day of Summer. Well, it takes the Earth awhile to absorb the heat. As the Sun’s angle gets higher in the sky and the days grow longer in May and June, the Northern Hemisphere slowly starts to warm.

It’s much like warming your home. When you turn your thermostat up to 72 degrees after being away all day in the Winter, it will take awhile for the house to warm up. It doesn’t happen instantly. That’s why our hottest days are typically in July and early August.

On the flip side, the coolest temperature ever recorded in these parts in July was 49 degrees on July 1, 1988. Aside from that, every record low for the month is in the 50s. Believe it or not, according to the National Weather Service record book, a trace of snow fell at the airport on July 4, 1950. I find that too hard to believe.

As far as precipitation is concerned, the wettest July on record happened in 1971 when over a foot of rain (12.84″) fell. The average monthly rainfall is 3.77 inches. There have been several memorable rainstorms in July. For example, nearly a half-foot (5.95″) of rain fell on July 19, 1971, and nearly four inches (3.93″) was recorded on July 29, 1990. Two other days delivered well over three inches of rain — July 30, 1960 (3.57″) and July 23, 1953 (3.45″).

The length of daylight decreases next month. For example, on July 1, the Sun rises at 5:23 and sets at 8:30. By the middle of the month, on July 15, the Sun rises at 5:32 and sets at 8:24. However, at the end of the month, it rises at 5:47 and sets at 8:10, meaning we lose 44 minutes of daylight. Remember, the “longest” day of the year happened at the Summer Solstice in late June.

Today will be the hottest day of the week with temperatures in the 90s and an Air Quality Alert in effect. The weekend will be quite warm and moderately humid, too, with daytime highs in the upper 80s to close to 90 degrees. Nighttime lows will hold in the 60s. We may see isolated thunderstorms Sunday and Monday before quieter weather arrives just in time for the Independence Day holiday..

Paul