September Equinox

 

Today's the day---September 22, at 7:05 PM CDT, the September equinox occurs in Chicago, and astronomical fall begins in  the Northern Hemisphere.  

The sun appears to fall directly over the  equator of the Earth.  The dark half of the year begins--Shorter days and longer nights  in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile there will be longer days in the Southern Hemisphere, as Spring begins in Australia.

At Stonehenge people gather to celebrate the turning of the year, as the sun appears in an east-west alignment between the stones. 

Have you heard of Manhatnhenge? The sunrise/sunset aligns with the tall buildings on the east/west streets.

 In Chicago too, people celebrate Chicagohenge. For a few days, the sun appears in a perfect alignment between the tall buildings along the east-west grid of the city.

Yes, longer nights are coming. We have seen earlier sunsets already. We have seen the streetlights come on around 6:30 pm now. There is a chill in the air. We think of jackets and hoodies, cozy sweaters and soups. We think of harvest too, and the harvest moon.

The harvest moon is the first full moon after the autumnal equinox.  This year, we will see the harvest moon on September  26.

Welcome fall and the harvest moon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August Turning

 August  is turning the wheel of the year. Already, there are signs of fall.

Perhaps it is a change in the green, trees not so rich and lush. The grass may be turning brown. Plants are going to seed.

According  to the old calendar, August 1st marked the midpoint between the summer solstice on June 21 and the autumn equinox on September 22. It was the first harvest--and we still observe it, with ripening peppers and zucchinis. This year, there are cyclospora outbreaks from lettuce and other green leafy salad things.

According to the meterological calendar, August is the third month of meteorological  summer. They are measuring this month in terms of temperature and rainfall. It was warmer and rainier here. England and France and Spain had heat waves and floods and  wildfires.

It's been a season of floods and wildfire smoke, winds and tornadoes in the midwest. Illinois leads the nation for tornadoes, with Iowa and Indiana also above average numbers. 

Indiana has been especially hard-hit in recent weeks. They are still repairing storm damages and power outages from storms on August 11. 

So it's been a summer of heat waves and severe weather-----signs of changing climate. 

We feel the turning too. Dark before 8 pm now.  The smell of dry leaves. Already signs for back-to-school things. New classes, new school supplies, a new routine.   

There's plenty of summer left, people say. There's still festivals and farmers' markets, there's still time for a day at the beach.

Summer every day

 Now it's July, and the Daylilies are blooming. Day after day of summer beauty. Hostas are blooming too. Their flower spikes against the blue  sky. There is no blue like a summer sky, so  dazzling bright, maybe with a few fair-weather clouds. Imagine ships and dragons.

There was a heat wave last week, washed out by rain and thunder. Next week another heat wave, in the midst of construction season.

Summer every day, now--

Summer mornings---The welcoming sky, the promise of a new day. the morning birds,  morning coffee, people walking their dogs. 

 Summer afternoons--street festivals, farmers'markets, Lake Michigan, museums--there's so much to do! Or not.  Relax outside, a cold drink under the trees. No need to rush, no need to go anywhere. 

Summer evenings--concers, movies in the park, restaurants, the lake front at dusk, the sounds of the dog day cicadas, the lights of the fireflies. 

Summer nights--perhaps a breeze, the sounds of sirens, people laughing down the street. The summer moons, the Summer Triangle...

Now they are saying it's midsummer,  across the aisle at Walgreens, the FiFA stuff  facing the notebooks and pens of back-to school supplies.

 

 

A Day in June

 Today is Sunday, a day in June. June 21  is  Father's Day, and here's light rain falling here. More  severe weather downstate, tornado possible in the area near Effingham, which was hit very hard in the storms on June 17. EF-3 damage, but  fortunately no fatalities!

Yes there are tornado watches and warnings in central Illinois today, too. Be safe everyone...

June 19 marked Juneteenth--A federal holiday--no mail and banks closed. The Obama Center opened to the public, a celebration of hope and better days to cone.  

The day before, June 18, was the Dedication Ceremony, and the attendees included past presidents, musicians and other celebrities--- Bill and Hilary Clinton, George and Laura Bush, and Joe and Jill Biden were there.  Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayo Brandon Johnson were there too, It was a beautiful day. One of those rare perfect days.

And it's also Summer Solstice today! Celebrate the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. It's been meteorological summer since june 1st, but now astronomical smmer begins. 

Let's hope for more beautiful summer days...

 

Maybe May

 May will have two full moons this month--the first one is called the flower moon. The second one is called a blue moon.

May be very green, blue skies, flowers and blooming trees--

redbud, and dogwoods, lilacs and lily of the valley

May be pollen and allergies--achoo!

May be sun and 60's, May be frost warnings overnight.

May be T-shirts and jackets, cargo shorts and hoodies 

May be flowered dresses

May be weeding and pruning, may be planting new things 

May be construction, pothole repairs, may be traffic delays

May be thunder and lightning, may be torrential rains

May be sun and rain at the same time

May be rainbows. 

May be a weather pattern change

May be 90 next week!

10 Days in April

Oh, April of  memory and desire, the month of poetry and daffodils. severe weather and possible tornadoes.

Trump's war continues in the Middle East, with bluster and threats, without Congress approval or even a vote. ICE is still in our cities.

There have been verbal attacks on the Pope, for affirming peace.

Yesterday, there was an election  in Turkey. Orban  was decisively defeated.  The people won.

And for the first 10 days in April, while we worried about bills and taxes and the price of gas, 4 human beings left Earth,  flew around the moon, and came safely back home to Earth again. They brought back more than breathtaking pictures. They brought back a sense of wonder. They brought a spirit of cameraderie and cooperation. The entire team at NASA showed us all what we are capable of if we work together.

Let us all carry the spirit of Artemis 11 with us. Affirm humility and peace. Let us share that sense of wonder.  

Opening Days

These are the opening days---baseball, green leaves and windows. There are daffodils and crocuses blooming in people's yards.

There are people marching in the streets. There may be NCAA basketbal champions, but there are NO KINGS in the small towns and big cities. There are NO KINGS,  even in Antarctica.   

And today, O'Hare Airport recorded a high of 81 degrees.  There may be rain and hail tomorrow. That's the way March has been---many weathers, battling warm and cold fronts all month long. There have been tornadoes and 6-inch hailstones. 

There have been IRS  taxes, and property taxes. Gas prices have been going up. Groceries have been going up, Everything is more expensive.

ICE agents at the airports, TSA agents working without pay,  and there's the war with Iran. Yes, these are distractions from the Epstein Files. 

But it was a very good day to go out and march for democracy., for the right to vote, for the Constitution, for We the People.  

Winds of March

 Winds of March, and winds of war.  The news is full of weather. There was a lunar eclipse a few days ago, the full moon crossed by  earth's shadow.  The moon looked down on another war. 

Meterological Spring comes  on March 1.  Astronomical spring arrives on the Euinox, on March 20.  March holidays include  Holi, the festival of light and colors, and St. Patrick's Day, a festival of returning green. There is the time change, too--Spring forward!  In the US that will occur on March 8. In the UK, clocks will gain an hour on March 29.

And there will be an extra hour of daylight in the evenings. Many people will welcome getting home before dark.  Darker mornings are an adjustment, but there are milder days, and spring flowere--daffodils and crocuses, and signs of new green.

March has winds, too, as the pattern changes to Spring, and Severe Weather Season. 

Winds, rain, hail, thunderstorms, flooding and power outages are all possible. There are tornadoes, and derechos or straight-line winds. Both can be very damaging and dangerous.

And this Spring of 2026, Kristii Noem is out at DHS, to a new job, as Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas.

And as Operation  Epic Fury enters it 6th day, there is no plan or exit strategy.  There has been no declared war. The conflict is spreading in the Middle East. People are stranded in airports, schoolgirlas have been killed, soldiers have been killed. 

The winds are picking up.  Hold on to your hats, and the Constitution!

The Return of the Light

 February begins with lights festivals. Candelmas, Imbolc, Grounhog Day---all celebrate the lengthening days after the winter solstice. Already, we are seeing sunsets after 5pm.  Every day, more daylight, now.

Sunrise and sunset in Chicago today, February 9--sunrise----6:53am   sunset ---5:16 pm.   Thank you, Time and Date.com 

Still a time of cold and dark, but not so dark, and not quite so cold.  It's  been the longest deep freeze for the Chicago area in almost 20 years! We may see 40's in the next few days.

Yes, the winter of 2026 has seen some very dark cold days. In Minneapolis,  people are still marching in below-zero  temperstures,  and holding vigils for Alex Pretti and Renee Good. The city of Minneapolis has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize

And in spite of the cold and snow further south, the Monks for Peace are walking  to Washington, D.C.   They are being met with warm welcomes wherever they go. They too have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Sunday, February 8, was SuperBowl Sunday.  Bad Bunny's half time show was full of light and love.

And soon, those four wonderful  words--Pitchers and Catchers Report--February, 10, 11, 12.  Baseball  is beginning again.  Spring is coming! 

 And then Valentines Day on February 14.  Wishing you light and love.

Faces of January

 

Janus is the ancient Roman god of beginnings, transitions, doorways, and endings, famously depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions—one to the past, one to the future—symbolizing change, duality, and passage (past to future, war to peace, etc.). 

 

January is named after the Roman god Janus, who is depicted with two faces, You can imagine the classic face, but it's also like a Picasso face. You can read more about Janus on Wikipedia, here.

So here we are in January, marking new beginnings and transitions. Didn't we just wish each other Peace On Earth and Best wishes for the New Year?  Yet there are still wars and plagues, they don't take a holiday, and chaos has been working overtime, with Venezuela and ICE in Minneapolis.  And still, the Epstein Files...And the 5th  Anniversary of January6.

 

Here, the colorful holiday lights have been taken down, there are evergreens in the alleys. The trees can make shelters for birds and other animals in the winter. There is no need to throw them away.

Right now, the streets and sidewalks are clear of snow.  As the weather people say, it is seasonably cold today, but it was quite warm for the season a few days ago.  The rain on January 8th was torrential! There was flooding in  Chicago.

 

 But there is plenty of winter left. The daylight may be increasing after the December Solstice, but the coldest temperatures of the year come in January. We could get blizzards, snow squalls,   ice storms, freezing rain, sleet and graupel. Even thundersnow!  

January is the many faces of winter---gray and cold, sometimes dazzling blue sky and sun on snow..

 

We are making transitons, the overcast gray sky and the calls of geese, heard not seen.

People are thinking of gardens and green leaves.

December Solstice, 2025

 

 

 Now it's December and winter is here. Meteorological winter began on December 1. Astronomical winter will begin with the solstice on December 21. Crowds will gather at Stonehenge and other historical sites to celebrate the shortest day, and the return of longer days. 

The year turns, and we begin again.

You can read more about the December Solstice here, from EarthSky 2025 December solstice: All you need to know,

Season's Greetings to all, this is the season of light.  Amid wars and plagues, climate change and political uncertainties, may this also be a season of hope, and peace.

Snows of November

 Now it's  December, the end of the Hurricane season, and the beginning of Meterological Winter.

There is snow on the ground in the Chicago area from the snowstorm on Saturday,  and record high totals for the month of November. Nearly 9 inches of snow fell at O’Hare Airport---the most snow to fall on a single day in November in the area’s recorded history! More snow is expected Monday. 

The snow totals were higher further south with areas reporting as much as 11 inches!  That's alot of snow.

 It seems like a winter wonderland now, with the holiday decorations and lights, but Friday was also a leaf-raking day, bags of leaves covered with snow waiting on the curbs, as cars passed by with evergreen trees tied on the roofs.

Now its December, and the Thanksgiving weekend is passed. It's holiday season now. There was a Lights Parade on Michigan Avenue. There will be Holiday trains running.  Festive lights at the Zoo.

Now we get out the Advent calendars. Countdown to the Winter Solstice on December 21! These are the shortest days, now. Then little by little, the light increases again. 

However you celebrate, Happy Holidays!

November Gold

More sun and blue sky, this golden November of falling yellow leaves. And nights of Northern Lights!

Yes November can be quite a gray month, here. Cloudy and cold. Rain, maybe mixed with snow.  

We had a preview of snow in November, here--lake-effect snow-- but not as much as further south. 

And we had winds, too, but not like the winds of November that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years ago.

But we know those days are coming. We are getting ready. The National Weather Service has been posting Winter Preparedness Tips.

But yesterday, November 15, was a fine fall day! Sun and blue sky, and temps of 70 degrees!  It was a beautiful day for raking leaves. I saw two kids jumping in the leaf piles, just like years ago.

It was also a beautiful day for ICE to leave Chicago. No not all of them, but some have gone to Charlotte, NC, where they are being met with whistles and signs. This is how it is, now.

 

This Fine October

 Sun and blue sky today. It's a fine day for the Chicago Marathon, runners from all over the world. Sailboats are coming in from the Lake for their winter quarters. People are doing their Sunday things on this fine October day.

Halloween decorations are all over---ghosts and skeletons, witches and pumpkins!  

Chicago has been voted again the Best Big City in the country, by Conde-Nast Travel, and it's easy to see why. With Lake Michigan to the East,  stunning views of the skyline,  and world-class architecture, Chicago is second to none.

 And it's a city for all seasons. We do have beautiful Springs here, the first signs of new green on the trees. Tulips on Michigan Avenue, and people's gardens. 

Summer can be hot and humid, but the Lake is a welcome relief.  There are festivals and concerts outside.

Winter may be the most challenging season. Cold, wind, snow and ice. Well  we use ice for hockey and skating rinks. We are tough people here, too.

But I think the Octobers here are the most beautiful. The light! The colored leaves, the new season for concerts and art exhibits. Beseball playoffs, hockey, football for sports fans. 

There is something brash and outspoken about Chicago. We make good trouble. We laugh at the weather. We laugh at would-be dictators. We hold signs and honk car horns at the ICE  men.

September Seasons

Meteorological fall begins on September 1, and Labor Day, the last holiday of summer. Now come the    long shadows of the afternoons, the golden light. the last days of baseball, the last of the tomatoes and zucchinis.  Kids are back in school. It is like a new season.

The September equinox approaches, the start of astronomical fall, on September 22. Days are getting shorter, now.   2 hours, 56 minutes shorter than summer solstice on June 21.

 Because of  our tilted planet, the equinox marks the point at which the sun appears directly overhead at the equator. Day and night are about equal length. You can read more about equinoxes at Space.com.

 

Here, in the Chicago area, there is already a fall like feeling. Bring out the favorite hoodies and sweaters again. Cool, crisp mornings and blankets at night. 

 

And dark so early now!  The streetlights come on a 6:45 pm.

 There are glorious plumes on the ornamental grasses. Milkweed pods are ripening. Asters and goldenrod are blooming The Halloween candy is out at Walgreens, and there are signs for flu shots and the latest  COVID vaccine.

 

But it is still summer! the last few days have been a season of their own. Sun, blue sky, highs in the mid-70's and low 80's . Beautiful weather!  Hoodies and shorts. A jean jacket over a summer dress. 

 

Maybe thunder and rain tonight!

August ending

 Last days of August of 2025, and the sky is cloudless blue. There's a feeling of fall these days, jackets and sweaters in the mornings and evenings.  Gardens are still growing, even overgrown, but there's a change in the green, and some tall plants are flopping over, on the verge of collapse.  There are mums on sale at the Jewel, now, and sunflowers are at their peak.

The Plainfield Tornado was 35 years ago. The most destructive storm to date in the Chicago area. There was no Doppler radar then, no Enhanced Fujita Scale. It was rated an F-5. You can read Tom Skilling's post about it  on Facebook, .here

This  also marks the 20-year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, that  made landfall along the  Louisiana coast, as a Category 5 storm and struck the city of New Orleans, causing damage that is still there, today. Kudzu vines covering what remains of small towns. There is a documentary on Netflix to commemorate the anniversary.

Now, in the light of August afternoons, what have we learned about  these kinds of disasters? Where is FEMA now?

August Now

Here it is, August, and there's a full  moon tonight. It's called the Sturgeon Moon, the Corn Moon, the Lynx Moon. If you can,  go out and see it! That is, if there sky is clear, and there is not too much smoke from the wildfires. 

This is what this summer has been like on earth---

wildfires

smoke from the wildfires

record-breaking heat waves

flooding

torrential rains

 violent storms and tornadoes

 Category 5 hurricanes

droughts

glaciers collapsing

Antarctic sea-ice record low

spread of vector-borne diseases

coastal erosion

climate refugees 

Yes, this is what climate change looks like.

 

Heat Wave Anniversary

 It's been a hot summer, since the summer solstice here.

Now we are remembering the heat wave of 30 years ago, when Chicago area sweltered under 100+ degree temperatures from July 12 to July 16, 1995.  On July 13, the temperature at O'Hare was recorded at 106 degrees, not including  the humidity or "real-feel" temperature.  Including the real feel, it was a staggering 126 degrees!

Humidity was a factor in the severity of the heat wave. Nightime temperatures were in the 80's, with no cooling breezes for relief.

Stores were sold out of fans and window-air-conditioners. Restaurants did not serve hot food, because it was too hot in the kitchens. Streets buckled. Metal handles were too hot to touch.

There were over 700 heat-related deaths recorded, mostly poor and elderly people who did not have air conditioning, or could not afford to turn it on. There was fear of  open windows or sleeping outside due to fear of crime.

This disaster was  a lesson to city leaders. Community support and cooling facilities are now part of the response to extreme heat. But these are vulnerable resources. They cost money, and are not open 24-hours a day. In these times of changing climate, we can and must do better.  

If you want to read more about the heat wave of 1995, there is a book--Heat Wave, a Social  Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, by Eric Klinenberg.

Summer Solstice.

Meteorological summer begins on June 1.  It's also the official start of the Hurricane Season. So far, there are 5 named storms in the Eastern Pacific. The latest, Erick, makes landfall in western Oaxaca, Mexico as a Category 3 storm .  

The Atlantic Hurricane season is slow to start, which is unusual.  But predictions are for an active season, too.

Astronomical summer begins on the summer solstice.  The angle of the sun on our tilted earth reaches its farthest northern point, the tropic of Cancer.   

 

In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year falls on the 21st of June. This day is often referred to as the Summer Solstice or Midsummer's Day. 

 

Yes, this is the setting for Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream.  It's a time of magic.

 

And it is the time for summer green. May you feel the blessings of the solstice sun and these longest days.

 

 

The Winds of May

 

 

"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,"  the poet William Shakespeare wrote.  While the succession of spring flowers has been beautiful, it's been a  wild and windy May, days of gray sky and cooler than normal temperatures for the season.  

And then, there was the dust storm which blanketed   downtown Chicago and surrounding areas on May 16 with a cloud of dust from dry fields in Iowa. Like the Dust Bowl days, some said. It looked apocalyptic. Day turned into night.  This kind of storm  is called a Haboob--it's an Arabic name usually referring to a powerful wind storm in the desert. 

Here is an article from Wikipedia if you want to know more about them. 

Meanwhile, wildfires in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta have forced thousands of people to leave their homes.  A State of Emergency has been declared in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.  The smoke from these fires is heading for the midwest---including Illinois and  Chicago area. 

While there have been tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and elsewhere,  southern Illinois has seen more than their share of severe weather.  As of May 28, there have been over 1000 tornadoes in the U.S. reported for 2025!  You can read more here.

Will this be The Year of the Tornado?  Hurricane season officially starts on  June 1.  There is already a tropical storm in the eastern Pacific--Alvin.