Winter preview

Gray November sky--that hazy shade of winter. November is ending, and the ground is covered with fallen leaves. 

Most of the Halloween decorations are put away,  but there are still a few pumpkins on front porches. The election is past, but there are still some Harris-Walz signs.

It's Thanksgiving weekend, and there is much to be thankful for. Thank you for reading my blog posts! 

 I'm thankful for so many things----Friends, family, community. A roof over my head.  Running water, black sweaters.  Vaccines and bamboo rakes. 

The National Weather Service, and local weather reports, too.  

Yes, winter is coming. Sunset at 4:20 today. The streetlights are on as I write this, and there are already some holiday lights.  We've had some snow already--real snow, heavy and wet, about 3 or 4 inches here.

 It was mostly melted by the next day, but people shoveled it anyway.

This weekend, it's really cold!  Wind chills in the teens and even single digits. There's some snow in Carbondale, but not like Pennsylvania and New York!

November 30  is the last official day of the Atlantic Hurricane season. We will certainly remember Helene and Milton this year. 

December 1 marks the start of Meteorological Winter. The Winter Solstice will occur on December 21.

Yes, winter is coming...this may be the darkest part of the year, but lighter days are coming after the Solstice. And on the bare branches of the trees, buds of next spring's leaves...

November Now

 

 

November now, after the rain,  a rain of leaves. Clouds, then sun, then clouds again.

After the time change, it's dark at 5 pm.  The nights are long, but the quarter moon is beautiful. 

 

We've had a preview of winter winds,  not quite the gales of November that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975. 

Today is Veterans Day in the USA. We honor those who fought for our freedoms, in a world still filled with plagues and wars. Let us remember them.

Tomorrow, it will be a week since Election Day.  There were lines for early voting, and I wondered if there would be lines at the polling places. We cheered each other on. We voted. We waited. Now, we are facing a different and uncertain future.  What will January bring?

 

Yes, winter is coming. There is snow already in Colorado and New Mexico.  No snow here, yet, and no snow in the immediate forecast, but we're talking about it.  Yes, we are getting ready.

 

What will a La Nina winter bring? Will it be colder, and more snow than last year?

 

But for now, people are making plans for Thanksgiving .The Halloween decorations are still up, and leaves swirl around the Harris-Walz signs.

Cross-quarter days

We are part of nature and seasons, even if we have forgotten. The ambiance of October days, blue sky and colored leaves falling. The veil between the worlds is thin now.  The harvest is over, the light is decreasing, we are entering the dark time of the year.

 

Halloween decorations are on display--ghosts and witches, skeletons and grinning faces of pumpkins are everywhere.

 

Trick or treat, we say. An offering to the spirits. The old name Samhain, marked the beginning of a new year, the thinning of the veil between the worlds of living and dead. A time of magic and renewal.

 

Halloween, All-Hallows Eve,  Samhain  falls between the September equinox and the December solstice. This is called a cross-quarter day.

The other cross-quarter days are---

 

Feb 2--halfway between the December solstice and the March equinox--also called Imbolc or Groundhog Day.  Celebrate increasing light, and the start of the growing season.

 

May 1--Halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice--also called Beltane. Celebrate the spring planting.

 

August 1--halfway between the summer solstice and the fall equinox--also called Lammas. Celebrate the first harvest of the growing season.

So the Wheel of the Year turns, and we still celebrate the changing seasons. 

Fine Fall Colors

 

 

Why do leaves change color in the fall?

The green of summer leaves is the result of an abundance of chlorophyll. The chlorophyll masks the other pigment colors. As the days grow shorter in the fall, chlorophyll production diminishes. The green fades, revealing the underlying colors in the leaves

Carotenoids produce the yellow and orange colors in the leaves, and also appear in peppers, corn, carrots, daffodils, and bananas. 

Carotenoid production is not dependant on light so levels are not diminished by shorter days.

Xanthophyll is responsible for the yellow pigments in the carotenoids. The orange  comes from carotene. Xanthophyll plays a part in regulating the rate of photosynthesis by balancing the production of chlorophyll. It's also what causes the yellowing of leaves due to stress or disease.

Yellow leaves are characteristic of sycamores, birch,  ash and hickory trees. 

Anthocyanines  are responsible for the reds and purples and even blues of flowers and fruits. They are in cherries, cranberries and apples, grapes strawberries and plums. 

They are found in the reds of sugar maples, red maples, and dogwoods. 

Tannins are the browns in the leaves of some oaks and other trees, They are always present but only become visible as chlorophyll and carotenoids disappear. Tannins are also what gives tea its color and flavor. 

How does weather affect the intensity of leaf colors?

Anthocyanines are dependent on light and temperature. Sugars remain in the leaves on warm sunny days and cool nights, increasing anthocyanine production, creating the most intense reds.

Rain and/or overcast days decrease anthocyanine production, resulting in more yellows and browns.

A wet spring, normal summer rainfall, and warm sunny days and cool nights are the ideal conditions for the most spectacular fall colors! 

 

The last days of summer

 

 

 

 

 

We report that for the next few days it will be summer every day. There will be blue sky and sun, and highs  in the mid-80's.  And no rain in the forecast.

Just a week ago, the overnight temperature dropped low enough for an extra blanket, and the furnace came on!  Get out the jackets and hoodies. Check the sweaters for holes that need mending. There is still time before the winter cold, even though the Halloween things are out on display in the stores already.

Yes, cooler days are coming. Football, hockey, baseball playoffs.

The autumn grasses are blooming, now.  Mums and asters replace the summer flowers.

Meteorological fall begins September 1, but astronomical fall (or spring in the Southern hemisphere) is marked by the equinox on Sunday, September 22.  

The full moon closest to the fall equinox is also called the Harvest Moon. On  September 17, there will be a full moon and a partial lunar eclipse. 

Fall is coming. Enjoy these last days of summer! 

Corn sweat and thunder

 

trending weather
hot 100 heat index
storms on the way

#weather

 

 

image--Lars Ploughmann  / Wikimedia Commons

 

What is corn sweat? Corn sweat is another name for transpiration--the evaporation of moisture from growing corn plants. In fact, all growing plants do this, but corn is especially good at it. 

 

According to meteorologists,  corn fields can release 3000-4000 gallons of water per acre per day.

 Iowa,  Illinois, and Indiana are the big corn growing states---fields of dreams, heat and humidity, and summer storms. 

 

Tuesday, August 27, the Chicago area experienced the hottest day of the year, and the highest humidity of the year.  O'Hare Airport reported a high temperature of 99 degrees, and a real feel temperature (heat and humidity) of 110!

 

The sky got dark with  menacing storm clouds. There was thunder and lightning--bolts struck the Hancock and the Sears Tower. The sky lit up with lightning from distant storms across the Lake. And the rain was intense.  

A real summer storm for the ending days of August! 

 

 

 

 

 

A Lazy Day in August

cool breeze
picked fresh from the vine
ripe tomatoes

ripening tomatoes

 

There are days in August, ripe as tomatoes, peppers and zucchini.  The weather is just about perfect---sun and 70's and almost no humidity.  

The gardens are what they are,  browning grass and maybe a little weedy and overgrown.  The major yard work projects can wait until the cooler days of fall.  

Time for opening windows, hanging laundry in the breeze. 

Time for hoodies in the evening,  or walking in the mornings.

Time for  sitting back, watching the Perseid meteors that will peak on August 11.  You can find out more about the Perseids from EarthSky here.

 Enjoy  those last-minute summer things.  dog-day cicadas, the last of the day lilies.  bare feet on warm wood floors. 

In a couple of weeks schools will start again. The Bud Biliken Parade  held on August 10 this year is a back-to-school tradition in Chicago.

And the Democratic Convention will be in Chicago from August 19-22!