Wednesday, May 24, 2023

An eastern phoebe poses outside our porch windows

Morning Observation:

This morning in North Hero at 6:45AM it’s currently 57 degrees under overcast skies. Winds are out of the south at 5-7 mph. Relative humidity is 80%, dewpoint 51, barometric pressure 29.97”. Yesterday’s high was 73, and yesterday’s low was 43. The overnight low got down to 57.

This morning in Huntington it’s currently 56 degrees under overcast skies. Winds are calm. Relative humidity is 90%, dewpoint 53, barometric pressure 30.00”. Yesterday’s high was 77, and yesterday’s low was 36. The overnight low got down to 52.

Forecast Discussion:

Morning radar imagery shows an area of low pressure over Newfoundland with a clearly defined strong cold front stretched back southwestward and poised along the St. Lawrence River. Showers are aligned along this frontal boundary and are expected to drop southeastward into Vermont during the day today bringing widespread precipitation to the region along with the possibility of a few rumbles of thunder. Much cooler air will move in behind the front this afternoon shifting winds into the northwest and dropping temperatures from highs in the 60s by midday into the upper 40s and low 50s by this evening. Another cool night is in store for us tonight with highs in the upper 30s and low 40s under clearing skies as high pressure begins to build in. Thursday’s looking mostly sunny but cool with highs only around 60 with breezy north winds. High pressure will dominate the remainder of the forecast with a gradual increase in temperatures expected as we head towards the Memorial Day weekend. Highs on Saturday should be near 70 and close to 80 by Sunday.

3-Day Forecast:

We’ll see cloudy skies today with showers, mainly this afternoon. Temperature will top our near 64 this morning, then fall to around 48 during the remainder of the day. Winds will be out of the south at 7-11 mph, then become northerly in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100% with rainfall amounts between 0.10″-0.25″ possible. Tonight should be partly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers, mainly before 7:00PM. Lows will be around 40 with north winds around 9 mph in Huntington and 13-21 mph in the Champlain Valley.

Thursday should be mostly sunny with a high near 59 and north winds 8-11 mph in Huntington and 14-17 mph in the Champlain Valley. Thursday night should be mostly clear with a low around 39 and north winds around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday should be sunny with a high near 66 and northwest winds 5-9 mph. Friday night should be mostly clear with a low around 47 and light and variable winds.

Almanac:

Last year on this date in Huntington we had a high of 68 and a low of 35.
Last year in North Hero we had a high of 66 and a low of 47.

Burlington averages for this date are a low of 51 and a high of 72.
The record low was 28 in 1963.
The record high was 88 in 2007 (we had a high of 88 in Huntington).

The Lake Champlain lake level in Burlington is 97.47′.
The water temperature is 54˚.
Last year’s lake level was at 97.85″. The water temperature was at 46˚.

Sky Notes:

Sunrise: 5:16AM
Sunset: 8:21PM
Length of day: 15:05:04
Today will be 1:49 longer than yesterday.

The Moon is a waxing crescent, 4.4 days old with 20% illumination.
Moonrise: 9:05AM
Moonset: 12:35AM

About Today’s Photo:

Eastern phoebes are one of earlier species to return in the spring. Their eponymous “fee-ee-bee” call is distinct, and they spend their days hunting insects in woodlands and near rivers and lakes where insects are plentiful. This little guy was perched on a rotting maple stump right outside our porch windows, and seemed happy to pose for me.

Sony A7II, Sigma 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 800, f/8, 1/200″ exposure.