Saturday, September 9, 2023

Shoreline algae along the shale beach

Morning Observation:

This morning in North Hero at 7:05AM it’s currently 62 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. Winds are out of the north at 2-4 mph. Relative humidity is 87%, dewpoint 58, barometric pressure 30.09”. We picked up 0.10” of rain yesterday. Yesterday’s high was 78, and yesterday’s low was 70. The overnight low got down to 62.

This morning in Huntington it’s currently 61 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. Winds are calm. Relative humidity is 95%, dewpoint 60, barometric pressure 30.09”. We picked up 0.01” of rain yesterday and 0.03” so far today. Yesterday’s high was 84, and yesterday’s low was 65. The overnight low got down to 61.

Forecast Discussion:

After the passage of a weak cold front overnight, we can expect to see a mostly dry and seasonable day today with highs in the low to mid 70s and comfortable humidity levels under mostly cloudy skies. A more active weather pattern is expected heading into Sunday and Monday. Low pressure lifting out the Ohio River valley tonight will bring showers back to to the region. Northern sections should see some initial showers moving in overnight tonight and into Sunday morning with shower activity becoming more widespread over all of Vermont throughout the day. Showers and afternoon thunderstorms will persist into most of Monday. After a brief lull in the action Monday night into Tuesday, more heavy rainfall is expected to move into the region Wednesday into Thursday with mostly dry conditions expected by the end of the week.

Forecasters are beginning to keep an eye on Hurricane Lee which is currently east of Puerto Rico. Some models are showing the storm passing well to our east out to sea off the New England coast by next weekend, but a few are showing a more westward track. At this point, odds are that we won’t see much if any influence from the storm, but if a more westerly course comes to be, we may see some rain from it. Stay tuned…

3-Day Forecast:

We’ll see mostly cloudy skies today with a high near 74 and northwest winds 3-7 mph. Tonight should be mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers, mainly after 11:00PM. Lows will be around 60 with northeast winds around 6 mph.

Sunday should be cloudy with a 60% chance of showers before noon, with showers and thunderstorms likely after 5:00PM. Highs will be near 74 with north winds 3-7 mph. Rainfall amounts between 0.10″-0.25″ are possible with higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Sunday night should be cloudy with showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Lows will be around 60 with northeast winds 3-7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80% with rainfall amounts between 0.25″-0.50″ possible.

Monday should be cloudy with showers likely. Highs will be near 73 with north winds around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60% with rainfall amounts between 0.25″-0.50″ possible. Monday night should be mostly cloudy with a low around 60 and calm winds.

Almanac:

Last year on this date in Huntington we had a high of 81 and a low of 51.
Last year in North Hero we had a high of 77 and a low of 63.

Burlington averages for this date are a low of 55 and a high of 76.
The record low was 38 in 1956.
The record high was 98 in 2002 (we had a high of 90 in Huntington).

The Lake Champlain lake level in Burlington is 97.55′.
The water temperature is 74˚.
Last year’s lake level was at 94.22′.

Sky Notes:

Sunrise: 6:23AM
Sunset: 7:14PM
Length of day: 12:50:11
Today will be 2:59 shorter than yesterday.

The Moon is a waning crescent, 24.3 days old with 27% illumination.
Moonrise: 12:29AM
Moonset: 5:11PM

About Today’s Photo:

With the lake water levels receding, the line of bright green algae is emerging from the water. I don’t have an ID on what species of algae this is (if you know, please educate me!), but it seems to be a pretty normal phenomena here along the shoreline. In past summers I’ve noted that it turns brownish tan (as it’s beginning to do in the photo) and seems to enter a dormancy period. Once it’s submerged again, it comes back to life sporting its bright green coloration. It’s pretty darn slippery!

Sony A7II, Sony 24-240mm lens @ 37mm, ISO 1250, f/13, 1/80″ exposure.