Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Bloodroot in bloom along Fargo Brook

Morning Observation:

This morning in Huntington at 7:15AM it’s currently a frosty 29 degrees under clear skies. Winds are calm. Relative humidity is 96%, dewpoint 28, barometric pressure 30.26”. Yesterday’s high was 59, and yesterday’s low was 33. The overnight low got down to 28.

This morning in North Hero it’s currently 43 degrees under clear skies. Winds are calm. Relative humidity is 66%, dewpoint 32, barometric pressure 30.30”. Yesterday’s high was 59, and yesterday’s low was 38. The overnight low got down to 35.

Forecast Discussion:

We’ve got a pleasant and seasonably warm day on tap for today courtesy of high pressure cresting over the region. We’ll see mostly sunny skies with highs again in the upper 50s to around 60. High, thin cirrus clouds will be on the increase this afternoon out ahead of our next weather-maker. Morning radar imagery shows low pressure making its way in to the western Great Lakes at this hour. The low is expected to lift a warm front into the North Country later tonight bringing the chance for some shower to northern New York overnight and pushing into Vermont by midday Thursday. Showers are expected to be light and scattered in nature. A decaying occluded front is expected to move through the region Thursday night bringing more widespread rain, though precipitation amounts are expected to be light. Unsettled conditions will continue through Friday and into the weekend as a cold front swings through Friday night into Saturday morning. Drier weather returns Sunday into next week as high pressure builds back in.

3-Day Forecast:

We’ll see mostly sunny skies today with a high near 57 and north winds 5-7 mph. Tonight should be mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers after 2:00AM. Lows will be around 41 with southeast winds 8-13 mph in the evening.

Thursday should be mostly cloudy with showers likely, mainly between 1:00PM-5:00PM. Highs will be near 51 with south winds 13-16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70% with rainfall amounts of less than 0.10″ possible. Thursday night should be mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers before 8:00PM. Lows will be around 42 with south winds 9-15 mph. Rainfall amounts of less than 0.10″ are possible.

Friday should be mostly cloudy with showers likely after 2:00PM. Highs will be near 58 with south winds 9-14 mph in Huntington and 18-22 in the Champlain Valley. Chance of precipitation is 60% with rainfall amounts of less than 0.10″ possible. Friday night should be mostly cloudy with showers likely, mainly before 2:00PM. Lows will be around 42 with south winds 10-20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60% with rainfall amounts of less than 0.10″ possible.

Almanac:

Last year on this date in Huntington we had a high of 63 and a low of 44. We picked up 0.67″ of rain.
Last year in North Hero we had a high of 60 and a low of 44. We picked up 1.32″ of rain.

Burlington averages for this date are a low of 37 and a high of 56.
The record low was 13 in 1971.
The record high was 90 in 2002 (we had a high of 89 in Huntington).

The Lake Champlain lake level in Burlington is 98.80′.
The water temperature is 41˚.
Last year’s lake level was at 98.15′.

The Mt. Mansfield snow stake depth is 64″.
The average depth for this date is 64″.

Mt. Washington Summit Conditions
Current Temperature: 21˚
Winds are out of the NW at 33-35 mph
24 hr Precipitation: 0
Visibility: about 90 miles under cloudy skies.

Sky Notes:

Sunrise: 6:04AM
Sunset: 7:39PM
Length of day: 13:35:34
Today will be 2:54 longer than yesterday.

The Moon is waxing gibbous, 8.7 days old with 64% illumination.
Moonrise: 11:23PM
Moonset: 3:49AM

About Today’s Photo:

The patch of bloodroot that I’ve been keeping my eye on down along Fargo Brook is finally in bloom! Yesterday’s warm sunshine convinced the buds to open up for any potential pollinators. This is a tricky time of year for our spring ephemeral wildflowers as warm days and chilly nights make it hazardous for delicate flower structures. As I mentioned in a previous post, one strategy is to close blossoms up at night against the cold. No doubt with this morning frosty temperatures, these blossoms were shut down tight!

Panasonic Lumix DS-SZ200, ISO 125, f/8, 1/320″ exposure