tamarack

87 for IZG at 11, though TD has mixed down to 56 while most spots are low 60s. Maybe a mini-door in Aroostook? N winds, temps low 70s, dews +/- 50. Yesterday they were about the hottest in the Northeast.

Of course. It's a female white ash.

Northern Maine on late-spring west winds, some of their hottest days on record. The 3 days 96/95/94 on 5/22-24/77 is unmatched at CAR, with only the 95/96/93 of 6/18-20/2020 close to it. CAR has recorded 12 official heatwaves since records began in 1939, two of which lasted 4 days - 6/15-18/1949 and 8/29-9/1/2010. Hottest 3-day averages: 95.0 for 5/22-24/1977; 94.7 for 6/18-20/2020; 93.0 for 8/3-5/1944.

Scads of bumblebees working the blossoms here, an order of magnitude more than last spring. Love to see it.

Add NJ to the dreary May. A number of popular beach areas are struggling to repair damage from last weekend's extended gales before Memorial Day weekend. Saw some dramatic pics of once-sloping beaches now almost level and backed by "cliffs" 5-6 feet (up to 15) where waves had cut into the dunes behind. 85/43 yesterday, 18° AN and 6th straight with diurnal range 40+. Hope today breaks that run, as morning low was 52. Up to 80 by 10 AM so "10 after 10" might make it close.

At NYC the mark is 99 (5/19/1962) - friends and I were playing baseball in NNJ, and when the noon 89 became the 1 PM 95 we went inside. Fairly low dews, temp only fell to 62 next morning. May's top at CAR is 96 (5/22/1977) as I was insulating the attic of our tiny 2-story in Fort Kent. Finished by 11 AM, thankfully, and we "only" got to 93. The 21st was 86/30, widest diurnal range I've recorded that didn't include a sharp frontal passage. The WSO only dropped to 69 on the 23rd, and that day's mean of 82 (95/69) is their 3rd hottest mean, topped only by 2 July days at 82.5.

PQI at 91. Forecast for my area from GYX has tomorrow at 92, up 4° from the morning number. Black flies and mosquitos arrived here in force yesterday, and no messing around looking at the menu this time - they had the knives (straws for skeeters) out and sharpened from the start. I had some outdoor tasks that occupied both hands yesterday and the little fiends took advantage.

By 2 PM, CAR, PQI and FVE had all reached 89. Also IZG but no surprise there. Still 99% stick season in Aroostook, so no tree-moisture to suck away heat, no shade to keep the old leaves from cooking.

When CAR tied its record high of 96 on May 22, 1977, it was reported as the highest temp in the US that day. I don't know if that was actually the case, but if it was even close, "not often" would be a gross understatement.

IIRC, the reservoirs supplying NYC were under 20% and aurhorities were talking weeks remaining, not months. Driest 5 years in NYC: 1963 34.29" (Only a 4.25" storm in November, then that month's biggest RA event on record, prevented a new #1 at that time.) 1935 33.84" 1910 33.72" 1964 32.99" 1965 26.10" (How many SDs below 1964? Below average?) Thru August, '65 had recorded 19.05" and '66 had 19.80", looking like a new #2 and maybe catching the year before. 1966 set new Central Park records for both the driest and hottest met summer, so that year might've created more stress on water supply than 1965. (2010 took away the heat record.) One oddity for the 1960s drought is that it ended in a single day, though no one knew it at the time. The drought area had a nice RA event on 9/13-14 - 2.18" for NYC, but 63-65 had also featured 2" storms. On 9/21/66, NYC had 5.54", my NNJ home a similar amount and the overall region had a good drenching. From then on, precip ran average to AN for years and the reservoirs were refilled.

Especially ones measured in weeks. I came of age in the 1960s, probably the Northeast's worst drought on record, and it was fascinating - if slow-motion disaster qualifies.

Sunday night. (Though once again it's likely to be spoiled here by clouds.)

Dews still low here, though probably near 40 compared to yesterday's 20s. Upper 70s now so a 4th straight day with diurnal range 40 or more. May diurnal averages 24.8°, tops by 1.4° over 2nd place April. Lowest is Dec with 17.4°. Twice May had 29.9° average range; it's 31.0° thru yesterday but next week will shrink it some.

You need to think of midsummer when it's 96/76 on the Boston Common and 72 (both air and water) at your place, with a nice sea breeze. Had 73/30 yesterday. This morning's low of 37 ends a six-day run of sub-freezing minima. Forecast contrast not often seen: Maine foothills, sunny and 85. Inland SNJ, sunny and 69. Only in late spring NNE.

66/26 Monday, 69/29 yesterday, 30 to low 70s today and not a cloud for days - 8 of the month's 1st 11 days have been sunny. 180° from the rhea sector of the wheel, but Sun-Wed looks less benign.

Near 70 here after yesterday's 66, and pure sun. Amazing run of sun for early May, will change for the weekend and spoil yet another total lunar eclipse - would be the 4th in a row clouded out here. If 4/8/24 is socked in, the frustration would boil over - first lifetime chance to view a total solar eclipse wrecked by the atmosphere, not good.

Only 24 years of record here, but there's a distinct difference for the period 12/21-28 (centered on 24/25) compared to the 8-day periods before and after. Numbers are temp departure, daily snow and number of 10"+ storms for each period. 12/13-20: -0.9° 0.74" 2 12/21-28: +1.5° 0.49" 1 (on 21-22/2008) 12/29-1/5: -0.5° 0.94" 5 Looking just at 12/23-25, it's even worse, temp avg +3.7°, daily snow only 0.34" and apart from the 8" on Christmas 2017 there's no storms reaching 5".

66/26 yesterday, first "forty" of the spring. The entire month of April only spanned 39° - highest 60, lowest 21. Low of 29 this morning, decent chance of another 40+ range as it's already past 60.

Maybe arithmetically fair, but not always logical - probably works best for places averaging 60" (+/- 10"?) Much higher/lower would result in illogical grade distribution. Comparing/grading 1990-91 thru 21-22 to the 1991-2020 norms for NYC would yield 22% of A+, 34% F and only 16% C, a reverse bell curve. CAR goes the other way, with one A (their 197.8" in 2007-08, highest ever by 15", didn't rate A+, only 164% of avg), no F's and 56% C's, for a squashed bell. Of course, I have no better suggestion.

Another upper 20s morning - yesterday had 61/27. Maybe we can reach 65 today, which would be the year's highest so far. Leaf-out seems about average here despite the lack of real warmth, but may sprint ahead with the late week heat. No black flies sighted, but I expect the little carnivores to be checking the menu by Friday, maybe even taking a nibble. Most years the blood loss begins in the 5/10-15 range. Sandy River is dropping quickly, already well below the 25th percentile mark, might be setting low-flow records next week if we don't get significant precip. Forest floor is greening up, which might deter brush fires a bit though the wx is very fire-friendly. Trout lilies in full bloom and some trillium blooms have opened.

Five warmest days in Farmington, Maine since records began in 1893: 83 3/22/2012 82 3/21/2012 80 3/20/2012 79 3/20/1903 78 3/18/2012 Only 2 other March days milder than 74, both in the mid 1940s. Upper 20s here this morning, 5th day with a frost this month. Average is 6, range is 2 to 12.

Good conditions to translate that to 2m warmth, too - low dews, early August sun angle, trees <5% leaf-out (a guess for Thurs-Fri; <1% currently). That last has 2 effects, very little transpirational moisture to be heated and sun beating on the leaf litter to add warmth from below. We hit 89 on 5/2/2001 (with zero leaf-out, as pack lasted thru 4/23); can we sniff 90 next week?

Already underway in SNJ where the grandkids live. Tomorrow's forecast includes a wind advisory along with the rain and daily high about 20° BN. Meanwhile it's sunny and low 60s here today, maybe some rain late next weekend?

Bright sun, light win, low 60s - seasonal (except the full sun is an extra ) Hope the grandkids in SNJ took advantage of today. From mid-morning tomorrow thru Sunday it's wind-blown rain and low 50s, 2-3" forecast.

I expect frost or freeze both Saturday and Sunday mornings, maybe Monday as well. Fortunately, the more vulnerable trees are barely awake externally. Oak buds are elongated but no green in sight, and ash/basswood have barely done anything. No 1999 or 2010 killing freeze this year unless we get mid 20s after May 20.