tamarack

But very little since late August - many wildfires in the Northeast above Mason-Dixon.

1995-96 had 5 months, DEC-APR, with Jekyll-Hyde character. Data from Gardiner, Maine: Dates Avg Temp + or - Precip Snow 12/1-21 17.5 -5.4 3.99" 40.6" 1/1-16 8.3 -9.8 2.03" 27.5" 2/1-19 12.7 -6.3 1.17" 11.3" 3/1-11 17.5 -7.5 1.93" 24.5" 4/1-14 36.1 -3.5 2.44" 23.5" Avg/Tot 17.8 -6.4 11.56" 127.4" 81 days 12/22-31 25.6 +5.4 0.20" 2.6" 1/17-31 25.6 +6.6 4.75" 4.6" 2/20-29 34.7 +11.1 3.85" 0.0" 3/12-31 34.8 +2.4 1.06" 2.0" 4/15-30 46.6 +1.9 4.72" 0.0" Avg/Tot 34.2 +4.8 14.58" 7.6" 71 days 1995-96 produced 138.8", the most of our 13 winters in Gardiner and 30.4" more than #2 (92-93). However, 95-96 ranks only 5th for SDDs thanks to all the thaws.

From 14 to 50 here, maybe a 40-span? More cloud than blue now, so probably not.

Low of 14 here, IZG 12 and BML 9. A small cloud to our northwest, first one I've seen in 3 days. (November vies with December for the cloudiest month here.)

Depends on how it's measured. By numbers of TCs/canes/majors, which came in below the forecast. By impact, any season with a Helene and a Milton is high-end. (Reminds me of 1992, when the first named storm didn't come until August and the numbers were way low, but that #1 was Andrew.)

Currently running +4.2 here, which would be 5th mildest of 27 should November finish there - top quartile. After today the departure will be close to +3.6, for 7th mildest.

Maine, late October 1947. 200,000 acres and 15 fatalities New Jersey, late October into November 1963. The 4" splash on 11/6-8 knocked things back a lot, and the month had another 4 before the 30th. (The really big fire than year came on April 20, a windy Saturday - nearly 200,000 acres in the Pine Barrens, and ~17 homes burned in NYC [Staten Island] by a forest fire.) For folks like 'Fella and me, this is a significant but short-term drought.

About the same at our frost pocket - must not have fully decoupled. Low teens tonight?

A co-worker living several miles west from CAR had a banana plant growing in his greenhouse for 2 years, summering the thing outside. It failed to blossom so was left outside going into the 2nd winter. The lemon tree in the greenhouse was producing lots of fruit.

Only breezy here in the woods - top gusts might've reached 30. Saw a gust of 52 at Greenville, wind off Moosehead. This is the 3rd latest fall with no flakes observed here, and unless some come sailing thru this afternoon, we'll be in 2nd place (currently 11/14 in 2022.) Latest was 11/21 in 2004. Since both 2004-05 and 2022-23 had AN snow, no worries about the late start. Earliest trace was 10/4 in 1999, followed by a near-ratter.

Finally put the last of the 3/4 cord of basswood thru the stove. Now we can get some "real" cold as I'll be burning "real" firewood. Mostly cloudy, low 40s and breezy. The strong winds haven't gotten here yet.

And dews

Cape May gets the jackpot. Of course!

Does surface tension suffice in a real downpour? I would think that the heavier the rate, the greater chance of the flow overcoming it. (Merely an observation, as our 12 feet of no-end-caps gutter that protects the porch stairs hasn't caught many (any?) leaves.) My brown leaves are still hanging on as well. A lot of nut trees seem to have brown leaves hold on for weeks and months like oak and beech. I’m not sure what the normal tendency for American chestnuts is although I seem to recall them doing this in previous years. Even the understory oaks and beech have lost their leaves. usually some of those saplings hold brown/tan leaves all winter. Another November downpour - 3rd day with 0.04", month total up to 0.14" from 4 "events". Wildfire in NNJ (West Milford) has invaded NY, up to 3,000+ acres.

NYC's driest met summer and 2nd hottest behind 2010. That year and 1953 are Central Park's only years with 4 days 100+. The 3-day weekend Sat/Sun/Mon July 2-4, 1966 had highs of 100/103/98, LGA 101/107/99 and EWR 102/105/100. I'm guessing that it was closer to 150 between counter and grill at Curtiss-Wright's NNJ lake resort where I was out straight serving the place's biggest crowd in the 2 summers I worked there.

In April of 1963 more than a dozen houses were destroyed during a brush fire on Staten Island. Imagine whet an insurance adjuster would think, "A forest fire? But you live in New York City - you've got to be kidding!" (That same windy day, nearly 200,000 acres were scorched in the NJ Pine Barrens, along with a hundred or so buildings.)

In the summer of 1966, the reservoirs supplying NYC were under 15% capacity and the available water was measured in weeks, not months. Then 4-6" came down on 9/21. A 2" storm might be enough to recharge things in SNE, though a lighter but longer event would better calm the fire danger.

I think he stores it in the County. Might be wetter there - Fort Kent had about twice what I had.

Bad omen for here - bare ground while 20 miles away at similar elevation has 12"+. 12z GFS (from PF) also zero to 12+ within 20 miles. Nice for points N and W, however.

I always bring home some ticks during deer season, Nov 2-30 this year. Spring and fall seem to offer more of the little horrors, mid-late summer they seem to disappear. Had mid 30s late last evening, clouds pushed it to low 40s by 7 this morning.

Those who remember the 4-year drought in the 1960s would call this merely a dry spell. When Quabbin drops below 50% capacity, that's a drought. (This isn't downplaying the fire danger from crispy leaves and surface drying. "Real" drought brings plunging water tables and dry wells.) Morning low of 48 is 20° AN.

Water must be a bit brisk (50s?) but at least one can warm up easily with temps in the 70s.

Stars were out last evening, so a bit of rad and low of 41. Now mid 60s.

I'm confident that you're familiar with the Great Appalachian Gale. In NNJ we were well into the warm side, with moderate rain and very strong winds - lots of fallen leaf-off oaks and maples. In my experience, only the backside NW gales behind the blizzard that ate Bangor on 12/31/62 can compete with the winds of 11/25/50. Going back to Stein - I noted that NYC recorded only 0.01" for October, their driest month since records began in 1869 and only June 1949 (0.02") is close. 3rd driest is 0.14" in Oct 1963. (EWR had only traces last month. Their previous record was 0.07", June 1949 and May 2021.)

As usual. I often get my Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog during winter's coldest.