Birds~69

27 minutes ago, RedSky said:

They only exist in hotspots. They are in two locations only at Towhee, none in the woods or near the water. They like open areas with just a few scattered trees. Another observation today is they are popping up in random hotspots driving back, a couple days ago there were none on the way home. Mysterious critters this brood x. 

 

 

Millions if not billions were predicted in SE PA....we were the hot spot. They may have a more specific hotspot(s) around the area but damn the majority of us should have seen at least one with such a large volume? Just 1. I'm calling Herb....

Probably a A/C day tomorrow but after that, no 90s really in site. Friday/Sat 60s with rain then 70s and 80s for some time.

I'll give the critters one more chance with rain Friday into Sat (maybe a storm tomorrow). After that, if they don't show up, it's not happening...

67F / DP 59F

1 hour ago, JTA66 said:

I think I was 12 when that movie hit Prism one summer. I was convinced the clock was ticking for those of us in PA and we'd be running from swarms of killer bees by the 1990's.

This made me feel.   Early 80's when cable just became available in my area... 

Had the big ass Jerrold 3 level click button box w/a annoying long cord to the TV console which always got tangled up with something or I tripped over it.

73F / DP 56F...no sign of cicadas. 

14 minutes ago, RedSky said:

I put one of those traps out to keep them from eating the silks on my corn in 2004 and it pulled in all the beetles in the county then I REALLY had a problem lol

 

I really haven't seen them in years...decades? Maybe a few? But in the lates 70's my area was drilled...Dad was pissed because they ate his garden to hell.

Glenn's 5pm Burbs forecast...rain percentage by day. Looks like Sat will be mostly in the 50s...

1 hour ago, JTA66 said:

lol...not here. Brood X is the biggest bust since 3/5/2001.

Seriously, this confirms my memory of 2004, these guys aren't imby. Need to wait until July for the annual cicadas to show up (along with cicada bees).

Yeah, nothing here either...I was just being a smartass. However, I'd rather bust on critters than a big ass snowstorm.

No memory of 1994 either. Times are different now, media (social media) like to super overhype trivial things now. And local news...ratings, ratings...Glenn hasn't really mentioned cicadas in recent days.

Do you, Redsky or anyone w/age remember the Japanese Beetle infestation in the late 70s or so? Those F'ers were everywhere! People had those Bag a Bug things hanging all over the place, front/back lawn and they would be full...   

4 hours ago, JTA66 said:

The grass has that crunchy, August feel to it as you walk on it, some lawns starting to brown up already. I'm not mowing again until we get some rain.

Besides that...beautiful morning out there compared to the last few, 62F/DP 52F.

Maybe the crunch is from the massive amount of cicada shells?

Hanging at 65F...

65F / DP 45F at 1:30pm. Rather dark clouds around and temps have not moved much.

Memorial day weekend (Fri-Sun) looks like temps around 70F (Sat 60s) clouds/sun and a chance of a shower(s)...Memorial day itself temps in the 70s w/more sun. Probably see some overnight temps in the 40s...

61F / DP 45F /Cloudy w/a breeze at 6:45am. Feels great...

9 minutes ago, RedSky said:

At lake Towhee specifically it's biblical I was impressed even at my old age. Never got em like that in Horsham it's worth a trip.

 

Ok, camped there one time, I know where that is...damn close to Knockamixon. I went to shooting range up there as well which I think closed...

79F...A/C going off soon.

25 minutes ago, RedSky said:

Millions/billions of Cicada's in Haycock township out by Nockamixon lake, opposite of dry slot heavy at times and low visibility lol

Here to the west absolutely nada 

 

I really may make a trip up that way, haven't been up around Nockamixon in years. I'm 90% convinced I'll get screwed around this area with very limited critters.

Looking forward to clouds and 60s tomorrow...

86F

6 minutes ago, Hurricane Agnes said:

Hit 91 today (so far) a couple times - just after 2 pm and then just after ~3:30 pm. Amazing that the low this morning here was 72 and this is May.  Will see how robust the cold front is when it drops down into the area. 

Currently bopping between 89 & 90 and mostly sunny, with some cumulus starting to roll in from the north and west.

It was 73F here at 2am early this morning and I doubt I dropped into the 60s. I see Philly hanging around 70/low70s tomorrow w/burbs in the upper 60s....great stuff.

A/C goes off once it gets dark around here tonight...expected low upper 50s to 60F. 

87F

Eeked to 90F / DP 63F.....wind still active and no critters to be seen or heard.

89F / DP 61F

2 hours ago, KamuSnow said:

Nice breeze is helping so far.

No question. I was outside for the past several hours and just came in to watch the Sixers at 1pm...more than breezy, borderline windy at times. Wasn't expecting this?

88F / DP 60F / RH 39%

Already 80F / DP 60F at 9am so this will probably be the  hottest/most uncomfortable day so far. Back door cold front swings through w/highs in the upper 60s for the burbs on Monday...my kind of weather. 

17 minutes ago, KamuSnow said:

We just saw 2! It's happening!

Incoming...plague!

21 minutes ago, Hurricane Agnes said:

I actually hit 91 just before 2pm today.  Didn't expect that.  It was brief since there has been a hazy deck of high clouds most of the day, with occasional breaks of sun.  Haven't seen or heard any cicadas here, nor seen any lightning bugs... and so far I haven't spotted any of those damn lanternflies either, but I expect those might be hatching and at one of the nymph stages.  With the chill the first half of the month, a bunch of critters went on hold, but the temps the next week or so will wake them up for sure though.

First tropical development underway early with STS Ana (fish storm), but will see how this year's hurricane season goes. Don't think it will be as insane as last year but you never know.

No stink bugs and limited flies, bees and Gnats (they''ll come though) as well. Butterflies seem to be on the decline every year...

83F

Just skimming the MA subforum for the first time in months. They are way ahead of us in the cicada sightings, especially MD. Hell, I'll be happy just seeing or hearing one in the distance. All we have is KamuSnow seeing a lonely lightning bug last night...

86F

2 hours ago, JTA66 said:

A friend’s parents are reporting cicadas in northern Bucks. Given the lack of activity here and in 2004, I don’t think this brood resides in my part of Montco.

Oh, and it’s hot & sticky.

It's somewhat hot (89F) but it's really not sticky. (DP 57F / RH 34%) I think we're so accustomed to super dry conditions lately a 57F DP seems uncomfortable. I would lock that DP in for the entire summer w/a big smile on my face. Tomorrow DPs will be in low-mid 60s, still not super horrible but getting there. When DPs are in the 70s...instant puddle if you step outside.

28 minutes ago, KamuSnow said:

No cicadas yet but I am pleased to report that we saw our first lightning bug tonight. Yay!

Wow, that's really early. (5/21) I don't expect to see any till mid/late June when things start to roast on a consistent basis...

69F

2 minutes ago, CoolHandMike said:

I just measured my back yard soil temps with a digital meat thermometer, which, admittedly, only went a couple of inches deep. I measured between 75-80°F in the sunny spots, but only 64°F under my biggest shade tree (box elder). I'm relatively certain most of my big trees are quite a bit older than 17 years, so we will see. My other trees are mostly maples and some hemlocks.

I'm pretty convince our soil temps are warm enough for the cicadas but damn it's dry. A solid rain event and they would be popping out of the ground...

86F / DP 49F /Hum 28%

My soil temp is 65F. Those lazy critters should start making their move. Lack of rain isn't helping. Imagine being underground for 17yrs trying to break the surface looking to get laid and met by a brick wall of dry dirt/clay. Poor critters...

https://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soil-temperature

1 hour ago, RedSky said:

Hmm the new euro wants to barbeque  the cicada brood out of existence 

Sunday will be our first real taste of summer w/temps 90F+ and more humid. Glenn going with 96F next Wed....

1 hour ago, zenmsav6810 said:

I just don't like people calling diesel not normal vehicles when most of the world drives diesel cars which is also a fact. I just find complaining (which in your defense you weren't doing) about the price of gas very self-centered conventional thinking. 

No harm man, not a problem. Diesel cars seem to be way more popular in Europe and not in the States. Haven't looked up any stats just a observation...

6 minutes ago, Albedoman said:

soil temps have been  well below normal. My basement temp are avg 61-62 degrees right now. The temps must be around 65 in my basement for the cicadas to emerge. The soil temps will rise once the moisture returns. The moisture helps hold in the the latent heat in the soil and enables the cicada to cleanly burrow out of the ground where they reside at about a 4-8 inch depth in the ground. 

Until then, the cicadas will remain in the ground especially if the soil is dry.  Cicadas love heat and humidity. We just do not have the humidity right now for them to mature as they need the moisture to start the burrowing process. Furthermore, cicadas rely on tree sap to feed. If the trees are severely stressed for moisture and sap production ( believe me these trees are really stressed by the lack of moisture for leaf production right now especially in the upper canopies of the trees) these insects know not to come out . The grass is also stressing out big time and will begin to turn yellow by next week if we do not get significant rains by Sunday. With humidities in the upper 20's to 30's, I can literally see the grass blades shriveling up with highs in the mid- upper 80's. The stream levels dropped another two- three inches today alone in my backyard and the clay soils are cracking-( usually do not see that until late summer) 

If we have  t-storms on Sat afternoon- evening that will help quickly bump up the soil temps. We have to have at least 1-2  inch of rain to reach the the soil areas of where the cicadas lie dormant.  Right now, I just do not see cicadas burrowing  with PWATs struggling to even reach one inch per hour with the extremely dry mid levels in the atmosphere and the lack of instability. Believe, once we have a good drenching downpour, they will begin to emerge quickly.

. 

Otherwise, do they just hang underground and wait? The next 10 day+ look pretty much dry....spotty stuff maybe.

72F