Newsletter chitchat - September 24, 2024

[Cassel]

It might sound like a repetitive topic but with seasonal changes, the weather is always something we can talk about.

How has your summer been? Was it the same or different than previous years?

How about fall so far? Does it look like it might be warmer, colder, or the same?

What does the Farmer's Almanach say?

Let's chat.

[Susan Ewart]

We've been having unusually warm weather this fall.  It should be down to zero at nights now, but its still 10 degrees (Celsius) and it's supposed to be 25-30 Celsius during the days this week and into October.  There is usually snow on the ground in October.  I was reading in a local paper that the almanac said Alberta was in for a "deep" freeze this winter.  As far as I'm concerned, any time water freezes...it's a "deep" freeze.  I hope the almanac is wrong.  Summer started slow with lots of rain.  I keep thinking Alberta and BC are switching weather patterns with each other because where I lived in BC it mostly rained and now they are getting 30 degree days (at the coast) which is very unusual.  They were really hot this year while we had the rain.  Alberta is known for cold winters and hot hot summers, but of course Alberta is also known for quite unpredictable weather and severe temperature changes in one day.  

[Cristina]

I think the warm weather lasts longer every year than it did years ago.

This spring's weather was wet; it rained a lot, which was good after years of little rain.   

Summer was good—not too hot—and we could enjoy being outdoors. Now, it's looking more like Fall: windy, rainy, sometimes with patches of sun, and 15°C (around 60F).

[Ann Seeber]

Our weather here in the Mid-Hudson Valley on the East Coast of the US has been similar to Cristina. I don't know where she's located though. One thing different this year is the fall colors are not coming in like previous years. We're almost at the end of September and Applefest is the first Sunday in October when the tourist deluge is at its peak. Our area is a tourist trap for "leaf-peepers," and they'll be disappointed if they come now. I do love the Fall colors and this year it's rather dull. Today, 9/25/2024, at 5am the temperature is 55F/14C and is projected to reach 67F/19C and be cloudy all day. We had a lot of rain on Monday and my outside cat, Batman, refused to leave my porch all day! 🐈

[Rene Marker]

Where I am is finally back to seasonal temperatures for the month of September. In the first 21 days of the month, 19 of them set new temp records. We had quite a few days in the high 80's and low 90's. That is August temps, not September. We've also had very little rain and went into drought declarations. My grass is brown but the weeds are as green as can be. The last time my neighbor mowed was my lawn was August 23rd. We did have about an inch of rain Monday night locally but some of the drought areas of Ohio didn't even get that. However, due to the tropical storm that is predicted to become a hurricane overnight we could have rain all weekend.

As for the foliage, there have been trees in town that were turning in late August. My neighbor's tree that I love to watch in the fall is already changing colors. Extremely early! Even the leaf pickup in my neighborhood is going to start in mid-October due to leaves possibly falling early. 

I started doing an October daily album of fall colors in Ohio several years ago. I took photos of the leaves changing throughout the month. My neighbor's tree was still green at the beginning of the month and had changed and was losing the leaves at the end of the month. Last year it was already half changed by the 1st. That could possibly happen again this year and it might not have any leaves by the end of the month. So much for documenting the changes throughout the month... However, I will be out of state for a week and could see fall foliage on my trip.

[Gerry Landreth]

It was another hot and humid weekend here. The AC went out, making it a bit more uncomfortable than usual. Having lived through long hurricane-related power outages in Miami, I learned to cope. The upside is that I had power and lots of fans. Fortunately, it was a faulty capacitor that was under warranty. When the repair guy explained what a capacitor does, I resisted telling him I knew what it did. After all, I've seen Back to the Future 1, 2, AND 3! 

[Corrie Kinkel]

Spring here was very wet and cold and the summer started much the same way, but august was fine and not too hot. September until now was warm, about 24 Celsius with the nights about 16 to 18. All in all very pleasant you only notice it is going darker in the evenings by the week. In a couple of days we will have the lights on at dinnertime. But the weather is now changing to rain and much cooler, about 15 C daytime and under 10 at night. We haven't much autumn colors yet, but a some trees drop their leaves because of the very wet conditions in spring.

Today there was an article in the newspaper about the Dutch vineyards which we have since 10 to 15 years. Due to the climate change it has become considerately warmer and it is now possible to produce decent wines over here. But not this year! Because the wet spring the grapes are small and there are fewer of them too. For some growers it will cost too much to pick and produce wine with no profit left. One of them said in the interview that this year the birds will have a feast. 

[Roni Hewitt]

Mother Nature hasn't gotten the memo where I live also, down in the most southern part of California, along the Salton Sea.  Our daytime temperatures are still around 117° but our nighttime temps are getting down to the mid 80's.  We've been in the hundreds since April.  I live in the very low desert at 238 feet below sea level so we expect hot temps but it would be really nice if it would start cooling down soon. I'm so looking forward to being able to finally opening my doors and windows to air out my house.

[Daniel Hess]

Here in Western Kentucky, we are fairly fortunate in that we experience all four seasons.  I've lived places where Winters are long and cold with alot of ice and snow and Summers are short and humid.  I've also lived in Alaska where nights can get as long as the winter LOL.  I have no complaints this year.