March 15, 2016 Evening

Good evening! Talk about a cloudy and gray day. But not too cold. Currently mostly cloudy and 57 degrees with a 7 mph northeast wind. Definitely a bit of sun peaking out to the west, so we might see some clearing in a bit.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight. Mild evening, about 14 degrees above normal. The record low of 4 degrees was set back in 1980. Winter’s bite is fading even if seasonal weather returns for Friday and the weekend.

Tonight the sun will set at 7:03 pm with darkness around 7:31 pm, which is 1 minutes and 10 seconds later than yesterday. Too bad the sky is so gray tonight except to the west. In four weeks on April 12 the sun will be setting at 7:35 pm, which is 32 minutes later then today. Days will keep getting longer but the growth slows after the first day of spring.

Tonight we have a Waxing Cresent Moon with 46% illuminated. It will set at 12:37 am. The First Quarter Moon is next Tuesday.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers before 1pm, then a chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Light and variable wind becoming north around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. That’s about 15 degrees above normal. The record high of 82 degrees was set back in 1990.

Looking ahead to the weekend we are seeing improved weather but typical mid March conditions. Saturday will be sunny, with a high near 40. Saturday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 24. Sunday will be partly sunny, with a high near 44.

I’m staying in town for the weekend. The Save the Pine Bush Hike is on Sunday at 2 pm. Undecided about Saturday but I might just hike out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. The following weekend, the Easter holiday, I’m thinking about camping at the Cotton Hill Lean-to. We will see.

I hope your Tuesday is going well. Have a great evening!

Freezing Weather Isn’t Over for the Year

A week ago, early on Tuesday morning, was the last time Albany got below freezing. That said, the warm spell won’t last. On Friday night, temperatures are expected to drop to 24 degrees. That is about 2 degrees below normal.

Freezing temperatures are expected each night between March 18th and the 22nd. During this period, temperatures are expected to be a few degrees below what is seasonable forΒ the first few days of spring.

After March 23rd, there has never been a recorded day in history when the temperature has dropped below zero in Albany.

March 15, 2016 Morning

Good morning! Happy Ides of March. If you’re a friendly stranger in a black sedan, you’ll note it’s cloudy and 40 degrees with a 5 mph north wind.

Today will be patchy drizzle before noon, then a slight chance of sprinkles between noon and 2pm. Not great weather for cruising the miracle mile in your black sedan. Otherwise though, mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. At least you can have your windows down. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the morning. That’s about 10 degrees above normal. The record high of 72 degrees was set back in 1989.

Tonight the sun will set at 7:03 pm with darkness around 7:31 pm, which is 1 minutes and 10 seconds later than yesterday. Today will have 11 hours and 58 minutes of daylight, an increase of 2 minutes and 55 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of sprinkles after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. North wind 3 to 5 mph. That’s about 17 degrees above normal. The record low of 4 degrees was set back in 1980.

There are 6 days until First Day of Spring when the sun will be setting at 7:09 pm. The average high temperature for First Day of Spring is 46 degrees, with a record high of 78 in 1921. That doesn’t seem real spring like.

Happy Birthday to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who turns 83 today. A liberal justice, her replacement is likely to be picked by the next president. The next president will end up having a lot of power to pick the leadership of the Supreme Court.

Today being the Ides of March, in 44 BC Julius Caesar,Β DictatorΒ of the Roman Republic, isΒ stabbed to deathΒ by Marcus Junius Brutus,Β Gaius Cassius Longinus,Β Decimus Junius BrutusΒ and several otherΒ Roman senators. Today in 1990 marked the election of Mikhail GorbachevΒ as the firstΒ President of the Soviet Union.