While it’s been pretty cloudy lately, as we head into February we are going to see more sun and blue skies, although don’t expect many crystal clear days — clouds will be mixed in the blue skies. We will be running a few degrees below normal compared to temperature normal, but I would rather have more then cloud but mild days.

Thursday we will have the first sunset after 5:10 PM in Albany of the year, and by Sunday, dusk won’t come until quarter of six. We are putting on more then two minutes of daylight every day now, and come Wednesday, we will have 10 hours of daylight and 14 hours of night.

Weather Summary
This Afternoon.	Partly Sunny and	31 degrees	,	5:08 sunset.
Tonight.	Partly Cloudy and	16 degrees	,	7:08 sunrise.
Tuesday.	Chance of Light Snow and	29 degrees	,	5:08 sunset.
Tuesday Night.	Light Snow is likely and	22 degrees	,	7:07 sunrise.
Wednesday.	Chance of Snow Showers then Chance of Rain/Snow and	38 degrees	,	5:09 sunset.
Wednesday Night.	Mostly Cloudy and	22 degrees	,	7:06 sunrise.
Thursday.	Partly Sunny and	30 degrees	,	5:10 sunset.
Thursday Night.	Partly Cloudy and	13 degrees	,	7:05 sunrise.
Friday.	Partly Sunny and	26 degrees	,	5:12 sunset.
Friday Night.	Partly Cloudy and	13 degrees	,	7:04 sunrise.
Saturday.	Partly Sunny and	27 degrees	,	5:13 sunset.
Saturday Night.	Partly Cloudy and	11 degrees	,	7:03 sunrise.
Sunday.	Partly Sunny and	28 degrees	,	5:14 sunset.

Twenty seven degrees as I catch the local that I almost missed downtown. Sun peaking out a little to the east.The bus was running early and me late but the driver waited for me so I didn’t have to make 9:30 walk of shame into the office. I’m hopeful that we will see more sun as the day progresses on our Monday. Still thinking we will have temperature around thirty by later. 

Tomorrow I promise myself I’ll do more get going at an earlier hour. That said I got a pretty good night’s sleep last night. Little groggy this morning at first but now I feel fully rested. Hopefully the Ground Hog will say early spring this year, so I can have those windows open for a good night’s sleep but we won’t know until Thursday morning. As the sign in Punxsutawney says, the Punxsy has a legendary 100% accuracy. I know that the weathermen disagree but who do you believe? A scientist or a Western Pennsylvania farm pest? We know which one Donald John Trump would trust. Those scientists have an agenda. Ground hogs just want to rooting around in the plowed fields sunning themselves on a sunny day like hopefully today. 

The sun will set at 5:07 pm with dusk around 5:37 pm, which is 1 minutes and 19 seconds later than yesterday. Today will have 9 hours and 57 minutes of daylight, an increase of 2 minutes and 19 seconds over yesterday. Wednesday will have ten hours of daylight. Nights are getting shorter as we head towards spring. Still in the next eight weeks, we need to pick up another two hours of daylight as the spring equinox occurs. 

Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low of 16 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. In 2016, it got down to 36 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. The record low of -26 occurred back in 1948.

Looking ahead,  there are 3 weeks until Presidents Day when the sun will be setting at 5:34 pm with dusk at 6:03 pm. On that day in 2016, we had rain, snow and temperatures between 62 and 35 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 36 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1930.

“Always identify your target and what is beyond it.”

With that advice, let’s kick off our Monday. Good morning. The sun, that yellow circle of heat, rarely seen, is peaking out to the south and it’s twenty four degrees. There is a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph.

Cool but pleasant weather to kick off the last week of January… 

Today will be mostly sunny, with a high of 29 degrees at 12pm. One degree below normal. Northwest wind 5 to 13 mph. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies and a high of 40 degrees. The record high of 56 was set in 2013. 11 inches of snow fell back in 1966.

Good evening!  I guess the weekend is coming to an end and another work week is getting underway again tomorrow. Took a sleeping pill and turned on the red lamp in hopes of getting a reasonable amount of sleep tonight. Drawing the shades helps too as it blocks out the bright blue LED light from the gas station – which started about the time last year I had trouble sleeping. I’ve been having a hard time to sleep in the winter for the past two years and lately it’s been really bad – I find myself drowsy often by midday. Fortunately I don’t drive to work. I hate winter. Once the time changes, I’m usually better. I usually sleep better in the summer. I think the fresh air with the windows open and getting out camping and traveling helps. 

Partly cloudy and 27 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a northwest breeze at 5 mph. It’s January but the month is rapidly coming to a close. Another month and it will be March. If it’s mild, hopefully I can get pickup truck camping again under the shell or at least hot tenting. 

Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 21 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2016, it got down to 25 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. The record low of -12 occurred back in 1965.

Waxing Crescent Moon tonight with 16% illuminated. The moon will . The First Quarter Moon is on Saturday night with partly cloudy expected. The Full “Snow” Moon is on Saturday, February 11th. The sun will rise at 7:11 am with the first light at 6:41 am, which is 59 seconds earlier then yesterday. Tonight will have 14 hours and 4 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 19 seconds over last night.

I’m thinking about going to see Punxsutawney Phil in 2018 or maybe 2019 for Ground Hog Day. It’s always been one of my favorite holidays.  I can’t imagine what sleepy Punxsutawney must be like with 40,000 people crowded on an ice covered hillside. Some of the events sounds fun. Next year Groundhog Day is a Friday and in 2019, it’s Saturday. I do worry about lake effect snow, as it’s snow country there and the roads are steep and likely poorly deiced. I’ll have to think about it some more. 

The paint still stinks in my apartment, although it is dry on the refrigerator. Looks so much better without the rust. Hopefully next weekend I’ll get the final coat on. I want it to look factory. 

Tomorrow will be partly sunny, with a high of 28 degrees at 1pm. Two degrees below normal. Light west wind becoming northwest 8 to 13 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies and a high of 40 degrees. The record high of 56 was set in 2013. 11 inches of snow fell back in 1966.
In four weeks on February 26 the sun will be setting at 5:42 pm, which is 36 minutes later then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had snow and temperatures between 33 and 21 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 38 and 20 degrees. The record high of 63 degrees was set back in 1976.

Looking ahead, Daylight Savings Time is in 6 weeks, Palm Sunday is in 10 weeks, Easter is in 11 weeks, Mother’s Day is in 15 weeks, Memorial Day is in 4 months and Father’s Day is in 20 weeks.