March 15, 2017 Night

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 20 degrees in Delmar. Breezy, 18 mph breeze from the west-northwest with gusts up to 30 mph. The current wind chill is 2. The skies will clear tomorrow around 4 pm. At times you can really hear the wind whipping around. Cold, especially when you consider there are only four days of calendar winter left. 

Today was a decent day at work, but I had a lot of catching up with the office being closed yesterday. Nothing too major, though I didn’t get out right a five. Even at 6:15 the bus service wasnt too bad but Delaware Ave was a total cluster. Nothing in this world is more frustrating than a bad commute when you’re hungry and tired. All I wanted to get was home after a long day.  

Everything went smoothly until the evening commute when Delaware Avenue got all backed up from cars parked half way out in the street with the snow banks then the bus getting stuck in the snow trying to navigate the narrow road. I was sure that the bus was going to need a tow. Driver ended up backing up onto a snowbank to try to let another bus pass by. Then there was gridlock as neither bud could pass. Finally we got out, once somebody dug out their car but it took nearly and hour and a half for a normally 25 minute commute. It was pretty awful.

 I don’t mind winter but they really shouldn’t allow parallel parking on narrow city streets  after a snow storm or at least go after motorists who fail to dig out a spot and park close enough to the curb. I’m glad today is the snow emergency but I wish they had called it earlier. They either need to make more residents of the city either forfeit their car or at least park in satellite lots outside of the city. Many cities like Plattsburgh ban on street parking during the snow. They have municipal lots instead. This happens every time Albany gets a shit ton of snow. 

Sidewalks are decently plowed in Delmar but they’ll need at least one more pass with today’s blowing snow and the inevitable plows pushing banks back into the sidewalk. At least Delmar leaves sidewalk maintenance to the professionals and they generally do a good job. I can’t say that is true with Albany though. 

My truck has some snow on it but because I dug it out twice yesterday, it’s not going to be a big deal come Saturday. Because I parked on the grass, away from the snow plow, I didn’t get plowed in. I wouldn’t be surprised with warmer temperatures and rain come Sunday 

Tonight will have a chance of snow showers, mainly before 1am. Widespread blowing snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 14 degrees at 5am. 12 degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 0 at 4am; West wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2016, it got down to 44 degrees with periods of rain and thunderstorm. The record low of 4 occurred back in 1980.

Waning Gibbous Moon tonight with 77% illuminated. The Last Quarter Moon is on Monday night with a chance of snow showers expected. The Full β€œPink” Moon is on Tuesday, April 11th. The sun will rise at 7:05 am with the first light at 6:37 am, which is one minute and 45 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tonight will have a exactly 12 hours of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 55 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have areas of blowing snow before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high of 27 degrees at 3pm. 17 degrees below normal. West wind 14 to 18 mph. A year ago, we had rain, thunderstorm and a high of 64 degrees. The record high of 82 was set in 1990. 13.4 inches of snow fell back in 1956.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. Saturday, a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 37. Rather cold. But I might get out cross country skiing. I bet the Normans Kill Gorge would be fun. Or Thacher Park? Typical average high for the weekend is 45 degrees.

In four weeks on April 12 the sun will be setting at 7:34 pm, which is 32 minutes and 6 seconds later then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had rain and temperatures between 51 and 36 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 57 and 36 degrees. The record high of 84 degrees was set back in 1977.

Looking ahead, Average High is 60 is in 5 weeks, Pack Rat Day is in 9 weeks, Flag Day is in 13 weeks, Summer is in 14 weeks and Inaugeration Day 2021 is in 201 weeks. Hopefully we can dump Trump by then.

Carbon Dioxide Is Rising at Record Rates

Carbon Dioxide Is Rising at Record Rates

"Last year marked a milestone, with levels passing the 400 ppm mark permanently. This year scientists expect carbon dioxide to briefly reach 410 ppm this spring before the seasonal cycle of northern plant growth brings it back down a bit, continuing the ever-rising seesaw."

"The rapid rise of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has caused the planet to warm roughly 1.8Β°F since the start of the Industrial Revolution. The world has had back-to-back-to-back hottest years on record since 2014. The corresponding heat has also caused glaciers to melt, seas to rise and altered atmospheric circulation patterns around the globe."