Jakes Rocks Overlook

August 22, 2017 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Heading back to New York today possibly hitting up Letchworth State Park then back to the Finger Lakes. Partly cloudy and 72 degrees in Warren. There is a south-southwest breeze at 10 mph. The dew point is 67 degrees. The skies will clear tomorrow around 1 am.

It was definitely a fun day at the beach at Presque Isle. A long drive from Allegheny National Forest but a nice drive. I love seeing the rural Pennsylvania countryside, smelling the petroleum in Bradford and farms and the rednecks burning their garbage. Pennsylvania rednecks love their fire, there ain’t much th at they don’t burn in the Pennsylvania countryside. The eclipse was pretty neat as seen through eclipse glasses. Looked a lot like the progression of the full moon to quarter moon to crescent moon with the glasses. I do wish the waves were a little better on Lake Erie as that would have made it more fun. I probably should have tried another beach but I was mesmerized with eclipse. 

I am all packed up for the day. Still chewing over going to Letchworth, it depends on how fast the thunderstorms get here. I’d love to see Letchworth again but not in the pouring rain. I might camp there but I’m thinking of heading back to the Finger Lakes so I’m farther east come Wednesday afternoon when I have to go home. 

Today will have showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. High of 80 degrees at 2pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 9am. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 73 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1916.

The sun will set at 8:04 pm with dusk around 8:33 pm, which is one minute and 33 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy conditions and 69 degrees. The dew point will be 66 degrees. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 11 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 32 minutes of daytime, an decrease  of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. Low of 56 degrees at 5am. Four degrees below normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 6pm. Southwest wind 7 to 11 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2016, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 50 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1988.

Today in 1971, twenty of the Camden 28 were arrested. They were a group of “Catholic left” anti-Vietnam War activists who in 1971 planned and executed a raid on a Camden, New Jersey draft board. The raid resulted in a high-profile criminal trial of the activists that was seen by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War and as an example of successful use of jury nullification.

One month until Autumn Begins when the sun will be setting at 7:11 pm with dusk at 7:39 pm. 

August 21, 2017 Morning

Good morning! The sun has risen after the earlier rain showers. Happy Eclipse Day. Two weeks to Labor Day. Partly cloudy and 59 degrees in Warren. There is a south breeze at 6 mph. The dew point is 58 degrees. The skies will clear around 10 am.

Woke up this morning to a brief thunderstorm that left things a tad bit wet and we’ve had some clouds and sun. The weather does look better in Erie and I’m leaving soon so I get there plenty of time to find parking, especially with the eclipse traffic likely to back things up heading onto Presque Isle. I figure I should be there by 11 am, plenty of time to find a good place to watch the eclipse. 

Today will have scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 8am and 11am. Partly sunny, with a high of 79 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 2pm. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. It was very sticky. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1916.

I am a bit worried about the weather for the eclipse, although Erie is some 50 miles west and they have different weather patterns then they have up on the Allegheny Plateau. 

The sun will set at 8:06 pm with dusk around 8:35 pm, which is one minute and 32 seconds earlier than yesterday. At sunset, look for partly clear conditions and 73 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a southwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 34 minutes of daytime, an decrease of 2 minutes and 34 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 65 degrees at 6am. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 67 at 7pm. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2016, we had light rain and mist in the evening, remaining overcast into the early morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 55 degrees. The record low of 39 occurred back in 1982.

On this day in 1959, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the union. I guess that makes president Barack Obama a US Citizen. Not that our current president would believe that. 

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Labor Day when the sun will be setting at 7:43 pm with dusk at 8:11 pm. On that day in 2016, we had mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 80 and 54 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1929.

August 20, 2017 Night

Good evening! Clear and 64 degrees in Warren. Calm wind. The dew point is 59 degrees. 

It is a nice evening but it got late much too quickly. I wouldn’t complain about it and stay up later but I want to get an early start on the trip out to Presque Isle in case there are a lot of people at the park for the eclipse. I also want to get there early enough so I have several hours to enjoy the beaches and hike before leaving to head back to camp. I hate driving after dark and with the shorter days, I get to make sure I don’t stay too long. I will leave my campsite set up but locked down with security chains so I’m ready when I return in the evening. 

Tonight will have patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low of 61 degrees at 4am. Typical for tonight. Maximum dew point of 59 at 11pm. Light south wind. In 2016, we had mostly clear skies with more clouds in the early hours of the next day. It was sticky. It got down to 66 degrees. The record low of 42 occurred back in 1977.

Tonight will have a New Moon with 0% illuminated. Tomorrow is the solar eclipse. The Harvest Moon is on Tuesday, September 5th. The sun will rise at 6:30 am with the first light at 6:00 am, which is one minute and 2 seconds later than yesterday. Tonight will have 10 hours and 23 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 34 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high of 80 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 63 at 11am. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1916.

Looking ahead, next weekend may be somewhat cool with 7 degrees below normal but otherwise sunny. Next Saturday, sunny, with a high near 71. Maximum dew point of 49 at 6pm. Next Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Maximum dew point of 54 at 8pm. Fall like weather here in the Allegheny mountains. Typical average high for the weekend is 79 degrees.

In four weeks on September 17 the sun will be setting at 7:20 pm, which is 46 minutes and 52 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had rain, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 78 and 55 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 72 and 51 degrees. The record high of 89 degrees was set back in 1942.

Looking ahead, 7 PM Sunset is in 4 weeks, Average High is 60 is in 8 weeks, Daylight Savings Time Ends is in 11 weeks, Cold Moon is in 15 weeks, New Years Eve is in 19 weeks and Inaugeration Day 2021 is in 40 months.