I wonder if the State of New York will buy it from the Nature Conservancy and add it to the High Towers State Forest. It's good to see that more of land is going be protected and hopefully added to the State Forest system.
The Unionville Hill in New Scotland is where NY 443 makes the last big drop into the Hudson Valley. In this video, you can see Albany and the Empire State Plaza in the distance.
I heard yesterday that Joan Baez was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Twenty sixteen will be remembered as the year they Drove Old Dixie Down and the election of Donald Trump. I’m sure there isn’t much over lap between Trump supporters and those of us who like listening to old Joan Baez records. I’m shocked that Joan Baez isn’t part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame already. Blessed are the one way ticket holders on the one way street.
There is definitely a lot of sun coming from south but this time of year the sun angle is quite weak so temperatures will only increase modestly. It’s winter after all. The mercury now reads 25 degrees. Some snow on the grass and patches of ice but the sidewalks are clear.
Today will be mostly sunny, with a high of 36 degrees at 2pm. Two degrees above normal. A fairly mild start to winter. West wind 5 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had rain and a high of 48 degrees. It was even warmer last year. The record high of 59 was set in 1957. 6.6 inches of snow fell back in 2008. We still set snow records from time to time.
The sun will set at 4:25 pm with dusk around 4:57 pm, which is 30 seconds later than yesterday. Today will have 9 hours and 2 minutes of daylight, an decrease of 1 second over yesterday. Tomorrow the days start to get longer as we make the long slog towards summer. Remember only three months until the start of calendar spring. That said the only thing spring like on March 21st in Upstate NY is the calendar.
Tonight will have a slight chance of snow after 2am. Cloudy, with a low of 26 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees above normal. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2015, it got down to 46 degrees with periods of fog and rain. The record low of -8 occurred back in 1955.
While we are down from thoughts of a cold and long winter, one should note that there, there are 10 weeks until March 1st when the sun will be setting at 5:46 pm with dusk at 6:14 pm. I’ll be glad to be commuting back home in the light. On that day in 2016, we had rain and temperatures between 38 and 21 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 39 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1991.
Yesterday I fixed my crampons, which are essential for hiking in the ice of winter. Some of the rubber had cracked, in part from where the strap went over it and because I spilled gasoline on them a while back. But I was able fix them with some extra electrical wire, replacing the damaged rubber with some wire straps. It works perfectly and they fit snug. I saw some hikers without crampons up there hiking, but with all the ice, especially around the falls, I would be afraid of slipping and falling.
Well folks, it’s officially winter out there. 21 degrees under clear skies. The breeze is giving us a wind chill is 15. Sun should be rising in a few minutes.
Today will be mostly sunny, with a high of 36 degrees at 2pm. Two degrees above normal. Not a big jump in temperatures today because we have the weakest sun of the year with the sun angle as far south as it goes. West wind 5 to 7 mph.
Not the earliest sunset of the year tonight but close, around 4:25 pm tonight.
The rest of the week will have times of clouds and sun with temperatures around 40 or maybe slightly below. Watch out for some quick snow squalls on Christmas Eve. But other than that it should be a good week, fairly typical for the days leading up to Christmas.
As the bus says that just went by, Merry Christmas. Ten days until New Years Evening.
Well by the time you wake up in the morning it will officially be winter. Today was cool but without much of a breeze and adequate clothing it was bearable. Tonight isn’t too bad but with a slight breeze we do have a slight wind chill around 14. Mercury wise we are at 26, which is much warmer than this morning. Times of clouds and stars tonight.
Kaaterskill Falls was quite nice. It was so cold this morning with temperatures in the single digits that I almost stayed home. I didn’t leave for the Catskills until after lunch time and was primarily planning on just taking a drive. I canceled my plans for Overlook Mountain as I was afraid it would be icy and truly frigid up top. I’ve watched many a December sunset up there on many cold nights. On a weekday that mountain tends to be pretty empty.
But with enough layers it was plenty warm for hiking and I almost had the new Kaaterskill Falls overlook and trails to myself. I’m sure on a warm, sunny summer day that area is now packed. The trails and overlook are nice, although I do think the area is getting a bit too over developed for forest preserve. With the rock stairway blasted into the mountains and trails blasted into the side of the falls, seems more like a park then wilderness in the form of forest preserve. I worry that the extensive development will only produce more overuse and more stupid and risky behavior as the falls and they’ll have to reduce public access.
I wish I had gotten an earlier start but I poked around at home, as I wish I could have seen more of the Kaaterskill Rail Trail. Get some good snow and the trail would be perfect for cross country skiing. Nice and flat, pretty woods and not right at the edge of the escarpment so you don’t have to worry about losing control and plunging to your death. Need a decent amount of snow to avoid the ties which stick up in parts of the trail. The falls probably aren’t going away.
Tonight will be partly cloudy, getting down to 22 degrees at 5am. For the last night of the year in Delmar, that’s pretty reasonable. One degree above normal. South wind 6 to 9 mph. In 2015, it got down to 33 degrees with periods of rain. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1942. People complain about the arctic blast lately but it could be a lot colder. Just imagine living in a poorly heated cold water flat in Downtown Albany in 1942 in December with temperatures 18 below…
Last Quarter Moon tonight with 49% illuminated. The moon will rise around 10:51 pm. The New Moon is a week Wednesday night with mostly cloudy skies expected. No late December star gazing for you. Maybe next week.
After playing hookie today, back to work through Friday. It was a nice to get away for a day. I don’t have any more vacation time remaining before the end of the year. But Monday is a state holiday! I might go camping Christmas Day to Monday based on weather. In the meantime, tomorrow is going to a nice first day of winter.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny, with a high of 36 degrees at 1pm. Three degrees above normal. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. I would have taken tomorrow off instead of the much colder and clouds today but I have the Save the Pine Bush dinner to go to in the city after work. A year ago, we had rain and a high of 48 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1957. 6.6 inches of snow fell back in 2008. The sun will rise at 7:22 am with the first light at 6:50 am, which is 31 seconds later then yesterday. I believe it’s the latest sunset of the year but I’d have to check.
Looking ahead, Inauguration Day is in 2 months, Valentines Day is in 8 weeks, Presidents Day is in 3 months, Spring is in 13 weeks, Average High is 50 is in 14 weeks, Tax Day is in 17 weeks, Average High is 70 is in 21 weeks and Independence Day is in 28 weeks.
Driving back home, my dash board camera made this video of the twisty, narrow NY 23A heading down the Kaaterskill Clove from Haines Falls/Hunter to Palenville.
It turned out to be a pretty nice afternoon exploring the new Kaaterskill Falls Overlook and trail down to the falls. I also hiked a few miles of the rail trail. While I missed the sun setting behind the mountains I am watching the colors of dusk and increasingly gray skies. The temperature is 19 degrees under calm wind. Not too bad, I thought it would be much cooler but I’m dressed in layers.
Tonight will be cloudy with a low of 20 degrees at 5am. One degrees below normal. Breezy, with a southwest wind 16 to 21 mph. In 2015, it got down to 33 degrees with periods of rain. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1942.
The Last Quarter Moon is tonight at 1:56 am. The moon will rise around 10:42 pm.
Lots of sun for the first day of winter tomorrow, with a high of 33 degrees at 2pm. Typical for temperatures for the first day of winter. West wind 10 to 15 mph. A year ago, we had rain and a high of 48 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1957. 6.6 inches of snow fell back in 2008.
In four weeks on January 17 the sun will be setting at 4:52 pm, which is 25 minutes later then today. In 2016 on that day, we had snow and temperatures between 34 and 28 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 30 and 14 degrees. The record high of 62 degrees was set back in 1889.