The January that Was

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The January that Was

The average high for January was 38.1 degrees and average low was 26.9 degrees, which is 8.5 degrees above the climate normals for the period of 1991-2020.

It was Albany’s first January in history where the high temperature was never below 30 degrees. Only two days didn’t get above freezing this past month.

Albany – January 2023 Temperatures vs Normals
Date 2023 High Average High 2023 Low Average Low
1 Sun 51 34 34 19
2 Mon 51 34 29 18
3 Tue 37 34 27 18
4 Wed 43 34 37 18
5 Thu 49 33 38 18
6 Fri 44 33 30 17
7 Sat 42 33 27 17
8 Sun 35 33 19 17
9 Mon 36 33 18 17
10 Tue 38 33 22 17
11 Wed 33 33 19 16
12 Thu 38 33 32 16
13 Fri 43 33 30 16
14 Sat 30 33 26 16
15 Sun 33 32 19 16
16 Mon 34 32 19 16
17 Tue 33 32 18 15
18 Wed 44 32 32 15
19 Thu 39 32 29 15
20 Fri 38 32 32 15
21 Sat 33 32 30 15
22 Sun 36 32 30 15
23 Mon 34 32 30 15
24 Tue 36 32 31 15
25 Wed 36 32 28 15
26 Thu 41 33 28 15
27 Fri 36 33 27 15
28 Sat 45 33 25 15
29 Sun 44 33 22 15
30 Mon 41 33 28 15
31 Tue 30 33 18 15
Andy Arthur, 1/31/23.
Data Source: NOAA CF-6 Reports and Climate Normals

Who Was Edmund Pettus? | History| Smithsonian Magazine

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Who Was Edmund Pettus? | History| Smithsonian Magazine

As the country marks the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday”—the fateful day in March, 1965, when a march for black voting rights from Selma to Montgomery was brutally interrupted by state troopers and the posse organized by the city’s sheriff—many may recall the march’s starting point: the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which still stands today. But far less known is the story of the man for whom this landmark is named.

The bridge was dedicated in May 1940, more than three decades after Pettus’ death. Naming the bridge after Pettus was more than just memorializing a man considered a hero by the Confederacy. Built over the Alabama River, a key route for the state’s plantation and cotton economy during slavery and Reconstruction, the bridge carries a particularly symbolic name.

February 1, 2023 Morning

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Good morning! Happy February. We made it through January. ❄ Now the real cold weather is heading towards us though not for long.

Clear except that the south 🌅 and 14 degrees for the morning walk 🚶 in Delmar. That’s normal for this time of year but seems cold after the January that was. Calm wind. There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 11 am. 🌡️Then really cold on Friday night relatively speaking.

As February gets underway the mornings are brighter 🔆 especially with the sun out like today. Needs to get a little brighter before I walk at 6:15 but I plan to change back to that time later in February. Early is nice as it’s calm and not a lot of traffic. Plus I generally prefer to walk 🚶 before breakfast.

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 29 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees below normal. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 25 degrees. The record high of 65 was set in 1989. 15.0 inches of snow fell back in 1898.❄

Yesterday was a Tuesday. 🤯 I mean that’s mind blowing although that’s a pretty ordinary thing. Got home at six 6⃣ reheated half of the soup 🍲 and went for the evening walk 🚶. I was surprised, made it home by 6 pm. Continuing to cut meals 🍴 in half to save money and reduce calories and if I need a little extra I’ll add some veggies or fruit.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 30.2° from the due south horizon (-40.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:27 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (240°). 📸

The sunset is in the west-southwest (247°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:09 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 9 seconds with dusk around 5:38 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the east (91°) at an altitude of 44° from the horizon, 249,894 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:12 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 26 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 8 mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 23 seconds over today.

I was thinking wow, how fast the year is going. 🗓 I got my third paycheck on Monday and was studying the paystub and I was like wow already saved $2,500 towards retirement that means like a 1/10th of the year is done though that’s just an artifact of it being a werid three paycheck month. Oh, well. 🤷‍♂️

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 16 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 5th. Maximum wind chill around 15 at 6pm; West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming south after midnight. In 2022, we had snow in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1961.

Cold come Saturday then warm come Sunday. 😕 Saturday, sunny, with a high near 16. Blustery. Sunday, cloudy, with a high near 40. Typical average high for the weekend is 34 degrees. Get kind of everything this weekend.

One month 📅 from now will be March 🌨 when the sun will be setting at 5:45 pm with dusk at 6:12 pm. The average high temperature is 40 degrees, with a record high of 65 in 1991.

Cold but sunny ??