One of the last days I’ll be taking the express bus downtown this year. Like so many Americans I’ll be glad that it’s over, although it’s been a hell of a year and really not that bad all things considered. Still gray out there, although sometime between getting up at seven and now we’ve gotten a dusting of snow on the sidewalks. Still about one degree below freezing but we will have to watch and see how long it will remain below freezing. Thirty-five and snow turning to rain and slop later.  Listening to Joan Baez’s Sweet Sir Galahad, the song that made Baez famous after her Woodstock performance in 1969.

Today’s forecast is expected to pretty similar to last year. On that day one year ago we rain, snow and also a high of 35 degrees. The record high of 71 was set in 1984. 6 inches of snow fell back in 1915. We won’t break that record today at least in the city. The more things change the more things stay the same. Why reinvent what is good in America? 

The sun will set at 4:31 pm with dusk around 5:02 pm, which is 47 seconds later than yesterday. By then it should be a winter wonderland but I’m not sure how much it will stick on the roads. Today will have 9 hours and 5 minutes of daylight, an increase of 37 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of rain and snow before 10pm, then a slight chance of snow between 10pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low of 31 degrees at 5am. 14 degrees above normal. West wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. In 2015, it got down to 35 degrees with periods of rain. The record low of -21 occurred back in 1933.

While the president is expected to be moving out of the White House over the next few days, there ate 3 weeks until Obama’s Last Full Day when the sun will be setting at 4:53 pm with dusk at 5:23 pm. Then it will be Donald Trump’s America. Definitely a new era in our country’s history. I know a lot of people are excited about the change, but I’ll let take a wait and see approach to the change. On that day in 2016, we had snow and temperatures between 23 and 13 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 30 degrees. We hit a record high of 62 back in 1929.