NY 143 Outside of Westerlo
Rural landscape on the section of NY 143 between NY 443 and County Route 1.
Bethlehem Public Library
January 5, 2017 10 PM Update
Good evening! Snow flurries and 27 degrees in Delmar. There is a south-southwest breeze at 6 mph. The skies will clear tomorrow around 10 am.
Tonight will be light snow picking up between 1am and 3am. Cloudy, with a low of 20 degrees at 5am. Five degrees above normal. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2016, it got down to 5 degrees under mostly clear skies. The record low of -19 occurred back in 1996.
First Quarter Moon tonight with 53% illuminated. The moon will set around 2:24 am. The Full “Wolf” Moon is next Thursday. The sun will rise at 7:25 am with the first light at 6:53 am, which is 7 seconds earlier then yesterday. Sunrises are finally starting to get earlier. Tonight will have 14 hours and 47 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 1 minute and 8 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will have a slight chance of light snow before 11am, then a slight chance of snow showers between 11am and noon. Partly sunny, with a high of 27 degrees at 1pm. Four degrees below normal. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies and a high of 34 degrees. The record high of 71 was set in 2007. 12.7 inches of snow fell back in 2002.
A nice weekend coming up with slightly below average temperatures. Saturday, a slight chance of light snow after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 24. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 22. Typical average high for the weekend is 31 degrees.
In four weeks on February 2 the sun will be setting at 5:11 pm, which is 34 minutes later then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had partly sunny skies and temperatures between 46 and 29 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 32 and 15 degrees. The record high of 53 degrees was set back in 1981.
Looking ahead, Ground Hog Day is in 4 weeks, Cinco de Mayo is in 4 months and Start of June is in 21 weeks.
Laser Light Projector
It’s important to have goals in life. Mine is on Monday to get a discount laser light Christmas light projector, so I can light up the trees branches in the wilderness next summer. I like how they only use like a couple of watts and are pretty on the tree branches.
Figure I better get a set this year before the whiny liberals get them banned claiming they cause aeroplanes and rowboats to crash because some drunkard set them up next door to an airport or a wildlife refuge.
December 24, 2016 Morning
A rainy and dark but mild for the start of the Christmas Eve holiday. Around 39 or 40 degrees this morning. Certainly not the 72 degrees of a year ago. The risk of freezing rain around the city has disappeared with the warmer temperatures that stayed with us throughout the night.
For the rest of today look for near constant temperatures around 40 under cloudy skies. Seven degrees above normal. South wind 8 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had fog, rain and a high of 72 degrees. The record high of 72 was set in 2015. 13 inches of snow fell back in 1966. Unlike 1966, sixty-nine and twenty ought two we probably aren’t going to have a very snowy Christmas but as is common there will be some snow in the Adirondacks.
Cooled offers enough last night that by morning it was pretty chilly in the apartment. But it warmed up quickly as morning approached. Still a very gray and dreary morning with the clouds and rain.
The sun will set at 4:27 pm with dusk around 4:59 pm, which is 38 seconds later than yesterday. Today will have 9 hours and 3 minutes of daylight, an increase of 16 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low of 33 degrees at 5am. 15 degrees above normal. Northwest wind around 9 mph. In 2015, it got down to 35 degrees with periods of rain. The record low of -22 occurred back in 1969.
Tomorrow I was thinking about going camping but again it looks like it will be a very cold evening with temperatures hovering around zero in the Adirondacks, so I may wait another week. I’ve tent camped down to about 16 degrees but tomorrow night will be much colder in the Adirondacks. Plus I’m not crazy about getting out everything in the attic for one day at camp. I do want to get back to the Adirondacks but maybe next weekend if it’s not so cold.
Next Saturday is New Years Eve when the sun will be setting at 4:32 pm with dusk at 5:04 pm. On that day in 2015, we had rain and temperatures between 43 and 37 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 32 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1895.
Internet
I don’t believe in subscription services like cable TV or home Internet. Like debt they are one of the greatest evil in our society. Eventually I plan to move to a house that does not have electric utility services or subscription heat like oil or gas service. Solar panels, generators, wood and coal fireplaces don’t have monthly bills. Coal can be bought with cash and loaded in your pickup from most farm and hardware stores.
For the first time in almost a year, I watched commercial television. I saw Columbo was on one of the channels that I get over the antenna hooked up to the digital converter box hooked to my HDMI computer monitor. I don’t like commercial television but Columbo is a gateway drug.
Then I saw one of those ads for Cablevision or Time Warner whatever the local cable monopoly is. Only $90 for Internet plus another certain $50-70 in fees a month. I’m not poor, but I know my budget could never afford such a rate for a service.
The digital converter box gets me PBS and most libraries and parks have free Internet. For casual web browsing, I have my $40 month basic 3G smartphone that meets most of my needs. I don’t understand the need for all these fancy services and technologies that people have.
I know I shouldn’t have watched Colombo but I muted the ads. And worked on my laptop at the same time.
December 14, 2016 Night
At this point we are down to 23 degrees as the cold air continues to push in. Definitely winter like out there, although the wind hasn’t really picked up much yet. 14 degrees by morning.
Tomorrow will be cold as promised. Some snow showers, mainly after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high of 21 degrees at 11am. 15 degrees below normal. Wind chill values as low as -1. Breezy, with a west wind 14 to 19 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. A year ago, we had rain and a high of 61 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 2015. 8.2 inches of snow fell back in 1968. The sun will rise at 7:18 am with the first light at 6:46 am, which is 43 seconds later then yesterday.
Looking ahead, First Day of Winter is Next Wednesday, Valentines Day is in 2 months, March 1st is in 11 weeks, Ides of March is in 13 weeks, Good Friday is in 4 months, Average High is 60 is in 18 weeks, Mother’s Day is in 5 months, Flag Day is in 6 months and Summer is in 27 weeks.
December 12, 2016 Morning
Good morning! A snowy start to our Monday. Snow and 31 degrees in Delmar. There is a south-southeast breeze at 14 mph. We got about three inches of snow last night. It won’t last with warmer temperatures expected later. The skies will clear around 4 pm.
Look for rain showers and snow before noon, then a slight chance of rain showers between noon and 1pm. High of 41 degrees at 1pm. Five degrees above normal. South wind 8 to 14 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies and a high of 57 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1979. 6.6 inches of snow fell back in 1970.