Good evening! Clouds but no snow yet and 33 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. ❄ There is a southeast breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. There is an inch of snow on the ground. ☃ ️The skies will clear tomorrow around 7 pm after the snow ends.
My thought 💭 tonight isthe best laid plans don’t always work out. I was so excited that the DVD 📀 drive enclosure arrived in the mail ✉ today but when I opened it up I discovered it was for the wrong type of drive. It was only $11.50 and I can probably use the case for something else I guess.
I was so hoping to get the voter file 🗳 open that the State Board sent me on a DVD 📀 – I actually got the DVD to play on the drive installed on my computer but alas like on the work computer had previously confirmed they sent me a DVD that wasn’t properly written. I also discovered that the built in DVD drive drawer on my computer is broken but I did figure out a way to load disks by manually opening the drive and installing it after disabling the other partition in fstab.
I’m not going to go back to the board for the file. 📂 It just didn’t work out but I guess I probably wouldn’t have discovered much using machine learning to better understand voting patterns. I don’t know enough about machine learning and my computer isn’t that powerful and 318 EDs really isn’t enough to train things well especially if the districts are so blue in much of the county. Statewide data would be better but that a lot of processing.
I am going to still continue to learn about machine learning 🤖 aa I have a few books 📚 out of the library and I am going through the Stat Quest video series on YouTube. I’m sure there are many other ways I can use machine learning in statistics and map making. Plus it’s safer, no risk of running into trouble with work or building something with the voter file that isn’t allowed.
Tonight will snow, mainly after 10pm. The snow could be heavy at times. 🌨 Low of 26 degrees at 4am. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 15th. Southeast wind 10 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is l100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -10 occurred back in 1950.
It’s going to snow, it’s winter. ☃ Probably not good for the morning walk 🚶 but I’ll get up at my normal time and do my best to keep moving. If it’s bad out I won’t do it but I’ll at least catch an earlier bus 🚍 in so I’m in bright and early. I’ve had a 40 day run of 10,000 plus steps or 5 plus miles a day but if the weather interrupts my progress it will be but for a day or two.
Tonight will have a First Quarter 🌓 Moon with 56% illuminated. At 8 PM, the moon was in the southwest (236°) at an altitude of 65° from the horizon, some 246,871 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by September 3rd. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Worm 🐛 Moon is on Tuesday, March 7. The darkest hour is at 12:09 am, followed by dawn at 6:07 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:36 am in the east (101°) and last for 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 35 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:14 am with sun in the east-southeast (107°).Tonight will have 12 hours and 47 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 50 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will snow, mainly before 4pm. 🌨 High of 33 degrees at 1pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 8th. Southeast wind 9 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 1903. 9.7 inches of snow fell back in 1948.❄
In four weeks on March 27 the sun will be setting in the west (275°) at 7:16 pm (Daylight Savings Time),🌄 which is one hour, 33 minutes and 10 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 54 and 38 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 50 and 30 degrees. The record high of 78 degrees was set back in 1998. Days like that will be so nice but first through the snow storm.
Looking ahead, 8 PM Dusk 🌆 is in 6 weeks, Arbor Day 🌳 is in 2 months, May 🕊 is in 9 weeks, 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ is in 14 weeks, Average High is 80 🏖 is in 16 weeks, World Mosquito Day 🐞 is in 25 weeks, Labor Day 👨🏭 is in 27 weeks, September 11th 🇺🇸 is in 28 weeks, 7 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 29 weeks, More Night then Day 🌌 is in 7 months, Average Night Below Freezing 🌌 is in 37 weeks, Cyber Monday 🛍️ is in 9 months, First Sunday of Advent ✝️ is in 40 weeks, Bake Cookies Day 🍪 is in 42 weeks and Christmas 🎅 is in 43 weeks.
Good evening! Mostly clear and 29 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a northwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 11 am. 🌡️
Don’t be sad 😔 that it’s over, remember the good times. I really enjoyed the rural landscape of Madison County and getting away. 🚜 There is something so charming about the deep rural. I wish I could live there. Maybe someday but not in New York State. I guess money isn’t a big deal as I think but I’m not sure how I would make ends meet in a place like Madison County. 🧑🌾 I’m sure there are many other places like it only without the silliness of our wonderful state. I just love all the browns and earthy colors this time of year, the smells of the earth, silage, manure and wood smoke. 🐮
It really turned out to be a wonderful trip. 🗻 Today finally had bright blue skies and the snow 🌨 and ice on the trees was amazing. Too bad my camera 📸 battery was dead and I had to use my cellphone 📱 as they’ve cleared the top of Tassell Hill and there are great views of the Mohawk Valley and Adirondacks now. Such an amazing weekend. Cold ❄ at times but not unexpected for December. Maybe I should have hot tented but I was fine under the covers in my truck.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 19 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 19th. Maximum wind chill around 17 at 2am; Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of -23 occurred back in 1971.
Tonight will have a Waining Crescent 🌘 Moon with 27% illuminated. The Snow ❄ Moon is on Wednesday, February 1. The darkest hour is at 12:06 am, followed by dawn at 6:52 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:23 am in the east-southeast (118°) and last for 3 minutes and 18 seconds. Sunrise is 29 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 8:07 am with sun in the southeast (126°).Tonight will have 14 hours and 30 minutes of darkness, a decrease of one minute and 43 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will have a slight chance of freezing rain between 11am and noon, then a chance of rain. Increasing clouds 🌧, with a high of 36 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 14th. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light freezing rain in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 36 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1889. 10.9 inches of snow fell back in 1994.❄
In four weeks on February 13 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (253°) at 5:25 pm,🌄 which is 35 minutes and 58 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had cold, mostly cloudy and temperatures between 21 and 5 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 35 and 17 degrees. The record high of 58 degrees was set back in 1900.
Looking ahead, tommorow is , National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 is Next Monday, Save the Pine Bush Turns 43 🦋 is in 3 weeks, Presidents Day 👴 is in 5 weeks, 8 PM Dusk 🌆 is in 12 weeks, Average High is 60 🌷 is in 3 months, May 🕊 is in 15 weeks, 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ is in 20 weeks, Average High is 80 🏖 is in 22 weeks, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 6 months, World Mosquito Day 🐞 is in 31 weeks, Labor Day 👨🏭 is in 33 weeks, September 11th 🇺🇸 is in 34 weeks, 7 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 35 weeks, Average Night Below Freezing 🌌 is in 43 weeks, Cyber Monday 🛍️ is in 45 weeks, First Sunday of Advent ✝️ is in 46 weeks, Tea Party Day 🐍 is in 11 months, Bake Cookies Day 🍪 is in 48 weeks and Christmas 🎅 is in 49 weeks.
Geographic Information Services (GIS) – Maps – Cartography
I am an amateur cartographer who designs maps and does a wide variety geospatial analysis using free and open-source geographic information software (GIS) and public sources of data to design quality maps, graphs, charts and datasets. I am looking for new and interesting projects to improve my skills, make connections and expand my portfolio.
Are you looking for my personal blog with it’s hiking, camping and outdoor recreation maps, along with a variety of charts, photos, and stories? Please visit andyarthur.org.
Mapping Avaliable
Tax/Property Mapping
High Resolution Aerial Photography
Recreational Maps – Hunting, Camping, Hiking
Georeference addresses using State Address Mapping service, plot them on a map
Wetlands, Topographic Contours, Land Cover
Compare historical aerial photos or maps to current photography
Web mapping using leaflet (HTML/Javascript file to embed on a website or use at home)
For most projects, there is no fee. I am looking for experience, references, mentors and connections in the geospatial community.
If you have a large project, let’s talk about it. I might be willing to do it for free, if it’s something really interesting or important like fighting suburban sprawl and pollution. I don’t a business or taxes set up, so I can’t really charge at this point.
How to get started?
Please send me an email describing the mapping or data project in as much detail as possible.
US Census – 2019 American Community Survey, 2020 US Census
NYS Tax and Assessment Rolls (2020)
NYSDOT Traffic Counts and Road Data
Historical Aerial Photography (primarily 1952, but earlier and later exist)
ArcGIS REST/Services and WMS Services from state and local agencies
LiDAR Elevation Profiles
USGS Topographic Maps, historic and modern – with overlays if requested
Data Repositories like CUGIR, DataNY.gov and NYSGIS
Recreation data from NYSDEC
Software Used
Quantum GIS (QGIS) including 3D Mapping
Geodata Abstraction Library (GDAL, ogr2ogr)
Python, including the data-science libraries PANDAS and GeoPANDAS
LeafletJS Web Mapping Services
Geographies Avaliable
Primary Capital Region and also much of New York State, also some for Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia
State, county, municipal, school districts – Most data sets
Parks, highways, buffer (distance to) – Most data sets
Election districts – Roughly 75% of NYS counties
Census Tract or Blockgroup – 2019 American Community Survey
Tabulation Block – 2020 US Census
Are printed maps avaliable at this time?
Not currently. I can send you a file based on your specifications to print at your local print shop.
How long do mapping projects take?
Depends on complexity of the project. Many projects only take minutes, however if a project requires georeferencing, data cleaning, or custom shapes or layouts, it might take significantly longer. More revisions lead to better quality output.
Do you make maps professionally?
No! This is just a hobby. But I’m interested in expanding my skills. I do a lot of mapping for my blog and in support of community organizations like Save the Pine Bush.
Are my maps of good quality?
Thats for you to decide. I don’t have formal education in map making, and I don’t have professional tools. But do take a look at the work I’ve done below.
Examples of Maps
This shows a 3D rendering of the Buckville Canal north of Hamilton
This map shows the use of 2020 PL 94-171 data to calculate population density in City of Albany.
This 1985 aerial photo shows Crossgates Mall prior to it’s expansion.
This GIF image shows the change in unemployment during Coronavirus panademic.
This image shows hiking trails near Brooktrout, Falls Pond and Deep Lake.
Peebles Island, a Comparison 1952
3D Interactive of campsites at Moose River Plains.
import pandas as pd
import geopandas as gpd
# path to overlay shapefile
overlayshp = r'/tmp/dis_to_albany.gpkg'
# summary level -- 750 is tabulation block, 150 is blockgroup
# large areas over about 50 miles much faster to use bg
summaryLevel = 150
#summaryLevel = 750
# path to block or blockgroup file
if summaryLevel == 150:
blockshp = r'/home/andy/Documents/GIS.Data/census.tiger/36_New_York/tl_2020_36_bg20.shp.gpkg'
else:
blockshp = r'/home/andy/Documents/GIS.Data/census.tiger/36_New_York/tl_2020_36_tabblock20.shp.gpkg'
# path to PL 94-171 redistricting geoheader file
pl94171File = '/home/andy/Desktop/nygeo2020.pl'
# field to categorize on (such as Ward -- required!)
catField = 'Name'
# geo header contains 2020 census population in column 90
# per PL 94-171 documentation, low memory chunking disabled
# as it causes issues with the geoid column being mixed types
df=pd.read_csv(pl94171File,delimiter='|',header=None, low_memory=False )
# column 2 is summary level
population=df[(df.iloc[:,2] == summaryLevel)][[9,90]]
# load overlay
overlay = gpd.read_file(overlayshp).to_crs(epsg='3857')
# shapefile of nys 2020 blocks, IMPORTANT (!) mask by output file for speed
blocks = gpd.read_file(blockshp,mask=overlay).to_crs(epsg='3857')
# geoid for linking to shapefile is column 9
joinedBlocks=blocks.set_index('GEOID20').join(population.set_index(9))
# store the size of unbroken blocks
# in case overlay lines break blocks into two
joinedBlocks['area']=joinedBlocks.area
# run union
unionBlocks=gpd.overlay(overlay, joinedBlocks, how='union')
# drop blocks outside of overlay
unionBlocks=unionBlocks.dropna(subset=[catField])
# create population projection when a block crosses
# an overlay line -- avoid double counting -- this isn't perfect
# as we loose a 0.15 percent due to floating point errors
unionBlocks['sublock']=unionBlocks[90]*(unionBlocks.area/unionBlocks['area'])
# sum blocks in category
unionBlocks=pd.DataFrame(unionBlocks.groupby(catField).sum()['sublock'])
# rename columns
unionBlocks=unionBlocks.rename({'sublock': '2020 Census Population'},axis=1)
# calculate cumulative sum as you go out each ring
unionBlocks['millions']=unionBlocks.cumsum(axis=0)['2020 Census Population']/1000000
# each ring is 50 miles
unionBlocks['miles']=unionBlocks.index*50
# output
unionBlocks
Land use in town of Berne (from 2016 National Land Cover Dataset)
Most highly assessed properties in Albany County …
Good morning! Happy Sunday. ⛪ Third Sunday of advent, last day of autumn 2020. Winter 2021 starts tomorrow. That said it’s going to warm up a lot this week with possibly heavy rain on Christmas Eve. 🎄 ☔ Two weeks to Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️. Mostly cloudy and 21 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The current wind chill is 10. There are 21 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 10 am. 🌡️
Yesterday was nice cross country skiing 🎿 at Schodack Island. That said I really enjoyed the Christmas 🤶🏻 Spice Cookies 🍪 they have at Aldi’s. Cheap too and so good. I really need to get over to Rennselear more often. Well with winter I probably will ski more at Schodack Island as there isn’t the hills there to fall on as my skiis are fairly aggressive, designed for groomed trails. I saw a fair number of bright red robins and Blue Jays out there and lots of eastern sparrows. 🐦 Kind of a pretty sunset 🌇 and I ran into one of Albany’s most chatty insiders there 🗣️ and we chatted for a while until right before the park was locked 🔒 for the evening. Fun though, and I got to learn all the gossips about Albany.
I tell you when I own my own land, 🛒 I hope to live near enough a town that has an Aldi’s – they’re cheap, fun and so convenient. While they don’t have the selection of a Wally World or the bulk goods, 🍱 I like their product selection. True, sometimes the lower their prices by smaller packages 📦 but as they say, the burn barrel gotta eat too. 🔥 Plus a good library to download podcasts, 🎧 and a laundromat. 👚 I wouldn’t mind living out in the sticks 🐮 in a town that smells like silage and manure some of the year but it’s nice to have access to the basics. Good gun shop 🔫 too.
You can forget what an agricultural county Rennselear is but while I was shopping 🛒 at Aldi, I spotted a Toyota Tundra with a big metal flask in the backseat. It caught my eye 👁🗨 and it turned out to be a bucket milker. 🐮 Dairy farmer, maybe a small scale operation or maybe they’re using it to milk a cow that is on the withdrawal period from antibiotics or for feeding calves. Big unit though, must be heavy when it’s full of milk but then again Holstein do produce a lot of milk 🥛. Upstate NY may have fewer farms but there are still a lot of people who homestead and live off the land – and Aldi’s is such an affordable option.
At any rate, yesterday was nice ☀ and pretty sunny although a bit cold but nice when I was moving. Getting off the trails though was a bit of slog with the skiis though. 🎿 I thought about going up to Partridge Run but it’s still black powder season 🦌 and I’d be drowned out probably by the noise of snow machines.
Today will snow showers likely, mainly after 3pm. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 32 degrees at 5pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 27th. South wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 21 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1957. 8.4 inches of snow fell back in 1975.❄
Not a super nice day out today 🌨️ just very gray. I told mom and dad I’d be out for Sunday dinner assuming that it doesn’t snow too much. 🍲 It will be nice to see them. I’m really not out and about in the community lately and we’ll stay socially distant. I do go to the supermarket 🛒 from time but I wear a mask 😷 and any COVID positive person I might be near its very passing at that.
Dash cam hasn’t been working right for some time now. 📹 It looked like it was crashing. I am going to try reformatting the memory cards 🎴 and installing the latest firmware update and clean the lens off. I really like capturing some scenes from my trips on the dash cam but it hasn’t been working reliaby all autumn. It is about four years old and though is exposed to all the heat and cold in the windshield so maybe a capictor or the alike is failing.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:54 am with sun having an altitude of 24° from the due south horizon (-46.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:40 pm with the sun in the southwest (230°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (238°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:25 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 25 seconds with dusk around 4:56 pm, which is 27 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the south (174°) at an altitude of 37° from the horizon, 246,764 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:33 pm. At sunset, look for snow 🌨 and temperatures around 31 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 2 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 6 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers before 9pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 26 degrees at 4am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around December 4th. Maximum wind chill around 24 at 4am; South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had light rain. It got down to 8 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1942.
They still haven’t done the sidewalks near where I live ❄ which is super obnoxious. I thought about a day time walk 🚶🏻 – it’s plowed on the Bypass sidewalks but not Elm at this point. I guess it’s just a lot of snow, there has been budget cuts and probably workers are quarrentined with COVID. 👾 I don’t know, it’s frustrating 😤 as I sure miss my morning and evening walks, especially as I work from home these days.
Today a train moved very fast in America — that is relatively speaking. 🚉 In 1967, a Pennsylvania Railroad Budd Metroliner exceeds 155 mph on their New York Division, now Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. But they would never operate that fast and frequently broke down and would be scrapped by the late 1980s or used as coaches towed by diesel locomotives. But the truth is that Penn Central was in bad shape by the 1960s, and while the Northeast Corridor was still profitable to the system, the entire railroad suffered from Penn Central decades of neglect.
Tuesday I am thinking I’ll work down at the library parking lot 🅿 for probably the balance of the day. It’s going to be in the upper 30s and sunny ☀ so it should be warm enough. I have a Zoom meeting then and I have plenty of cellular bandwidth I still prefer to use the library wifi 📚 as then I can do the Zoom from my laptop do other things while the meeting drags on. Plus I want to do some things with WMS map services and I don’t want to use too much of my limited Hotspot data on my phone. 📱
It looks like Christmas Eve 🎅🏻 is going to be warm and rainy, ☔ so I’m hoping that I can go up to the Adirondacks for a long weekend of winter camping 🏕 with the hot tent starting Christmas Day. Its been a while since I’ve slept outside and that really does wonders for my sleep.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️ when the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm with dusk at 5:06 pm. On that day in 2020, we had mostly cloudy, mild, rain showers and temperatures between 47 and 39 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 31 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1913.
Good morning! Happy Bill of Rights Day 📜! While the constitution is just a sheet of paper it’s important we elect good people to enforce it. ⚖ Next Tuesday the Days are Getting Longer ☀️. Looking forward to that. Already we are starting to get a little more daylight in the evening although that’s offset by super dark mornings that have been particularly cloudy lately.
Mostly sunny and 27 degrees in Delmar, NY. Breezy, ️16 mph breeze from the northwest 🌬 . The current wind chill is 15. 🌅 Things will start to thaw out at Sunday around 11 am. 🌡️
Even with the relatively low sun angle, ☀ the bright sun and blue skies help a lot. Out for my morning walk 🚶🏻 not any snow or ice to deal with. It looks like the impending snow storm 🌨 is going to stay south of us for the most part, just cloudy and cold for us here. And certainly not a ton of snow in the Adirondacks which is what I really care about for a Christmas weekend camping trip. 🎄
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 31 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees below normal, colder than a typical winter day. Northwest wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. But I don’t care, the cold is keeping the snow south of us it seems. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 2015. 8.2 inches of snow fell back in 1968.❄
I have a few supplies I want to pick up today 🏪 and then I will go down to the library to work. 💻 I also have a Zoom with a community group I’m involved in, I plan to listen to that in the background. The store stock tool says that Walmart has headphones in stock again so I’m hoping to pick them up. 🎧 Kind of a cold day but once my truck is warmed up with the sun I should be fine ☀ working from the parking lot. Tomorrow with the snow 🌨 and probably mostly clouds, I’ll work from home. If I end up burning up too much data that’s fine, I need to reup my plan come next Wednesday and if I loose a day off my year long plan then so be it. I may need the extra bandwidth for work next week at any rate. 📶
Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:52 am with sun having an altitude of 24.1° from the due south horizon (-46.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:38 pm with the sun in the southwest (231°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (239°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:24 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 24 seconds with dusk around 4:54 pm, which is 15 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the southwest (230°) at an altitude of 5° from the horizon, 232,750 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:31 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 29 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 18. ☃️ There will be a northwest breeze at 15 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 28 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 12 degrees at 5am. Nine degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 4 at 5am; Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. In 2019, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 25 degrees. The record low of -11 occurred back in 1917.
I turned on my little portable electric heater ♨ before bed for a little while last night. I think it’s cheaper than turning up the heat downstairs. Last month I only paid 13.1 cents for each extra kilowatt hour I consumed and if I’m only using it for a few minutes here and there it’s cheaper than turning the main heat up. So far in the week I’ve had it I’ve only used it fit a few hours. I’m thinking about also getting a heating pad as an inexpensive way to stay warm this winter. I’m not thrilled about being home all winter and having the heat on all day even if it’s on low. My bill was $72 last month and it remains elevated through the winter.
On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed under the weight of rush-hour traffic, resulting in the deaths of 46 people. Two of the victims were never found. 🌉 The Silver Bridge was an eyebar-chain suspension bridge built in 1928 and named for the color of its aluminum paint. The bridge carried U.S. Route 35 over the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. Investigation of the wreckage pointed to the cause of the collapse being the failure of a single eyebar in a suspension chain, due to a small defect 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) deep. Analysis showed that the bridge was carrying much heavier loads than it had originally been designed for and had been poorly maintained. The collapsed bridge was replaced by the Silver Memorial Bridge, which was completed in 1969.
Also, today in 2000, was an the end of an era at the infamous Chernobyl Power Plant. Reactor No. 4 was the site of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, and the power plant is now within a large restricted area known as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. ☢ Both the zone and the former power plant are administered by the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management. The three remaining reactors remained operational after the accident; all three were eventually shut down by 2000, and the plant remains in the process of decommissioning. 🤯 Nuclear clean-up is scheduled for completion in 2065.
Saturday looks the sunniest but coldest for the, . 😕 Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 32. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees.
As previously noted, next Tuesday the days are getting longer ☀️ when the sun will be setting at 4:25 pm with dusk at 4:57 pm. On that day in 2019, we had sunny and temperatures between 34 and 10 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 34 degrees. We hit a record high of 60 back in 1990.
Good morning! Happy November 🥧! This is my favorite month of the year. Mostly because of the pumpkin pie. 🎃 Plus I love the ways the woods looks on a clear November Day and long nights around the campfire. 🔥Big warm up next week. 😊Five weeks to First Sunday of Advent ✝️.
We’ve had a few breaks of sun, but I’d say it’s mostly cloudy and 37 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 5 am. ☃️Not uncommon for November.
It was a nice hike to Five Rivers 🐦 yesterday but it sure gets dark early now and even darker come today with the time change. Nice bright Halloween Blue Moon 🌕 last night – I looked at it through the window but it was kind of cold so I stayed inside. Still having a lot of trouble sleeping so I retired to bed early last night 🛏 and took full advantage of the extra hour of sleep 😴 during the extra hour we got last night.
The autumn sleeping problem 💤 is particularly accute this year but I’ve been trying to get to bed 🛏 extra early and sleep up later to deal with the many hours I spend awake in the wee hours of the day listening to random podcasts. 🚜 Learning a lot about random agriculture topics and hunting 🦌 when I end up at two AM not being able to sleep. I am going to buy some sleeping pills 💊 today. At least with the extra hours in bed I’ve been sleeping I haven’t been super tired in the day time like in years past.
Today will have showers, mainly after 2pm. 🌦 High of 50 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around November 10th. More mercury than yesterday but colder with a breeze and showers. South wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 70 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1950. 3.9 inches of snow fell back in 1951.❄
With the rain it’s certain to get dark early tonight. 🌃 The time change too. I have some work stuff to do this afternoon 💻 before I squeeze in a walk assuming it’s not raining out this evening.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:40 am with sun having an altitude of 32.8° from the due south horizon (-38.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. This time of year the sun is quite weak and the shadows quite long. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:09 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (244°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (251°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:49 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 5 seconds with dusk around 5:17 pm, which is one hour, one minute and 18 seconds earlier than yesterday due to the time change. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:52 pm. At sunset, look for gustyrain showers 🌧 and temperatures around 50 degrees. Breezy, 16 mph breeze ⛅ from the south with gusts up to 28mph. Today will have 10 hours and 17 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 33 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will rain and snow showers before 4am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 5am. 🌧 Low of 32 degrees at 6am. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 13th. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2019, we had clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 35 degrees. The record low of 19 occurred back in 2002.
One month 📅 from now will be December 🎄 when the sun will be setting at 4:23 pm with dusk at 4:54 pm.
Good morning! Happy Last Sunset After 6:30 PM 🌆! Four weeks to November 🥧. Don’t forget we set the clocks back one hour at Daylight Savings Time ends November 1st. So it will be only 8 am that day but the mornings will be brighter. Partly sunny and 36 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. I kind of regret leaving my windows open later night ⬜ it’s kind of cold this morning. ❄
After having eggs 🥚 the past few days for breakfast, today it was pancakes 🥞 I blueberry sauce for a change. Still haven’t gotten butter or contact solution 🍶midday on Monday for a few supplies. 🛒
Today will have patchy fog before 9am. Patchy frost before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 61 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 12th. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 59 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 1891. 6.5 inches of snow fell back in 1987.❄
I decided to go up to Partridge Run this morning 🌲🍁🐦🐿️ although already starting to cloud 🌥 up for a nice most of the day walk to enjoy the leaves. Mostly just a road hike but I might do some trails too to complete the loop.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:45 pm with sun having an altitude of 42.8° from the due south horizon (-28° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 6.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:55 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (258°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (265°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 6:32 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 6:59 pm, which is one minute and 44 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 7:33 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 58 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 11 hours and 34 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over yesterday.
After hiking the plan is to go to the parents house for Sunday dinner 🍲. Probably be too cold to eat outside but that’s fine. It should though be a nice day for hiking if the clouds 🌥 don’t push in too early.
Tonight will have a slight chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 45 degrees at 4am. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 2nd. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 34 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1965.
I soaked and scrubbed my socks 🧦 in preparation for washing them today. The come out a lot cleaner that way. I tossed a few of them in with the paper trash to burn 🔥 that had a lot of holes figuring they were just cotton but fished them out figuring I can still recycle ♻ them as they still have free cloth and shoe recycling 👢 and I’ll probably drop off my old boots and worn out clothes once I get new boots next week. My current boots have worn holes through their soles but otherwise are in decent condition.
Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until November 🥧 when the sun will be setting at 4:47 pm with dusk at 5:17 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2019, we had cloudy skies, rain showers and temperatures between 70 and 42 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 54 degrees. We hit a record high of 78 back in 1950.
