Weather screwy...Early Fall?

We've had an unusual week of rain and cooler temps this passed week....very unusual for my area...not that I'm complaining. I've been letting the garden dry out so I can till exsisting rows and re-seed rows damaged by armadillos then finish sewing what needs to be sewn for Aug.garden calender. Last night I caught the weather....60% chance of rain for Sat. and 20-40% chance for the coming week,cool temps.

Signs of an early fall? I need a farmer almanac.


P

We've definitely had a turn toward Fall weather here in SE PA and I have planted lettuce, Bok Choy and other Chinese cabbages along with mustard greens. They have already sprouted.

This message was edited Aug 15, 2008 7:41 AM

SSHHHHHH!!!!! Don't remind the weather. I'm loving this, please don't make it stop.......

It feels more like September than August around here, but I'm loving it. I hope this doesn't mean an early winter, however.

It's still as hot as Texas down here, but there is a Hint in the morning and evening that usually doesn't come until late September. Suits me fine!!!

We had a chilly day today (jacket weather) & it was 48 degrees when I looked at the thermometer out back around 8:30, but I can't have fall yet - my tomatoes aren't ripe!! I have enjoyed the cool temps & some much needed rain though.

This is really weird weather for us. I can't remember having this much rain in Aug. not to mention the mild temps. Mind you,I'm not complianing...it just weird.

P

We're having a lot more rain than normal here too. And cooler temps--down to 70 at night. It does almost feel like October when I go outside. All this "extra" rain has got all my trees and other plants that I can't water smiling! I don't want an early winter either but I'd sure take an early fall!! I'm real tired of 100+ days.

We're getting more rain this am. Weatherman calling for a chance of rain every day again this week. Weekend is suppose to be back up in mid-90's.

Not having to water and run the a/c is giving my electric bill a break.

P

Amen to saving on the AC and water bills!!

Even with this nice unusual weather,I'm ready for fall and even a little winter.

P

Iowa has had a wonderful cool late summer too. I've been out working in the yard all day and evening, all month. We lost out on some rain, but we watered. Today we finally got 4/10'' I would be out digging iris otherwise.

I vote for 2 more months of summer. Winter comes all too soon in these parts.

Me too. It's cool, but wet and uncomfortable. I'm in no hurry for cold weather!!!

It seems so strange to read that you folks well south of us are feeling cooler temperatures. We were just at 96.8 °F. Today it's cooling off (cloud cover) and rain is expected. 95 °F is forecasted to be here again by Monday.

Thankfully this year, unlike last year, the nights are cooling off..

This message was edited Aug 21, 2008 5:37 PM

Hi Lilypon!

It has been a strange year for Iowa. We had ample rain the first half and it's been spotty lately. Our bluegrass never went dormant. Green all summer. No crunchy dormant patches.I should have mowed a couple of days ago and with the lack of rain, have waited. It's only getting long in the shade.

We had a few air conditioning days and hot nights, but I never took the comforter off. Just throw out an arm or leg if it gets warm :o)

Hi Billy! Ü

Wish I could say the same here our grass is very, very golden (with a touch of green since we finally got a good rain ~ a week ago).

We've only had one really warm night this year.....if we have another summer like last year however I will be buying a A/C unit. Like you, on the one warm night this year, I kept popping my legs out from under the sheets (and then went and had a cold tub). For the majority of this summer the cool air coming in the window felt fabulous.

The heat we do need now however......the crops here had a very late start (due to lack of rain) and have caught up considerably but need the heat to make sure ripening happens before frost.

Frost is predicted here in mid September (I'm hoping for the third or fourth week).

This message was edited Aug 21, 2008 5:56 PM

I've missed you on weather.

The frosts are a good month earlier than me. I hear you on crops ripening. It's touch and go for the farmers anymore.

We have had the best fruit set this year. I'm hoping to press a lot of apple juice.

:) Thank you Billy.....unfortunately both of my parents' health is worsening so I've found it difficult to post with any regularity.

Yep re "touch and go" another Canadian posted in the Canadian forum it's been a real crap shot for farmers everywhere in North America (both her farm and ours was hailed out this summer). :(

With the world population growing like it is we sure can't afford to have many summers like this one.

Well,it's still raining here(as of yesterday evening). I can't get out to weed flowerbeds or get my fall vegetable seeds sewn. What I did get sewn before all this rain (and what the armadillos didn't dig up) are ankle deep in weeds and grass.This late in the game,I won't have any produce for fall famers market.

I won't even listen to the weather any more but I do believe as I passed thur the den last night to the kitchen...I heard that dreeded word again on the tv.

This has got to be the wettest and mildest Aug. on record in my area.

Hard to believe it's hotter in Canada than in Texas. It's been in the high 80s all week and raining -- I think we've finally about overcome our deficit. Weather patterns are most definitely changing.

Brigidlily believe me I feel that way too.

Here's an article that was in our newspaper last year when we hit 118 F (actual reading and humidity combined)

This was in today's paper (it delt with Saskatchewan but I'm betting the forecast will be the same for interior British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba.

The head of Environment Canada (weather division) told a funny (re Saskatchewan's heat wave):

Environment Canada's weather guru wonders if Regina's hot and steamy nights are causing a cold front to move into local bedrooms.

"Maybe there will be a huge population dip nine months from now," said David Phillips in a recent interview from Toronto.

"We could be hearing, 'Not tonight honey, not with the humidex' and they'd clearly have a right. We always say that these extremes of weather will have an effect on demographics. It's the reverse of the cold night where everyone snuggles up and one thing leads to another."

************************

He also had this to say:

Phillips is shocked by the heat and humidity highs in a province that prides itself for its dry heat.

"In many ways, this is more extreme than any brutally cold day in January -- you're used to that, it's part of your climate -- it's not a surprise," he said. "With the cold, you can always find some relief. You can stay indoors, you can dress up. Unless you are a street person, you can handle it. But now you're dealing with something that's foreign to you. This is not dry heat, this is the steam-bath, jungle-kind of heat."

Saskatchewan residents lack the coping skills of Ontarians, who are used to hot, humid summers and spend more money on air conditioning than on electric heat, Phillips said. (my note...many here don't have them because we have to spend money on winters that can drop down to -52 degrees Celcius...-61.6 degree Fahrenheit)

He also said:

"Get used to it -- there's more warm, warm weather across the province and we're saying that for August, September and October," he said. "Often, from a health and psychological point of view, what wears you down is the duration of something. The body can stand it for one hour or one day, but when you get to three days or four days, it just accelerates the stress and the anguish that people are going through." (we had it for the whole month of July)

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Today we are deliciously cool 50 F (it's pouring outside) but we are still forecasted to warm up again (but the high heat won't last as long this time): http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CASK0210



This message was edited Aug 22, 2008 10:05 AM

This message was edited Aug 26, 2008 9:02 AM

Here's a map that showed that 2007 heat wave (in the States). We are located right above the darkest maroon blob (and we were right in the middle of it).

edited to say it isn't showing the "Feels like" or humidex abnormality rating however.



This message was edited Aug 23, 2008 8:54 AM

I'm in the pale blue that goes from Texas into Louisiana. That's a scary kind of map!

It is. :(

Last year had El Nino influencing the summer weather up until the end of July, then La Nina kicked in. La Nina stayed with us until ~ the end of July, 2008, and now we are in a neutral zone (but the remnants of La Nina is still affecting the weather somewhat). So I expect fall and winter won't be as early or with the long lasting cold that we had last winter.

Praying that I never feel a summer here as hot/humid as last year ever again.

Then stay out of Texas! (NOT, you realize, that you wouldn't be welcome!) ;}

LOLOL Trust me I'll avoid your summer months like the plague!!!

So what is the highest "Feels Like" (temperature and humidity combined) that you've experienced in Texas?

we actualy had some sun yesterday....I like to went blind. Weather shows will be drier next week w/ temps in lo to mid 90's. Now maybe I can get some gardening done but to late to sew veggies for fall market.

Lilypon, sorry about your parents. It's a tough thing to deal with. Hail. That's too bad.

Bigred, I hear your plight. The weeds then continue to grow, keep the moisture and pretty soon you have rotting plants.

It's easier to put on a blanket to warm up, but heat kills.

The map IS scary. I'm in the second darkest blue spot. The red is positivly dangerous!

We're 80* to 85* all week with low 55* to 60*. It will be very nice here. A few mosquitos are out at dawn and dusk. Otherwise we only have a few flies to bother us. Another oddity. No flies.

Wacky weather here too. Today I need pants and a long sleeve shirt. WINDY as we are getting the backside of Fay. But it's been cooler all week and gorgeous. Not much sun but perfect for starting my fall seedlings and transplanting them. The cloudy weather seems to be finally signalling my tomatoes of shorter day length and to hurry up and RIPEN.

GGG

Talking about wacky weather..... I just spent a week down in my hometown in extreme Western OK visiting my 91 year "young" Mom. It rained 2.5 inches & temperatures were in the 70s--80s for the entire week...and... IT IS AUGUST!!!!!! Never remember such weather in Western OK during my 67 years on this celestial orb. It's normally HOT as H@!$!! & DRY, dry, dry this time of year, but.... I "ain't" complaining... it was a wonderful change!!!!!!

Back in July I went out in the morning to mow. I have a little thermometer in the shade of the porch, and when I was done mowing, about 8:30 I think, it read about 90. I set it in the sun, just to see, and within ten minutes it was almost 120. And that didn't measure the humidity, just the direct sunlight. For at least six months of a mild summer, you can't even walk to your car without breaking into a sweat.

The temperatures below were taken from weather towers (our thermometer in town, on the north side of the house over grass, read 50 Celsius with the humidity added in). Moose Jaw is situated in a valley and our weather tower is up on the plains so it reads lower than what we'd feel in a valley) but the weather tower records our official temperature.

From July 22 to 24, Regina recorded 29 hours of humidex values above 40, including a reading of 48 degrees Celsius (heat and humidity combined), for two consecutive hours, shattering the previous record of 44.5. Without question, it was the most uncomfortable spell of weather in Regina's history.

If it was sultry in Regina, it was downright oppressive in Carman, Manitoba. On July 25 at 3:00 p.m. CDT, Carman registered the day's maximum temperature at a sizzling 34°C with a dew point of 30° - literally jungle humidities. (It is unconfirmed, but the 30° dew point might be a new record high in Canada.) The combination of excessive heat and humidity generated a humidex rating of 53, breaking the all-time Canadian record of 52.1 set in Windsor, ON on June 20, 1953. On the same day, Winnipeg's humidex reached 48, breaking its all-time record of 46.1 set in 1996.

Unsafe humidity levels, due to the industrial A/C's that kept breaking down, forced the cancellation of hundreds of elective surgeries at several hospitals across the west. High humidity compromises sterile equipment and increases the risk of post-operative infection. The elderly found it hard to cope with the high heat-humidity, which often causes nausea and dizziness from exhaustion and dehydration. Horses at Winnipeg's Assiniboia Downs were given time off because of the danger of heat stroke. Stores struggled to keep fans and air conditioners in stock. Finding air conditioning was only half the battle; getting it installed or serviced was a two-week wait. The warm moist air put a strain on utilities and helped establish a new summer record for power consumption, coming close to winter's record peak load. In some spots, bloated fish floated onto the shores of several overheated lakes, streams and reservoirs. "Summer kill" occurs when high temperatures and little or no wind create oxygen depletion, suffocating fish. Hundreds of dead ducks also turned up in lakes east of Calgary, probable victims of a toxin that thrives in hot, dry weather.

The extreme heat and humidity also wreaked havoc on crops, hitting canola and peas the hardest. Scorching temperatures and dry skies (re no rain) reduced grain yields and lowered quality across the West. In some northern areas, it was a disappointing year with a double weather whammy - too wet a spring to plant and then torrid heat in summer. Excessive heat however, meant fewer crop diseases and pest problems and advanced crop development (harvest of wheat occurred in the first week of August rather then the normal Sept/early Oct ).

At night the thermometer readings would drop but the humidity would rise to the 80's and 90 percent so we were feeling like we were living in a Japanese sauna (no A/C in this house).

Last summer we had more than a taste of Texas/Louisiana/Florida/Georgia humidity. I'd rather take our normal dry heat. ;)




This message was edited Aug 26, 2008 9:59 AM

This message was edited Aug 26, 2008 10:01 AM

I corrected the reading I posted way above .....it should have read 118 F not 148 F. :S

What was so incredible about last year was the August heat being felt in early July (never mind the previously unknown, to the west, high humidity readings).

An article in the paper at that time:



Temperatures across the Prairies continued to soar Tuesday, rising 10 to 15 degrees above seasonal averages as a heat wave moved through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and into northwestern Ontario.

The heat wave swept into the Prairies over the weekend, breaking heat records in several cities dating back as far as the 1930s.

A heat wave is defined as three or more consecutive days of temperatures 32 C or higher. Extreme heat can lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, Health Canada's website states. To avoid heat-related illnesses, Health Canada suggests staying in the shade, limiting activity to morning and evening, and drinking lots of water.

In Alberta, temperatures peaked over the weekend, with a high of 30 C in Calgary on Sunday, and started to drop on Tuesday.

Saskatchewan was hit hardest on Tuesday, with the southern city of Coronach being the hot spot for the country, hitting 40.1 C by mid-afternoon.

Regina has hit some of the highest temperatures in Saskatchewan, reaching 30 C and above every day since July 18. The average temperature for Regina in July is 26 C.

The extreme heat and humidity led to surgeries being postponed on Monday and Tuesday at the city's Pasqua Hospital after the facility's air conditioner broke down. Health officials said the humidity could result in an increased risk of infection.

Farmers across the province said the hot weather was causing drought and heat damage in their fields, especially in the southwest. If the heat keeps up, the crops could ripen too quickly, meaning lower yields and less money for Saskatchewan farmers.

In Winnipeg, the heat was so intense that not only temperature records melted — so did vinyl records. And there were reports that plastic storefront signs also melted. The temperature reached 34 C on Tuesday.

Across Manitoba, the high was 34.9 C in the northern city of Gillam.

Manitobans have tried to beat the heat by snapping up air conditioning units. Clayton Rifkind, of Oreck Canada in Winnipeg, said the store had to get an emergency shipment of the units on Saturday just to keep them in stock.

The heat wave moved into northwestern Ontario on Tuesday, with the highest temperature reaching 34.2 C in Fort Severn.

Relief is on the way for the Prairie provinces, as forecasters say a powerful cold front is set to move in. Temperatures already began dropping in Alberta on Tuesday, and starting Wednesday a cooling of 10 to 15 degrees will start sweeping across Saskatchewan, reaching Ontario by Thursday.

This cooling off should help bring temperatures in the region down to the seasonal average or slightly below.
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Yesterday we hit 88.16 °F (my conversion is correct this time ;) and today we will be hitting a high of 68 °F as it's supposed to rain this afternoon (the farmers here are harvesting their peas and canola crops now so they were out on the fields till very late last night trying to get it off in time).




This message was edited Aug 26, 2008 9:47 AM

I've been able to get out in the garden the past two days. Temps are still in lo-mid 90's but humidity is so bad I can only stay out for a couple of hours. It took the guy that mows my yard two days to get the yard mowed because he hasn't been able to mow for three weeks because of th rain.He has to mow late in the day because the grass is so wet with dew early of the am.

When it's so humid,your sweat can't evaporate to keep you cool.I have to come in and shower right away then it takes me an hour or so to recoup.

I'm getting out early this am to till. Thank goodness,all my neighbors around me either work or are early risers so I won't be disturbing them.

I guess down here it's the converse of making hay while the sun shines! I sometimes go out and work in the middle of the day on weekends, but it's exhausting. Can't keep it up for long. All apologies to those in the cold far north (hoping this year is an exception) I'm SO glad the days are getting shorter!

Very interesting reading of all your heat and humidity. Here where I live in desert area of WA have had very little rain. First measurable rain since mid-June was a couple of weeks ago. We had been having very hot above 100 degree for a couple of weeks and then after our short rain more hot weather but the humidity very low. Now for a week has been on th cloudy cool side. I haven't received much of any rain but just 4 miles away in the lower valley they had hard rain.

It was 41 degrees yesterday morning cooler than usual, felt like fall. I'm not ready for fall. Still have the last plant of corn to ripen. Tomatoes are doing well, took a couple of flats down to Senior Center Monday and they were gone quickly.

Donna

What made the extremely high humidity here so puzzling, in July, 2007, was the fact that we were having a drought. We had very little rain that month, or any of the months prior to that (except a couple of hundred miles up north where they did get very good rains in the early spring) but the humidity here was unreal (they say that we got it from the Gulf of Mexico). A high pressure system remained unmoving over us for a whole month. Normally here rain will cool the land and in drought conditions the excess moisture is sucked up pretty fast (like what's been happening this summer).....last July we only had two rather insignificant rainfalls.

This was taken on July 29, 2007 (For some reason or other they measured the temp/dew point in degrees Celsius instead of their normal Fahrenheit).


This message was edited Aug 28, 2008 12:08 AM

This is what North America looks like on Aug 28, 2008.


This message was edited Aug 27, 2008 11:41 PM

August 27, 2008 mid day dew point