Cascading Waters can be found at 135 Olean Street on the eastern edge of Worcester's northwest parklands, the Cascades. The Cascades are 350 acres of park and conservation lands along the borders of Worcester, Paxton, and Holden, Massachusetts. Home to countless species of plants and animals, the Cascades are open to passive recreation year-round.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Running high

The stream is down a bit from yesterday, to one foot even this morning. We've had a break from the heavy rain for a bit this morning.
Cook's Pond is quite high, having taken over much of our neighbor's backyard (across Olean Street).
Currently it is misting a bit.
The Cascades are roaring.
It is 40 degrees (down a bit) at 9 am.
The barometer is 28.91 and rising.

Also, Bill Randall's got a nice photo of the Cascades up today.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Seriously drenched!

UPDATE 3:30 p.m.
Brook at 1'4" surging to over 1'5"!
END UPDATE

Yesterday, before the present rains came in earnest, there were already places where dozens of earth worms were trying to escape the water saturated soil to avoid drowning. That was BEFORE last night and this morning.
Presently the glen out in front of the lodge is standing puddles everywhere.
The Cascades Brook has transcended the one channel, and the two, and the whole of the land between them is like a delta.
The Brook is presently running at 1'2" surging to 1'3" every couple of seconds. We have seen higher, even this spring, but it is still an admirable quantity of water.

The Cascades are white and frothy and the overflow channel is running as well.

By the way.... The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE (Ha!)
Presently at 2:36 p.m.:The pressure is 28.73" and declining;
The temperature is 43 degrees;There is a strong wind with occasional gusts;
It is raining!

The trails are beyond muddy, and there are large portions with standing water.

There is an upside to all of this as well!The rains have brought with them the greening of the dominant mosses and few grasses;
The rains have coaxed two croci out of the ground (purple and purple and white);The rains have also coaxed the native Bloodwort up, particularly where the flood occurred three odd weeks back.The rains are also swelling the buds on the bushes and trees.
So bear up! Spring is coming, just let the rains do their magic!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Rainy

...and the DPW truck just went by, checking the culverts.
There is a flood watch in effect: the forecasts say that we could have as much water heading downstream as we did for the storms two weeks ago. Make sure your culverts and storm drains are clear!

The stream is back up (I haven't checked today, but I can see it's running higher) and the Cascades are gushing.
At 2:30 pm, the temperature is 54 degrees
Barometer stands at 29.03 inches of mercury and steady
The fire danger is NONE; the entire East coast is clear.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Chilly!

The temperature has dropped back down today, 'though it does not appear to have slowed down the robins all over the lawn!
I woke up to them singing this morning.

At 9 am, it is 38 degrees (hey, it's too warm to snow, at least!)
The barometer is 29 inches even and rising (!)
Light rain
The stream is at 7.2 inches
The Cascades are flowing
The fire danger is MODERATE, but should be falling over the course of the day

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Squirrel

And in loading this up, I missed a photo, straight outside the window, of a groundhog. He's up!

Worcester State class coming through

...and don't you think they're all glad to be outside today, rather than in a classroom? A Landscape class, looking at neighborhoods, taking a walk on the property today.

The stream is at 7.8 inches, still running fast.
The Cascades are rushing.
At 10 am, it has just hit 50 degrees and rising.
Light wind
The fire danger locally remains low, 'though western Mass is creeping into moderate
The barometer is at 29.18 inches and steady

For those of you interested in the development next door, you might want to know that the owners are going before the Planning Board next Wednesday. The meeting starts at 5:30 pm in the Levi Lincoln room at City Hall, and the plan for 125 Olean is 7th on the agenda. They're asking for an extension on their approval for a subdivision, as their current one has expired.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Cooler, Overcast but Still Dry!

USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW;
The Cascades are still flowing lightly;
Pressure is 29.29" and steady;
Temperature is 44 degrees;
Overcast with a light breeze;
trails are continuing to dry out... just in time for some more rain!

That is right rain is headed out way for the next few days folks.
Savor the memories of the warmth and the sun.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Heading up

The forecast calls for close to 70 degrees here today; at 9:30 am, it is 60 degrees and rising.
The barometer stands at 29.15 inches and steady.
Clear blue skies
Fire danger continues to be high; this is NOT a good day to have a campfire!
ENJOY!

Friday, March 19, 2010

More of spring!

Another nice spring day here (nearly makes up for that cold driving rain last week).
Consequently, the fire danger is now HIGH, however.

At 9 am it is 52 degrees and rising
29.03 inches of mercury and steady
The stream is at 7.4 inches and the Cascades are rushing.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Better walking than riding

And a mom has just discovered what so many have about the upper end of the trail on Cascading Waters; it's easier with an empty stroller than a full one. That kid is walking!

It is a lovely day out again today. I heard a robin singing yesterday morning at the bus stop, and no doubt they will be out again today.

The stream is at 8.4 inches. The Cascade are rushing (and are attracting lots of attention; thanks for the link, Jeff!).

At 9:30 it is just hitting 50 degrees and still rising.
Sunny and cloudless
The barometer is at 29.21 degrees.
Fire danger is LOW

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Busy!

A backup of cars on Cataract Street, the lower parking area is full, there are kids in the brook...it must really be spring!

The stream is now down a bit around 9 inches.
At 4:30 it is still sunny and just 60 degrees
Barometer reading is 29.15 inches and steady
The Cascades are still rushing down the hill!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Rainy

There continues to be a flood warning in effect today.
The Cascades are continuing to roar; I think we've got an official spring thaw!
The stream is surging between 1 foot and 1.06 feet!

The barometer stands at 28.91 inches of mercury and steady under rainy skies
There is quite a bit of wind.
The fire danger is LOW
At 8:44 am, it has just hit 40 degrees

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Good Flow

The Cascades Brook is running heavy.
The Brook is at 1'3" surging to 1'4" every few seconds.

Both channels are open on the property with strong flow.

Presently at 1 p.m. the weather is:
Light but persistent mist;
strong wind;
40 degrees F;
the pressure is 28.97" and steady;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE (surprise!)

And attached is a video of the running Cascades!


Saturday, March 13, 2010

More on flooding!

1. The second stream channel is open at Cascading Waters;

2. We found the source of the flooding under the Lodge 2 weeks ago as the storm drain grate on Olean Street was 100% plugged and all the water from the minor falls ran across and down through Cascading Waters taking out a chunk of the driveway. (I have since peeled all of the debris out of the grate by hand.)

3. The stream flow is good and the Cascades are white.

Flood Watch!

The NOAA Weather Service has issued a flood watch for tonight through Monday Morning:


FROM 7 PM EST THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING

* ONE OF THE HEAVIEST WIDESPREAD SINGLE STORM LONG-DURATION RAIN
EVENTS SINCE SPRING 2006 APPEARS IMMINENT...ESPECIALLY FOR EASTERN
MASSACHUSETTS...THE EAST SLOPES OF BOTH THE WORCESTER HILLS AND
BERKSHIRES INTO PARTS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.

* RAINFALL TOTALS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES BY MONDAY MORNING...WITH 2 TO 4
INCHES OF RAINFALL TOWARD SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE. THERE IS HIGH
PROBABILITY OF RAINFALL EXCEEDING 4 INCHES ALONG THE INTERSTATE 95
CORRIDOR OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND. RUNOFF FROM THE RAIN
MAY DELAY RIVERS THREATENING TO EXCEED FLOOD STAGES TILL LATE
SUNDAY AFTERNOON OR EVEN EARLY MONDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON
CURRENT FORECASTS.


Presently at the Lodge it is 1:20 p.m. EDT;
The temperature is 37.5 degrees F;
The barometric pressure is 29.26" of Hg and falling;
It is overcast with a wind and raining;
the USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW.

The trails are wet and are only going to get wetter and muddier.
Several trails with stream crossings are going to get more complicated to cross as the heavy persistent rain settles in.

Keep your eyes out for flooding in the brooks and streams around the Cascades!

(Since a little over a week ago we had flooding here at the Lodge, we will have to scout around and see what preparations we need to make.)

Friday, March 12, 2010

Thawing

And we don't, incidentally, recommend this.

Wetter

Cloudy and much chiller today...at 9 am, it's just hitting 40 degrees.
The barometer stands at 29.44 inches and steady.
Fire danger is MODERATE

The stream is running briskly at 6.6 inches.

There's a forecast for rain on and off today and rain over the weekend. Expect it to be muddy on the trails.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Spring?

Are we keeping this nice weather?
It's another sunny morning!
At 11am, it is creeping up to 50 degrees
The barometer is at 29.26 inches of mercury
The Cascades are running.

You should find trails a bit less muddy than they have been, at least in the spots where they get some sun.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Bright...

A bit chillier than yesterday, but still lovely.
At 11 am, it is 48 degrees and rising
Barometer reading: 29.09 inches of mercury and steady
The stream is still above six inches, 'though most of the snow has melted, except for what's under trees in the higher elevations.

Monday, March 08, 2010

More Sun!

The Cascades Brook is at 6.8" with strong flow still!
The USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW;
The temperature is 43.5 degrees F and rising;
The pressure is 29.03" Hg and steady;
The sky is clear blue and cloudless;
There is a light breeze;
The skunks are active.

Enjoy this week now, by Thursday we have rain coming in.

The trails are muddy, wear boots and hold off on the mountain bikes.
The height of the Cascades has good snow cover still, while the base of the Cascades have fairly snow free ground litter.

Much activity in and around the Lodge as we break out from the winter slumber and pickup the storm debris, the litter by Olean Street, and get things moving again outside.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

What are you doing on here?

Get outside!
Beautiful spring day out there, mid-50's!
Sunny and the barometer is at 29.09 and steady
The Cascades are running, the trails are muddy (still icy in spots, particularly on the Silver Spring Trail), and full of dogs (or so we're told).

Get out there in the sunshine!

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Hope you enjoyed it

...because that was apparently it for spring for now!
What I had thought was supposed to be flurries shows every sign of sticking here at the bottom of Asnebumskit Hill, and it's still merrily coming down.
The Cascades are running through the snow.
Overnight, it dropped low enough where yesterday's mud is largely frozen, so the going is a bit easier on the trails.
At 9:30 am, it is 32 degrees and steady.
Snowing.
The barometer stands at 28.91 inches of mercury and steady.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Spring!

At least for now!
It was 40 already at 7 am this morning; it barely fell at all last night. That means the snow is continuing to melt. Today the stream is at 6.6 inches and the Cascades are RUSHING.
The trails, consequently, are very muddy. That is, they're very muddy where they aren't covered in packed-snow-which-is-now-ice. Hey, it's spring hiking in New England!
The barometer is steady at 29.05.
Cloudy skies.