As the wren is singing...

A little cooler than yesterday, but another lovely morning! More and more leaves are coming out, more flowers are coming into bloom, and our resident wren is quite pleased about it all!

At 7:30 am, it is 56.5 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 46% and steady.
The barometer is 30.15 inches of mercury and steady under clearing skies.
Due to the low humidity and some expectations of light winds, the fire danger remains HIGH.

NWS Boston's forecast: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 78. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable.

The Cascades are still running, but they're slowing down, so if you want to enjoy the waterfall, come by soon!

We've certainly been seeing plenty of activity out on the trails, including what looked like new babies out on early hikes. The  Mayflies are out (particularly when there is no wind), but otherwise, conditions are great for being out! Enjoy!

Chilly but sunny

Still chilly and windy here today, 'though we're running out of April. Nice day for a hike, but layer up, as it will be a chilly start.
At 7:30 am, it is 35 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 51% and steady.
The barometer is 29.62 inches of mercury under clear skies.
Wind in the observed period ranged from 0.5 to 2.5 MPH.

The US Forest Service Fire Danger for today is HIGH.
Today's NWS forecast: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind around 11 mph.

We'll have a crew out today with Working for Worcester, and we're also getting some experience in with using a grip hoist out at Mount Wachusett. 

Earth Day! Come join us at a clean up!

We're up bright and early today for the 26th annual Earth Day Clean ups, organized by the REC! GWLT is running clean ups starting at 8:30 am at Coes Reservoir (off of Englewood Ave) and at Cascades East (right off Olean Street).
And yes, Cascades East could use wheelbarrows still!
And at noon, come back to Cascading Waters for a cookout!

It is a GORGEOUS day!
At 7:30 am, it is 51.8 degrees and rising.
77% humidity and falling
The barometer is 29.8 inches of mercury and steady
Very light wind: 1.5 mph during period observed.
Fire danger is HIGH

NWS out of Boston is forecasting: 
Sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.

Rain coming in

It's overcast only now, but there's rain due this afternoon.
At 7:30 am, it is 36.9 and steady
78% humidity and steady
The barometer stands at 30.06 inches of mercury and steady.
No wind measured
Fire danger is LOW.
The Cascades are running!

NWS Boston forecast for today:
Rain. High near 44. Northeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

April at last!

We made it to April!
Don't miss the Worcester Telegram and Gazette article about Ted in today's paper! Ted's posts are updated over here.
At 7:30 it is 27.5 degrees and steady.
43% humidity and steady
The barometer is 29.74 inches of mercury and RISING! which is a good sign.
The sun is up over Cook's Pond to clear skies today.

The National Weather Service forecast for today: Sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph.

March blowing in!

Don't know if you heard the wind last night, but it was shaking the Lodge! We don't have as much this morning: varying from nothing up to 4 mph in the observed period.
At 7 am, it is 20.7 degrees and rising. Back to wintery cold!
Humidity is at 43% and steady.
The barometer reads 29.65 inches of Hg and steady under clear skies with the sun just coming over the hills.
The two stream channels are open and running.
The whole hill of the Cascade remains snow covered.

The National Weather Service forecast for today is:

Sunny, with a high near 29. Blustery, with a northwest wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph.

Chilly but warming

We're working on springtime here! We lost quite a bit of snowpack over the weekend.
At 7:30, it is 24.8 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 56% and steady
The barometer is 29.74 inches of Hg and steady under clear skies.
Both stream channels are open and running through banks of snow.

I was asked over the weekend if the Cascades were running yet. While there is water running under the ice and snow, the hill is still encased. There hasn't been enough sustained warmth on the east-facing hill for that to melt away and for the falls to open up. We'll let you know when they do!

Also, if you're outside in the early morning, you'll hear a lot more bird activity now than a few weeks ago. The chickadees and cardinals are singing, and I just heard a woodpecker hammering away on a dead tree.

NWS forecast for today: 
Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. West wind around 7 mph.

Happy May Day! The Cascades are ROARING!

At 8:15, the temperature is 43.7 and steady
The humidity is 98% and steady, with mist in the air.
The barometer is 29.06 inches of mercury and falling.
There is a flood watch in Worcester until 6 pm tonight.
The wind is stirring, but we don't have a reading.
The Cascades Brook is running through both channels.
And the Cascades are ROARING!

Sunny Sunday

Another lovely day of spring!
At 9:45 am, it is 41.7 degrees and rising.
43% humidity
The barometer is 29.35 inches of mercury and rising.
The sky is blue, the sun is out, and it's heading into the 50's today.

While the Cascades are much smaller than they were a week ago, there is still water coming over the falls. The first and secondary stream channels are open with flow in the brook.

The bears are waking up!

Quick reminder that the black bears that we have in Massachusetts are waking up and they're hungry. If you have not done so already, bring in your birdfeeders! The birds no longer need supplemental feeding at this point, and the bears are looking for easy snacks.
A few other Eastern black bear pointers:

• secure your trash outside and be sure your recycling is rinsed well (as well as secured).
• keep your dogs leased (yes, even and especially in the woods; bears like trails, too!).
• don't leave pet food out overnight.

We have had, and will continue to have, black bears in Worcester. It's fairly easy for them to get here by following rail lines or the series of forests that come down from the New Hampshire border. Generally speaking, Eastern black bears are shy of humans and will avoid them (note: this is NOT the case of bears in other parts of the country!). Make noise while walking in the woods; leave them alone if you see them in your neighborhood.
More tips on bears from Mass Fisheries and Wildlife here. 

Happy Vernal Equinox!

The venal equinox--the official start of spring!--comes in at 12:57 pm Eastern Daylight Time today. Enjoy your exactly 12 hours of daylight today...and the days are just getting longer!
We had some hail in the weather excitement last night, and in most areas, that is still on the ground. Thus the trails are fairly slick this morning.
However, more good news! It's warming up! At 9 am, it is already 35.1 degrees and it is RISING! The high today is forecasted to be as high as 48!
Right now it is overcast and raining with 88% humidity, but that should be clearing over the course of today.
The brook is running; the Cascades are as well, though there is still snow on the falls.
Happy spring!

Another lovely one!

Another lovely day here, 'though a bit chillier than yesterday.
At nine am, it is 54.5 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 50%.
The barometer is at 29.23 inches of mercury and rising under clear blue skies.
The fire danger (from HIGH yesterday) is now MODERATE.
Light wind of about 3 mph

Happy April!

The Cascades are running, the bulbs are coming up, the birds are singing in the morning now: we may have spring here!
The brook is leaping to as high as 6 inches this morning, and the Cascades are pouring down the hill (if you haven't seen them in action, this is a good chance!). The rain really made a difference overnight!
At 8 am, it is 41.9 degrees and rising.
Humidity is 88% and steady.
The barometer is at 28.85 Hg and steady under clearing skies.
We are currently not measuring any wind.

Speaking of new families

...we have a growing number of these little guys (can you see him? In the center on the rock?) right around the Lodge lately. They seem to be living in the rock pile, though they frequently chase each other around and right under the house.

Springtime!

I found a red eft on our porch this morning, 'though he was gone when I went back out to take his picture.
On Monday, traffic stopped in both directions for a gigantic snapping turtle going back across Olean, having laid her eggs on the Cascading Waters property.
We also have a pair of robins frantically flying back and forth from one of the big evergreens by the Lodge, keeping their brand new hungry chicks fed.
Springtime is here!
__________________________________
At 8:45, it is 67.3 degrees and steady
95% humidity (though not currently raining)
29 inches of mercury and steady under cloudy skies
We've gotten half an inch of rain since last night.

We made it!

We are finally back down to a more normal "LOW" fire danger level today!
At nine am, it is 44.2 degrees and steady.
61% humidity and steady.
The barometer is 28.67 and steady under overcast skies.
Light wind of 3 mph
There is a high pollen alert issued for today (though I suspect that will not be news to some of you!).

Brisk

A bit chillier out there than the sunshine might suggest today: it's 39.2 degrees and rising with a wind at 9 am.
The humidity is 39%: really low for spring. Fire danger is MODERATE.
This morning, we were lucky enough to see a muskrat eating, swimming, and generally having a great time across the street at Cook's Pond.

BEAUTIFUL!

Well, folks, if you were waiting for spring, you've got it!
We are expecting that it will be in the mid-sixties by noon today, so get out there and enjoy it!
Should you be coming through here, do know that several days of melting means that trails are extremely muddy. In the places where the line between trail and brook is somewhat foggy (Silver Spring comes to mind), expect water. So long as you're prepared for that, great weather for it!
We also are lucky enough to have a spring break crew here from Clark for a second day, doing some timber shaping. This is in addition to our stalwart "every other Thursday morning" volunteers, who are routing some signs.
At 10:45 am it is 58.8 degrees and rising.
The humidity is 60% and falling.
The barometer stands at 29.35 inches of mercury and steady.
We currently have about 9 mph of wind
Enjoy!

It's Groundhog Day!

And yes, Phil has declared we'll have six more weeks of winter. To which we say: what winter?

Phil's part of an old tradition. While North American groundhogs hibernate for the winter (and thus, Phil excepted, would generally not be awake in February), this stems from a European tradition of the observing the weather and animal activity on Candlemas (February 2) to forecast an early or late spring. Candlemas, at which the medieval church blessed the candles for the year, is an observance in the Catholic tradition of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (as it's 40 days after Christmas). It also, not coincidentally, falls right next to the pagan feast of Imbolc, observing the swing in the calendar towards spring. In all cases, this is about getting more light and reassuring ourselves that we're getting there: spring will come again!

At nine am, here at the Lodge it is 35.6 degrees and rising.
We've got 81% humidity and steady.
The barometer is 29.27 inches of mercury and steady.

The Fire Danger remains LOW.

Fog

There is a mist hanging amongst the trees this morning. It isn't actively raining, but it is certainly wet.
There's green moving in everywhere you look, as a consequence: the skunk cabbage is well up and established, there are dandelions trying their luck here and there, and even the trees have the faintest mist of green on the end of the branches. And the moss is very, very happy!
At nine am, it is 53.2 degrees and rising
98% humidity and steady
The barometer is at 29.23 inches of mercury and steady.
The stream is at 5.5 inches.