Brisk

Did we have a summer in there? If it's like this all week, it will feel just right for yellow school buses on Wednesday!
At 9 am, it is 61 degrees and rising
80% humidity and steady
29.29 inches and steady
The brook had subsided down to two inches again, but with the rain from Hurricane Danny on Saturday (1.22 inches Saturday, .083 inches Friday), it's back up again, this morning to 3.8 inches.

Sorry for the long gap in posts: we were away for a week, admiring buffalo in Minnesota, and then took a week to re-adjust. We should be back on schedule now!

The numbers at noon

At noon today it is overcast, 'though not actively raining.
68.4 degrees and steady
94% humidity and steady
29.29 inches of mercury and rising
No rain to measure since midnight; 0.12 inches before (and did you see it? Some of it was going sideways!)
We've got walkers crossing paths right now, one with two little dogs.

A hot(ter) one

Early forecasts said it could get up to 90 today, but it's backed off quite a bit and we're topping out the day in the low 80's. It does feel much more like summer today, though!

At 9 am, it is 70.2 degrees and rising
98% humidity and steady
29.15 inches of mercury and steady
We had 0.16 inches of rain since midnight (none before).
The stream is quite a bit down, to 3.8 inches as of today. Without rain, it will go down pretty fast!

Lovely Friday

What a nice week!
At 9 am, it is 65.8 degrees and rising
72% humidity and falling
29.23 inches of mercury and steady
no rain and clear skies

Yesterday's numbers

At 9 am on Thursday it was 66.9 degrees and rising
77% humidity and falling
29.21 inches of mercury and steady

We had an ALB hunt over on Dawson Road at noon on Thursday, which got some nice coverage in Friday's Telegram and Gazette:

The Greater Worcester Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization, is fielding a “Beetle Brigade” of trained volunteers who meet regularly to scour conservation land for signs of the invasive insect, and the trust has launched a new round of training sessions to teach ordinary citizens how to recognize the beetle’s telltale destruction.

The idea, said trust Executive Director Colin M.J. Novick, is to supplement professional tree surveyors, go where surveyors have not gone and find problem areas the pros have not yet seen.

“We have not falsely identified a (infested) tree ever,” Mr. Novick told seven people who attended a training session yesterday on trust property off Dawson Road near the Holden line. “You guys are good. Volunteers are good.”

Clear until it wasn't

The thunder and rain just came rolling in at 2:30 pm!
At 10 am, we had 76.1 degrees and rising (we're back to falling now that the rain is here).
85% humidity and falling
29.15 inches on the barometer and steady (it's still the same)
The fire danger is NONE

The light breeze continues. Up until yesterday, we hadn't experienced one of the nicer things about living in the Lodge in the summer, which is the changing breeze direction. Due to temperature differences, in the morning, we get a breeze coming up from Cook's Pond towards the front of the Lodge. In the evening, we get a breeze coming down the hill (from the Cascades) towards the back. It has to be warm enough in the valley to make the air move, 'though, and it hasn't been until yesterday!

What lives in the woods?

From last week's outpost breakdown

A beautiful rain free day

Here we are closing out the day, and wasn't it wonderful?

The brook is babbling, the sun was in effect, the world was not damp at all, hikers were out. Generally good all around.

Presently it is 8:33 p.m. and we will do a rare evening observations for your pleasure.
72.0 degrees F and steady;
85% humidity and steady;
29.15" of mercury and steady;
the USFS fire danger class is LOW;
there is a slight breeze that is cool passing through;
and if you have a clear spot you can catch a glimpse of the Presides meteor shower's tailing end.

Nice one

And, even better news, no clouds on the way for a bit!
At 9:08 am, it is 70.2 degrees and rising
91% humidity and steady
29.23 inches of mercury and steady
Fire danger is LOW
We've had no rain in the past 48 hours ('though Friday's total was a huge 1.85 inches, which is why we still have a rapidly running Cascades Brook!)

Enjoy the Sun!

We have sun!
Tomorrow we will have some sun and some rain, so enjoy the moment!
Due to the full sun after the rain you should see some really vivid greens out there today.

The weather as of 10:00 a.m.:
68.9 degrees F and rising;
93% humidity and falling;
29.32" of mercury and rising;
USFS Fire Danger Class is LOW;
Yesterday's rain here at the Lodge was 1.85", which is more than they received up at the airport.

It is not just this year that is overly wet.
Looking back, last year was even wetter, though this July was exceptional!

A big thanks to the crew from the United Way who broke down the 2009 Cascades Conservation Observation Outpost this past Thursday. They broke down the massive 18' x 36' tent, and hauled all of the poles and the massive canvas out of the woods.

You may also notice the three new cross braces on the sign posts up in Boynton Park's picnic area. They assembled those as well as we are planning for the return of the 4'x8' trail and open space map.

Is there rain? A tornado?

There's a weather system sitting off to our west this morning: we've got a forecast ("Hazardous Weather") of incoming thunderstorms, but no sign of them yet, even on the barometer.

At 9am, it is 68.9 degrees and rising
95% humidity and steady
29.85 inches and steady under slightly cloudy skies
The stream is at 4.6 inches

And here's the relevant passage from the weather warning:

IF ENOUGH INSTABILITY DEVELOPS...
ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE OR AN ISOLATED TORNADO WOULD BE POSSIBLE ACROSS
NORTHERN CONNECTICUT AND ADJACENT AREAS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE
ISLAND.

Rainy and then clear

...which is the opposite of the weather report I heard...oh, well.
We were out and about early today, so we don't have morning numbers.

At 2:30 pm, the skies have cleared, and it's 79 degrees and falling (!)
73% humidity and steady
29.80 inches of mercury and steady
This morning we had 0.28 inches of rain
Fire danger is still low
Not much movement on the trail today, 'though we have heard that the bugs are busy!

Yesterday's numbers

Wednesday, July 29 at 9 am:
74.3 degrees and steady
91% humidity and steady
29.91 inches of mercury and steady
Stream is at 4.6 inches
Fire danger continues to be (mercifully) low

Lovely day

At 9 am, it is 71.6 degrees and rising
89% humidity and falling with a light breeze
29.94 inches of mercury and steady under sunny skies
We had no rain after midnight last night
The stream is at 4.4 inches
Fire danger is LOW

Quite a lovely day for a walk in the woods. It looks like it will be clear for much of the day.

ALB: the hunt is on!

The first sighting of this year's Asian Longhorned Beetle was last week: they are out and about.
Time to go look for them!

This year's first ALB hunt is next Thursday, August 6 at noon.
We're heading to the northwest side of town: Camp KinneyWood and Dawson Road.

Meet at the end of Dawson Road (just keep on going until you run out of road) for a 10 minute training and the beetle hunt!
Bring binoculars if you've got them.

Chance of Rain, Chance of Showers, Chance of T-Storms....

All is normal here.

It is partly sunny, partly cloudy, the lightest of breezes, and humid.
As of 9:00 a.m. our conditions are:

72.1 degrees F and rising;
98% humidity and steady;
29.91" of mercury and steady;
The Cascades Brook is at 4.6";
Yesterday's precipitation was 0.04";
Since midnight we have received 0.00" of precipitation;
The USFS Fire Danger Class is NONE.


Interesting note:
For the month of July we have received 9.22" so far.
Typically we would be at 3.54".
We are way above average for the month!

Since June 1st we have received 15.73" whereas generally we would have received 7.56".

You might think, WOW! This is a wet year!
Nope. Not yet anyway.

Our spring was so dry, remember there was no real "mud season" this year, that we are only a bit over the total precipitation for the year to be expected.

Final analysis: We needed this rain.
(Which is good because there is a chance of rain every day from now until Friday.)
I know that is tough to hear.

Cascading Water!

Water, water!

All that water that came down last night, 2.09 inches since midnight and 0.59 yesterday, has to go somewhere: it's heading down the hill!
The stream is surging between one foot, two inches and one foot, three inches this morning. There's just a LOT of water out there this morning! There's a flood watch in effect until 10 am this morning (with good reason).

At 9 am, it is 61 degrees and steady
98% humidity and steady
Barometer is 29.74 inches of mercury and steady under cloudy ('though not currently raining) skies.
Photos to follow, 'though they'll never do the Cascades justice, so come by!

White Wild Frothing Madness!!!

You have to check out the Cascades as soon as possible!
The over 2" of rain last night are presently crashing down the side of the Cascades.
White wild frothing madness!!

Gate at the end of the road

Thanks to all who braved the cloudy-turning-to-rainy skies tonight and got up the Gate at the End of (Dawson) Road! Those were some of the fastest holes we've ever had to in. Very enthusiastic small helpers, too (nice hammering, Rachel!).
We could not do what we do without volunteers who show up (rain, mud, ATVs, notwithstanding). You guys are great!
Thank you!
There will be another work project getting that newly protected trail into shape and marked. Watch for it!