August 31st Hurricane and winter forecast

Good morning everyone! It is a lovely 49°F sunny morning at 94% humidity – yes, we got drenched this morning! We enjoyed taking a spin around the property and scaring all the starlings away – there are only a few of them left at the crack of dawn.

Down South, Hurricane Dorian, a Category 4 hurricane is no longer expected to make landfall in Florida! We can thank the Western winds and also a mighty cold front from NW Canada that seems to even weaken the hurricane in the jet stream simulation that you can see here. We certainly are already seeing the effects of this cold front: temperatures have definitely lowered overnight from a high 73°F yesterday (predicted upper 60’s today) and humidity is on the rise. Here in the Northeast, we might get the outer arms of the hurricane in form of precipitation, after it has weakened considerably and downgraded to a tropical storm near the Carolinas. The most recent updates online, which happen to be from CNN, now are saying that the storm might land in the Carolinas instead later this week, and the jet stream simulation seems to approve these odds of the hurricane hitting or stationing just outside the Carolinas.

That is not to say that Florida and Georgia shouldn’t be prepared – the hurricane could strengthen still and beat the cold front. My humble canine opinion is that it won’t, but time will tell.

Speaking of opinions, we talked to our human neighbors who agreed with our theory that the fall will be gorgeous! They also mentioned that the Farmer’s Almanac, and real NY farmers, seem to think that this upcoming winter will be a harsh one with lots of snow. Our bountiful apples, acorns, and abundance of scurrying activity from birds and rodents may be a signal that animals should prepare for a tough winter. Even Winston has been eating acorns! Myself, I have acquired a nice layer of fat over my chest area – I am trying out the role of Santa Paws this year!

Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone and stay safe down South!

Love,

Mack

August 11th Fall is coming

Good morning everyone! Fall is surely coming quicker than we expected. You can feel it in the air this morning! A nippy cold wind has pushed all the clouds away and made some rare maple leaves turn a dusky red. At 58°F, we know we’ve had colder – this just happens to feel different! A triad of high pressure systems will ensure dry weather until Tuesday, so get out your summer gear and enjoy what could be the last week of typical hot and dry summer weather!

At Grandma’s house yesterday we marveled at the warmer morning temperatures and at the abundance of fruit. Look at these gorgeous sweet apples!

 We also got to spot an orange spikey caterpillar which we identified as being a “question mark butterfly” in the making.

You can already tell that is mid August because our morning shadows are much longer! The sun is starting to dip in angle, rising more East than North of due East. That means that on September 23rd, the fall equinox, the sun will rise perfectly East and set in the West, before dipping further and further to the South. . .

If this keeps up, our prediction for Fall this year is gorgeous, showy autumn colors with chilly mornings and warm afternoons! We are hopeful for a snowy weather too, and with El Niño gone, we might have that chance. However, it may be a stormy fall for the Southern U.S. without El Niño winds to break up hurricanes.

Have a fantastic Sunday everyone and enjoy the last days of summer!

Love,

Mack