Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday's odds and ends

The leaves are starting to take on the hues of autumn, though here in southern Pennsylvania the best color won’t be for a few weeks yet. Today, it’s not easy to see the color through the morning mist, still rising after a night of rain.
Last evening I was suddenly surprised to see how far into the forest I could see. No longer is the ground hidden by summer plants. I can see at least twice as far as I could only a month ago. The change is a welcome one. By summer’s end I always feel a bit claustrophobic or shut in by the greenery. I prefer the open sky of winter, and the start of that is already noticeable. In another month, I’ll be able to see the western mountain again. In the meantime, seeing 50 feet into the woods is an improvement over 10 feet or so.

September is shaping up as a bit warmer than normal, though in studying the temperatures this month, I’ve noticed that it’s not the daytime temperatures that are particularly warmer. It’s the nighttime temperatures that have boosted the mean temperatures for the day. Much of that is due to the cloudy or rainy nights that kept the temperatures from falling very much. More than a few days this month featured a daytime temperature that was normal but a nighttime temperature that was only a few degrees cooler than the day, which caused that day to be 8-9 degrees above normal solely because it rained overnight or stayed overcast.

6 comments:

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I love the misty mornings at this time of year and your photo shows it to perfection. Usually we need a touch of frost to get the autumn colours moving.

trump said...

Not much change over my way yet, and Im pretty close to where you are! Richard

Grizz………… said...

Autumn is steadily taking hole here in southwest Ohio; more color every day. But the peak won't be here for maybe three weeks.

I have to tell you, this is such a lovely photo…one of my favorites every. Just wonderful!

Carolyn H said...

Griz: Thanks! The lighting through the haze when I took this photo was just right. That doesn't happen very often.

Carolyn H said...

John: Frost always moves the colors along here, too. I haven't had frost yet, though I've had a night or two just under 40oF. That's getting close enough to start the color change.

Carolyn H said...

Richard: Lancaster County's weather is always a bit different than mine. I think Lancaster often gets hit worse with summer's storms than I do. It's all that great flat farmland that breeds thunderstorms and tornados, I guess. I haven't paid much attention to whether or not your winter storms are any worse than mine.