On a morning walk this week I had to do a double take when the narrow path meandered its way to canopy of total green. The stubborn maples sheltered in a low area from the cold winds still had their green leaves with all their glory of mid-summer. It truly was a surreal moment for late November when the temperatures were in the mid 20’s. So why are the leaves still on the trees so late in the autumn season. September and October were the 3rd warmest months on record with September 4 degrees normal above and October 7 degrees above normal. As we transitioned into November with finally more fall like autumn conditions the chlorophyll which breaks down the green color on trees was lagging behind. So keep your rakes within reach the next couple of weeks.

I was startled to see a Monarch butterfly pictured above last weekend at the West Hartford Reservoir hiking trails with my daughters German Shepherd. Through my entire hike I was thinking that it did not seem right for Monarchs to be here so late in the year, so later in the day I researched their migration habits and in deed something was very wrong. By early November these grand insects should have completed their migratory journey to Mexico. After investigating the lapse of many Monarchs heading south is that record warmth Autumn weather kept vegetation plentiful for them survive and a unusual strong southerly jet stream wind made their voyage almost impossible. Hopefully it will not be too late for a some of the strong to defy the odds and finally find their way home. Can you image this beautiful delicate looking insect flying 2000 miles to finally end a lifecycle. Incredible.

Before yesterdays snow event, how many times did you hear the media scream “blizzard” at you all week? I’m sorry to say we did not have a blizzard, just a very strong Nor’easter. So how would one classify a true blizzard? Of course blizzards are very dangerous that are combination of blowing snow and wind resulting in very low visibilities. Officially the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a storm which contains large amounts of snow or blowing snow, with winds in excess of 35 mph mph and visibilities less than a 1/4 mile for at least 3 hours which we did not have. Actually The National Weather Service admitted that the storm would not have blizzard conditions but held back from lifting Blizzard warnings.
Maybe next time go to your nearest DQ to feel the cold and sensation on what a true Blizzard should be.

As the sun moves higher in the sky and towards spring the atmosphere gets much more turbulent as mixing of cold and warm air becomes more apparent. Last weeks 70’s becomes this past weekends single digits with destructive wind gusts over 50 mph and wind chills in the minus teens. As we transition into the week there will be a few days in 50’s and 60’s but it will come to an abrupt end as snow will be in the forecast for Friday, Sunday and possibly next Tuesday. Any St Patricks Day Parades may be in jeopardy this weekend. Mother Nature is making up for near record warmth this past January and February. Remember February had a couple of days in the 70’s and there was a violent tornado near Greenfield, Massachusetts. First ever recored tornado for February.
Keep the warm apparel and shovels nearby for the next week or so.
Remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour this Saturday night as daylight savings time officially begins giving all more evening sunlight. Finally.

The low pressure train continue to have eyes on New England. The latest series of storms will just miss southern New England and eventually wind up like a top off the coast of Maine tonight with near blizzard conditions. Being on the back side of the low pressure area Connecticut will luckily only see gusty northwest winds later tonight and tomorrow. Temperatures will be near seasonal levels for the next couple days. A warming trend will start this weekend but will be short lived as winter returns for last 10 days of February continuing into March. Stay tuned.