While I didn’t see many deer out in the woods Saturday, I sure was giving a show by a gang of rambunctious red squirrels.  I’ve been hunting for over 25 years and I can honestly say I’ve never seen so many red squirrels in a small area before at the same time!   There were 8 of them within 30 yards of my stand. I had no more been in my tree stand for 15 minutes when the little cute critters were scurrying around in the dry leaves, wrestling each other, racing up and down trees, and making their characteristic chatter.  This circus continued for a good two hours. 

At one point a particularly brave red squirrel climbed right up the tree I was sitting in.  It got to about 4 feet below my stand and just looked at me.  I tried to wave it away but it insisted on figuring out who I was.  Its big bushy tail danced back and forth with excitement.  That is definitely the closest a squirrel has ever come to me without being frightened apparently.  It held its position for at least a few minutes before it jumped to another tree and carried on. 

I particularly enjoyed watching when one squirrel would chase another up a big tree trunk in a corkscrew pattern.  They looked like they were being wound around a coil!  It’s amazing how nimble, quick, and coordinated they are.  It was fun watching them take breaks while nibbling on some corn cobs that they dragged in from the nearby field.  The way they sit on their back legs with back straight up is sort of humorous. 

They made so much noise it was a distraction from hearing potential “deer noises.”  Oh so it goes.  You never know what to expect in the woods do you?  While I didn’t get my deer, I did reconnect with the wonders of nature.  It was a great reminder that beyond the thoughts, business, and problems of human life there is a whole thriving other world locked in the forests and fields.  All that is truly a blessing from our good Lord.

Posted under Ecology, Fall, Nature

I’ve recently harvested about an acre of sunflowers and field corn in my yard.  It’s great to have a nice stockpile of feed for my chickens now.  However it leaves me with a huge pile of stalks to deal with.  Last year I left the pile to rot over winter.  The only problem with that approach is that it attracted rodents like mice and muskrats to burrow in a make a winter home.

So this year I’m burning my crop residue piles along with some tree branches that I had cut off earlier in the year.  While I don’t entirely like sending smoke and carbon dioxide up into the sky it might be my best option.  Seeing the big ash pile left behind from my bonfire got me thinking.  What will the ash do to my soil?    Will it help it or hurt it in terms of fertility, pH, and overall health.

Well I consulted several resources and opinions vary.  In general ash will add nutrients like phosphorous, calcium, and carbon to the soil.  However it will also increase the pH noticeably, especially pure wood ash.  This is a good thing if you have very acidic soil, not so good if you have neutral or alkaline soil.  Also it’s not good if you have acidic loving plants like blueberries and azaleas.  I read one study that suggested that in the short term ash from wheat stubble can increase nitrogen in the soil.  However if done year after year, it would result in a net decrease in nitrogen in the soil.  One gardener claimed that ash could reduce or even eliminate slugs around your plants.  Then there were those with the opinion that ash will hurt your garden no matter what.  I don’t have enough experience with it to say with conviction that this is flat out wrong.  So at this point, I’ll tread cautiously and spread it very thinly to reduce any harmful side effects.

MONARCH BUTTERFLY SIGHTING ON OCTOBER 19TH.

On a different note, I  saw something odd this morning.  There was a monarch butterfly sitting on the ground near my shed slowly flapping its wings.  I don’t recall seeing them this late in the season.  I assume that they should have migrated away to warmer regions by now?  I felt sorry for it.  It just looked slow and stunned in the strong wind and 38 degree air.  I moved it into a bush out of the wind, hoping it would perk up a bit.  It actually did flap its wings a little faster then.  If any of you have comments on monarch butterflies in Wisconsin in late October, I’d love to hear from you.

Posted under Ecology, Environment, Fall

The last 10 days have been extraordinarily pleasant in our region as you know.  High temperatures have been 15 to 20 degrees above normal.   Through October 10th, we’ve had 8 days in a row with highs above 70 degrees in the Wausau area.  So just how unusual is this?

Well, if you just look at last October you might conclude that it happens every year.  In October 2010, we had a stretch very similar to this, early in the month, where we reached 70 degrees or better on 7 consecutive days.  Now there is a shot that the current stretch we are in could extend 2 more days, making it 10 days in a row.  We are forecasting highs close to 70 through Wednesday.  I can assure you though, that these long exceptionally warm spells are very unusual for October in Wisconsin.

Look at the data below.  Since 1996, most Octobers only have streaks of 1 to 5 consecutive days of such warm weather.

OCTOBER HOT STREAKS (# of consecutive days with 70+ degrees)

•  2011     8+?
•  2010    7
•  2009    0
• 2008     3
• 2007     5
• 2006     3
• 2005     5
• 2004     1
• 2003     5
• 2002     1
• 2001      2
• 2000     2
• 1999      1
• 1998      1
• 1997     4
• 1996     2

Again, last year had the closest stretch to what we have achieved this October.  It’s interesting to note that we had a moderate to strong La Nina developing last fall and La Nina is developing again this fall.  It’s possible that this has been a contributor to these summer encores.

Posted under Fall, Heat, Weather NEws

I like to keep a mental yardstick of how the sun looks at different times of the year and what that usually means for how it feels outside.  Of course here in early October, the sun’s maximum angle off the horizon at midday is just under 45 degrees, about the same that it is in early March.  We have less than 12 hours of daylight per day at these times.  Yet the weather is usually drastically different in early October compared to early March.  It’s a rare thing to get above 50 or 60 degrees in early March, and it’s usually about 40-45 degrees.   Yet in early October the old thermometer on a sunny day with a mild air mass around can easily produce 70 degrees with 80 not too much of a stretch with a sustained south or southwest flow for a few days.  Normally we hover around 60 at least in early October.

This contrast tells us that you can’t just rely on the angle of the sun off the horizon to predict temperature.  Remember in early March the ground is normally snow covered and frozen in Wisconsin.  A white landscape doesn’t absorb very much of the incoming solar radiation.  Rather it reflects a good portion of it back into space.  Even in those cases where the ground is bare in March, the soil temperature is probably in the upper 20s to upper 30s and is either frozen or really waterlogged.  Thus much of the sun’s energy goes into trying to warm the ground or evaporate moisture and not so much the air.

In addition frozen lakes or cold water on the Great Lakes in early March has some bearing on temperatures as well.  There might be days where it could get fairly warm but then winds coming in off the cold Great Lakes for example can keep it 10 or 15 degrees lower than you would expect.

Finally we have to factor in the ”lag time” of how the atmosphere works when dealing with temperature.   There are larqe pools of warm air from late summer drifting across the northern hemisphere in early October.   The oceans are quite warm yet too.  Our temperatures benefit from these heat sources as weather systems drag that warm air our way.   The reverse is true in early spring.  There is a lot of residual cold air from winter swirling across the northern hemisphere in early March yet.  The oceans are still cool too.  Fronts easily push the cold air into Wisconsin.

Well enjoy the summerlike temperatures we have now, because based on how low the sun is getting in the sky, we know they won’t be here too much longer!

Posted under Fall, Science, Seasonal Items

October usually is the last month of the year that features some spells of “summer-like” warmth in Wisconsin.  The latest date of reaching 80 degrees in Wausau is October 27th.  That happened in 1927.  It’s a month that gets darker and darker as we lose about 90 minutes of daylight.  This fact and the lowering sun angle causes the normal high temperature to drop from 62 degrees to 49 degrees from the start of the month to the finish of the month in the Wausau area.  The normal low temperature falls from 49 to 31.  The hottest October day was 91 degrees on October 1st, 1927.  The coldest October temperature recorded in Wausau is 8 degrees from October 30th, 1925.

The normal monthly precipitation for the Wausau area is 2.94″.  We have had several extremely wet days though in October history.  The wettest are:  Oct. 3rd, 1900 with 4.6″ followed by the 6th of 1911 with 3.05″ of rain, followed by the 30th of 1935 with 2.0″.  As far as snow goes, we typically receive just under 1.0″ of monthly snowfall in October.  However we have had several heavy snow days in history.  The top one was October 10th, 1990 when 9.8″ fell.  Next is October 21st, 2002 when we were coated with 7.8″ of the white stuff.  The 3rd biggest daily snowfall was the 4.8″ that accumulated on the October 24th, 1933.

So be prepared for some summer-like weather and potentially winter-like weather during the great month of October in Wisconsin.

Posted under Fall, Records

The last time it was this cold so early in the month of September was back in 2007.  We had a sharp polar blast that produced a record low of 30 degrees at the Wausau Downtown Airport on September 15th of  that year.  As it turned out, temperatures never got that cold again for the rest of the month.

Last year, 2010, we had our first frost in the Wausau area on the very last day of September.  Otherwise it was a rather warm month.  I remember an early September freeze a number of years back that came so sudden that it caused the leaves of the ash trees to fall off the very next day!  What was so interesting about that was the fact that the leaves were still perfectly green.  I’ll never forget that.  The green leaves were kind of solid and stiff and you could actually hear them hit strike the ground as they fell straight down. There was no wind that morning.  It must have been such a shock to the trees that they just couldn’t take it.  Normally green ash trees turn a yellow-brownish color for a week or two before the leaves fall off.

Well, now that the background is set.  Let’s just say it, we could set a record low temperature in the Wausau area Friday morning.  The record low is 32 degrees from 1916 and we are forecasting the low around 30-31 degrees at the airport.  If this happens it will be one of only a handful of record low temperatures we’ve broke in the last 10 years in Wausau.  Some of that is probably due to global warming.  Some may be from expanded areas of buildings and pavement around the metro area which increases the urban heat island effect.

It will be interesting to see if this cold weather accelerates the fall colors.  It usually does.  You might be wondering if the cold weather and fall are setting in early?  Actually this spell looks more like an aberration than anything.  The computer models over the next two weeks generally keep a mild pattern around with temperatures at or above normal at times.  There could be a few bursts where readings actually get up toward 80 degrees again.

So I guess you can look at this cold snap as a trial run of real autumn.  It is giving you a chance to find the coats and gloves and blankets again.  Then you can set them aside for the eventual full fledged return of the cold air.

Posted under Fall, Fall Color, Freeze, Records

The cold blast of air continues to be the main theme in the weather for today and the rest of the week. It will be cold enough tonight that some patchy frost might form, but it is not a guarantee. The threat is great enough that the National Weather Service has issued a FROST ADVISORY for effective tonight into Thursday morning for Ashland, Price, Taylor, Clark, Jackson, Juneau, Adams, Wood, Portage, Waushara, Marathon and Lincoln counties.

The northeastern part of the area might not have any frost because there will be some lake effect cloudiness and some wind continuing out of the northwest. Some of the clouds might even hang around the Wausau area later tonight and thus I am forecasting a low of 34 in town. Even though I do not expect an official frost in the city, I am not going to leave any vulnerable plants outside. If we don’t have an official frost in Wausau tonight, it will likely happen Thursday night into Friday morning. We should have clear skies and light winds on Thursday night. Low in the northwoods will likely drop into the 20s. In Wausau I am forecasting 31. It will likely be the effective end of the growing season and it would break a record in Wausau. The record low on Friday is 32, set back in 1916. It is interesting to note that there was quite a wicked cold spell back in 1916 (besides just the record low on the 16th of September). In September of 1916 there was a record cold high temperature of 44 on the 15th, a record cold high temperature of 38 on the 16th (Yikes!), a record low of 32 on the 16th, a record low of 28 on the 17th, and a record low of 28 on the 18th. So if you don’t like the weather today, just be glad that you did not have to suffer through 1916. On the flip side, it was quite hot during this time of year in 1939. During September of 1939 we had record high temps in the 90s for 4 days in a row! It was 92 on the 13th, 94 on the 14th, 93 on the 15th, and 92 on the 16th

If we do get a frost in Wausau on Friday morning, it would be about 2 weeks earlier than normal. Check out this graphic to see when the first frost usually happens. For most of our area, it usually occurs between the 20th and the 26th of September. Wausau used to fall closer to this date range, but in the last couple of decades the city has grown enough to impact the date of the first frost. The Urban heat island effect is likely what makes Wausau’s first frost now occur around October 1st.

If we do have a frost on Friday then we will also have a longer time to experience official “Indian Summer”. The first frost is of course one criteria in the definition of Indian Summer. For the full definition of Indian Summer we use here at StormTrak 9, check this past blog post.

Have a good Wednesday! Meteorologist Justin Loew.

Posted under Fall, Freeze, Records, Weather History

I hope you have been enjoying the bright moonlight the last several nights with the clear skies around.  The moon is actually full early Tuesday morning, just a few hours before sunrise.  We call the fall moon that hits closest to the Autumnal Equinox the “harvest moon”.  Most of the time it occurs in September but once in a great while it falls in early October.

The harvest moon is named as such because the extra light it offers in the evening was beneficial to Native Americans and early farmers before the days of headlights on tractors and other harvest machinery.  I find it hard to believe that you could see well enough in the moonlight for the harvest to be efficient, but I suppose a few things could be gathered.  I know that when I try to harvest things in my garden and fields when it is even partially dark, everything is harder.  It’s easier to trip and fall.  It’s easy to miss some of the crop you are trying to pick.  And besides, the mosquitoes get more annoying after dark.

The full moon can often have an orange cast as it first rises on the east horizon and can look quite large. Of course, it’s no bigger than it is when it is sitting high in the sky.  Some experts say your brain tricks you into thinking the moon is bigger when it is lower in the sky, say next to a tree or building.  Your brain tries to tie the moon in with the close objects and amplifies the size.

Actually, this harvest moon may look a bit smaller than usual as it gets up higher because the moon in nearing apogee.  This is when the moon is at its farthest point from earth in its orbit.    Well, the weather should be pretty cooperative for moon watching with just scattered clouds the next two nights.  So enjoy the sight and light!

Posted under astronomy, Fall

I’ve got some not so good news for those of you with seasonal fall allergies.  A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others indicates that ragweed pollen season over the past 30 years has gotten longer.  For example in Madison, it’s about 12 days longer, Minneapolis, 16 days longer, to as much as 28 days longer in Winnipeg.  The main driving force behind this is believed to be a warming climate.  Average dates of killing freezes have been pushed back as the climate changes.  While a hard freeze in fall reduces pollen production significantly, it usually doesn’t disappear until a good snow cover has developed.  The average dates of continuous snow on the ground has also slipped later into the year extending the allergy season.  Interestingly enough though, the length of ragweed pollen season has actually shrunk in southern locations like Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.  While no definitive reason is given, maybe it’s getting too hot there for ragweed to stay healthy deep into the fall.   Or perhaps it matures earlier in the season and then shrivels up in the fall.  By  the way, a ragweed plant can produce up to 1 billion pollen grains.

Common Ragweed

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) says about 12 million Americans are impacted by fall allergies.  Besides ragweed, dust mites and mold come into play.  Of course areas that have had a wetter summer and higher humidity will have more mold problems.  They say in general a warmer climate causes plants to produce more pollen than they used too.  This is accentuated by the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now.  Of course plants use CO2 and sunlight to produce energy. CO2 allows plants to produce not only more pollen, but more intense pollen.  As such there are more allergens per grain of pollen than years ago in many species.

The AAAAI also suggests that easting a plethora of fresh fruit can enhance allergic reactions in some people.  The different varieties of pollens mixing together in your body can confuse the body’s immune system.  They say though, don’t stop eating fresh fruits.  The health benefits outweigh the possible side-effects.

Well, good luck if you are going through that annoying routine of sneezing, runny eyes and nose, and itchy throat right now.  I feel for you, as I get hit some as well.  Just keep thinking cold thoughts like hard frost, and snow!

Posted under Ag Weather, AGW, Allergies, Climate Change, Ecology, Environment, Fall, Freeze, Seasonal Items, Weather and Health

With scattered frost in the forecast for early Tuesday morning, the smell of wood smoke in the air, and a few early bird maple trees with color on,  it certainly has the feel of autumn.  Even though we have plenty of warm weather coming up, it’s a good time to review some interesting autumn weather facts for Wisconsin.

To begin with, the average date of the first 32 degree temperature in the TV-9 viewing area ranges from ar0und Sept. 10th in some northern locations to around October 1st in the far southeast part of the area.  It’s as late as mid-October for southeast Wisconsin right along the balmy waters of Lake Michigan.  It’s important to remember that you usually experience frost on car windshields, rooftops, and lawns sooner than an ”official” 32 degree temperature is reported.  That’s because those surfaces cool off faster than the air does.  Also, the “official” temperatures are measured around 6 feet off the ground. Since cold air settles, it will usually be cold enough for frost on the ground on clear autumn nights when it is around 34-35 degrees at 6 feet.  For more details throughout the state check out the graphic below from the Wisconsin State Climatology Office.

Here’s a look at the average temperature across Wisconsin in the September through November period from 1971-2000.  This is the average taking into account the low and high temperatures.  It ranges from the low 40s in northern Wisconsin to the low 50s F in the far southeast.

Now, let’s take a look at the average autumn precipitation.  You’ll notice it is on average a bit wetter in northcentral Wisconsin than other parts of the state.  Perhaps this is partly because of lake effect precipitation that comes down off Lake Superior when cold north winds blow in.

The next chart shows the top 20 driest autumns in the period from 1895 2007 in terms on number of dry autumns per decade.  It appears the three driest periods were in the 1940s, 1950s, and mid 1990s into the 2000s.

Finally examine the top 20 wet autumns in the period from 1895 2007 in terms on number of dry autumns per decade.  The mid 1970s to mid 1980s were bar far the most frequently wet with 5 of the top 20 wet autumns occurring in that stretch.

While we can’t know for sure how autumn 2011 will rank, but it still looks like the first part of meteorological Autumn (September) will turn out overall warm and dry in Wisconsin.  Don’t let the mini-cool spell we’ve just been in fool you.  There is lots of shorts and t-shirts weather ahead as sunshine and highs approaching 80 are expected later this week.   We don’t see any prolonged rain events right through the second full week of the month.  Make the most of it!

Posted under Ag Weather, Fall, Seasonal Items