Fall, finally! 🍁
The time was approximately 5:00 pm on Saturday October 16th. The passage of a cold front marked the unofficial end to the extended summer-like weather that the Hudson Valley has experienced in recent weeks. The first 16 days of the month were an astounding 7 degrees above average.
Some will be sad, some will rejoice, but either way, Mother Nature pushes onward.
The week ahead looks a bit more like what we’d typically experience during fall — 🎃☕ a pumpkin spice latte the perfect companion.
The fall foliage report suggests that color change is slow across the region with “just changing” the most common category. The arrival of cooler, more seasonable conditions should accelerate the process over the coming week.
Things will start off with a breezy, cooler day on Monday with scattered afternoon showers. It could be the first day the region fails to reach 60 degrees for a high temperature so far this fall.
A stretch of downright gorgeous weather starts Tuesday and lasts into Thursday — picture-perfect conditions, frankly 👌
A front on Thursday evening or night might come with a few showers that probably depart the region by Friday. Progressively cooler conditions are expected from Friday through the weekend but it will most likely be dry.
By Sunday morning, a cold area of high pressure will nose down from Hudson Bay in Canada, likely delivering morning low temperatures in the 30s to the Hudson Valley.
Over the last 90 years of climate records in Poughkeepsie, the first morning with temperatures of 35 degrees or colder occurs on October 3rd on average. This year, it might not occur until the 23rd-25th — near the record-latest date of October 27th in 2011.
The regional average first freeze is October 12th. The record-latest first freeze is early November. If we get past the 26th/27th without a freeze, I think we’ll have a shot at getting close to the record.
A return to relatively milder conditions looks likely from about the 27th or 28th onward.
🗓️ Reminder: my Hudson Valley winter outlook, often my most viewed publication of the year, will be released on the morning of next Saturday, October 23rd. Brand new merch for the 2021-22 winter season will also be available!
New Zealand gets a taste of summer
We had a meteorologically marvelous Saturday in New Zealand, with plentiful sunshine, light winds, and high temperatures near 70 degrees.
It was the perfect recipe for a hike (called a tramp here) and a drone flight.
Cliffs, turquoise water, black-purple volcanic sand, and the Tasman Sea make up some million dollar views in this part of the world.
Take a look for yourself 📸
Have a fabulous fall week.