Fake fall has ended
Update #616
This past week, the Hudson Valley experienced three consecutive August days with a high temperature lower than 77˚F, giving vibes of September.
Online, some called it “fake fall” 🍂
It was the 40th time since 1948 that such a streak occurred — the last time was in August 2019. On average, it happens once every two Augusts.
The longest such August streak was six consecutive days below 77˚F, occurring in August 1951, 1956, 1990, and 2007.
👋 But the streak is now over and so is fake fall. It was nice while it lasted! (Real) meteorological fall starts on Sunday, September 1st — just a week to go!
Not to mention, school starts shortly thereafter 😱
The week ahead
High pressure won’t be quite as dominant as it was last week. Starting on Tuesday, humidity will return, sticking around for several days and likely coming with some rain.
Although the chance for a shower or thunderstorm is in the forecast from Wednesday-Saturday, activity looks sporadic, especially on Thursday and Friday.
Monday: plenty of sunshine and seasonably warm
Tuesday: very warm and turning more humid with a mix of sun and clouds
Wednesday: very warm and humid with a shower or thunderstorm possible, mainly later
Thursday: not as warm with an isolated shower or thunderstorm possible, mainly later
Friday: similar to Thursday
Saturday-Sunday: warm and humid with showers and thunderstorms possible on Saturday, drying out for Sunday (this may change!)
Looking ahead to the week of September 2nd, early signs are that another cool air mass may track in from Canada. That would be a perfect way to start the school year! Hopefully it holds, because…
Hurricane chances?
The first half of September represents the climatological peak of hurricane season. Things have been pretty quiet over the last week and continue to look that way in the week ahead, but things may change. One of the newer artificial intelligence-based weather models has been consistently predicting a hurricane near the eastern U.S. sometime after September 5th. However, traditional weather models have not been as keen on this development. Overall, it’s a wait-and-see and an interesting test for the new modelling techniques.
August cherry blossoms
A mild winter is wrapping up in northern New Zealand and the August cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
Even though I’ve been here for almost nine years, it still feels funky to write *August* cherry blossoms. This year, I’d say the blossoms are about two weeks ahead of schedule.
In the cherry blossoms, you might be lucky enough to spot Tūī.
The Tūī is a vibrant New Zealand bird with shimmering green and blue feathers and a distinctive white throat tuft. Known for its impressive vocal range, it often mimics other sounds and calls. This agile bird has a particular fondness for cherry blossoms, where it can be seen feeding on their nectar.
Hope your week is as sweet as cherry blossom nectar ✌️