A Chilly Saturday Open House

A little sun early but clouds and cool air quickly take over and make for a chilly, open house, visitor day at the tire house here in the woods of central Va.  It seems the front will stay to our south for at least Saturday, leaving us in the cool zone.  We'll have to wait and see if the southern air can push back north to warm things up on Sunday.  Forecasts call for it all to be out of here by Monday.
With the clouds lingering, there is likely little chance of seeing the near 1st quarter moon tonight - much less any planets or stars.  The right angle set up that is the first quarter moon will have the sun-earth-moon at a perfect right angle 2 minutes before 6 EDT tomorrow morning.
Two Pileated Woodpeckers just flashed through the front yard, no doubt headed to a snack at a dead tree nearby. They must have kept going because when I stepped out, there was no loud warning cry issued.  Easy to forget how big those rascals are until you see one close by.  Scarlet Tanagers were also spotted earlier today, brighter red and smaller than Cardinals.  Lots of birds looking for food to feed growing families or migrations.  The little, tail dipping Phoebe sitting on her nest on top of my outdoor speaker is still giving me the evil eye as I walk by and doesn't seem thrilled with my choice of music.
It's damp and cool but dress warm and get out and enjoy your Today on Earth.

The Cruelest Month Continues

The monster Low that brought the wet, chilly weekend to the entire eastern seaboard still lingers over southeastern Canada with some minor influences on the weather here in Central Va.  High pressure to the south combined with the Low to deliver air straight from the west and warm things up today. The clear, chilly morning skies filled with cumulus clouds by mid-afternoon and the clouds have lingered and block all but the brightest sky objects: Venus, the waxing crescent moon and just barely Mars.
A warm day awaits for tomorrow but more damp weather lies ahead, a front will bounce back and forth above and below Virginia over the late week and weekend. Warm front Thursday, cold Friday, back with the warm air Saturday and cool again Sunday. Rain chances will be possible all 4 days but there is unlikely to be lots of rain at any point.  A local t'storm could change that!
No earthquakes here in the CentralVaEquakeZone but the rest of the world is shaking at a pretty normal rate; mostly the usual suspects. Popo continues to rumble in Mexico, eruption????
It's April, and while it has it's lovely moments the sneaking cruelness lurks.
Get out and enjoy!!! It's your planet.

Wet Weekend Coming!

The mid-Atlantic is clouding toward a wet Saturday afternoon and a soaking Sunday that will remind us it is only April and there is plenty of cool northern air still nearby. Monday will wind down the rain but the cool will linger into much of next week.  The good news with that is the drought and fire danger will go away for awhile. The dry April is about to change.
The quaking planet is shifting and shimming big time these days. Lots of red numbers - above 6 on the Richter scale - as well as plenty of upper 4's and 5's. Indo-Australian edges, the Scotia plate, and Eurasian African plate collisions are all slammin' and shiftin' and shaking up big chunks of the planet. Aftershocks continue from the 8+ Sumatran quakes last week. It is a shaky world. The CentralVaQuakeZone remains calm.
Volcano news is Popocatapetl; outside Mexico City, Popo, the big smoking mountain is bulging and spitting and appears ready to go into full eruption mode.
The moon was new at 3:18 this morning and a thin waxing crescent will slide up above low hanging Jupiter Sunday evening and be between bright Venus and much dimmer Aldebaran Tuesday night (probably the next time the sky will be clear enough to see any of that here in central Va).
It's your planet, get out and have a wander and look see!!!!

The Heat Returns!!

Hot southern air returns to sizzle the mid-Atlantic states today.  Mid-80's today and upper 80's tomorrow and dry, pollen filled air.  The green of the forest continues to thicken, still weeks ahead of schedule.
The quaking earth is still readjusting after several massive shakes. A 6.5 quake in Vanuatu today and lots of strong aftershocks from Wednesday's massive quakes off Sumatra are keeping the Indo-Australian Pacific plate region wondering what's next. Probably more quakes!!
A waning crescent moon will make for dark skies for star/planet viewing.
Get out and enjoy a hot Today on Earth.

Spring Swings and a Quaking Earth!

Cool mornings and warm lovely afternoons make for a fine mid-April stretch, except for the wind, dry conditions and HIGH FIRE DANGER!! The greening continues as leaves get larger and larger and the heavy oak pollen continues to fade.
Major earthquakes around the planet with lots of aftershocks have made for some tense times. An 8.6 quake followed by an 8.2 aftershock off northern Sumatra on Wednesday resulted in only minor tsunamis but allowed for a test of the Indian Ocean warning system. The quake turned out to be strike-slip, a lateral movement instead of the vertical movement that causes large tsunamis. But, stronger than previous strike-slip quakes leaving lots of room for more study and understanding.
Earth is still very much in charge!
But, it's still the finest place we know of in the universe so get out and enjoy Today on Earth!!

Blue Skies, Dry Air: FIRE DANGER!!

The dry, breezy conditions will make for another FIRE DANGER day here in all of Virginia. A change of air masses will keep temps below yesterday's 70+ warmth but today will still be a lovely spring day, as long as you don't play with fire. Cool and cloudy (but most likely still dry) conditions will make for a chilly Wednesday. The waning gibbous moon is still bright and while it won't light a late dusk walk it might wake you in the middle of the night shining through a window.
The quaking world is mostly quiet with some mid-ocean ridge action and other usual spots but no strong quakes for several days now. There was a tiny morning rumble yesterday here in the CentralVaQuakeZone. Volcanic activity is mostly confined to the the usual Ring O Fire suspects with a few outliers to keep it interesting.
Get out and enjoy your Tuesday, wander about on the big planet, but DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE!!!!

Fickle Springtime!!

It's warm and lovely, it's cold and cloudy and the dry air makes the fire danger very high. Sounds like Virginia in the springtime. A cool mid-week and a warmer weekend will continue the roller coaster ride that makes April the annual leader in the cruelest month contest. Mornings will be near freezing Wednesday and Thursday with cool days but the 60's and 70's will return late week.
NO FIRES, PLEASE!!!
And, yes, there are still aftershocks, small, not recorded, but earth rumbles nonetheless this morning in the shaky zone.
Hang On!

SPRING BREAK Starts Cool!!

Chilly, dry, still, boreal air kicks off spring break with a dip into the low 30's but warms quickly with the steepening sun angle and that bone dry air. No hint of clouds and a breeze make it feel just like it should for April here in central Va.  The crazy warmth of March, with its "month ahead of schedule" blooming has spoiled us into thinking of summer way tooooo soon. April is not called the cruelest month without reason; the fickle swings in April's air, as the summer air masses battle back the chill of winter's storms.
Here in the middle of the middle latitudes we are on that battle front during April and the month will always feature some reminders in the extremes of weather.
But, it is lovely with all the young life busting forth, verdant with sparkles of color. Get out and enjoy!!!!