What's your weather?

[AmLitHist]

Milky skies here in central Illinois yesterday and today (and forecast for tomorrow)--we're getting the smoke from the fires, this far away.

[apl68]

Raindrops on the line
Hang for one moment before
Others replace them

[Parasaurolophus]

I saw the sun as it rose this morning--a tiny pinprick in the grey sludge (think: a dull star in the night sky). The sludge appears unmoved, and as thick as ever. Still can't see the water or the mountains, and the ferries have been honking all day every day for days.

[wellfleet]

Good air is back! The nearest sensor is reporting an AQI level of  . . . 3. Yay!

[mamselle]

Suddenly it's chill.
Fall here now, or maybe it's
a wint'ry prequel.

M.

[Parasaurolophus]

Rain overnight and this morning, chillier than it's been. Mist has rolled in to replace the smoke, which seems mostly gone for now (finally!). The AQI is back in the green, at least for today.

[hmaria1609]

Suddenly it's chill.
Fall here now, or maybe it's
a wint'ry prequel.

M.

Fall is coming!
And time for Harvest Spice Coffee from Sheetz (it's a regional gas station chain here)

[Vkw10]

Low was 68, high was 86. Clear skies and sun. Tree, grass, and ragweed pollen levels are all high, but I may risk opening windows in the morning.

[apl68]

Feeling fall-like here too, with rain in the wind.  The weekend was clear and pleasant for the first time in months.

[kaysixteen]

What is fall-like in your area?

[apl68]

What is fall-like in your area?

Highs below the 80s, with bracing cool breezes.

Actually it dropped right through the 70s and down into the upper 60s.  It's too bad--I like highs in the 70s.  In recent years we've seen that a lot--temperatures dropping or spiking so dramatically the 70s are about the least frequently-seen temperatures.  Except during the winter months, where until about five years or so ago they were absolutely unheard-of.

[kaysixteen]

So what is winter normally like, how much snow, etc.?  Are you in a mountainous area, or lowland/ river valley?

[sinenomine]

Foothills of a mountain range for me; winters are cold, with about 6-8 feet of snow. We had our first frost last night.

[kaysixteen]

Is this an early date for first frost for you?   Six to eight feet of snow?   When is first snowfall for you, on average?

[apl68]

So what is winter normally like, how much snow, etc.?  Are you in a mountainous area, or lowland/ river valley?

We're not in the mountains.  Winters have historically been mild, with occasional cold snaps and at least one snow of a few inches each year.  In the late 1970s-early 1980s they were a bit colder than usual, as was the case in much of the rest of the country.  In December 1980 we got a snow that turned to ice and stayed icy for two straight weeks.  Somebody elsewhere in the state recalls it being icy enough on a local lake for small cars to drive out on it.  My brother and I remember that winter because we got to go sledding every day on the homemade sled Dad built.

Now things are changing fast.  In the town where I now live we've seen perhaps five or six snows in 15 years.  Most of these melted within 24 hours.  It is now three or four winters since the last snow.  I don't think we've had a single day in all that time in which temperatures didn't rise above freezing.  Even overnight frosts are becoming rare.  Now even the winter months include repeated episodes of springlike weather.  The last couple of winters have been more like three straight months of changeable March weather--four if you count March itself.

I'm starting to wonder whether we've seen our last-ever snow here.  I wouldn't be rash enough to say that we'll never have it again.  But if we do, I expect to see the final snow within the next decade or two.