Author: Bill

Contrails

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There is much confusion and misinformation about a common phenomenon in the sky known as contrails (condensation trails). They have been common ever since aircraft were able to fly at high altitudes. Some conspiracy theorists are saying they are chemtrails; part of a government plot. This is not the case at all

Contrails over Stormstown, PA on October 6, 2022, at 8 AM EDT (12z).

There are two byproducts that result from the burning of aviation fuel, a mixture of hydrocarbons: carbon dioxide and dihydrogen monoxide (water vapor). Water vapor is what comprises a contrail.

GFS Sounding for 8 AM EDT (12z) on October 6, 2022
The red line is the temperature and the green line is the dew point.

Stormstown is near a busy airway for east-west as well as north-south traffic. The aircraft that expelled the water vapor were at roughly 30000′ ASL or roughly at the 300 millibars (hPa) level. From the sounding (above) made at the same time as the photograph, the temperature at that height is less than -40 deg C or -40 deg F. Under those conditions, any moisture would condense as ice particles which form the contrails. The contrails persisted and became cirrostratus clouds due to the fact that the air temperature was close to the dew point, close to saturation, at that level.

September 2022 Weather Summary

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September was 0.2 deg F below normal for temperature. The high for the month was 83.0 deg. F recorded on September 4. The low for the month was 37.3 deg F, recorded on September 30. There were 0 days at or above 90 deg F and 0 days at or below 32 deg F. There were 142 heating degree days and 83 cooling degree days.

September had 3.74 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 0.21 inches below normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 0.77 inches recorded on September 5. There were 12 days of rain >.01 in, 8 >.10 in and 0 > 1 in. There was enough rainfall to end the moderate drought conditions in Pennsylvania except for a small area in the southeast part of the commonwealth.

High wind speed of 14 mph on September 1.

September 2022 Data

Dog Ear Protection

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Some dogs do not react well to the sounds of thunder and fireworks. This is true of our male terriers: Toby a Scottish Terrier, and Tripper, a West Highland Terrier. Tripper also doesn’t like the sounds from the TV during football games. We think it’s the official’s whistles and the crowd noises.

My wife, Marla, decided to try baby ear protectors. She put them on Tripper before a football game (see below), and he napped through some of the game.

Tripper models his ear protection.

Marla got another pair of ear protectors and put them them on Toby and Tripper during a thunderstorm. That seemed to work as well. They both napped during the thunderstorm.

9/11 Artifacts

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On September 6, 2022, a local chapter of The U.S. Veterans Motorcycle Club escorted some artifacts recovered from the rubble at Ground Zero in NYC. They were escorted from The Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA, to The Port Matilda, PA, American Legion hall. A private collector had these items, and they were not available to seen by the public, until recently. The artifacts are pictured below.

This flag was flown in the “bathtub” area at Ground Zero as workers secured the wall to prevent flooding from The Hudson River.
Sign from the 110th Floor/Stairway A – WTC Tower Unknown
Sign from the 49th Floor/Stairway B – WTC Tower Unknown
Port Authority helmet recovered from the WTC rubble.
Cross made from WTC steel.

Summary 0f Summer 2022

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Meteorological Summer is officially over. Here is a brief summary of June 1-August 31 in Stormstown, PA:

Number of days Max T >= 90 F: 4

Max T: 92.6 F – June 22, 2022

Min T: 44.9 F – August 13, 2022

Jun Dep from Normal: 0.1

Jul Dep from Normal: 0.8 F

Aug Dep from Normal: 0.6 F

Heating Degree Days: 137

Cooling Degree Days: 668

Jun Precip: 3.40″, 0.69″ below normal  

Jul Precip: 2.02″, 1.77″ below normal  

Aug Precip: 3.20″, 0.96″ below normal  

The main event of the summer was the abnormally dry conditions that developed.

August 2022 Weather Summary

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August was 0.6 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 89.7 deg. F recorded on August 8. The low for the month was 44.9 deg F, recorded on August 13. There were 0 days at or above 90 deg F. There were 36 heating degree days and 222 cooling degree days.

August was a below-normal month for precipitation with 3.20 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 0.96 inches below normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 0.82 inches recorded on August 21. There were 13 days of rain >.01 in, 8 >.10 in, and 0 >1 in.

High wind speed of 26 mph on August 8.

August 2022 Data

Trisha Update

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Trisha – December 16, 2021
Trisha – August 8, 2022

It’s been nearly 8 months since we brought our rescue Scotty, Trisha, home. She’s come a long way in that time and has come out of her shell. She can be impish with us and our other dogs. She loves belly rubs and running in the back yard. She also enjoys going on walks to explore. She’s warmed up to our friends but can still be shy around strangers. Her coat has also become darker. She knows she hit the lottery.

July 2022 Weather Summary

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July was 0.8 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 91.2 deg. F recorded on July 23. The low for the month was 50.0 deg F, recorded on July 4. There were 3 days day at or above 90 deg F. There were 27 heating degree days and 275 cooling degree days.

July was a below-normal month for precipitation with 2.02 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 1.77 inches below normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 0.46 inches recorded on July 7. There were 8 days of rain >.01 in, 6 >.10 in, and 0 >1 in.

High wind speed of 26 mph on July 23.

July 2022 Data

Weather Forecasters Challenged by Helium Shortage

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This article appeared in the July/August edition of Weatherwise (Vol 75, No 4, p 6)

The ongoing helium shortage has been worsened by the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, and the result could be challenging for weather forecasters, according to an investigation by KXAN-Austin, an NBC affiliate in Texas. The helium shortage, which began several years ago, is the result of multiple factors, including decreased production and increased demand. While the United States is a primary supplier of helium worldwide, Russia is also a large supplier, and the war in Ukraine has resulted in greater demand for U.S. helium.

This presents a problem for NWS forecasters who rely on helium to launch balloons twice daily in across the country to gauge weather conditions in the upper atmosphere. Several NWS sites in Albany, New York; New York City; Tallahassee, Florida; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina, have reported having to reduce the number of balloon launches from twice daily to once daily.

However, the NWS says fewer balloon launches won’t have a major impact on local forecasts because radars and other sensors will be able to fill the majority of the data gaps.

The NWS is planning to find ways to reduce their reliance on helium in the coming years as a result of the shortage.

June 2022 Weather Summary

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June was 0.1 deg F above normal for temperature. The high for the month was 93 deg. F recorded on June 22. The low for the month was 47 deg F, recorded on June 5. There were 74 heating degree days and 171 cooling degree days.

June was a below normal month for precipitation with 3.40 inches of rainfall recorded, which was 0.69 inches below normal. The maximum rainfall in a single day was 1.13 inches recorded on June 22. There were 12 days of rain >.01 in, 7 >.10 in and 1 >1 in.

High wind speed of 33 mph on June 17.

June 2022 Data

Here is the latest drought summary for Pennsylvania: