FEB 1 - The winter of 2007-2008 has dropped 36 inches of snow on Dubuque, IA already. No one storm has produced more than 5.2 inches. Along with extreme cold spells, near record high temps and a record rainfall amount in December, the winter of 2007-2008 has been memorable, among other things.
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Archive for the 'weather' CategoryPage 2 of 2
The temperature dropped to -18 degrees on Sunday morning (1/20) in Galena.
Galena received around 20 inches of snow and ice in December. One of the snowiest and coldest Decembers in recent memory.
We live in an area of the world where we can experience the phenomenon of fall color change. Every year we ask ourselves, Will we have good fall color? Every year the show of colors is different, but why? With the glory of fall now in full effect, it’s time to look at the science of autumn beauty.
As many of you remember, clorophyll is what makes leaves green. Through the process of photosythensis sunlight is used to transform carbon dioxide and water into carbrohydrates which fuels the growth of the tree. During the spring and summer sunlight levels and tempuatures are high, making the photosynthetic process very active and keeping leaves green. As daylight hours and temperatures decrease the process slows down and the colors that remain in the tree leaves appear. Different tree species contain different chemicals such as: Anthocyanins (Reds & Purples), Carotenoids (Orange & Golds) and Tannins (Browns).
With that simple rule in place we now look to what causes yearly and locational differences.
Temperature: The greatest opportunity for great fall colors are cool nights, but not below freezing. Early frosts will reduce the brilliancy of colors as it slows or stops the production of anthocyanins. New England states are known for their great fall colors because freezing rarely occurs early in the fall due to its proximity to the ocean.
Moisture: Stressed plants show their colors earlier than healthy plants. Drought years will produce more reds than usual as there is an increase of anthocyanins. Drought years will also produce colors earlier than usual. A wet spring will promote good color as stored sugars in the leaves are released.
Sunlight: Optimum conditions are for bright sunny days. During the ‘changing’ period sugars in the leaves are produced more rapidly when exposed to direct sunlight. This is why leaves on the outside of the canopy change faster and with more brilliancy. Fall weather that is overcast and rainy does not provide very showy displays.
To summarize, for optimum fall colors we would want all of the following conditions to be in place thoughout the year: A warm wet spring with favorable summer weather followed by sunny fall days with cool temperatures at night but not freezing. Easier said than done but certainly a dynamic part of nature that everyone can appreciate.
http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/ US Forest Service Fall Color Hotline
The month of August has come to an end and the region can report rainfall totals of historic proportions. A persistent rain pattern formed early in the month and it did not end until it had caused record breaking amounts in many areas. The city of DeKalb, IL reported 14.27 inches of rain in August and 26.47 inches through meteorologic summer (June-Aug), both records. This reflects what occurred over much of the region. Portions of southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota were declared federal disaster areas with as much as 17 inches falling in several days. The Chicago Metro area received close to 16 inches of rain including a storm outbreak on the 23rd that produced the most violent storm in recent memory. There were many economic and heartfelt losses throughout the area.
The most staggering of statisticts came out of Houston County in southeast Minnesota. During a 24 hour period on the 18th and 19th the county received 15.1 inches of rain, shattering the old mark of 10.84 set in 1972. This 24 hour total was two inches less than the all-time record for a single month, set in July of 1987.
The Galena area missed many of the heaviest rains. In total it received 6.27 inches of rain which fell on 23 of the 31 days of the month, including runs in which rain fell on 9 (17th-25th) and 8 consecutive days (2nd-9th). The normal total for August in the area is around 4.25 inches.
August Rainfall totals from the region (inches):
DeKalb, IL - 14.27; Freeport, IL - 11.88; Rockford, IL - 13.82; Vernon Hills, IL - 15.14; Dubuque, IA - 6.06; Iowa City, IA - 8.02; Waterloo, IA - 10.32; Belmont, WI - 19.89; LaCrosse, WI - 20.32; Madison, WI - 15.18; Platteville, WI - 11.94; Prairie DuChien, WI - 8.04
At month’s end today all reporting stations in the area reported more than average rainfall totals. The reports varied greatly as there were lots of isolated thunderstorms that produced heavy rains. The reporting station in Dubuque, IA recorded the highest amount with 8.84 inches, far more than the 3.73 inch normal. The Galena Territory reported 4.03 inches with 2.16 inches of that falling on the 17th and 18th, Mt. Carroll reported 6.09 inches and Stockton reported 3.40 inches for the month. Looks like the reporting station on Bethel Road near Stockton missed some of the soaking rains.
The temperature average was one degree cooler than normal. After a dry May we have caught up to near average precipitation for the year. After being dryer than normal for the past five years, lets hope that this continues.
