News and Views from the Empire State
Temperatures have taken a decided turn. We’re expected to see some 20s at night in colder mountain valleys this weekend.
If you’re headed into to the woods or onto the waters, now is the time to be sure you’ve got some extra clothing and be prepared to spend an unplanned night in cold temperatures.
Summit temperatures are not expected to rise out of the 30s this weekend. [Read more…] about Cold Temperatures, Dry Conditions In The Adirondacks This Weekend
The Adirondack Council released its 2020-21 State of the Park report subtitled “Landscape of Hope,” noting that the park has become a place of refuge during the COVID-19 crisis, which has only increased the park’s popularity.
The report also notes that the state is beginning to make progress on addressing the overused trails and campsites of the High Peaks Wilderness Area, detailing what has been accomplished and what remains to be done. A third major focus of the report – taking up its entire center spread – is the pending sale of the 36,000-acre Whitney Estate in Long Lake, Hamilton County. [Read more…] about 2020 State of the Adirondack Park Report Issued
Although colder spots have been seeing nighttime temperatures in the 40s, on Wednesday much of the region reached the lower 80s, and it’s remained warm enough for comfortable camping, with water temperatures warm enough for swimming. Temperatures are forecast to remain near normal for the next week.
There is some rain and morning fog in the forecast for this weekend however, so keep an eye on the weather. Summit temperatures are expected to remain mostly in the 50s, although Sunday morning could be windy and rainy at higher elevations. Be prepared against hypothermia by bringing extra clothing, and plenty of food and water. [Read more…] about Adirondack Conditions: Dry, Waters Remain Low, Popular Areas Remain Busy
With spring approaching, conditions for wildfires will become heightened, and residential brush burning is prohibited March 16th through May 14th across New York State. [Read more…] about NYS Burn Ban In Effect
Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History is taking a production break. It will be back with all new episodes on April 21, 2020. In the meantime, BFW is featuring some older episodes that will help you get a feel for the vast nature of early American history.
We’re living in a period of climate change. Our Earth has been getting warmer since the mid-19th century.
The new book Howell’s Storm: New York City’s Official Rainmaker and the 1950 Drought by Jim Leeke (Chicago Review Press, 2018) is a fascinating account of an untold New York tale of how Dr. Wallace E. Howell was hired to create rain during a 1950 drought.
Using a scientific method that he called “rain stimulation,” Howell undertook a $50,000 project that yielded still-controversial results. Complete with photographs of Howell during the unpredictable snow storm of April 1950 and New York citizens during the record-breaking Thanksgiving flooding, Leeke describes the history and legal ramifications of experimental meteorology through the story of one remarkable New York year. [Read more…] about Howell’s Storm: NYC’s Official Rainmaker
Nancy Solomon, Director of Long Island Traditions and Curator of the In Harm’s Way exhibition at LIM, will lead a guided tour of the exhibit at the Long Island Museum on Sunday, December 3rd, at 2 pm.
This exhibit focuses on Superstorm Sandy and other historic storms that have affected the region, exploring hurricanes and how communities prepare for natural disasters and rebuild after the storm. [Read more…] about ‘In Harm’s Way’ Exhibit And Gallery Tour
A few weeks ago, I wrote here about old-time weather forecaster Billy Spinner. As a follow-up on that theme, here is some interesting information on our own weather history from forty years ago, taken from one of my old journals. [Read more…] about Tired Of The Weather? Consider The 1960s and 1970s
A new exhibit opening at the New York State Museum in Albany on Saturday, “Weather Event,” focuses on Charles E. Burchfield’s depictions of the weather south of Lake Erie, where the artist lived for most of his life. Individual weather events are examined through both an artistic, historic, and scientific lens.
Burchfield’s representations of weather, wind, skies and sounds are unique historical records of the environment near Lake Erie. In 1915, Burchfield made a series of sketches that show the changing weather and position of the sun over the course of several hours, which he called all-day sketches. Decades later, a 1950 journal entry recounts “The Day the Sun Disappeared over Western New York.” [Read more…] about Weather History Exhibit at NYS Museum
Tornados in upstate New York, like those that struck recently in the Capital Region, are comparatively rare events, but are by no means anything new. Similar storms in the past have wreaked devastation in New York and New England, but few have had the incredible impact of the twister that struck northern Franklin County on June 30, 1856. The results bore strong similarities to the recent destruction near Oklahoma City.
The storm system caused chaos across the North Country, in lower Quebec, and in northern Vermont as well, but the villages of Burke and Chateaugay in New York bore the brunt of the damage when a tornado touched down, causing destruction of historic proportions. [Read more…] about NY Weather History: The 1856 Chateauguay Tornado