The First Wasatch Weather Weenies "Post"

Cleaning out my parent's house, we came across the first Wasatch Weather Weenies "post" in the November 1993 edition of Northwest Skier.

Adirondack Perspectives

I'm currently visiting family in northern New York, including some relaxing time in the Adirondacks.  I've had the good fortune to spend time in mountain ranges all over western North America and in some cases around the world, but the Adirondacks are always a special treat.

For you westerners, the Adirondacks are not part of the Appalachians.  They are their own range with their own unique characteristics.  The Appalachians are ridgy, washboard-like mountain range.  The Adirondacks, in contrast, are lumpier and, in my view, more interesting.  Although not a high barrier, there are a couple of peaks that top out over 5000 feet and a number of very nice smaller mountains covered with beautiful forests and surrounded by lakes, ponds, and streams that are fantastic for canoeing and kayaking.

Yesterday we spent some time near Tupper Lake.  Clear days with good visibility are rare during summer in the Adirondacks, but yesterday was beautiful with low humidity.  In the distance we could spy Whiteface Mountain and the Seward Range, which top out above 4000 feet.



Today I did a quick morning hike up Hadley Mountain in the southeast Adirondacks.  It's a quintessential Adirondack hike through dense hardwoods ending at a fire tower.  Along some stretches, the thin topsoil had eroded away leaving a sidewalk-like rock surface for old-school hiking.

Like most Adirondack hikes, such smooth surfaces never last long and most of you time you're dealing with trail that has eroded into a knee knocking creek bed.  No smooth single track here.    

Back in the day, towers used for spotting fires dotted may of the peaks of the Adirondacks.  Although the towers are no longer used today for fire spotting, a number have been restored, including the one on Hadley Mountain.

When in operation, the circular table below would have a map on it to aid in identifying fire locations.



A nearby cabin provided living quarters for the rangers.  The one on Hadley Mountain is well maintained and was receiving a fresh coat of paint this morning.

Views today were limited by haze, but still enjoyable.  Looking north toward Gore Mountain.

And south toward the Great Sacandaga Lake.

Tour of Utah Storms?

Stage 5 of the Tour of Utah takes place this afternoon with a circuit covering the Avenues, Capital Hill, and Downtown Salt Lake City.

Source: Tour of Utah

The start is scheduled for 4:40 PM, with an estimated finish at 6:45 PM.

An unfortunate aspect of the Tour of Utah and the US Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado is that they are held in August, during the peak of the North American Monsoon.  Thus, there is often a threat of thunderstorms.  Climatologically, that risk peaks in the afternoon and evening.

Showers and thunderstorms are definitely a concern for the circuit this afternoon.  The latest HRRR, for example, suggests a significant chance of showers and thunderstorms in the northern part of the state.

There is a chance that some of these storms could be strong and the Storm Prediction Center has given us a marginal risk of severe storms.

Here's their summary from their convective outlook issued at 1029 MDT this morning.

Hopefully the Tour of Utah will be fortunate and the area will miss out on the action later this afternoon or just see some rain.  However, they should have plans in place for heavy rain, strong winds, and hail just in case.

A "Hail" of a Talk

I'm at the American Meteorological Society Conference on Mesoscale Processes in Boston this week.  This is a meeting that examines all sorts of severe convective weather, hurricanes, and snowstorms.  Basically, you have the most passionate and rabid severe weather scientists in the US at the meeting.

A corollary of Murphy's law stipulates that interesting weather avoids a group of meteorologists like the plague, however, that wasn't the case yesterday.  Severe storms occurred in many areas of New England, producing damaging hail and winds.

I happened to be giving a talk on winter storms when our conference hotel took a direct hit just after 4 PM.

Continuing with the talk was pointless as the roar increased in volume and a bunch of excited meteorologists started banging away on laptops and cell phones.  Someone rose and called a timeout and we opened the doors to enjoy the storm.

 I carefully grabbed this hailstone after it bounced near the door.  It was very hard and a bit better than quarter size (inch diameter or so).

Thus, it was good to enjoy the storm from the inside.  The hail was large enough to produce some dents in cars just south of the hotel.

After a few minutes, I continued with the talk.  At least everyone was awake!

Drippy and Sticky

Wonderful summer weather continues today with showers draped across much of northern Utah.

Source: NCAR/RAL

And check out the humidity.  The dewpoint at KSLC is up to 61.

Source: MesoWest

Yup, drippy and sticky, but you shouldn't complain.  This is great weather for August.

Coolest July in SLC Since 1997

Well, that was pleasant.  July was the coolest in Salt Lake City since 1997.

Source: NOAA Regional Climate Centers

Of course, if we go back a few decades, it would have rated as a bit warmer than average.  It's only in terms of the recent warmth that it was cool.  Nevertheless, we'll take it.  

Let's hope next July is like July 1993, which was the coolest on record.