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Video At a Glance

48-Hour WX

Seven-Day Forecast

Daily Forecast

Today: Partly to mostly cloudy skies, with just a slight chance for a shower or sprinkle. Highs in the mid 60s, overnight lows in the mid 40s.

Monday: Sunshine returns! Highs climb into the mid 60s, lows fall to the mid 40s.

Tuesday – Friday: Mostly sunny skies, highs in the low to mid 70s, lows around 50°.

Saturday: Partly to mostly cloudy skies, with a chance for showers. Highs around 70°.

Threats

Hazardous weather is not expected today or in the coming week.

Meteorologist Mark’s Severe Wx Concern

A stable airmass will prevent thunderstorms this week.

Hay Wx Forecast

Looking great! After a slight chance for a shower today, we won’t see rain again until Saturday (and that’s too far off to know specifics!). The only fly-in-the-ointment is the cool, damp nights that will lead to heavy morning dew. Other than that, enjoy harvesting that Fall hay this week!

On This Day in Wx History

On this day in 1954, the all-time record October high of 86 degrees was set for Crossville. We would do the same thing the next day. A far cry from today’s weather!

Almanac

Yesterday’s National Temperature Extremes

High: 109° at Brawley, Winterhaven, and Death California, as well as at Topock, Arizona 

Low: 16° at Grand Lake, Colorado

Tropical Outlook

Tropical Storm Gamma is sandwiched between systems and will spend much of its week stuck in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. It is still rather uncertain where the storm goes from there. I’ll keep an eye on it.

The red-shaded region could become Tropical Storm Delta within the next couple of days. That system bears watching, as it could get steered to the northern Gulf Coast. The good news is that, at this time, it is looking like Delta will remain below hurricane strength. Let’s hope that holds true! We have two other areas out in the Atlantic (yellow-shaded regions), but they are both of low risk at this time.

Today’s National Wx Hazards

Unsettled weather can be found in the eastern US, with some localized flash flooding possible across eastern Florida. Farther west, a wildfire danger remains across parts of Montana. You’ll also notice Tropical Storm Gamma in the southern Gulf.

Tomorrow’s National Wx Hazards

A wildfire danger overspreads a large part of real-estate across the central plains. A dangerous day for those folks. Farther south, Tropical Storm Gamma meanders around the southern Gulf.

Weather Shots

This was one of the rare moments when I wasn’t talking to someone at the Hiking Festival yesterday in Fairfield Glade! What a great day it was to be meeting so many of my followers and so many who are now new followers. I also thank my mentee, Michael, for being such an awesome helper! I also thank John Conrad for putting on this hiking marathon and festival. What a wonderful way to celebrate our many hiking trails in our area! Between the people, the climate, and the scenery I’d say we live in a pretty darn awesome place!

NASA Nerdology

This past week was the 107th anniversary of Robert Goddard filing his first patent for a “Rocket Apparatus.” Goddard is considered the father of rocket propulsion, but it was only through external funding, like grants from the Smithsonian Institution, that he was able to devote his life to research.

Sunday Story

Colors

It seems a bit early, but some trees have already started showing some color on the
plateau. It won’t be long before we’ll be seeing those vibrant fall colors all across our
beautiful landscape!

Those colors have more to do with diminishing daylight than they do with temperatures,
though warm afternoons and cool nights certainly enhance the colors.  

Tree leaves consist of four primary colors; green, red, yellow, and orange. In the spring
and summer, the leaves are strong and healthy and produce abundant amounts of
chlorophyll. Since that chlorophyll is green in color, the leaves are also green. 

As daylight begins to diminish and the leaves become frail, the chlorophyll weakens and
begins to break down. This allows the other colors of the leaf to finally get the chance to
shine through. 

It just depends on the leaf and tree type as to what color shines through best. An
abundance of carotenoids, for instance, will turn the leaf more yellow in color. An
abundance of anthocyanins, on the other hand, will produce more reds. A mix of the two
yields the oranges. Every tree and every leaf is different, which is good for those of us
who like the variety of colors! 

In times of distress, such as drought, the leaves will die too quickly and simply turn
brown. Cutting off the chlorophyll too quickly prevents the other colors from having time
to come through. 

I always wonder how difficult it is for trees to let their leaves go. After all, those leaves
hold on through so many fierce storms.

Perhaps in this season of so much change in our world, Nature’s lesson here is a
simple one. Perhaps, as one poet wrote, “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let
things go.”

(The Sunday Story is printed each week in both the Fentress Courier and Livingston Enterprise. The story is then shared here on Sunday. I hope you enjoy!)

You all have a great day!

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