See! I told you this afternoon would improve!! We didn’t get a whole lot of rain this morning (generally speaking, between 0.1 – 0.25") but it did make the beginning of the weekend look very gloomy. The clouds cleared out this afternoon for sunshine and seasonable temps. Though, it did feel MUCH chillier when compared to yesterday’s highs around 80°! Remember, this is spring in New England… From 80° to a Frost Advisory… We have to just take ’em as they come.
Wait, did I just say "Frost Advisory?" Yup. While "the Big Blue H" is in control for tonight and tomorrow (high pressure), the clear skies will allow for the temps to drop overnight. I talk about "radiational cooling" a lot, so I might as well talk about it again. What’s happening is this: Without the clouds hanging over our heads, the heat from the surface is able to escape back into the atmosphere. Clouds will often act like the blankets on our couches/beds, keeping the warmth in near the surface (or in the case of the blankets, keeping our body-heat close to our bodies). Make sense? Well, with the clear skies tonight, the warmer air will be moving up & out. This will allow for temps to drop into the mid 30s for the ‘burbs. Here’s a look at the Frost Advisory in effect from 2am to 8am:
You may be wondering "why only in the blue?" Well, those are the areas that we don’t usually see frost this time of year. The growing season has begun for those areas shaded in blue. That doesn’t mean that just because Worcester County ISN’T in the blue, those areas won’t see frost. In fact, I do expect the most likely areas to see frost aren’t actually shaded in blue. It’s just that in those areas, frost is still fairly common for this time of the year. Have I confused you yet? No? Well…
The other thing that could PREVENT the frost would be breezy conditions. My uncle has an apple farm in Arizona and he often complains about "being up all night fanning the trees." Picture that in your head for a minute… and it looks pretty funny, especially if you’ve ever met my uncle. But if you can get air blowing around, it’s "stirring the pot" (so-to-speak) and limiting radiational cooling. There will be a breeze with us through the evening hours, and if it sticks around overnight (which it could) it would prevent frost from forming.
Bottom line is this: If you have sensitive plants/vegetation that you’re worried about, then you can A) bring them inside overnight, B) cover them up, or "tuck them in for bed," as I like to say, or C) "fan them" like my uncle, the apple farmer, would. Option C seems like a cruddy way to spend a Saturday night, but you can do what you want. :c)
Tomorrow is sunny and seasonable. Enjoy it! Next round of rain arrives late Monday into Tuesday. More on that tomorrow, and I’ll try to think of another clever anecdote. Over and out – Breezy