Cindy_Fitzgibbon's Blog

(SKYFOX: Oct. 14, 2008)

The 'Full Hunter's Moon' as it's called for the month of October. It'll be full tomorrow, the 14th at 4:04pm. This full moon is also called the 'Full Travel Moon' or the 'Dying Grass Moon'... really! Do you ever wonder where these names come from? They were given by Native Americans to help them keep track of the seasons. Most are logical- but some can make 'less mature' individuals chuckle- just ask Gene and VB... they look forward to November every year!

Here's a link to the Old Farmers Almanac with a list of Full Moons names for each months of the year.

http://www.almanac.com/astronomy/moon/names/index.p
hp

With just some cloudiness around tomorrow and tomorrow night- we should get a good view. Maybe it'll bring the Red Sox good luck- remember 2004 when we had the full moon and the eclipse!

Cindy

I have a feeling that sound... (that's supposed to be the sound of a camera BTW in case you were confused) will be a common one around New England this weekend. Columbus Day weekend is typically a peak time for foliage viewing and this year will not disappoint. A deep blue sky will make a beautiful backdrop for all the brilliant fall color. Many areas around New England are at or near peak now... but closer to the Canadian border we are a bit past peak. Click here for a more detailed look.

Wherever your going this weekend- take a moment to look around and enjoy... soon enough those leaves will be on the ground. -Cindy

Yep, after some frosty mornings out in metro west this week, I'm now officially "done" with my garden this year. I've picked the last of the green beans, snap peas and will still enjoy the mini pumpkins on the vine for a while. I've harvested the green tomatoes and placed them with apples (a trick I learned courtesy of Russell's Garden Center) and now just wait for them to ripen.

Even though I love this time of year, this process always make me sad. I will miss spending time in the garden, and especially miss fresh tomatoes. I dread having to purchase my first "grocery store" tomato again- is there such a thing as a 'tomato snob'? Maybe I've become one.

Anyone out there still gardening? There are lots of cold crops you can do this time of year... it's just not my thing.

Enjoy the sunshine!

-Cindy

Does this happen at your house? ... please tell me I'm not the only one!

So after several days in the 50s and and even cooler nights, we finally gave in and turned the heat on at our house. Every year, my husband protests this ceremonial moment and typically there is frost on my nose by the the time it happens! Usually, there is a large battle if it is attempted before the 15th of October -- sometimes even the 1st of November! (My husband is all about the calendar... I'm all about the thermometer, call me crazy.)

Not this year! I'd like to think it was because it was my birthday and he took pity on me... or perhaps because of our 9-month-old (I'm still not comfortable putting a blanket in his crib). But alas, I'm pretty sure it's because my parents were visiting and he didn't want THEM to freeze.

The beauty of this time of year though is the variability, not only from morning to night, but also from day to day. Heaters ON tonight- in the 30s. Heaters OFF Wed/Thu 70 degrees. Got to love those automatic thermostats!

Happy Fall All,
Cindy

Alright... this is more like it! After non-stop rain last weekend... this weekend will be a refreshing change- just a little on the cool side. Average high this time of year is still in the mid 60s- we'll be closer to 60 degrees.

The weekend though will be bright- with lots of sunshine and dry weather! That will be good weather to get out and enjoy all that the fall has to offer locally. I'm guessing local farms will be busy with people picking apples and picking out their pumpkins. BTW ... I understand each crop faired differently as a result of all the wet weather we had over the summer. Pumpkins- not so good... too much rain can cause what's called 'blossom end rot'. (thanks Tim Skeehan from Russell's Garden Center) Apples- a bumper crop from what I understand... benefited from all the rain.

I haven't been able to get out to my local farm yet (Lookout Farm in Natick) and won't be able to make it this weekend- as Kevin mentioned... A.J. is getting married this weekend and we'll be there to cheer him on. Congrats A.J.!!

Happy dry weekend all- what are you up to?
Cindy

Morning all....

Apparently I'm quoting New Kids on the Block today! Jim Armstrong (filling in for Doug Meehan) pointed that out to me earlier this morning.

I was referring to the clouds- they will be tough to break totally- but look for a few bright spots and breaks of blue over the course of the day. At least the rain has stopped! 'Step by Step'.... right! :)

Speaking of NKOTB... I'm dating myself here- BUT I will admit to being a fan back in the day. I actually won tickets off the radio (one of the few things I've ever won in my life) and dragged one of the 'cool' neighborhood boys (he was in a 'rock band' at the time) with me- much to his embarrassment! I was in Junior High and 'New Kids' were relatively new at the time- it was one of the first concerts I ever went to.

Funny how life changes. This Friday night when NKOTB were in town... I had a quiet night at home with the hubby and my boys... and then fell asleep during the presidential debate. I'd been up since 2am- it wasn't about content- really!

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Have a great day!
Cindy

Morning...

If you caught our picture of the day this morning at 8:15 a.m., then you saw that Paula from Hudson, New Hampshire, had sent in a picture of a (small) squirrel with a (large) walnut. She captured the picture in her driveway up in New Hampshire.

At my house in Natick over the past few days, I've noticed several squirrels scurrying around gathering food for the winter. Maybe it's me, but it seems sooner this year... and the squirrels seem more visible and brazen than usual. My oldest son, Caleb, (he'll be 3 next week) even noticed when a squirrel kept running back and forth on our deck.

Has anyone else noticed this? I know temperatures have been a little below average for the past week or so, but it seems early for them to be this aggressive. Maybe I'm 'nuts'?

-Cindy

Or Steam Fog...

We got this picture from a family in Norfolk and used it for our picture of the day this morning at 6:45am:

Sarah, Patrick and Hayley sent in this picture of steam fog, also called evaporation fog over Kingsbury Pond. Beautiful, isn't it?!

This type of fog is pretty common in the fall and early winter as cooler air temperatures over the warmer water bodies begin to mix together just after sunrise.

In the spring time... doesn't work that way as the much cooler water bodies don't produce fog as easily.

Now you know!
-Cindy

Morning All,

Back from a long weekend and wanted to share this thought with you and see if you agree.
Sometimes it takes being away from something for awhile to appreciate it.

I grew up in southern Maine and went to college in Vermont. When I lived in Florida, I couldn't wait to come back. I'm a New England girl, there's no denying it. After six and a half years, I now consider Massachusetts my home. I've grown accustomed to all the people, all the cars, all hustle and bustle of metro Boston, and I like it.

This weekend, I went up to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont to spend some time with old friends for alumni weekend (I got my meteorology degree at Lyndon State College). I really had forgotten how beautiful it is up there. The weather was perfect, the leaves are just starting to change, the landscape is untouched. My favorite part of the weekend was watching the sun drop behind the mountains from an Adirondack chair, very relaxing!

It was nice to slow down the pace for a couple of days. Now, back to reality!

-Cindy

... the Atlantic basin is for hurricanes- major hurricanes.

Now that the tropics have quieted down considerably- it's been 5 days now since Ike made landfall in Texas and since then no tropical waves are showing any signs of development- we can catch our breath for a moment. We can also pause and reflect on what this season has brought so far. Keep in mind the hurricane season runs through November 30th in the Atlantic basin. We're past peak now though... which typically occurs around September 10th and certainly did this year!

An Average Season Brings:

11 named storms
6 hurricanes
2 major hurricanes (CAT 3 or higher)

Here's what we've had so far.

10 named storms
5 hurricanes
3 major hurricanes

If your keeping track here's the list:

Tropical Storm Arthur

Hurricane Bertha (MAJOR)

Tropical Storm Cristobal

Hurricane Dolly

Tropical Storm Edouard

Tropical Storm Fay

Hurricane Gustav (MAJOR)

Hurricane Hanna

Hurricane Ike (MAJOR)

Tropical Storm Josephine

NOAA - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts we've still got more storms to come. Each year they come out with a forecast in May (before the season gets started June 1st) and then update it in August. Both times they've been forecasting an ABOVE AVERAGE season.
In May: 12-16 named storms
6-9 hurricanes
2-5 major hurricanes
In August:
14-18 named storms
7-10 hurricanes
3-6 major hurricanes

So if the government forecast is to verify this year... that means we're still in line for at least 4 more named storms.... with 2 more of those becoming hurricanes. Let's hope whatever storms that have yet to form stay out at sea. As of this morning, hurricane Ike has been blamed for 51deaths in the US and 80 deaths in the Caribbean before that.... preliminary damage estimates are between 6 and 16 billion dollars in the US alone.

In case your wondering... here are the rest of the names on this years list.
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paloma
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred

Enjoy our quiet weather and break out those sweaters tomorrow morning!
-Cindy

We've talked so much about what a wet summer it has been with day, after day, after day of thunderstorms. Well, all that rain helped to keep temperatures down a bit, especially in the month of August. The month ends on Sunday and it looks like it will end with no official 90-degree days in the month of August. (last year, there were 6 90-degree days in August alone)

Here are some more stats for you.

-To date August is running 2.8 degrees below normal
- Average number of 90 degree days for Boston is 14
- Last year 2007 we had 18 days at or above 90 degrees
- So far in 2008 we've had 8days- 4 in June and 4 in July
(the 4 days in June were before the summer solstice)

Last year, we did hit 90 degrees 3 times in September, so there's still hope if you like the heat. (I don't, 70s and 80s are just fine for me) In the next 5-10 days though, I don't see it happening.

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend

-Cindy

You know that here at FOX25 we're in the business of making five-day forecasts, not five-month forecasts. If you're looking for seasonal outlooks, there are, of course, meteorologists who specialize in making long range forecasts. One of those agencies is our government, The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center, and they update these forecasts on a monthly basis.

The official winter outlook from the CPC is calling for ABOVE normal temps and normal precipitation here in the Northeast and across much of the country for Dec., Jan. and Feb. Here's a link:

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long
_range/seasonal.php?lead=4

Another group of scientists known for their long range predictions is, of course, the Farmers Almanac. They have just come out with their winter forecast and are calling for BELOW average temps across a good part of the country and lots of snow from the Midwest to the Northeast, especially in February. Here is a link to their forecast:

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather
/a/could-this-winters-weather-add-to-economic-woes<
/p>

The almanac cited here is not to be confused with the New Hampshire-based Old Farmer's Almanac (which is 26 years older). The Old Farmers Almanac claims to use a secret formula based on sunspots, the position of the planets and the tidal action of the moon. Here is a link: http://www.almanac.com.

What do I think? Well, as I mentioned in a blog in the past week or so, there does continue to be a larger than normal build-up of cold air and ice in the arctic, and that, combined with lingering La Nina to neutral ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) conditions, may contribute to a colder and snowier winter. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

-Cindy

Either way.... chances are if you've had a garden this year (or are enjoying the harvest from local farmers) you've got some tomatoes.  I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy them... so please share some of your recipes.

Here are a couple of simple ones

Tasty Tomatoes and Basil:
Tomatoes with sliced mozzarella drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil.  Sprinkle some fresh cracked paper and enjoy!

Simple Salsa with Fresh Tomatoes:

- 2 to 3 large tomatoes (peel and seed)
- a garlic clove (peeled)
- chopped green onions
- 4oz can of chopped green chilies
- chopped fresh cilantro
- chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 tsp olive oil
- 1-2 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water
- salt & pepper
* add some jalapeno pepper if you like some kick*


Also... we didn't have time to cover this in this weeks segment of  'Get Your Garden On'... but we planted an interesting herb in my window box that might be new to you.  It's a scented geranium and can be used to flavor all sorts of thing, they have a strong scent and can even be used to keep bugs away.  Here's a link to learn more.

http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbScentedGeranium.htm

-Cindy

 

Hello! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. The learning curve with our new weather graphics system has been a sharp one for me!

So, pretty much everyone I've talked to is FRUSTRATED with our cool, wet summer- and now quite a number of people have been wondering what it means for this winter. I, in fact, just got another e-mail about it this morning. So I thought I would share my response with you in case you've been wondering, too. Here's my response to Chuck from Templeton's question about what our summer weather will mean for this coming winter.

Hi Chuck,

You're not the first one to ask this question! The short answer is: nothing. I've been trying to find a correlation between wet summers and bad winters in New England and can't seem to find one. None of our snowiest winters seem to correspond to our wettest summers from what I've seen so far.

If the pattern we've been in (persistent trough in the jet stream over the Northeast) doesn't change, then sure, we'll have a colder and wetter conditions hanging on, too, but there are no signs pointing to that right now.

There does, however, seem to be a larger than normal build up of cold air and ice in the arctic, and that, combined with lingering La Nina to neutral ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) conditions, may contribute to a colder and snowier winter. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The official winter outlook from the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center is calling for ABOVE normal temps and normal precipitation here in the Northeast for Dec Jan and Feb. Here's a link:

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/lon
g_range/seasonal.php?lead=5

In the meantime, SUMMER IS NOT OVER YET. The jet stream looks to get 'unstuck' and change in the next 5-10 days, bringing us more seasonable weather.

August is making a comeback.

Take Care!

Cindy F.

If you have toddlers... have had toddlers... know toddlers... or have seen toddlers in action than you know what I'm talking about. 
Where there are toddlers... there are tantrums.  At least at some point anyway. 

As the Mom of a soon to be 3yr old... I know all about it.  Funny how before you have kids you stare at these 'meltdowns in progress' in horror thinking "my kid will never do that".  Then... somehow one day you become that person others are staring at.

On Wednesday, July 23rd the author of a new book I Brake For Meltdowns will be here in studio to offer advice on how to handle these 'challenging moments' 2-5yr olds can bring at times.  What to do when toddlers talk back... scream in public... won't eat... won't share etc.   

If you've 'been there- done that'...  I'd love to hear your stories.  I'll be sharing some too and looking for some new ways to handle tough toddler situations.  So send in your stories... send in your questions and I'll get on as many as I can.

Thanks!
Cindy