Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Today

More minor geomagnetic storm activity is predicted for today due to effects from a positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream. Which means greater potential for aurora borealis (northern lights) at higher latitudes, to our north, and even possibly northern parts of Western MA over the next few nights.

Watch the video to learn more, but disregard the bizarre accompanying music - in fact I advise turning the sound off entirely. For those of you who cannot access the video from this page, click here. 

April Rain Song

Rain drops on window, Amherst MA
Photo by S. Vardatira, 4/22/2016

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain. 

- April Rain Song, by Langston Hughes

Oh, I should probably mention that it's going to be a stormy afternoon and evening, as a cold front moves through Western Massachusetts, bringing much needed rain along with thunder and lightning, and occasional hail.

Snow in the Woods (in April, not January!)

Spring stream in snow, April 5, 2016
Photo by Laura Eve-Cowles, S. Deerfield MA

  You may be cursing the darkness, or rather the "whiteness" if you will, but moments like these don't last. Try to enjoy this late spring snow. It's beautiful out there! Fortunately, friend of Head in the Clouds Amherst, Laura Eve-Cowles, graced us with more beautiful photos of the woods in snow. The bottom photo on this page is the same vernal pool she photographed on Sunday (posted by us yesterday), only this time with even more snow. The sun is out now, and by Thursday this will all be fast melting away.

Snowy April Sunrise, April 4, 2016
Photo by Laura Eve-Cowles
S. Deerfield MA

Vernal Pool in Snow, April 4, 2016
Photo by Laura Eve-Cowles
S. Deerfield MA

Not exactly spring peeper weather...

Vernal pool in snow, South Deerfield MA - 4/3/2016
Photo by Laura Eve-Cowles

Hang on peepers, spring really is here - it's just gone into hiding at the moment. I wonder if peepers are stressed by this strange (early then absent) spring we've been experiencing?

Thanks to friend of Head in the Clouds Amherst, Laura Eve-Cowles, for this photo from yesterday - we love it when social media lights up with photos of unusual weather. Enjoy today's continuing snow, everyone, along with this unexpected snow day! (Yup, Amherst-Pelham schools are closed today.)

Winter Weather Advisory (yes, you heard that right)

Spring night sky with snow

What fun - snow in April.... !

Yes, indeed, a Winter Weather Advisory has just been posted for 3 am to 11 am Sunday (that would be overnight today into tomorrow). Areas to be impacted include all of Southern New England except for the South Coast, Cape and Islands. We are likely to experience 1-3 hours of heavy snow during that period, strong winds, and near whiteout conditions. Accumulation will probably be between 1-3 inches around here, all the way up to 5-6 inches at the higher elevations. 

Along the way, we’ll be treated to a whole range of weather phenomena (thank you, New England), starting out with high winds and maybe a rumble of thunder (isolated power outages possible), followed by rain spreading over the region, probably in the wee hours of Sunday morning around here. Snow will quickly come to an end by late Sunday morning.  NWS is calling this a potentially “high impact” but “short duration” event. So all you Saturday night revelers might want to head home early or plan to stay the night wherever you might be.