Something (snow) stormy this way comes!

A WINTER STORM WATCH has now been posted for Amherst - and really all of Western and Northern Massachusetts - beginning Thursday morning, December 29, through Friday morning. If that sounds like a long period, you are correct. Computer models have converged around the fact that this is likely to be a significant snowstorm, but they are less decisive on timing. Somewhere between 4-8 inches of heavy, wet snow is currently forecast, with a high likelihood of at least 6 inches around here. Models currently have the snow starting up on Thursday morning, intensifying Thursday afternoon and early night. It all should taper off after midnight on Thursday. Expect hazardous driving conditions and poor visibility -- and increasing accuracy with respect to amounts and timing as we go through Wednesday.

December 26 Freezing Rain Advisory

Black Ice Driveway
(see how deceptive black ice can be?)
Photo by S. Vardatira, Amherst MA

A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY has been issued for 3-11 pm Monday, December 26, the first day of Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, third night of Chanukah, and generally busy shopping day around these parts. Location of the advisory includes Western and Central Massachusetts, encompassing Hampshire County and the surrounding areas. A few hundredths of an inch of light freezing rain is forecast, possibly with sleet mixed in. Although patches of light freezing rain may break out mid-afternoon Monday, it is more likely to occur early Monday evening. The main impact will be a light coating of ice on untreated roadways and sidewalks, which can be dangerous for anyone out and about at that time. Slow down and use caution while driving. Better yet, finish up early and spend the evening playing board games, lighting candles (if that's your tradition), or reading a good book. After about 11 pm, temperatures will have warmed to above freezing. And Tuesday will dawn soon after.

Interstellar Christmas Tree

This photo of the Christmas Tree Cluster was taken with the Wide Field Imager at ESO’s La Silla Observatory, 2400m high in the Atacama Desert of Chile in the foothills of the Andes. The image shows a region of space about 30 light-years across.

Just as weather clouds breed rain, molecular clouds breed stars. They are a form of interstellar cloud, and this one in the Monoceros constellation is known as the "Christmas Tree Cluster." It has a triangular arrangement of stars that is shaped like a Christmas tree, and it was so nicknamed by amateur astronomers who noticed the resemblance. Buried within the constellation is a compact group of red protostars. These newborns, swaddled in the surrounding molecular cloud, form the pattern of a snowflake. Perhaps not surprisingly, astronomers have nicknamed this part of the Christmas Tree Cluster, the "Snowflake Cluster." (Posting courtesy of the Cloud Appreciation Society)

Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating today from Head in the Clouds Amherst!

The Icing Cometh

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is now in effect from 1 AM to 3 PM Saturday for Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties (as well as parts of Central and Eastern Massachusetts, Northern Connecticut and Northwest Rhode Island). Locally we are expected to get 3-6 inches of snow and up to one tenth of an inch of ice. With temperatures this cold right now, it stands to reason that we can’t go from a major snow event to all rain without some icing in the middle. Freezing rain and ice accretion is nothing to mess around with – best to hunker down and ride this one out.

If you don't like the weather, wait a minute

Hadley Farms in Snow - Photo by S. Vardatira

The next 48 hours looks to typify that saying, "If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes." (Attributed to Mark Twain)

We had sub-zero temperatures earlier this morning, followed by high pressure building over the region during the today, which will diminish the wind as the day progresses. The high quickly moves off to the east tonight, making way for a warm front to bring approximately 3-5 inches of snow to our local area late tonight and Saturday morning (higher amounts at higher elevations). The warming air should then change the snow to rain during the day on Saturday. Rain continues through Sunday, with the warming trend continuing along with blustery southerly winds. A shot of Arctic air then moves in Sunday night into Monday, followed by a warm front which will usher in more seasonable conditions for most of next week.

And, of course, what would the holidays be without the chance of a "late-week" storm right before Christmas? But there's still a lot of uncertainty about that, so no need to panic yet. And in the meantime, don your best "New Englander" identity and enjoy our weekend weather roller coaster ride. 

Freezing rain and sleet

High likelihood of freezing rain and sleet Monday morning. Especially as the temperature is hovering just around 31 degrees at midnight Sunday. In other words, check your driveway before you step out on it.

First "plowable snow" storm of the season arrives tonight

First storm of the season, 2011 - Amherst, MA
Photo by S. Vardatira

Yes! Snow coming!

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for our area from 7 PM this evening to 1 PM Monday afternoon for much of Southern New England, including Eastern Hampshire County and Amherst. Plowable snowfall is expected for much of interior Southern New England overnight, with a slow transition of snow to ice north of the Mass Pike and west of I-495. In other words, expect the morning commute to be challenging. 2-5” of snow is forecast to fall locally, with as much as 6” across the hill country and the Berkshires. Computer models are are varying on how long cold air will hold in the region, and this may result in snow accumulation adjustments and possibly ice accumulation adjustments. Key considerations for this storm first storm of the season include:

1) Timing of the onset of the storm. It will initially be cold, and if snow is able to reach the ground Sunday Evening, it will be a lighter, fluffier snow, which could allow for more accumulation. If it is too dry, it may take time for thing to moisten up to allow snow to reach the ground.

2) How long the cold air is able to remain entrenched in the region and how deep the cold air will be. This will determine if snow is able to last longer, particularly in interior locations (like Amherst) and how much any ice accumulation could be in the area. It should be noted that temperatures were colder than expected this morning, and how much warming occurs during today could affect snow and ice amounts.

3) Storm track and how quickly the secondary low formation occurs and where it tracks. This could also impact the amount of cold air in the region.

And now onto the important question – have you got bread and milk?

Stay safe out there everyone. For new drivers, the first storm of the season always presents a steep learning curve.

Born on this day, 1830

"We have had fatal weather - thermometer two below zero all day, without a word of apology. Summer was always dear, but such a kiss as she'll get from me if I ever see her again, will make her cry, I know...." (Letter to Frances Norcross, 1862)

                                       - Emily Dickinson, born in Amherst on this day in 1830

Photo of the Dickinson Homestead by S. Vardatira
(This was the September photo in the 2014 Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar)

Below December Clouds

"Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf."

- Albert Schweitzer

Cumulus clouds over Hadley farms - Hadley, MA
Photo by S. Vardatira, 12/2/2016

Day's End in November

Day's end in November - Mt. Pollux, Amherst MA
Photo by S. Vardatira, 11/27/2016

 “It is also November. The noons are more laconic and the sunsets sterner, and Gibraltar lights make the village foreign. November always seemed to me the Norway of the year.” 

                                       Emily Dickinson, Letters, 1845-1886

Nightfall from Mt. Pollux tonight was more eventful than anticipated, as the clouds closed in with the darkness, eventually giving up their moisture in the form of rain at first, then sleet and a brief interval of hail. A chilly, biting, true November evening in Amherst.

Simple Gifts

Sunset tonight over Simple Gifts Farm, North Amherst.

Photo by Sharon Vardatira, 11/10/2016

Daylight Saving Time Ends Tonight (and why it's not about the farmers)

Sun in Winter, Photo by S. Vardatira

Ben Franklin did not invent it, nor does it have anything to do with helping farmers - just a few things you may have wrong about Daylight Saving (not Savings) Time. And while we're on the topic, it ends tonight, so set your clocks back one hour. And enjoy today's last sunlit late afternoon until next spring.

Click here to learn eight things you probably don't know about Daylight Saving Time

2017 Head in the Clouds Amherst Wall Calendar - Now Available!

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Actual calendar photos and daily entries are high resolution, 
much sharper than the images shown here

If you are looking for a unique Amherst gift that will keep giving all year round, look no further than our new Head in the Clouds Amherst 2017 Wall Calendar. This year's calendar features:

• Beautiful, seasonal nature photos taken in Amherst by twelve different photographers (scroll down for their names). 
• Over 100 daily entries highlighting: astronomical events visible from Amherst with the naked eye (full moon, new moon, meteor showers, and even a solar eclipse this year!); anniversaries of catastrophic weather events that occurred in Amherst and New England between 1660 and 2016; and pivotal dates in Amherst history. 

This is that perfect gift for Amherst residents and tourists, expatriates, college students here or away, writers and poets, and nature lovers. This calendar will have them (and you) falling in love with Amherst month after month. Full size when open is 17" high and 11" wide. 

Price is $14.00 per calendar purchased through this website (higher at local stores).

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ONLINE NOW: 

You can also purchase our calendar at Hastings, Amherst Books, Atkins Farms, and the UMass Campus Store. Call before you go over just to make sure they have calendars in stock (we do our best to keep the stores supplied, but it's not unusual for them to run out several times during a season). Hastings is downtown at 45 South Pleasant Street on the Common. Amherst Books is located at the center of downtown Amherst at 8 Main Street.Atkins Farms now has two stores, the flagship store near Hampshire College, at 1150 West St., and Atkins North at 113 Cowls Road in North Amherst. And the UMass Store, where anyone can shop (not just students), is located in the Campus Center at UMass Amherst.

For questions or special requests (including arranging for pick up in Amherst), please mail Sharon at CloudsAmherst[@]gmail[.]com. 
The [at] and [dot] are done to keep email addresses from being collected by spammers and harvesting robots. You just have to replace them for [@] and [.] when you write your e-mail.

Between Woods and Frozen Lake
Cushman Brook, North Amherst ~ Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Snowy Sunrise Over the Holyoke Range
Station Road, Amherst ~ Photo by Pamela Berwald Bingham
(also featured on calendar cover)

Almost Spring
South Amherst ~ Photo by Mindy Domb

Small Ones Farm
Bay Road, Amherst ~ Photo by Elisa Campbell

Morning Fog
UMass Campus Pond, Amherst ~ Photo by Stephanie O'Keeffe

Spring in Amherst
Sweetser Park ~ Photo by Kathie Sullivan

Nature's Fireworks
Amherst, July 4, 2016 ~ Photo by Marian Wolfsun

The Dragon of Moody Bridge Road
Border of Amherst and Hadley ~ Photo by Brian LeClair

Rainbow Over UMass
Amherst ~ Photo by Joshua R. Wolfsun

Heron on Puffer's Pond Dam
North Amherst ~ Photo by Anna-Beth Winograd

Fall on Bridge
Robert Frost Trail, North Amherst ~ Photo by Meg Rosa

Forever
Hickory Ridge Golf Course ~ Photo by Ben Harper

Shutesbury's Northern Lights "Crown of Pillars"

Northern Lights "Crown of Pillars" - Lake Wyola, Shutesbury
Photo by Susan Adams Panlilio, taken just after midnight last night, 9/2/2016

Wonderful pic of aurora taken in Shutesbury last night by friend of Head in the Clouds Amherst, Susan Adams Panlilio. There has been a good amount of geomagnetic activity over the past week which can lead to aurora sightings even around here. Thanks so much for sharing, Susan!