That sounds like a lot of work, Aslans_Jewel! Glad it was warm for you.

60F is just about average here for this date - but with up to 4 inches of wet, heavy snow today we didn't come close. Maybe by this weekend, if the forecast holds...I'd like to do a little fall color viewing before winter sets in!

Also, if your sky is clear tomorrow morning, check out Saturn's very close passage to bright Venus around 6:15 local daylight time (binoculars will help). Elusive Mercury is also nearby. For more, check out this page from SkyandTelescope.com.

It has been the same type of temps for about 3 weeks here. They finally said it gonna get hotter on the news yesterday.

What fun about the storm coming during your meteorology class, Todd. Oh, how I do love a good thunderstorm! I sure hope you can see a waterspout next season. What a thrill that would be!

stargazer, your outer areas got frost sooner than we did. Our first wide-spread frost is coming ... tonight! It is brilliantly clear outside for the first time in a number of days, but alas, it wasn't this morning for the Saturn/Venus conjunction. Heavy clouds covered our region then, giving way to a sun/cloud mix mid-day, then clear as clear as the evening approached. Great star-gazing tonight. Jupiter is like a burning eye in the south/south-eastern heavens.

Hope you enjoyed that lovely cooler front, starkat! It does sound like you've had a fair bit of rain lately, which, from what I recall, is a far cry from your very dry summer.

IlF, are you looking forward to the warmer weather?

Our autumn temperatures have been spot-on lovely this past while (10C/50 daytime; 3-5C/37-41F at night) ... perfect hiking/jogging/walking weather! The leaves are about half-turned, making a stunning display, and the air has a constant scent of wood-fire. *drinks it in* This is truly one of my 'favouritest' seasons of the year.

Interesting Trivia: 2 years ago on Canadian Thanksgiving day it was 31°C/87.8F (Ugh) with a humidex of 39C/102F!!! (BLECH). I hasten to add that that is a very unusual temperature for southern Ontario on Thanksgiving weekend (2nd weekend in October). Last year it was 22C/71.6F, which is still far above average for this time of year.

I just read on our astronomy calendar that there is a Saturn/Venus/Moon conjunction this Friday morning. I hope it's clear for good viewing!

Alas, jo, it was cloudy here for that conjunction.

Today, I believe, is the first day of October with temperatures over 55F/12C. The average high for this time of year is still 58F/14C, so every day this month has been cooler than average. Precipitation is also way over average.

But since today and tomorrow look like glorious autumn days, we will celebrate accordingly (a backyard fire today, with friends, and my annual orchard trip tomorrow).

In other weather news the northeast US is being hit with an early-season nor'easter (so called because a low pressure system just off the coast brings cold northeast winds with snow and/or rain).

The news also described a large brush fire in Queensland, aggravated by the ongoing dry conditions there.

Well, it's been over three weeks since I last posted, and the reason is that nothing much has changed since then. Beautiful, fresh autumn weather with gorgeous skies—mostly overcast (and simply stunning at times), but sometimes sunny, although rarely a day goes by without some clouds. Temperatures have been around 10°C/50°F during the day and getting down to single digits (Celsius or in the 40sF) at night. Even as I looked outside before the sun set there was such a mixture of sky texture: clear blue in some spots with massively dark and billowing cloud formations in others—so beautiful!

This afternoon, though, the temperature has taken its first real plunge, going to near the freezing mark. We are expecting to see our first-of-the-season *jumps for joy* snow flurries this evening. I truly hope this happens! On the occasion of the first snowfall (and many thereafter, but the first is kind of special) I go out and twirl and dance in the snow. I can't help myself.

This weekend and early next week the temps are warming up a bit (as in early to mid-teensC/mid 50sF) with clear skies (good for night-sky gazing! , but then cooling down to more seasonal figures.

The Hunter's Moon the past few nights has been amazing to see, although last night was cloudy for us, but the previous evenings (and early in the morning) it was picture perfect, especially when it shone brightly behind stark tree branches. How I love that sight!

This Autumn seems to have lasted extra-long, but I have noticed the reds are not so pronounced this year; rather the yellows and oranges have been the dominant colours. As I stand under our crimson maple, which turns a deep orange in the fall, I feel like I'm bathed in a bronze light. (See the Photography thread for pics.)

Those are some glorious autumn pictures, jo!

Our colors have come and gone, and for the most part all were very muted. It probably didn't help that we got several inches of wet, heavy snow while the leaves were still on the trees.

October 2009 went into the books in the top 5 both in cold average temperature and precipitation (almost 6 inches/15 cm) - badly needed moisture! There were a few nice days when I enjoyed day trips to look at the colors, visit the orchards, and then cap it off with a nice campfire and stargazing session.

I too enjoy the sight of the autumn moon rising through the barren tree branches - and got to see it last night, when the sky unexpectedly cleared after being overcast most of the day.

This weekend looks spectacular, with the warmest temps in about a month (possibly hitting 60F/15C). Definitely time to be outside before winter gets here.

Enjoy your snow, jo! (Rather surprisingly our 10-day forecast doesn't include any of the white stuff).

The predicted snow of last week at this time never materialized. *sniff* Some other years we've had it on (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, the second wknd in October, although I don't know if there has ever been accumulation then: it's usually just flurries, but still quite exciting being the first of the season and all. But not this year.

As I look out the window, most of the treas have shed their leaves, but a few are still hanging on.

The trip to the orchards and the campfire and stargazing sessions sound so lovely, 'gazer. We've enjoyed some hikes in the colours and a trip to the pumpkin patch, but didn't get to the orchard this year.

Last weekend, as I mentioned above, we had unseasonably warm temperatures, almost too warm for me. Yesterday it began cooling down again and today has a lovely nip in the air (5C/41F), with our first wide-spread frost last night, as in scraping-the-car-frost. What a beautiful sight this morning! Now this coming weekend we're supposed to warm up a bit again, although not to the same extent a few days ago, rather to 12C/53F, somewhat less than our 18C/64F of last weekend.

We have had more clear skies lately, which has allowed for some wonderful night-sky gazing. Jupiter shines clear in the early evening in the south and later in the evening last night I got my first glimpse of Mars rising in the east. It is also a welcome sight to see 'old friends', as I like to call them: Orion and the Pleiades.

There have been some bright ISS passes lately, as well, and it appears that some of us experience a 'joint observation': stargazer and I, not infrequently, and 'though hundreds of miles apart, have observed the same pass "underneath the same big sky". Quite cool!

Its been Really Rainy here lately! I hope it clears up a little me and my Fam have some houses to look at soon we are going to move soon........... I hope it snows here in the winter that would be great!

It's been really cold here today!! I had to wear a blanket while I was doing school.
It rained yesterday. All this cold weather(and the emoction in Benjamin's post) make me want some hot chocolate.
I'm hoping for snow too. These last few years the snow around here has been pretty puny.

It's been really cold here today!! I had to wear a blanket while I was doing school.
It rained yesterday. All this cold weather(and the emoction in Benjamin's post) make me want some hot chocolate.
I'm hoping for snow too. These last few years the snow around here has been pretty puny.

Hot Chocolate is great! I would not mind having right now too! Here have some

It's been a weird fall. Cold and rainy all October, and then sunny and warm in November so far. Warm is nice, but I would be happy for some snow now since the holidays are comin up.

Hot Chocolate is great! I would not mind having right now too! Here have some

Why thank you!

The sky is a really pretty grayish-bluish color right now. I don't think it'll rain today,but I could be wrong...

We have a few clouds here in El Paso. But temps are very pleasent in the 60's and 70's. Still shorts weather for me. But I leave for Santa Fe in about 45 minutes and I have to assume it will be colder there.

We actually got snow about three weeks ago but it was only enough to stick on the mountains for a dusting. That will likely be all the snow we'll see all year. But my chances of seeing real snow will come at Christmas when I got to Colorado right before then to St. Louis immediately after. I can't wait for those trips.

60s and 70s sounds awesome, Fencer! My kind of summer weather. Enjoy your upcoming trips! They sound like fun.

TheGeneral, your weather summary sounds just like what I'd write for my area (but as I recall from the Sports discussion, we live in the same metro area ). November so far has been generally pleasant, with more days over 60F than in all of October. I've responded with some fun day trips in which lots of wood ended up in the campfire. But snow flurries are in our forecast now.

Like jo, I've enjoyed seeing old favorites like Orion rise earlier and earlier each evening, especially now that we've returned to standard time (making sunset come before 5 pm and the stars come out that much earlier). They're the early heralds of winter.

And as jo also mentioned, the last week has favored us with some excellent opportunities to view the International Space Station, which during a favorable pass can become the 4th-brightest object in the sky - truly spectacular. And it's fun to know that I'm viewing the same pass as another NarniaWebber who lives hundreds of miles away, in another country and even another time zone.

TheGeneral, your weather summary sounds just like what I'd write for my area (but as I recall from the Sports discussion, we live in the same metro area ). November so far has been generally pleasant, with more days over 60F than in all of October. I've responded with some fun day trips in which lots of wood ended up in the campfire. But snow flurries are in our forecast now.

haha you're right. I had reservations for camping trips in October and the rain kinda took some of the fun away. I shoulda camped now in in Nov.