WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Good morning!  FALL IS in the air.  Can you feel it?  We have had some chilly numbers the past couple mornings!  And the wind the past couple mornings...WOW!    But, I wanted to share some information with those of you who are wondering about your plants this time of year!  Our horticulture specialist, Jennifer Brennan from Chalet Nursery in Wilmette, shared this information with me this morning.  I wanted to share it with you!

Hi, Tracy,

I have been getting many calls from people whoare concerned about their houseplants that are still outside "on summer vacation". The "magic number" is 40 degrees F. Most tropicals can tolerate temperatures in the mid 40's, but will not be happy once it drops to 40. Since most of the plants that work well in houses are from tropical areas (usually tropical rain forests - warm and shaded) they will not survive temperatures below 40. I have been watching your weather reports - it looks like people have until this weekend to get everybody moved back indoors!!!

 

Warn everyone to spray with an insecticide (whether it is systemic or just a contact earth-friendly natural) while the plant is still outdoors, let it dry and then move them indoors.

They will not bring any unwanted "visitors" indoors.

 

Just a helpful tip,

Jennifer

 

So, our lesson here is our plants will love us for paying attention to the overnight lows!

Tracy

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

Good morning.  If today is your trash pick up day, know that when you return home from work or from tackling the days chores, your garbage cans may be in a location other than where you left them.  An intense area of low pressure and a departing cold front have ushered in some healthy winds along with a dose of colder air.  While today we can expect highs in the mid 60s, tomorrow we will struggle to reach 60 degrees.  I'm forecasting a high of only 57 degrees tomorrow.  Won't it be fun to talk about wind chills?  (I say that tongue in cheek)...although I know there are some of you whom are excited about the thoughts of chilly air and that fall-like feelin'.

Here is a description and explanation of the wind advisory, which the National Weather Service has issued for us today.

Tracy

WIND ADVISORY...URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
429 AM CDT MON SEP 28 2009

...STRONG WIND WILL OCCUR IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST
INDIANA...

.AN INTENSE SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE FROM LAKE SUPERIOR TO QUEBEC
TODAY. THE WIND WILL BE STRONG AS THE CHANGE IN PRESSURE WITH
DISTANCE IS VERY LARGE WITH THIS LOW. THE COLDER AND DENSER AIR
WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEAST ILLINOIS TODAY.

ILZ003>006-011>014-020-022-INZ001-002-281730-
/O.NEW.KLOT.WI.Y.0009.090928T1500Z-090929T0000Z/
WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE IL-DE KALB-KANE-DUPAGE-COOK-KENDALL-
WILL-LAKE IN-PORTER-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROCKFORD...BELVIDERE...WOODSTOCK...
WAUKEGAN...DEKALB...AURORA...WHEATON...CHICAGO...OSWEGO...
JOLIET...GARY...VALPARAISO
429 AM CDT MON SEP 28 2009

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT
THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A WIND
ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT
THIS EVENING.

THERE WILL BE A NORTHWEST WIND 25 TO 35 MPH WITH POSSIBLE GUSTS OF
50 MPH TODAY. THIS WILL OCCUR LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THE AREA
AFFECTED BY THIS WIND WILL BE NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTHEAST
ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. THE WIND WILL DECREASE IN SPEED
TONIGHT. THERE COULD BE SOME MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WITH A WIND
GUSTS OF 45 MPH OR GREATER

An improved look at the weekend

A few days ago, the weekend, while far from a washout, looked to be plagued by spotty showers both days.  Now it appears as if the majority of the weekend will be virtually rain free, and a few degrees warmer than earlier predicted.  Tomorrow might still bring light showers, but hardly more than a few hundredths of an inch at any given location.  Temps should hit the low to mid 70s, with an even warmer, drier look on tap for Sunday.  In fact, a few spots could reach 80 ahead of a strong cold front due to hit Sunday night. There could be a passing shower with the front, but the main impacts of that front will be the 15 to 20-degree temperature drop for Monday, ushered in on 35-mph winds.  A real taste of Fall will move in early next week before temps surge upward again.

Mike

Murky!

It's back to work for me, after a few days off.  Went to Niagara Falls, BTW.  First time there, and found it quite spectacular.  The local weather reports were full of info about their drought.  Buffalo had gone more than 3 weeks in a row without ANY rain.  Similar story here.  We did finally get some widespread rainfall on Sunday, but this is still a very dry month.  The next chance of rain arrives late Friday, and just how far into the weekend that threat extends will be my forecast focus on the news at 4pm.  For today, lots of clouds punctuated by a few peeks of hazy sun. Temps move into the 70s in most places with daytime humidity translating into overnight fog once again.

Mike

What a month

Though I am a big fan of extreme weather September frequently brings us some of the most pleasant weather of the entire year. This year has been no exception. We have seen highs from the lower 70s to the mid 80s and precipitation for the entire month stands at only .03".

  Somewhat concerned that the dry spell will come to an end right during the Bears game late Sunday. Moisture from the Gulf will stream northward and bring us our best chance of rain in several weeks. The good news is that the bulk of the rain should hold hold of until Sunday night and Monday but if you're lucky enough to have tickets for the game you might want to take a good rain jacket.

GO BEARS!!!

Phil

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

Good morning to you!

As summer 2009 is winding down, thought I would provide you with a few more statistics. 

Summer began this year on June 21.  Since the arrival of the summer solstice, our high temperature has been in the 80s 41 times.  As for 90-degree numbers, we were well shy of the average which is about 18 days.  This summer, we only had four days in the 90s this summer.  Three of the those occurred in June and only one in August. 

As I look at the extended forecast, I don't see anything that would cause me to forecast temperatures in the 80s or 90s for the rest of this month.   But, I will keep you posted...

Tracy

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

Good morning and Happy Tuesday.  I hope it IS a happy one for you.  For some of you the 80-degree temperatures have been making you happy.  But, after today, I am forecasting high temperatures that are more typical of this time of year. 

So far this September we have had 4 days where the temperatures reached at least 80 degrees.  I went back a few Septembers to see how frequently the 80s have visited us during this summer/fall month.

So far 2009 4 (should be 5 after today)

2008 -- 7 days in the 80s  2 days in the 90s

2007 -- 15 days in the 80s  2 days in the 90s

2006 -- 4 days in the 80s

2005 -- 14 days in the 80s  4 days in the 90s

Tracy

Time to tout the drought

Sure it's been really nice the past several days around here... warm sunny days and other than some morning fog, no real weather headaches.  Well here's my contribution as Mr. Negativity.  We have had only .03" rainfall officially in Chicago this month.  Some areas have had a little more, others absolutely none.  But where the official Chicago record is now kept, O'Hare, it's .03" Granted... the month is only about half over, but I have no rain in the forecast this week, meaning that .03" is likely to hold for a while longer.  So let's just for the sake of argument, say that's all we end up with for the month.  If that were to happen,  September '09 would go into the books as the 2nd driest month EVER in Chicago, ranking only behind September of 1979 when .01" rain fell.  That assumes a great deal, of course.  But what IS likely is the extension of "abnormally dry" status from southern Wisconsin into northern Illinois.  Here's a link to last week's drought status map from the U-S Drought Monitor: http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_midwest.htm

The new map comes out later this week, so it'll be interesting to see if we slip into the D0 category.  Around the weather office I am known for touting the drought, so maybe I'm over-reacting.  But what started as one of the wettest years in Chicago history has sure done a 180!

Mike

Monarchs heading south

This morning, my wife and I took part in a terrific experience at the Chalet Nursery in Wilmette.  All summer, monarch butterflies have been kept and essentially raised in a specially designed habitat at the Chalet.  The Aesclepius, or Milkweed plant is crucial to the life cycle of Monarchs, as their larvae feed on them almost exclusively.  Folks at the nursery constructed a screened-in room for the larva complete with Milkweed and other plants Monarchs feed on. The butterflies have recently emerged from their Chrysallis as adults, thirsty for nectar from plants like Butterfly Bush, Purple Coneflowers and Black-eyed Susans. 

All of this pampering is part of the nursery's role in an organization called Monarch Watch. The Chalet is a certified waystation for the insects, and today was the day to set them free.  As it turns out, Monarchs are on their way south through the Chicago area right now as they make their long migration back to their winter home in the hills of Mexico.  To keep track of these butterflies, the nursery placed special labels on the wings of the Monarchs they released today in hopes that someone may find them and report back to Monarch Watch about their location. I'll feature some photos of today's release on the 4pm news, but here's the link to the Monarch Watch website if you're interested in creating a garden which will lure butterflies into your own yard!  http://www.monarchwatch.org/

Mike

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

Hello there.  We have a beautiful weather weekend in store for us as summer 2009 winds down.  The Autumnal Equinox arrives on Tuesday, September 22 at 4:18pm CDT. 

On another note, today my thoughts and prayers are with so many whose lives were changed on this date eight years ago. 

Tracy