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| We're getting into the season when most of our rain comes from scattered showers and thunderstorms instead of dreary day long rains. Here's a view of an isolated thunderstorm in 2019 over southern Quebec, as viewed from Georgia, Vermont. |
It's Vermont, so summer-ish weather isn't always warm, but it has its distinct character.
Earlier in the spring, when we get rain (or, dreadfully snow), it's usually in the form of steady precipitation that lasts for hours as a large scale storm system passes by.
Think back to last Wednesday, when we had a day-long soaking rain. That's the cool season type of storm I'm talking about.
Once we get toward summer, the jet stream becomes a little more sluggish, and the large scale storms tend to be weaker. You can still get day long rains any time of year, but starting now, that kind of weather becomes much less likely.
Instead, we're moving into the time of year where most of our rain comes from scattered showers and thunderstorms. Most of those hit in the afternoons and evenings. This is what we have to look forward to for the next few months.
This is starting right away. A cold pool of air aloft set off some afternoon and evening showers yesterday, and will do so again today. Here was already a couple showers around this morning, but they will be more numerous this afternoon. There's even a chance one or two places could hear a rumble of thunder.
The showers will be hit and miss. Some places won't get any rain at all. Some places might get several showers today. Nobody will really get a lot of rain out of this. If you have outdoor plans, you probably might have to sneak inside to wait out a shower, but it won't last long.
There's a lesser chance of afternoon showers Wednesday, but they could still hit here and there.
After a dry Thursday, weak disturbances will give us the risk of daily afternoon and evening showers through the weekend and into next week.
Given that we've lost these big large scale storms, timing these small disturbance is tricky. So is gauging their ability to produce lots or few showers or storms. At least well in advance, anyway. Just take it one day at a time.
This being Vermont, we're not exactly getting into the summertime warmth and humidity anytime soon. It'll be cool for the season today and tomorrow, and in the near normal range of upper 60s to around 70 by Friday and the weekend.
I always look forward to this type of showery and thundery time of year. The gray skies of a day long rain are more often than not kind of boring looking.
Spring and summer showers and thunderstorms create blossoming and billowing tall clouds that are much prettier and interesting to look at than the dull stratus clouds. It's why people lay back in grassy fields in the summer and watch clouds go by.
Also, it can get pretty dramatic under a particularly strong thunderstorm, so that's fun. Note: I see no signs of any severe weather coming up with the showers and rumbles of thunder we can expect over the next several days.
The drawback to this new season is, of course, bugs.
We're getting into the heart of black fly season in Vermont, and they're SO annoying, as everybody knows.
It tends to be less windy the later you are in spring. You wish for gusts of winds to blow the black flies away, but they are usually not forthcoming this time of year. You have to deal, I guess.
Far, far, away, there was another sign of summer over the past few days. A weak tropical storm formed off the west coast of Mexico over the weekend. It didn't amount to much. But since tropical storms and hurricanes are mostly creatures of summer and early autumn, that was a sign of a change of seasons.
Still, this tropical storm, named Andres, was the earliest on record to form in this part of the world. Hurricane season in the eastern Pacific Ocean off Mexico doesn't even start until May 15, so this one was definitely an early go around.
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