Friday Was The Ultimate Perfect Vermont Summer Day. Now, Big Changes Are Afoot

What a day Friday was in Vermont! Deep blue skies,
hills glowing green in the sun. It was the pick of
the summer. But changes are afoot, and we
have some pre-autumn type weather heading
our way after a very warm Saturday. 

 Yes, we desperate need the rain, but you have to admit, Friday's weather was perfect. 

Maybe the pick of the summer.  

The temperature/humidity combo was spot on. Most of us got into the low 80s during the afternoon, so it was a good beach day. It was also superb for any other activity.   The humidity was rock bottom low, so exerting yourself with a hike or a spin on the bike didn't kill you. 

For once, there was no wildlife smoke in the air, so the sky was that deep, deep blue that soothes the soul.  It's rare to have a cloudless sky like this in August. Usually, there might be at least a few puffy clouds out there. 

Likewise, the Green Mountains glowed a deep green for a change, instead of being half or fully obscured by haze and smoke. f your hike took to the mountain summits you could see practically forever. 

If you were on the lake, it was also stupendous, though maybe winds were a bit light for the sailboats.

In other words, Friday was the reason we live in Vermont. 

TODAY

We've left the perfection zone, but if you enjoy summer, you've at least got today to enjoy. Beyond that, we'll see. 

Last night was pretty comfortable for sleeping, as we all started the day with temperatures in the 50s. You'll  notice it heating up pretty quickly this morning. All of us will get well into the 80s, with a few warmer valleys hitting 90 one more time.  There should be plenty of sun today, though a few clouds might come in during the afternoon. 

SUNDAY

This will be our big transition day into what I might call pre-fall, or as I explained the other day, Fair Weather, the kind of not really warm, not really chilly days we have in late August when county fairs are around. 

The cold front will be a little  more like  the kind you see in the autumn, not summer. Summertime cold front come through in pieces, little boundaries with progressively, and slightly cooler and less humid air and a gradual wind shift over many hours.  

Autumn and winter cold fronts come through in one fell swoop. Although Sunday's front won't be "clean" like that - it will still be a bit diffuse - the  push of colder air will be abrupt and noticeable. 

Temperatures will probably actually fall during Sunday afternoon, depending on the timing of the cold front. By evening, you might be reaching for a hoodie or sweater. 

I'm still really unimpressed with the amount of rain that will accompany the cold front. Current forecasts have us getting maybe a tenth of an inch, with a few lucky spots maybe seeing a quarter inch. 

By Monday morning, temperatures  should be down in the 40s, with highs only reaching about 70 by afternoon. 

The cool weather continues most of the week, but it should start to warm up temporarily toward the end of the week. 

If you are reaching for hopes of rain, there might be something coming through Tuesday night and Wednesday, but don't count on it. 

A few forecast models dump an inch of rain on us, which would be great, but those models are in the minority.  Most of them give us just a little rain, and some of them nothing at all.  Stay tuned on that, but for now, I'm leaning toward mostly dry weather and sadly, a worsening drought. 

Since I'm an eternal pessimist, don't count on me being right, though.