The Birds Are Returning
This has been a very pretty day, once the clouds of this morning dissipated. The birds as noted below are coming back, and that is good. N.O.A.A. said we would have no precipitation today, and they were right Their estimate of the high temperature was a little low, and their estimate of the cloud cover was a little high by my estimate. There were a few high thin Cirrus clouds during the day.

Even Though There Is Still Snow On The Ground
The warm temperatures are forcing the snow to retreat except in those shady areas where the sun cannot act for long periods. The N.W.S. is forecasting temperatures remaining above freezing overnight, with no precipitation. They are predicting some fairly heavy cloud cover though (25%/59%/70%/64%). There is nothing showing up on the NEXRAD regional composite radar. There are some questionable areas of rain indicated on the Weather Underground model forecast maps for some time tomorrow afternoon. These should not last very long, and appear to be quite light. We are approaching the point where a little bit of rain would be of some benefit. Of course, as I understand it, we are behind on our precipitation for the month of April. That does not seem to have slowed the trees down very much at all. With the weather we have had until now, the Maple Syrup producers should have had a pretty good run. The high temperatures for today were 75.7°F, 69.5°F and 63.3°F). It is really beginning to feel a lot like spring, and it is looking like it too.

The Buds On The Maples Are Swelling!
That part of the season should be almost done with the temperature staying above freezing overnight, and the buds getting ready to burst open. It will be nice to see green again instead of brown.

The Relative Humidity Is Only 52%
My Weather Stick is smiling very broadly as a result of the 52% relative humidity. Two of my electronic instruments forecast fair weather with rising barometric pressure. The remote weather station calls for unsettled weather with steady barometric pressure. The pressure in the barn has remained steady all day. The high temperatures for today were 75.7°F, 69.5°Fand 63.3°F. It is really beginning to feel a lot like spring, and it is looking like it too. I think we will have a pleasant night with no precipitation and temperatures above freezing. Because this house holds the heat fairly well it is time to shut the heat down, first because we do not need it, and second to conserve fuel. With my outdoor wood boiler I have used less than $700.00 worth of wood for the past year. I am impressed, and I have helped reduce our dependence on foreign oil, therefore my "Carbon Footprint" has been reduced. It is more labor intensive, but almost anyone can do it. Outdoor Wood Boilers (and other wood burning appliances) are environmentally neutral.
High Temperature (°F): 75.7
Current Temperature (°F): 50.2
Relative Humidity (%): 52%
Dew Point (°F): 40.7
Heat Index (°F): N/A
Barometric Pressure (in Hg): 30.32
Wind Direction: South Southwest
Wind Speed (mph): 2.0
Wind-Chill (°F): N/A
Precipitation (Type): None
Amount (Inches): 0.00
Cloud Cover (PM): Mostly Fair
Cloud Type: Cirrus
Weather Stick: Up
Comparative data for today.
Temperature: 44°F/42.6°F//57°F/57.0°F//66°F/72.1°F//65°F/70.8*F
Relative Humidity: 77%/83%//45%/60%//33%/40%//34%/39%
The N.W.S. made their best guess today, and their temperature forecasts were wrong for 50% of the day. They only missed the 11:00 hour forecast of the relative humidity. This was not one of their better days.
Forecast data for the overnight.
Temperature: 55°F/47°F/41°F/38°F.
Relative Humidity: 47%/68%/82%/92%

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