Autumn Arrived Last Evening In Vermont. We Mean It This Time

This cool, cloudy September morning, after an odd stretch of very
warm, humid weather broke, signs of fall color around my
St. Albans, Vermont house. 

Yesterday was another frustratingly warm, too humid day in Vermont. An expected cold front was tardy, so relief from the neverending summer was not forthcoming.

Until late afternoon and evening, that is, when that cold front gloriously dropped down from Canada.

I was sweating it out in the garden, trying to get some work done. I was cursing the heat, how it was making me drag.

Then that north breeze finally came up. The tardy cold front was finally here.

Within a half hour I went from melting into the heat to drinking in the suddenly cooler, drier air. Boy did I feel re-energized!

We'd just endured six consecutive days in the 80s and four consecutive days at or above 85 degrees. At Burlington, Vermont, Tuesday was the 82nd day this year that got to 80 degrees or more

The cool air that came in last evening was a relief for sure.

This cold front was the end of summer in Vermont. Period. Oh, sure, we'll have a couple or few more days that will be warm and summery. Possibly even humid. This coming Friday looks like it might be one of those days, for instance.

But normal temperatures are now so low, and sinking fast, that it would take near record or record heat to push us back into never-ending summer. While such a spell is always possible, it's unlikely.

Plus, any hot spell will be quickly dispatched by our increasingly vibrant cold fronts from Canada.

Today, for instance, is cloudy and cool. Though there might be some sun in the afternoon, temperatures will stay in the 60s. It'll be comfortably cool tomorrow as well.

As mentioned, Friday could end up feeling summery again, but that relative warmth and humidity will quickly be swept aside by a Friday night cold front. The weekend will be cool. In fact, Saturday night be turn frosty in some northern and central cool spots.

That would be good timing. Astronomical fall, the autumn equinox arrives at 9:54 p.m. Saturday.

By the way, there are some hints that the switch to a fall pattern might be slighly wetter than the too-dry weather we've had all summer in  northern Vermont.

We're in a drought and need the rain. I don't see any blockbuster signs of torrential, soaking rains, but those increasingly frequent cold fronts at least give us periodic chances of wetting.

Friday night's cold front doesn't look super impressive in terms of rainfall, but we have a shot at some. Additionally, a few of those cold fronts over the next couple weeks look like they have a chance - just a chance - of picking up some extra moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, which would make the rain a little heavier.

For what it's worth, NOAA"s Climate Prediction Center indicates slighly better than even chances of somewhat cooler, somewhat wetter than average weather here in Vermont as September closes and October opens.

We'll see how that goes.