JULY 2009 WEATHER & PHENOLOGY IN REVIEW

From the North Shore of Little Rock Lake

Jim Hovda Rice, MN. 56367-0265 jhovda.rice@jetup.net

July, for me, was an unusual month. For the minority I found that wanted more hot and humid weather, move to the west. Channel 5 told me that this was the coolest July in 118 years. I believe it. There were several days that sweaters were the thing to wear. Sort of like September weather. The picture of my bird feeder last March reminded me that we only have 47 days until the possible snow season. The weather folks at St Cloud State recorded no less than .2" of snow on the 21^st of Sept 1995. I have noticed that the days are getting shorter. Signing up for your LP gas and thinking about your snow blower should be high on your list of tasks to accomplish.

The environmental folks may have some legitimate concerns. This summer provided the smallest number of Monarch Butterflies, frogs and yellow jacket bees. Butterflies in general were way down in numbers and species.

On the positive side of things, this year produced the best gardens and lawn grass I ever had along with spectacular growth of my new Swamp Oak. Flower blooms were spectacular. I suspect that the abundant rainfall that came when it was needed was a major factor.

WEATHER LAST JULY: Warmer. We had two 90 degree days. Twenty-two days with temps in the 80's compared to thirteen this year. 2.80" of rain spread out throughout the month helped the growing things. We ended the month with 18.40" for the year compared to 17.02" this year. No significant weather events.

UNUSUAL WEATHER EVENT: A new category folks! My good friend John Duea parked his vehicle next to the Rice Car Wash while out of town for a day or two. On the afternoon of the 14^th a series of lightning/thunder storms rolled thru Rice. About 3:00 P.M. A neighbor Fred Segler reported a blinding flash and a thunder clap that shook his house 1/4 block away. The lightning bolt hit a bull’s eye on John’s truck causing more than two thousand dollars in damage to his electrical system and melted his satellite radio antenna. The car wash also sustained damage. A clear reminder that electrical storms pose a serious threat to our safety and we need to be mindful of the warnings issued by the weather folks. I’ll have to ask John if his attendance at church is in need of improvement!

WEATHER: July temps started out looking like July was going to be a really phenomenally hot month. Then things really cooled down. The low temp was a 43.8 degree reading on the19th. From the 17^th to the 19^th the temp never reached 70 degrees. It was great sleeping weather all month as the low temps were in the 50's 98% of the time. The AC and the related high electric bills were not to be. Open windows at night allowed the nice cool night air to require a blanket. No 90's. The warmest day was an 86.5 degree reading on the 24^th & 28^th.

It rained on fourteen days. The most rain fell on the 14^th when I recorded no less than 1.22" of welcome rain. It is worth mentioning that all month the rainfall has been “spotty.” St Cloud, for instance, received less rain on more than one occasion. Friends reported that while driving on U.S. Hwy #10 it would be raining “cats & dogs” then just stop and the pavement would be dry as toast. I’m sure the weather folks who compile the monthly weather reports from our “green sheets” will have some interesting observations. I recorded 3.66" of rain for the month.

WEATHER RECORDS: Our local low record was set in 1969 with a 40 degree reading while the high was set in 1992 when the thermometer reached 107 degrees. You may have trouble believing that the out state low was a chilly 24 degrees in 1997 in none other than Tower, MN while the greater MN high was 114 degrees in 1917 & 1936 in Beardsley and Moorhead respectfully. The most rain locally was 12.81" for the month and the least for a July was a measly .21" in 1975. There was NO SNOW in July!

PHENOLOGY: A lean month for observations. The first Monarch butterfly on the 1^st with the only other sighting on the 20^th. The Sawfly Larvae started making their annual appearance on the Mountain Ash trees on the 3^rd. This year saw a very lite infestation. No spraying was necessary. On the 7^th an unusual sighting for summer - a sundog. This phenomenon usually occurs in the winter. A sign of things to come? The orioles disappeared from the 12^th to the 14^th then came back in numbers. On the 20^th Jan and observed the first flying squirrel in a long time. It was feeding on sunflower seeds in our tower feeder. We were really glad to see its return. On the 23^rd I heard the Great Horned Owl “hooting” up a storm about 1130 P.M.. The 24^th saw the sunflowers start to bloom and the 25^th our bright yellow Ligularia (the rocket) was in full bloom. They attract all kinds of bees and butterflies. On the 29^th my friend Craig Gondeck canoeing on the Mississippi River counted four Bald Eagles looking for fish to eat.

NATURE NOTES: HUMMINGBIRDS - - While resting a hummingbird takes 250 breaths per minute; The oldest hummingbird recorded was 14 years old; Hummingbirds do not migrate, they fly alone; Hummingbirds have about 1,500 feathers and Hummingbirds can’t fly until their body temperature reaches 86 degrees (F). Birds and Blooms June - July 2008 pp24.