JULY, 2007 WEATHER & PHENOLOGY IN REVIEW

From the North Shores of Little Rock Lake

Jim Hovda, Rice, MN  56367-0265    jhovda.rice@juno.com

CAPSULE OF LAST JULY:       Warmer and with a little more rain.  Wetter is a misnomer - Tho the total rainfall totaled almost an inch more rain, a heavy rain ((T-Storm) on the 31st dropped a total of 1.33".   Less than an inch the rest of the month...   Ten days with temps above 90 degrees, the warmest 94.1 on the 28th and 31st.    It hit an unofficial 103 degrees in Rice on the 28th.   The average low - 61.12 and the high 87.81 degrees.  All the green things took a real kick in the fanny.

WEATHER:       Hot and dry.  Although we had cool nights the days, for the most part, were cloudless and hot.  Only six days with highs in the 70's.    Eight days with temps in the 90's with the month high of 91.4 on the 8th, 23rd & 28th.    Keep in mind that my readings come from the north end of Little Rock Lake and the readings are several degrees cooler than temps in towns and away from the lake.  Most folks placed the AC on high.  Believe it or not, the coolest temp was a chilly 44.4 degrees on the 12th.

       In the rainfall category only six days recorded measurable precipitation.  Most of that fell on the 2nd with .47" and the 3rd with .70", the most rain in any one 24 hour period.    A very dry month.   We are in desperate need of rain.  We ended the month with 1.45" of rain and a total for the year of only 11.65".   I've observed the bunnies and squirrels taking lots of drinks from a water bowl I've placed in the garden. 

WEATHER RECORDS:       None set this month.    The coldest recorded temp for our area occurred in 1969 with a 40 degree reading with the out state reading of 24 degrees in none other than Tower.  On the warm (hot) side, a 107 degree day occurred on the 22nd in 1934 and in greater MN 114 degrees in none other than Moorhead.    The least amount of precipitation for a July occurred in 1975 with only .21" and the most in 1897 when the area received no less than 12.81".    An interesting note:  According to the University of Minnesota Extension climatologist/meteorologist Mark Seeley, only three dates have been recorded as free of frost in Minnesota:  July 17th, 21st and Aug 8th.   MN Conservation Volunteer May - June 2007, pp58.

PHENOLOGY:       Birds and "critters" observations - not many.    The garden snake observed earlier this summer has grown a couple of inches, the bunnies have been active eating the cracked corn and drinking eagerly from the bowl of water in the garden.    All month the Purple Martins have been very active in the two houses near the shore of Little Rock Lake.  Then, on the 30th they were gone.   SILENCE now greets me when I venture out in the morning to check the bird feeders.  A bummer.  Last year they left on the 8th of August.    I really miss these birds with their chatter all day.    Last year there were only a couple pair and those were the first in about ten years.   They now number more than twenty this summer.  Now they are off to South America.     On the 10th twelve Turkey Buzzards were circling over Reggie Seimers house a mile or so west of the lake.    (Dead critter in the woods???)    On the 18th the first and only Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly I've seen this year.   Numbers of this butterfly seem to be way down.    Monarch numbers are down too.  I've not seen any caterpillars on the milkweed either.   Missing totally this year, the caterpillars from the Black Swallowtail eating parsley.  Last year lots of them.  Orioles, numbers up.   Seven observed at the grape jelly feeder at one time on the  18th and a similar observation for the Purple Finches whose numbers are also way up.   I should report that the hummingbirds seem to be constant in numbers with last year, maybe a slight increase.    The Brown-headed Cowbirds seem to have, for the most part, departed the area but the Red-winged Blackbirds are in good numbers.  On the 26th I saw the geese back in the air again.

       The summer flowers are in full bloom:  Monkshood, Sunflowers  (they are 9'10" tall), Black-eyed Susans and the long yellow blossoms of the Ligularia.    I almost forgot to mention the Hosta's that keep blooming.   I have many different varieties and it seems like some are always in bloom.   Keeping the flowers healthy has required a lot of water from the hose. 

LAKE (PHENOLOGY) REPORT:       Little Rock Lake is/has experienced the worst explosion of algae anyone can remember, going back over forty years.   It is so bad that both the P.C.A. and the MN Dept of Health have issued health advisories for any water activities and air quality as a result of the gasses released from the algae.  A simple description THE LAKE REALLY STINKS!!!  Depending on who you talk to, the causes are different.   Three factors seem to be consistent:  (1)  Very early warm temps in the spring (2)  A very hot summer and (3) Little precipitation to help flush the lake.    You can gain more information about this very unpleasant situation by going to the Little Rock Lake Association web site: ( http://www.littlerocklake.org/  ) The website has links to the PCA, DNR and other agencies.   Nearly everyone agrees that there will be no quick fix....  The LRLA meets every second Saturday at Rumors bar at 11:00 A.M.

WATER FACT:       A large summer cumulonimbus storm cloud can rise up to 7.5 miles above the earth and hold more than a million tons of water. (USA Today Weather) from MN Weatherguide Environment Calender 2007. 

PIC:   PURPLE MARTINS ON LITTLE ROCK LAKE.