On average, snow chances about 4 in 10 next few days

8:39 PM Saturday, November 14, 2009

Between the end of summer and the shortest day of the year, I battle a constant feeling of disbelief. All things come to a halt rapidly; they die, die, die; the garden is all brown stalks and the ground is tightening. What continues to grow and bloom does so in isolation.

— Jamaica Kincaid

This week

The Sandhill Crane Migration Moon, new on Nov. 16, waxes throughout the period, entering its second quarter on the 24th at 4:39 p.m.

On Nov. 22 the sun enters the early-winter sign of Sagittarius and reaches within two degrees of solstice at the same time. In November’s third week, the rate of increase in the length of the night finally begins to slow to about 10 minutes in seven days instead of around 15 minutes. That good news comes none too soon. By Nov. 20, sunrise is almost half an hour later than it was on Halloween, and sunset is just a few minutes from its earliest time of the year.

August’s Vega is setting now after sunset. Cygnus, swan of the Northern Cross, and the gauge of autumn’s progress, is disappearing south. October’s Pegasus and Andromeda fall away behind it. By 10 p.m. the Pleiades have moved up in the east, leading on the Hyades, Taurus and Aldebaran.

Orion towers along the horizon, followed by Sirius and Procyon. Castor and Pollux, the rulers of January, stand above Orion’s hounds.

The weather

The cold front that typically arrives near Nov. 19 drops snow on Clark County four years in a decade. The Nov. 23 weather system almost always brings cold and precipitation, but the Nov. 28 front is often followed by a brief warming spell, which sometimes lasts until the advent of Early Winter at the end of the first week of December.

Daybook

Today, Nov. 16: The fourth major November high-pressure system reaches Springfield near this date, and the new moon today is expected to strengthen its effects.

Nov. 17: The last woolly-bear caterpillars mark one of the many borders of autumn, as do the shedding of the silver maple, pear and beech leaves, the new growth on the spruce, the flowering of witch hazel, and the first snow.

Nov. 18: Silver olive shrubs have lost almost all their foliage by now. Honeysuckles are half down and yellowing, the berries disappearing. Across the Miami Valley countryside, the tree line is bare except for the chocolate-brown leaves of the oaks and russet beeches.

Nov. 19: The fallen leaves become darker now as they gradually decay. Measure the progress of the year in their continuing changes. The breakdown of the Osage fruit through the months ahead will also time the winter.

Nov. 20: Leaves of decorative pear trees fall near this date, creating a major change in the suburban landscapes that favor these hardy ornamental trees.

Nov. 21: Parsley and thyme should be brought inside in pots for winter seasonings. Outside, wrap young transplants to protect them against frost cracking.

Nov. 22: Radical shifts of temperature associated with late-November high-pressure systems have been linked to lambing sickness, hypocalcaemia or a sudden calcium deficiency in sheep. Since weather affects all mammals, it makes sense to pay attention to the effect of cold waves on your own health and that of your children!

Mind and body clock

As harvest in the field and garden comes to an end, tie up all the loose ends of the year before the Christmas holidays begin. Even if you live in an apartment, try to do some year-end cleaning and organization now.

Since depression and the winter blues are becoming more common, late November is a favorable time to start a winter exercise program. A gentle routine of low-impact exercises improves both mental and physical health.

Moon and livestock

The waxing moon is overhead in the late afternoon and evening this week, making that time the best for fishing, hunting, feeding and overeating. As the barometer falls in advance of the Nov. 20 and 24 cold fronts, eating activity should be most intense.

Bill Felker has been watching local weather and writing almanacks since 1984. Contact him at wfelker@woh.rr.com or visit his Web site at poorwillsalmanack.com.

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