Cindy_Fitzgibbon's Blog

So for the first time in a quite a few years... I actually have a New Year's resolution that I really want to stick to. 

It drives me CRAZY when people say 'gonna' instead of 'going to'... and I hear myself do it ALL THE TIME!  Do you? If you are conscience of it, you will hear others say it quite often, as well. 

I want to stop... I've been trying to... but I haven't had too much luck so far.  So I'm asking you the viewer... my co-workers... anyone reading this... to call me out when you hear me say it.  Maybe that's what it's "GOING TO" take to make me stop!

Happy New Year!
Cindy

If you got a sled for Christmas, that is.   Looks like you won't be able to use it for a little while.   Hard to believe that in some spots we started the week with 20" or more of snow on the ground and by Monday most if not all of that will be gone!

Our warm-up that started Christmas Eve sent the temperature up to 55 degrees by 3:12 am Christmas Morning before it fell slowly into the afternoon.  Between that warmth and nearly a half inch of rain... a lot of our snow pack has already melted away. 

Now it look like a little more rain coming at us this weekend... coupled with near record warmth on Sunday.  I'm forecasting 60 degrees Sunday afternoon and the record high for the day is 63 from 1982. 

Say good bye to the rest of that snow- at least for now!  But keep those sleds ready....you know we'll be getting more- likely lots more this winter.

Enjoy the weekend!
Cindy

Those still trying to clean and restore power after last weeks crippling icestorm (not to mention some south of Boston that lost power due to strong wind gusts Friday morning) will have mild temps near 60 today- but that's about the only good weather news this week.

Gusty winds may even bring down some additional branches today- watch out for that and falling chunks of ice!  We've got some rain coming tonight and that'll be moving out early tomorrow.  Could end as a few snowflakes over the hills- not a big deal... but slowing down clean up efforts for sure.

Cold air returns during the day tomorrow as temps fall back down into the 30s- setting the stage for Wednesday.  A weak... fast moving storm center will bring in another round of moisture for Wednesday.  It looks like a messy morning commute with things not winding down til the evening- a mixture of snow- sleet and rain with some minor accumulation possible metro Boston N & W.

The fun is not over yet- we'll get a day to catch our breath on Thursday and then another weak system comes in for Friday.  This one may start as snow too- but probably flip over to all rain. 

Not what those trying to clean up want to hear... did I mention winter doesn't even 'officially' begin for 6 more days.

-Cindy

I'm there now, are you? Sunday's light snow -- the first of the season -- was the icing on the cake, for me.

I was lucky enough to be able to take last week off (thanks, A.J.) and run around like crazy, getting ready for Christmas and my youngest son's 1st birthday. The lights are up, the tree is up, most of the presents (shockingly) have been bought. We even took the boys to see Santa Friday, what a treat! The snow falling yesterday afternoon was a the perfect end to a week of craziness, and finally a chance to take a moment to exhale and appreciate the season. (Especially since I didn't have to forecast it!)

Now back to work! In the words of Professor Hinkle (the magician from Frosty the Snowman) busy.. busy.. busy! (Two storms possibly this week: rain Wednesday and maybe snow later Thursday into Friday?)

Anyone else out there getting into the spirit?

You can file this under celestial happenings ...

Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed two bright stars near the moon in the early evenings. (I think "markthefoamguy" might have asked Kevin or A.J. about this in one of their blogs). Those two bright stars are the planets Venus and Jupiter. You can't miss them, they're the brightest objects in the night sky right now, other than the moon.

Well, over the past couple of weeks, they have been inching closer together in the early evening sky.

This weekend, they will appear to 'come together' in a way that won't happen again until 2052. That's 44 years from now, so you might want to check it out.

If you look in the SW sky after sunset, you will see the moon and the two bright stars (Jupiter and Venus) to the upper left. Sunday night (November 30th) they will appear to line up due north and south of each other in our sky. They will be separated by only 2 degrees, that's about the width of your finger held out at arm's length.

Weather wise, it's looking like we might have clouds (and rain or snow, but I digress) around Sunday evening for the peak of this event. So, for the next few nights, take a moment and look up and watch two planets 'come together.' Isn't 'coming together' with family and friends what this time of year is all about?

Happy Thanksgiving All!

-Cindy

Earlier this week we talked about how it was feeling more like December than November. Now, it's feeling more like January than November.

We should still be near 50 this time of year. Our highs don't average in the mid 30s until January. Yet... that's where we will hover the next few days. Wednesday actually set a record in Worcester- the high was only 29 degrees. That set a record for the coldest high temperature ever recorded at the airport on November the 19th. In Boston... we managed 33 degrees- but wind chills were stuck in the teens and 20s all day.

Now here's where it gets interesting to me. It's NOT unheard of to get cold spells in November where temps don't get out of the 30s. It might happen one or two times each year. If you go back and look at the number of days that highs didn't get out of the 30s in Boston in the month of November over the past five years.... here's what you get.

November 2007 1 day
November 2006 0 days
November 2005 3 days (we had snow on Thanksgiving that year remember)
November 2004 1 day
November 2003 0 days

So... quick math gives you 5 days over the past 5 years. Yesterday, marked day number one for us (with our 33 degree high in Boston). I'm forecasting 30s today, Friday and Saturday. Maybe 40 degrees on Sunday. So that's at least a 4 day stretch... and THAT is unusual.

Can you say Brrr....

-Cindy

*BTW are you REALLY raking in this weather Graham_Cracker???

Minus the snow of course... at least for now. No big storms in the making- just a few sprinkles or flurries in a few spots Tuesday and perhaps again on Thursday.

The story this week is the cold... a bit of a shock to the system as well after touching 70 degrees this weekend! A huge dip... or trough in the the jet stream has brought unseasonably cold temperatures all the way down into the deep south (it was 33 in Atlanta, Georgia this morning!)

Average highs this time of year should still be around 50... that's not happening this week. 40s today and then mostly in the 30s for highs the rest of the week. Keep in mind a typical high for us on December 30th is 38 degrees... I don't think we get there Wednesday or Thursday and wind chills will hover in the 20s through the afternoon.

Yikes... guess I'm not getting to the rest of the mess in my yard this week! Any one else in my boat with still some yard clean-up to do? If so... (and you're a wimp like me with the cold)... looking long range I do see a little warm up coming early next week... but it could come with rain. Stay tuned!

Brrr...

Cindy

Don't know how many times I've said this during the morning, but it's so true. Even though it will still be cool today, there will be LESS WIND. So, it will FEEL more comfortable.

Yesterday, one of our directors said to me "so when does a breeze officially become a biting wind." Yeah, I think we're there. A little wind makes a BIG difference when temps are in the 40s. Wind chills hovered in the 20s and 30s most of the day Tuesday.

I think I will get out in the yard today and tackle a few projects that I was too 'wimpy' to attempt yesterday. If you're like me, better hurry before the rain returns tomorrow afternoon.

BTW, on this date in 1987, we had up to 14 inches of snow in Plymouth County and 7 inches in Boston. 15 days til Thanksgiving and we're still waiting. (OK with me for a couple more weeks!)

-Cindy

Morning All...

Hope you had a nice weekend (despite the gloomy weather the first half). I wanted to share something with you that we did yesterday. Instead of raking leaves (like we probably should have) when the sun finally returned- we decided to take a walk in the woods and enjoy the beauty of the season.

My husband and I used to hike quite a bit through the Adirondacks... but it's been awhile! So we took the boys and headed to something a little more low key- Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick... it's mostly flat and just perfect for a 3yr old on foot. Much to his delight... we spotted a turtle, several ducks and a chipmunk. Much to my delight... no snakes! The trails were a little slick in spots with the still damp leaves covering up some rocks and tree roots... but no major injuries to report and some great family exercise.

There's a small fee if you want to check it out... but all the proceeds go to preserving the land. Here's a link if your in the neighborhood.
http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuari
es/Broadmoor/index.php

Happy Trails!
Cindy

I'm not talking about the elections here... I'm talking about the weather- and as it goes in the musical Bye Bye Birdie...
Gray skies are gonna clear up
Put on a happy face
Wipe of the clouds and cheer up
Put on a happy face

Not around here... these clouds are here to stay for awhile. We may brighten for a few hours later Friday... but that's it for the rest of the week- and there's more rain coming in over the weekend.

This is actually pretty typical stuff for November... it averages one of our cloudiest months of the year. Here is a month by month breakdown of our monthly percentage of possible sunshine for Boston according the National Weather Service.

January 53%
February 56%
March 57%
April 56%
May 58%
June 63%
July 65%
August 65%
September 63%
October 60%
November 50%
December 52%

Have a gray day!
:) Cindy

No, this is not a new Alka Seltzer commercial (plop... plop... fizz... fizz) but this is the sound of the season, according to my son.

While walking to the park with my boys in the stroller the other day, my oldest son, Caleb, pointed out the sound. The sidewalk was covered in leaves. Have you noticed, BTW, that there are starting to be more on the ground than left on the trees? Anyway, he pointed out that the leaves made a crunchy sound, then swished when I walked through them. I though it was cute.

Isn't it funny how kids make observations that we adults are too busy and or preoccupied to notice? It also made me realize that it is probably one of my favorite sounds. We are coming to the end of my favorite time of year. Soon, all the leaves will be down and we'll be waiting for the snow.

Enjoy the milder temps this week- maybe get some raking done?
-Cindy

OK... I'm no skunk expert ... but I'm pretty sure I saw a freakishly large one yesterday- in the middle of the afternoon no less. Aren't these nocturnal creatures?

It was moving very quickly across my next door neighbors front lawn toward their house. I had a clear view from the garage... I was getting the boys out of the car... needless to say I shut the door!

It was larger than any I had ever seen before... about the size of a small dog. It looked different too... not the usual thin white stripe on the back- but the entire top was white. I googled it and think I saw what is called a 'hog-nosed skunk' here's a link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hog-nosed_skunk>

According to this they're not usually found around here... any one else ever seen one?
Weird! I'll be keeping the garage door shut today!

-Cindy

I know a lot of my neighbors did too.  What I'm referring to is getting out in the yard yesterday to get some work done.  Enjoying the weather... but still being productive too.  Cleaning out the veggie garden... and pruning back in the perrenial garden... even a little raking. 

Sunshine and temps in the 60s sure make it more enoyable to me!  My little guys were out there with me too- at 3 years old... my oldest actually LIKES to 'help'.   (Not sure how long that will last!)  My little one (10 months now) is still crawling so the challenge was trying to stop him from eating the leaves.  How different things will be next year!

So did you get out... or did you weigh more on the fun and less on the productivity yesterday?  I sure hope you weren't INSIDE all day- even if you were watching the PATS game!

Another nice one today... enjoy it if you can!
-Cindy

... and sweaty palms.... and a faster heart rate that is still coming down from this morning! I just returned from a morning of broadcasting live at the Boston Museum of Science where they have a new exhibit called Goose Bumps: the Science of Fear. If you caught any of the show this morning... than you probably saw me 'experiencing' interactive fear challenges involving snakes... a giant cockroach... loud noises... and getting shocked among others.

The exhibit was pretty cool and definitely worth checking out.... it takes you through what goes on inside your mind and body when you are scared. In the spirit of making you laugh (sadly at my own expense)... here's a video clip for you of what went on with me during the 'fear of falling' challenge:

I also learned that there is a 'phobia' for just about everything this morning. My personal favorite was learning Doug Meehan was gamophobic! (Gamophobia is the fear of marriage.)

Boo!
Cindy

Check out our picture of the day from 8:15am this morning:

How's it work? Well, the tiny water droplets that make up fog freeze when the temperature gets below freezing and stick to any exposed substance forming the rime. You can get layers upon layers of it, and when the winds pick up, it can form in the direction the wind is blowing.

Pretty cool!
Enjoy!

-Cindy