Category: Journal Entry

On rising, looking forward, and back

Waking dawn, sound—None
Sunshine delay: fair caution
Silent fall approaches

---

Autumn does nearer come while
Summer persists in highest temps

Weather Here

It’s predicted to reach 100 °F on this late-September day, just below the central region of the Northwest Hemisphere.

We are thus quite excited that cooler temperatures should arrive by October 31 (aka Halloween). A normal maximum would be in the low 70s while a normal minimum would be low 50s. However, there can be much variance.

Current weather predictions indicate highs in the upper 70s, with lows possibly reaching upper 40s. While this isn’t the best of cool Halloweens, it will be cooler than it is today by approximately 20+ degrees. The anticipation alone makes today’s cooler-than-June 100 degrees feel like an even cooler 80 . . . if you stay inside.

Our first day of fall in 2022 arrives on Thursday, September 22, 2022, at 9:04 p.m. EDT.

Autumnal Halloween: Jacket, or No?

On Halloween, it can be either warm or cool, hot or cold. October 31 is about as likely to bring rain as cool weather. While the morning may be a good indication, it’s often not. Halloween days often bring the most significant change in weather since the start of fall.

If you identify with Halloween celebration, you might relate to recognition that the 31st of October has been the day we determine, in hindsight, ‘when it got cold’ any particular year. Looking back, we recall the day’s weather and general seasonal climate by the impressed memories of comfort relative to discomfort as we counted hours.

By this date, we would have acquired the costumes we’d wear on Halloween night, and although daytime was too premature for us children to anticipate whether we’d be a sweaty mess later, parents were aware. Thus, our first imprints of that day’s weather conditions were made, by parental concern.

Not until time that we prepared—donning our Halloween costumes and gear—did we, young and carefree, finally realize it was “so hot!” (or not . . . until later that night) or “freezing!” . . . perhaps even sleeting! The latter, rare.

---

October 31, 1993, was a cold day for trick-or-treaters. Unusual snow had fallen two days prior.

---

As the evening carried on, our pleasures were (delightfully) impacted in the form of clear skies and temperate climate . . . or not. Either way, a pleasure! After all, it was Halloween: it could be howling outside, and we would be raring to go and find anything. (We thought! 👻🕯️ )

---

🍂

Beyond the Red River, poem by Thomas McGrath

The birds have flown their summer skies to the south,
And the flower-money is drying in the banks of bent grass
Which the bumble bee has abandoned. We wait for a winter lion,
Body of ice-crystals and sombrero of dead leaves.

A month ago, from the salt engines of the sea,
A machinery of early storms rolled toward the holiday houses
Where summer still dozed in the pool-side chairs, sipping
[…]

Continue reading poem at Poetry Foundation

---

Resources:

Weather.gov

The Farmers Almanac