Temperature reality struck late yesterday as we went from highs in the 60s to morning lows in the 30s. The heavy showers marked an end to our balmy conditions and the start to a dry spell that lasts into the weekend. High pressure will remain in control of our weather throughout this period with a slight uptick in temperatures towards the 50 degree mark. Next week is a big travel one and the good news is that much of the country looks tranquil.Is there a weather topic you would like me to blog about? Ask me on Twitter at @growingwisdom and check out my latest videos at GrowingWisdom.com

Temperatures last night were very warm and many places stayed in the 60s. Unfortunately warm weather fans temperatures are now on the decline and will continue to fall all morning. Some places have gone down 12 degrees in just a few minutes. The reason for the rapid drop is a strong cold front that is now pushing offshore. Cold fronts usually mark a change in air masses and today's front is marking the divide between tropical air and cold Canadian air. Much of the Dakotas are in the single numbers and teens this morning and now some of that air is headed for New England. Look for updates between blogs on Twitter you can follow me there at @growingwisdom

Super Sunday weather will be enjoyed today with sunshine and temperatures getting into the 60s. As if this wasn't a big enough treat our weather turns even warmer on Monday with afternoon highs soaring into the upper 60s and lower 70s across the region. The added bonus of course is that Monday is a holiday for many of you and instead of looking at the great weather from your office cube, you can actually be out in it. If you are working tomorrow plan on lunch outside and try to block off that afternoon coffee break to walk around. There won't be many more of these days this year, if any at all, so try to relish it!
If you want to interact or ask a question find me onTwitter at @growingwisdom

A snowy night has turned into a windy and wet day with rain and sleet in some areas but no more snowfall. Winds continue to howl, especially along the coast where they have gusted close to hurricane force. Scattered power outages continue in spots but the trend will be for those to diminish during the day. Low pressure is spinning just off our coastline this morning. The radar loop shows the counterclockwise spin of the rain as it backs into the eastern half of New England. The wettest and windiest part of the day will be this morning with a slow improvement later this afternoon and overnight. I send out weather updates throughout the day on Twitter at @growingwisdom please find me there.

Our first snowstorm of the season continues this evening and for many areas just away from the water this is quite a start to winter.
2 to nearly 6 inches of snow is currently on the ground in many places just away from the coast. It looks like the area from the southern Worcester hills through metro-west and down to the interior areas of the south shore will end up with the most snow. I expect the snow to start winding down around midnight. The good news about the cold is that the snow in many areas is not as wet so power outages are not as bad as they could have been if the temperatures were in the mid 30s.

A cold night ahead for watching the election results. We are still on track to see a sizable storm but most of the heaviest wind and rain will be along the southeast coast of New England. There will be rain and there will be some snow, but I am not expecting huge amounts of either. The similarities to Sandy with the upcoming storm are with strong winds. This is not to say that the winds will be as strong as Sandy, they won't. However, this will be a windy storm and winds could cause some power issues especially at the coastline Wednesday night. The precipitation will begin in the afternoon Wednesday and when it starts it will, in many areas be mixed with or even all snow. I am not expecting much accumulation close to the coast although there may be a few inches west of route 495. There are wind warnings and advisories up for much of the coastal areas. Unlike Sandy, inland areas will be windy, but no advisories are in affect.

After a bright and mild Sunday our weather has turned quite chilly. Today and tomorrow temperatures will not get out of the 40s and I expect the mercury to fall well into the 20s in many locations tonight. If you haven't used your heat yet, I think this may be the chill that forces you to put it on. During the middle of the week a strong nor'easter will move up the coast and add insult to injury for those who are still without power or have lost their homes to our south. While this storm will not be nearly as strong as Sandy it will pack quite a punch and I do expect a few power outages once again. After the storm pulls away later Thursday our weather will clear and that sets up a nice weekend of weather with milder temperatures and sunshine.

Happy November. This is often a transitional month into winter. Most years we end up with our first snow this month. The city of Boston will have its first freeze and by the end of the month the leaves will have fallen off all but the most stubborn of trees. This weekend certainly feels like November. Bright sunshine will be the rule today with a few passing clouds. A reinforcing shot of cold air moves in for Monday. If you are outside you will need a hat, sweater and gloves. Tuesday the chill will continue as temperatures remain in the 40s during the day and 20s and 30s at night. By midweek a new storm will approach moving up the coastline as a nor'easter. Do you have a weather question? No matter where you are located I would love to hear from you. Find me on Twitter at @growingwisdom I give lots of inside weather information and gardening tips

Sandy continued to influence our weather last night as more storms rolled through the area. New power outages, street flooding a vivid lightning pushed through from Cape Cod and into New Hampshire. In the Wareham, Massachusetts area the National Weather Service will investigate if a mircoburst went through that area last evening. Today starts out damp with clouds, some drizzle and even a few showers. During the afternoon skies will brighten and a peak or two of sunshine will break through. Temperatures continue to be comfortable for late October reaching back towards 64F this afternoon. The chance for showers decreases as the evening approaches and for the kids trick or treating weather will be very nice.

Meteorologists have long known that eventually a major coastal storm would strike New York City and the surrounding area with incredible ferocity. The past twenty-four hours has proven Sandy to be that storm. If you add up all the people in the country who got affected by the storm in some way, even small, nearly 78% of the population of the United States has had their weather influenced the storm. Heavy rain, thunder, wind, snow and cold were all a part of the meteorology of Sandy. The storm will continue to move through New York State and into Canada before dying out and dissipating later this week. The after affects of the storm will be felt for days, weeks and for some individuals the rest of their lives. I use Twitter as a way to get out the forecast not only for storms but general weather as well. Please follow me on Twitter at @growingwisdom I love your comments and questions.

Sandy has been reclassified now as a non- tropical system but is still causing major problems, especially to our south. The fact that an official hurricane warning was never put out for parts of New York and New England will be debated long after this storm ends. I think that when daylight returns the damage to some areas from New York City to Cape May New Jersey including Atlantic City will be catastrophic. Unfortunately, these storms can sometimes live up to their billing and this one is going to go down in history as one of the biggest. The cost of the storm alone will reach well into the billions. Fortunately, even with all the damage you will see tomorrow, most people in New England will still remember this as the windy storm that took out power. I am updating information Twitter at @growingwisdom and would love to hear from you.

Sandy got a bit stronger overnight and winds are now over 85 miles per hour. The storm looks to have just made the turn towards the west and should hit the coast early Tuesday.

The storm continues to be historic and once it makes land fall later today will transition from a pure tropical system to a non-tropical one. That fact is simply semantics and for meteorologists to ponder as the effects will be the same. The big aspect to this storm for most people continues to be the wind. Those people who live and have businesses on or very close to the water will have storm surge as well. Winds will increase into early afternoon with the strongest gusts from about 2pm to 7pm. It will still be very windy thereafter, but ever so slowly becoming less intense. High tide is around noon and midnight and for those of you on the coast, the water may not retreat very much between tides today. I am updating on this storm and of course future ones on Twitter at @growingwisdom please follow me there and ask any questions. This is becoming a nowcasting storm. Nowcasting is really looking at the information hour by hour and then making any changes to the forecast as needed.

The picture above tells the story this afternoon, Sandy is one large storm. Winds of tropical storm force are being felt 3 times further away from the storm than would be typical. The storm is so large that hundreds of miles to the north of where the storm hits, coastal flooding will be the issue and some places along the New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut coast could see historic flooding. Winds around storms move opposite to the hands on a clock, which means the sweeping winds will pile water against the coast north of the storm. To the south of the storm, the winds actually push the water away from land so flooding is not a concern. A storm surge is not a big wave, rather it's a bubble of water that moves inland over time caused by the wind and pressure configuration of the storm itself. Inlets, bays, and harbors will see water levels rise for many hours and several high tide cycles. I update the forecast often on Twitter at @growingwisdom during the next few days I will be giving you my latest thinking there often. You can also ask me questions about the storm or weather and gardening.

High wind watch up for all of Southern New England as hurricane Sandy continues to move very slowly towards the northeast and will eventually make a sharp left had turn at the New Jersey coastline Monday. You have no doubt been hearing about the large wind field that the storm has and that is what will affect southern New England the most Monday. Since the storm is moving so slowly and we will have winds coming from east this will cause beach erosion and some coastal damage. Buzzards bay, the Islands and the outer Cape will be most susceptible to the wind and ocean water. I am trying to find that balance between respecting a very large storm and not creating undo alarm about what will happen locally. I'll be updating throughout the storm on Twitter at @growingwisdom that is the best way to get the latest information from me. The storm is going to hit all of New England and it will be windy with rain Monday. However, if the track holds and the storm goes into New Jersey, those of you who don't live on the water won't feel the brunt of the storm, that will stay to our south.

Sandy is once again a hurricane as of mid-morning. Whether this gets called a strong tropical storm or a minimal hurricane the next couple days is less important than the size of the storm. Although Sandy is losing some of its tropical characteristics it will continue to be a very large storm. There have been reports of 60 mile per hour winds some 300 miles from the center of the storm. Sandy will also gain energy from the jet stream and may get some more as it moves over warmer water later in the weekend. You can see from the map below that the water off the coast of North Carolina is very warm and this will help energize the storm. Normally, tropical systems are very compact and affect areas under 100 miles from the center. Sandy is transitioning into a hybrid storm that is part tropical and part like a nor'easter. When it hits the coast next week, it will have the size of winter storm covering hundreds of miles and the strength of a minimal hurricane. I will be updating the latest information on the storm using Twitter at @growingwisdom

Latest track as of 5pm continues to show center of storm hitting well south of New England. This doesn't mean we don't see a major storm.

One of the problems with the computer models is that they can forecast fairly accurately several days in advance. The issue with that is that we all see a big storm coming, but the models also can't tell exactly where that storm will hit this far out. This puts millions of people on alert for the potential storm and some of them won't see the worst of things. At this point, we are three days away from the full effects of the storm and honestly, no one can say with certainty where this will hit.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this blog or any others. I will of course be updating regularly on Twitter at @growingwisdom so you can find me there as well. Looking at data from this afternoon there is conflicting information from the models we use. We have models bringing the storm into Southern New England for what would be one of the worst storms in decades here and other models bringing the storm into New Jersey for what would be one of the worst storms in decades there. You might be thinking this is useless information but, plan on the worst and hope for the best. As we go through the weekend the picture will become clearer and by Sunday we should know if the storm is going to be a strong nor'easter or a historic blockbuster.

Currently, hurricane Sandy, with winds around 80 mph, is moving north along the east coast and affecting portions of Florida and Georgia with tropical storm force conditions. Over the next couple days the center of the storm will remain over the ocean before making a sharp curve to the west and eventually make landfall on the New Jersey coast. For a storm to make a curve like this is almost unprecedented in known meteorological history. Not only is the projected track highly unusual but the forecast pressure of the storm is going to be exceedingly low. There are some estimates that the storm could go as low as or lower than 950mb. That would be many times as strong as the Blizzard of 1978 and one of the lowest pressures ever recorded in that area. I will be tweeting often on this storm and its impacts. Please follow me on Twitter at @growingwisdom and check out my latest videos at GrowingWisdom.com
When Sandy hit Cuba as a category 2, it did some major damage to parts of the Island and killed nearly two dozen people across the region. There were buildings destroyed that had stood for over 200 years.

As of early afternoon our latest computer guidance takes the hurricane into the mid-Atlantic region somewhere around New York City early next week. If this path holds, this would put southern New England on the side of the storm that would produce very strong east winds. This would cause moderate to major damage along east facing beaches and shoreline. You might think that the storm hitting south of New England means we won't see the worst of the weather however, on that path we get torrential rain, strong winds and a very strong storm surge. Right now, that east wind battering the coast gives me the most concern.
I will be tweeting frequent updates about the storm on Twitter at @growingwisdom and check out my latest videos at GrowingWisdom.com
Sandy will continue to parallel the East Coast and will affect the Bahamas as a strong hurricane. Florida and southern Georgia, further away, will feel tropical storm force strength wind from the storm. Basically, heavy rain, winds and a rough seas will be the rule for the next twenty four hours in that part of the country.

I watched many newscasts over the past few hours and there is much excitement about hurricane Sandy and her eventual track. Let me say upfront that the storm could cause big problems for sections of the east coast so the concern is justified. I will not be hyping the storm in the blog, rather I will just present the information as I know it and as it evolves. Right now, the storm is between Jamaica and Cuba moving slowly towards the north. Over the past few hours the storm has become much more intense. There are many possible scenarios that can take place with this storm later this weekend. There is high confidence in the path of the storm through the weekend, its what happens thereafter that is causing so much uncertainly.
I will be tweeting frequent updates about the storm on Twitter at @growingwisdom and check out my latest videos at GrowingWisdom.com
Once Sandy crosses Cuba it will parallel the East Coast and should affect the Bahamas as a strong hurricane. Florida, further away will feel tropical storm force strength wind from the storm. Basically, heavy rain, winds and a rough seas will be the rule for the next couple of days down there.

High pressure is moving eastward today and after some morning sunshine clouds will increase. Temperatures are going to be mild as highs reach into the 60s. Overnight a front will cross the area and there could be a shower or two but not heavy rain. Sunshine will return for Wednesday with temperatures a few degrees cooler but still mild nearing 60F.
While we enjoy tranquil weather there is another tropical storm that is poised to hit Jamaica, Haiti and perhaps even affect the United States next week. We will closely monitor this storm over the upcoming days. Got a weather question or want the inside track on the forecast? Follow me on Twitter at @growingwisdom and check out my latest videos at GrowingWisdom.com

Much of the country will enjoy clear skies tonight to get a view of the Orionid meteor shower which peaks in just a few hours. For the past 5 years, this meteor shower has been the best one of the year. The optimal time to view the show will be after 11PM when the moon sets. We are fortunate in that the moonlight will be minimal and that skies will be clear across many areas including New England. Unlike this summer when clouds spoiled the Perseid meteor shower for many folks, tonight will be clear. I'll be tweeting more later tonight on Twitter at @growingwisdom and check out my latest videos at GrowingWisdom.com

This weekend over a quarter million of you will head to the Charles River to watch the 48th annual Regatta. The weather will cooperate for spectators and rowers alike. This afternoon may actually feel a bit warm and you will want to dress for weather more like summer than mid-fall. Sunday will be cooler but not cool and bright from sunup to sundown. Next week is looking very nice as high pressure keeps us dry and mild. Cold air will remain locked up in Canada and we won't have any repeats of the "Snowtober" of last year as we look towards the end of the month and Halloween.

This morning's weather map shows a strong storm over the Great Lakes region with a trailing front swinging from that storm through New England. This front will push moisture, warm temperatures and wind through the area over the next 24 hours. Thereafter, clearing will take place and leave us nice weather for much of the weekend. This is a big weekend here in Boston with the Head of the Charles Regatta taking place tomorrow and Sunday. Although crowded, the Regatta is a great chance to walk the river, take in the sites, eat some unhealthy food and meet good friends. This year, the weather will cooperate. If rowing isn't your thing, how about taking in the 1st Annual Faneuil Hall Marketplace Street Theatre Festival, that takes place tomorrow starting at 11AM.If you have a question about the weather find me on Twitter at @growingwisdom and check out my latest videos at GrowingWisdom.com

Today is going to be a beautiful day with sunshine and mild temperatures. If you have a camera it might be a good idea to grab it in case you see a tree or two ablaze in color against the bright blue autumn sky. I suppose a cell phone camera would suffice, but I don't find the pictures they take quite as good. That said, temperatures this afternoon will reach the lower 60s and with light winds this is going to be truly perfect mid-October afternoon. Unfortunately, the weather will go downhill for the end of the week and into the beginning of the weekend. Those folks watching or rowing in the Regatta this weekend should plan on the wettest weather being early Saturday with slow improvement thereafter.For frequent weather updates or to ask a question follow me on Twitter at @growingwisdom and check out my latest videos at GrowingWisdom.com

You might have noticed how mild it became yesterday as a warm front pushed north of the area. Low temperatures this morning were 30F degrees milder than 48 hours earlier when the first killing frost and freeze of the season hit much of New England. A cold front will cross the area later today but before that happens temperatures will reach for and even surpass the 70F mark. You might even feel some humidity in the air throughout the day. Early this evening a few showers can accompany the passage of the front. Once the front has moved by skies will clear and Tuesday looks to be a nice day. Highs tomorrow will be nearing 60F in the afternoon. Much of the rest of the work week looks to be favorable with sunshine and temperatures in well into the 60s.Have you tried twitter? It's a great way to ask me questions and get the inside scoop on weather and gardening find me on Twitter at @growingwisdom