It stopped raining!

Good morning from the northwest end of Augusta, Maine. This morning will be a gusty and partly sunny day. Today's temps are not expected to go above the upper 50's, with a real dip in the overnight temps to the 30's – with frosts expected away from the coast into interior areas. That includes Augusta.   

This morning's readings are:

a relative humidity of 86% with a Dew Point of 47.0ºF.

The temperature is 51.1ºF. There is no wind chill with as little wind as we have so far this morning. 

The wind velocity this morning is between 4.5 mph and 8.5 mph out of the west. It is expected to increase today to the upper teens and low twenties in velocity, which should increase the corresponding wind chill for the day.  Our highest gust recorded in the past month has still not exceeded 23.3 mph. 

our Barometric pressure is 29.83 and falling.

Our rainfall in the past 30 days is just under 5 inches.

This week we are being warned about more frost being in our local area overnights with the possibility of a hard freeze in the next three or four days. For those of you who are not living in cold country, it is interesting to know how frost and ice differ. How frost forms and what causes it is fascinating. To give you facts about frost, I have posted a short list of information about it below. I hope you find them interesting.

 

Interesting facts about Frost

Q: Can frost occur at temperatures above 32°F?

A: No, frost is defined as a layer of ice that forms on surfaces that are at or below 32°F. Sometimes frost can occur on your lawn overnight, even though your thermometer may never have dropped to the freezing mark. This is because cold air on clear, calm nights sinks to ground level. Temperatures at the ground can be lower than the temperature only a few feet higher where your thermometer may be located.

Since official weather measurements are taken in an instrument shelter four to five feet above the ground, frost can form even when the official temperature is above freezing.

 

Q: What is the frost line?

A: It's the average depth to which the ground freezes during the winter in a given area. Due to differences in winter temperatures from region to region, the frost line is deeper in colder climates, while the ground may not freeze at all in warmer locations. The frost line is important, particularly to builders. Building codes require that foundations be dug at least to the depth of the frost line. Failure to do so would compromise the structural integrity of the building as the ground shifts during the freezing process.

Q: Does frost form differently on different surfaces?

A: Yes. Frost forms faster on colder surfaces. Because of their composition and materials, your car or lawn will absorb less sunlight -- and therefore be colder -- than a driveway or wood deck. This is why you'll often see frost on your car and lawn as opposed to warmer surfaces such as pavement or wood.

Q. Does frost come out of the ground?

A. No, frost is caused when it is freezing cold and snowflakes fall then instantly freeze because of the cool tempreture.