New Year's Eve morning

Good morning Augusta Maine.

We remain under a weather advisory for the sleet and freezing rain until 10 a.m. this morning.

This morning it is mostly cloudy out there with Temps expected to reach into the 30's. No projected wind directions or velocity is available online. Sorry folks, the Feds seem to have broken down for Maine again. (Your Tax dollar at work)

Tonight I have no idea what the weather is going to be with any accuracy, but I can tell you with virtual certainty that it will be dark and cold out there.

The readings outside right now, taken from my own instrumentation  are:

a relative humidity of 97% with a Dew Point of 28.1ºF.

The temperature is 28.8ºF. We have almost no wind chill that this time.

The wind velocity right now is between 1.1 mph and 4.0 mph out of the North Northeast. 

Our Barometric pressure is 29.91 and falling. The weather graphic indicates clouds. 

We had no measurable precipitation overnight. Do Not interpret that to mean there was none, its been sleeting and freezing rain out there, that's why the roads are so very dangerous this morning. I just don't have any way to measure it for you.

Visibility is 2.0 miles. It is very overcast and we have a very low ceiling. Altitude information for the ceiling is not available.

Here is some new Years Folklore for you on New Year's eve

With the New Year is right around the corner, it is a time we set aside for getting rid of the old and bringing in the new. Throughout history, most cultures have drawn an association between a person's actions on that New Year's Day and their fate during the following year. Here are a few of the New Year's superstitions, taboos, and old wives tales still in general circulation:

(Hey, try all of them, just to be sure, right?)

• One of the more popular beliefs is that kissing your beloved at the stroke of midnight ensures twelve months of continuing affection. Failing to do so is said to produce the opposite effect.

• Never begin the New Year with unpaid debts. (Submitted by the U.S. Treasury Dept)

• Empty cupboards at the turn of the year foretell a year of poverty.

• The first person to enter your home after midnight foretells the kind of luck you'll have in the coming year. A tall, dark, handsome male bearing small gifts is said to bring the best luck. According to this same tradition, no one should leave the house until someone first enters from outside, and nothing should be removed from the house on New Year's Day. (Does that include the garbage?)

• Opening all doors and windows at midnight lets the old year escape.

• Babies born on New Year's Day are said to have the best luck throughout their lives.

• A Polish tradition states that if you wake up early on New Year's Day, you will wake up early for the rest of the year. And if you touch the floor with the right foot when getting up from bed, you could expect a lot of good luck for whole new year

*Then there are the many traditions surrounding food:

• In Italy, eating chiacchiere, (carnival fried pastry) guarantees a sweet year.

• In Spain, and many Latin countries, eating twelve grapes, one for each month, is said to ensure a lucky year.

• According to a Pennsylvania "Dutch" (German) tradition, eating pork and sauerkraut brings good luck in the New Year.

• In the Southern U.S., it is believed that eating black-eyed peas, ham hocks, and collard greens or cabbage on New Year's Day will attract a financial windfall.

• Eating anything that forms a circle – such as donuts – leads to good fortune in the coming year.

• German folklore says that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will bring luck for the next year.

• Eating pickled herring as the first bite of the New Year brings good luck to those of Polish descent.

While many of these traditions are based on mere superstition, the idea that what we do on the first day of the New Year affects our entire year remains popular. Choose your actions carefully!