Is this really autumn?
Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:48 pm
By KIMBERLY DURNAN / DallasNews.com
Sure, the stores are selling pumpkins and mums and jackets, all suggesting the essence of fall.
But with daytime temperatures hovering in the 80s, this autumn has been a downer for people who like to feel a nip in the air by October – or November at the latest.
Friday night football, for example, just isn’t the same without sweater weather to set the tone, says Tammy Nobriga, president of Irving Nimitz High School’s band booster club.
"It’s been terrible not to have cooler weather," said Nobriga, who wears T-shirts and shorts to the stadium. "We aren’t usually dealing with 80-degree weather during football games. Usually, we are pulling out our sweat shirts and stadium blankets and getting hot chocolate from the concession stand."
High temperatures this week have at least 10 degrees above normal. The record high for Nov. 4 is 88 degrees, set both in 1948 and 1987, although Friday’s high was expected to reach only the mid-80s, said Jesse Moore, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
"We have these warm and cool times in this transition period known as fall," Moore said. "Obviously, the temperatures are well above normal."
More of the same was expected Saturday, with a cool front dropping the temperature a few notches Sunday. But next week’s temperatures were supposed to be above-normal again, he said.
Moore attributed the unusual warmth to dry air blowing in from West Texas combining with low humidity resulting from a lack of rain. The extended warm, dry period has persisted for several months.
The average high temperature in September was 95.2 degrees, 7.5 degrees above normal. "That’s a lot," Moore said.
And in October, the average high was 80.8 degrees, nearly 3 degrees above normal.
Dale Groom, Dallas County horticulturist for the Texas Cooperative Extension Service, predicted that persistent warmth could be a problem for plants and trees, many of which need a fall season to go into a dormancy that protects them from severe weather.
"Typically plants respond best when cooling temperatures occur over a gradual period of time," Groom said. Otherwise "plants cannot go into a dormant period. This means an actively growing plant that would be otherwise winter-hardy could be damaged or terminated."
Some grasses also are at risk, Groom said.
"If your lawn is still actively growing and a hard freeze hits it, the grass could be damaged because it didn’t have the chance to go into dormancy," he said.
And aficionados of autumn leaves likely will be disappointed, as the warm weather and lack of rain will result in a less colorful fall, Groom added.
September’s precipitation was 1.36 inches, about an inch below normal, Moore said. October was worse, with only 0.89 inch of rain recorded, most of it falling on the last day of the month.
To date, the area is nearly a foot behind in annual rainfall. The average should be nearly 30 inches.
And there’s no precipitation in the immediate forecast. "We had our little treat on Monday and that’s about it," Moore said.
The "little bit of hope on the horizon" is that the seasonal outlook for December through February calls for slightly above-normal precipitation. But the winter and summer months are the drier ones, so even above-normal rainfall won’t make up the shortfall, he said.
Jim Bookout, a Dallas runner who is training for the White Rock Marathon, said the morning hours have been perfect for training runs.
"Has it been warmer?" he asked. "It feels cool in the early mornings."
DallasNews.com staff writer Linda Leavell contributed to this report.
RICHARD MICHAEL PRUITT / Dallas Morning News
Gina Dunagan reads a book as she catches some sun at White Rock Lake on Thursday.
Sure, the stores are selling pumpkins and mums and jackets, all suggesting the essence of fall.
But with daytime temperatures hovering in the 80s, this autumn has been a downer for people who like to feel a nip in the air by October – or November at the latest.
Friday night football, for example, just isn’t the same without sweater weather to set the tone, says Tammy Nobriga, president of Irving Nimitz High School’s band booster club.
"It’s been terrible not to have cooler weather," said Nobriga, who wears T-shirts and shorts to the stadium. "We aren’t usually dealing with 80-degree weather during football games. Usually, we are pulling out our sweat shirts and stadium blankets and getting hot chocolate from the concession stand."
High temperatures this week have at least 10 degrees above normal. The record high for Nov. 4 is 88 degrees, set both in 1948 and 1987, although Friday’s high was expected to reach only the mid-80s, said Jesse Moore, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
"We have these warm and cool times in this transition period known as fall," Moore said. "Obviously, the temperatures are well above normal."
More of the same was expected Saturday, with a cool front dropping the temperature a few notches Sunday. But next week’s temperatures were supposed to be above-normal again, he said.
Moore attributed the unusual warmth to dry air blowing in from West Texas combining with low humidity resulting from a lack of rain. The extended warm, dry period has persisted for several months.
The average high temperature in September was 95.2 degrees, 7.5 degrees above normal. "That’s a lot," Moore said.
And in October, the average high was 80.8 degrees, nearly 3 degrees above normal.
Dale Groom, Dallas County horticulturist for the Texas Cooperative Extension Service, predicted that persistent warmth could be a problem for plants and trees, many of which need a fall season to go into a dormancy that protects them from severe weather.
"Typically plants respond best when cooling temperatures occur over a gradual period of time," Groom said. Otherwise "plants cannot go into a dormant period. This means an actively growing plant that would be otherwise winter-hardy could be damaged or terminated."
Some grasses also are at risk, Groom said.
"If your lawn is still actively growing and a hard freeze hits it, the grass could be damaged because it didn’t have the chance to go into dormancy," he said.
And aficionados of autumn leaves likely will be disappointed, as the warm weather and lack of rain will result in a less colorful fall, Groom added.
September’s precipitation was 1.36 inches, about an inch below normal, Moore said. October was worse, with only 0.89 inch of rain recorded, most of it falling on the last day of the month.
To date, the area is nearly a foot behind in annual rainfall. The average should be nearly 30 inches.
And there’s no precipitation in the immediate forecast. "We had our little treat on Monday and that’s about it," Moore said.
The "little bit of hope on the horizon" is that the seasonal outlook for December through February calls for slightly above-normal precipitation. But the winter and summer months are the drier ones, so even above-normal rainfall won’t make up the shortfall, he said.
Jim Bookout, a Dallas runner who is training for the White Rock Marathon, said the morning hours have been perfect for training runs.
"Has it been warmer?" he asked. "It feels cool in the early mornings."
DallasNews.com staff writer Linda Leavell contributed to this report.
RICHARD MICHAEL PRUITT / Dallas Morning News
Gina Dunagan reads a book as she catches some sun at White Rock Lake on Thursday.
Getting absolutely ridiculous! 