The first week of fall 2012

Step outside today and take a deep breath.  Yep, that’s what fall smells like!  The cold front that passed through the region Saturday opened the door to some truly delightful Canadian air with low dewpoints and cool temperatures.  This morning’s low at Shannon Airport was 46 degrees (F) and the low at the Stafford Airport was 49 degrees while temperatures further west – especially in the West Virginia mountains – dipped into the upper 30′s, a reminder that the first frost is not far away.  The growing season for plants ends with the first killing frost of autumn, which for Fredericksburg is usually around the third week in October.  That date depends, of course, on what location is being considered since elevation, open areas, and proximity to bodies of water all affect frost formation.

The early part of this week will be mostly sunny and dry with highs ranging from the low 70′s today (Monday) to the low 80′s on Wednesday.  Wednesday evening another cold front will sag into the Mid-Atlantic and may hang up just south of the area.  Where it finally settles and what upper level disturbances actually affect it will determine what our weather the latter half of this week will look like, but that’s still several days away.  Meanwhile, let’s get back to the sunny skies and delightful temperatures…

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