Gaithersburg Maryland VP2 backyard report for Saturday, September 22, 2012

Saturday morning at 10:49 AM we officially transitioned from summer to autumn, and just in time, warm weather has been replaced with cooler, drier weather as a cold front has passed through this evening with nice breezes and dropping dew points.  Sunny weather most of the day with temps reaching into the low 80s, then clouds mid-afternoon with scattered showers (I went to a local orchard about 10 miles NW of here around 5 PM and had a brief, intense shower while there picking up apples, and then on leaving there, the shower moved on and I witnessed a beautiful full rainbow as I looked east with the sun behind me, occasionally even saw a double rainbow.)  Winds have picked up over the past few hours since midnight, indicating the frontal passage, and the temperatures are starting to drop. We should have some fine fall weather for the next several days, with highs around 70 and lows in the upper 40s on Sunday and then a slow sunny warmup from Monday-Wednesday.  I may or may not be giving you an update through Wednesday after this one, I leave tomorrow for the West Virginia high country after attending an open house at the NWS-Sterling VA forecast office which includes a volunteer observer recognition ceremony. A small group of observer friends and I will be visiting the highest summits of West Virginia and many observer sites and also weather observer friends up there also. We will take many pictures. Busy schedule and possible iffy internet availability may not allow me to post daily wx updates. I can't really do one from my backyard since I won't be here, but I will be in some exciting areas to report weather from, and hope to do that if at all possible. So stay tuned!  We should see some autumnal colors in the high elevations out in W V, they are weeks ahead of my area due to cooler conditions in the higher elevations (we will be to around 4800 feet)

Saturday's precipitation: T (LR) 0.00" (VP2)
September total precipitation: 1.71"

Annual YTD precipitation total: 27.31" 

VP2 data for Saturday as follows:
High temp 80.9° (1519) (81.5° RS)
(RS stands for my Radio Shack wireless thermometer being used as a backup)
Low temp 62.8° (0634) (63.1° RS)
Obs temp tonight 63.0° (VP2) 63.7° (RS)
Peak Wind Gust 12 MPH from the E (1638) 
Relative Humidity ranged from a max of 94% (0817) to a low of 58% (1504)
Dew point temperatures ranged from 67° to 55°.
Pressures ranged from 29.97"(0000) to 29.78"(1554)
At midnight obs, temp was 63.0°(VP2)/63.7°(RS), Clear, Winds Calm, Pressure 29.93" and rising, Humidity 75% with a dew point of 55°.

Currently at 0250 EDT, the temp is 57.9°(VP2)/58.5°(RS), Clear, Winds 2 MPH from the NW, Pressure at 30.01" and rising, humidity 63% with the dew point at 45°.

Currently the Eastern US radar screen is showing the rain showers associated with the front mostly offshore the Maryland and NJ coasts, along with over parts of New England at this time.

Kevin the Walrus of Gaithersburg signing off early on this Sunday morning.