The big chill continues with a high of 25F and bright sunshine shining through thin stretch of rippled cloud looking like a fraying net curtain. A face-numbing afternoon that only a Black Lab could love.
Daily Catskills: 01/12/19
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Category Archives: Daily Catskills
Daily Catskills: 01/11/19
Brilliant sunshine, clear skies and bitterly cold with a high of 16F. After a foot of snow this week, a plunge into arctic temperatures.
Daily Catskills: 01/05/19
Back to the rusty earth tones of a flattened, dormant landscape. Foggy valleys, misty rain and a high of 41F. Much warmer this year, than last year.
Daily Catskills: 01/04/19
A muted sun glowing through a beautiful, milk glass sky. A high of 43F with snow only on the peaks by the end of the day.
Daily Catskills: 01/01/19
New year, new view: Buff, naked mountains with the snow washed away by overnight rain and high, gusty winds. Frequent, light sprinkles of sugary snow. Overcast with foggy cloud and a bitter high of 35F. Towering hemlocks provide cover.
Dead birches provide firewood. Happy New Year!
Daily Catskills: 12/31/18
Dull, moody, overcast and a high of 35F. Much of yesterday’s snow melted with the rain before dusk.
Daily Catskills: 12/30/18
A overnight layer of powdery snow, sticking to trees and structures, turns the brown valleys white again and dusts the icy peaks. Streaks of smoky blue cloud ripple through the sky. A high of 32F.
Daily Catskills: 12/29/18
A steamy, humid high of 46F with fast-traveling clouds dumping dry, grainy snow on the tips of the chilly peaks and bitter winds trapped on the south faces. High waters, still.
The Year in Review: Daily Catskills 2018
Above is the most popular Daily Catskills image of the year, a picture of our Black Lab Alfie, who regularly gets a 60% engagement rate on his own, modest Instagram account. Videos on Instagram of Alfie in his element – snow – regularly get many hundreds of likes on our own social media. We adopted Alfie from the ASPCA in Kingston in 2014 and we began hiking the Catskills 3500 just to wear him out. He’s had his portrait taken by NYC photographer Shannon Greer and we wrote a post here about him that was so popular it was picked up in New York City by Mrs Sizzle. I’ll be writing Part 2 of Alfie’s life in the New Year. He loves snow and swimming regardless of temperature because he has a thick layer of furry Labrador blubber and webbed feet. He loves hiking and turns six years old in April. If I could take him skiing, I would. There’s a chance you will find us snow-shoeing the hiking trail from Giggle Hollow to the top of Belleayre Mountain this winter to catch a glimpse of the skiers flying down Cathedral Run. Alfie appreciates his country life here in the Catskills and is such a good dog, he gets fresh, warm marrow bones straight out of the oven. I sometimes think he’s the only reason that we have readers at all.
Continue readingDaily Catskills: 12/27/18
Brilliant sun until early-afternoon and another high of 32F with fresh snowcaps on several peaks. A rare bright day. Busy on Belleayre.
Daily Catskills: 12/26/18
Overcast with snow on the peaks and a brief flash of lunchtime sun through the shimmering clouds. A high of 31F.
Daily Catskills: 12/25/18
Moody clouds with a bitter chill in the air and a high of 31F.
Daily Catskills: 12/24/18
A calm, white Christmas Eve with an inch or two of morning snow, clearing up late morning for a brief hour of sunshine. Then back into the doldrums with the lightest possible snow fall waning by mid-afternoon. A high of 37F.
Daily Catskills: 12/23/18
Overcast and frigid. A high of 32F with only the lush, fir-capped peaks harboring pockets of winter wonderland at their summits. Snowmelt rushes through strong, high creeks and rivers.
Daily Catskills: 12/22/18
After a stormy night with house-battering rain, an overcast morning. Gusty and dull with a high of 32F. More evening snow.
Daily Catskills: 12/21/18 Yuletide & The Winter Solstice
Today, December 21st, is Winter Solstice, officially the first day of winter. The northern hemisphere of the earth is pointed the farthest away from the sun and, tonight begins its slow return towards it until the June Solstice of 2019. The ancient tradition of Yuletide, one of the oldest winter celebrations in Europe began this morning and will end on January 1st, 2019. Yuletide was a fire festival celebrated by the Northern Europeans. Pre-Zoroastrian Persians and ancient Romans, who celebrated something similar before the common era. Diwali is another festival of lights that begins earlier in the year. Basically any community in the dark, forbidding northern hemisphere, on this shortest day of the year, celebrated fire.
The most enduring British tradition from Yuletide is the Yule Log, a small firestarter from a larger bonfire that was shared with many households by landowners in England. Evergreen trees were fashioned into wreaths and other decorations for the interior of the house for their refreshing smell. The Brits still make cakes fashioned into Yule logs and, of course, we still bring in fir or pine trees, decorate them with lights. Happy Solstice!
Daily Catskills: 12/15/18
A warmer 42F at 9am rising to a high of 49F with the habitual pall of thick foggy cloud, through which the sun strains to shine. The fiery ball at the center of our solar system barely registers over the stubbornly, chronically overcast Catskills. Opening Saturday at Bearpen Mountain.
Daily Catskills: 12/1/18
Still gloomy with the elusive sun covered by fog on the peaks and a high of 36F. Another week of monochromatic moodiness enlivened only by local, sparkling cider.
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Daily Catskills: 11/29/18
Gloomy and dark, with a bitter chill. Enigmatic fog on the peaks with the odd flurry, a shimmering sky and a high of 36F.
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Daily Catskills: 11/27/18
A quiet dawn breaks over a winter wonderland and a thick blanket of wet snow. More snow flurries throughout the day and a high of 36F.
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Daily Catskills: 11/22/18
5F at dawn, rising to 19F by 1.30pm. Bone-numbingly cold with an arctic breeze making waves on the steaming Pepacton Reservoir. Ethereal clouds. Update: a plunge into the single digits overnight for a low of -2F or lower on the peaks.
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Daily Catskills: 11/21/18
A high of 34F and overcast with the mountains blanketed in thick fog. An afternoon storm blows through bringing a few inches of snow. Snow-making continues on Belleayre.
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Daily Catskills: 11/20/18
Thick snow blankets the landscape that’s shrouded in mysterious mist. 37F by 2pm, but humid and foggy on the peaks with a sprinkle of afternoon rain.
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Daily Catskills: 10/24/18
An overcast morning with thick cloud like a comforter rolling back mid-morning in places further east, like Woodstock, where the foliage is a bit more colorful. Scattered showers with a strong breeze making waves. A high of 48F.
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Daily Catskills: 10/22/18
A high of 43F and overcast with rippling, ominous cloud. Bitter and windswept on the peaks.
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Daily Catskills: 10/19/18
Clear skies at dawn and for the most of the morning. Wispy cloud forming at noon and then, a delicate layer of woolly cloud floated across sky like a sheet and hardened into milk glass at dusk. A high of 61F. No snow on Kaaterskill High Peak, but the odd patch of ice in places.
Daily Catskills: 10/18/18
33F by morning with overnight snow on the lower peaks forming a crunchy layer on the ground that lingers until the afternoon. A high of 43F but back to 36F by the evening. The Black Lab Mix salutes these new frigid temperatures with some yoga – he’s ready – but a lot of green remains on the trees. Fall has not finished.
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Daily Catskills: 10/17/18
A crisp autumn day beginning with a humid morning and rising to a 52F high. Mostly overcast with rolling, dark cloud bringing a sudden hail storm at 4.15pm and, after a plunge into freezing temperatures of about 36F late evening, a crunchy layer of snow. If we wanted it dull, we would be living somewhere else.
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Daily Catskills: 10/16/18
A fresh, chilly morning rising to a high of 54F. A rare day with clear, blue skies do nothing to enliven the dull fall colors. Still waiting for nature’s fireworks.
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Daily Catskills: 10/13/18
Chilly with rain and brief flashes of sun through thick cloud, only dispersing late afternoon. A high of 52F. First snow of the season on Kaaterskill High Peak.
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Daily Catskills: 10/12/18
A cold snap: a chilly morning at 46F by 9am warms up to a high of 57F. Breezy with fast-moving cloud and sunny periods. There still some patches of green hanging on amidst the yellowing and almost bare trees.
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Daily Catskills: 10/11/18
All-day rain: fog drifting in the valleys and as humid as a sauna. Steamy.
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Daily Catskills: 10/10/18
Already 72F mid-morning with the sun spilling through gaps in the clouds and gilding the forest. Another overcast afternoon with a high of 79F and a slow breeze. Feels like a late summer.
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Daily Catskills: 10/09/18
A balmy high of 78F, but overcast still with thick cloud like a plumped up duvet that rolled back to reveal some sun (sun!) for a brief period in the early afternoon.
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Daily Catskills: 10/08/18
Fall’s fireworks look dull under thick cloud cover. A high of 66F and humid. Fall is far better viewed from close quarters as the yellow leaves descend like confetti. There’s still some green hanging on amidst the flourishing bursts of red and orange.
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Daily Catskills: 10/07/18
A balmy high of 78F today, but overcast with the usual cloud cover. We’ve had very little sun this past month, but it’s still warm. Summer’s over, but fall is slower than last year. We still have a load of green hanging on.
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Daily Catskills: 10/06/18
Gloomy, overcast with the sun occasionally breaking through the cloud for a high of 64F. Thick mist hovered over the caps on the high peaks for most of the day. The whisper-quiet summit of Cornell covered in a foggy shroud.
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Daily Catskills: 10/05/18
After a gloomy morning, the thick clouds evaporated into nothing leaving clear skies and blazing sunshine for a change. Fall began in earnest this week. The yellow leaves are falling and the reds are popping. Peaches are ripening just as their leaves are drooping.
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Daily Catskills: 09/30/18
55F at 9am with mist rolling back and forth from the valleys. A high of 64F and mostly overcast for the rest of the day with brief periods of sunshine.
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Daily Catskills: 09/29/18
Almost 60F by mid-morning with ominously low blanket of cloud that splits into a flotilla of long cotton balls by mid-afternoon. A high of 62F. The fall is slower this year with only vague swathes of red amidst the yellowing landscape.
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Daily Catskills: 09/28/18
55F mid-morning and moody all day with mist and thick cloud enveloping the mountains. Intermittent rain showers and a high of 66F. A slight reddening has begun.
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Daily Catskills: 09/27/18
No more walking the dog in your underwear at dawn. Chilly mornings warming up to a high of 66F on the peaks with blue skies peaking through rippled cloud, scattered rain showers spilling into the evening.
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Daily Catskills: 09/26/18
Another one of our many moody days. Showers in some areas, and the ubiquitous low-hanging clouds looking like the underside of a winter comforter. Long, steady breezes push through the trees and a high of 75F. More rain late afternoon. Rain, rain, rain. Cows in a huddle.
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Daily Catskills: 09/22/18 Fall Equinox
Overcast with a chill in the air, for a high of 66F and a plunge into the 50s on the peaks by dusk. The first day of autumn.
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Daily Catskills: 09/21/18
A sturdy autumn breeze steals the day, shaking acorns out of the trees. Overcast with sombre clouds passing slowly in a low, solemn procession and chilly for a high of 66F. The landscape continues its barely discernible yellowing.
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Daily Catskills: 09/19/18
Sunny despite hazy cloud, warm and balmy with a high of 74F. Forest floor carpeted with coral mushroom.
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Daily Catskills: 09/18/18
Overnight rain spills into morning and continues for most of the day. Bright sunshine with scudding clouds late afternoon and a high of 74F. Autumn squash grows out of the compost.
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Daily Catskills: 09/17/18
Mist sinking into the valleys early morning with wispy clouds getting thicker as the day progresses. A mostly sunny afternoon with a high of 80F and light rain beginning at dusk. Balmy.
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Daily Catskills: 09/09/18
Gloomy, overcast with a high of 58F. Chilly. One sunflower bravely soldiers on.
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Daily Catskills: 09/08/18
Overcast with a milk glass sky and chilly with a light breeze and a high of 64F. A cold snap. In hidden corners, slight reddening of the forest canopy has begun.
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Daily Catskills: 09/07/18
Cooling off with a high of 71F and a mix of sun and clouds.
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Daily Catskills: 09/06/18
80F by noon and breezeless, but cooler in the forest. A humid 84F high broken by heavy clouds, mid-afternoon showers, lightning and a long thunderstorm that dumps a mass of evening mist that rolls in and out of the valleys at dusk like a tide. Then a power cut at 8.30pm for absolutely no reason at all.
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Daily Catskills: 09/05/18
85F by mid-morning and 90F by mid-afternoon with huge, billowing clouds that had all but disappeared by the afternoon. Roasting hot in the sun and humid. Another scorcher.
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Daily Catskills: 09/03/18
A humid morning with the ubiquitous Catskills mist evaporating off the mountains. A high of 90F with multifarious clouds, a gentle breeze and hot in the sun. A milk glass sky at dusk with cerulean brush strokes like someone painted them on. A sultry Labor Day.
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Daily Catskills: 09/02/18
A high of 79F with a gentle breeze and the same pillowy cloud as yesterday with brief flashes of sun. Butternut squash forms an orderly queue.
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