Changeable Weather Ahead, Bad Weather Long Ago

Judging from the plunging dewpoints and jump in pressure a cold front passed through the city between 8 and 9 this morning. It is going to take a few hours for cooler air to arrive, meaning today's high may reach the upper 40s before cooling down after lunch. Clear skies tonight will allow for a lot of cooling and a strong westerly breeze will add to the chill. Tomorrow is looking sunny with seasonable temperatures. Expect a high around 47.

Weathermakers too numerous to mention trek our way starting tomorrow night. The end result is a cloudy, mild Friday with a slight chance of rain. A better chance of rain is expected Friday night into Saturday. Friday's high looks to be in the mid-50s, while Saturday should be slightly cooler. Clearing begins on Sunday for the start of what should be several pleasant days next week.

Monstrous explanation of the satellite image after the jump

Mount Tambora today via Google Maps

It came to Gothamist's attention that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was published 190 years ago yesterday. Shelley began writing the novel during a summer stay on Lake Geneva in 1816. The weather was abysmal, "wet and ungenial" in her words. Mary, her husband Percy, and the poet Lord Byron were confined to their house for days on end. They amused themselves by discussing events of the day, such as Erasmus Darwin's claim to have animated dead critters, and by reading German ghost stories.

The awful weather, 1816 was known as the "Year Without a Summer", was most likely the result of the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora the previous year. Closer to home, frost occurred in every month of the year, and two snowfalls in June caused an enormous crop failure. The failed harvest led many New Englanders migrate westward, leading to the rapid settlement of central and western New York as well as the Midwest.