Linnaeus Arboretum
Arb Sightings 2/5/10
To me, February always seemed to be proof that winter is one month too long. And indeed, this first week of February looks a lot like the first week of January, although the current temperature is hovering around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (I don’t think I need to mention how cold it was in early January). [...]
Arb Sightings 1/28/10
Following this past weekend’s unseasonable rain showers, high temperatures have once again dropped into the single digits and lows have dipped below zero. However, this cold spell shouldn’t persist too long, and by next week highs should once again be in the mid-20’s. The good part is that while the temperatures are cold, the sun [...]
Arb Sightings 1/21/10
The high temperatures over the past week have remained consistently in the high 20’s and low 30’s, which means we’ve been seeing several more mornings of hoar frost (the one on Tuesday 1/19 was especially heavy and beautiful). This morning, however, we awoke to a thick coating of ice. Unlike a hoar frost, an ice [...]
Arb Sightings 1/14/10
As daily temperatures are now reaching the low 30’s, we can begin to enjoy the bounty of snow we’ve received without fear of frostbite. Several snowshoers and cross-country skiers have been sighted in the Arb in recent days, as the snow is an almost perfect texture for these activities. The forecast for the next ten [...]
Arb Sightings 1/7/10
The above photo just about sums up how most of us in southern Minnesota feel about Mother Nature right now. Since the latter half of December, we’ve received several feet of snow and ice as a result of two or three major nationwide winter storms. Accompanying these storms, intensely cold air from the arctic has [...]
Arb Sightings 12/17/09
Now that the daily temperatures are back on the positive side, it appears that the latter half of this month will be warmer than the previous. The forecast for the next ten days predicts relatively dry weather with highs consistently in the mid- to upper 20’s, so we shouldn’t be seeing anymore below-normal temperatures for [...]
Arb Sightings 12/10/09
Two weeks ago we were still in November and the temperature was in the 40’s. Today is December 10, and the outside temperature in St. Peter this morning was 7 degrees below zero (-22 with windchill). Thanks to a snowstorm riding a strong cold front that has affected virtually all of the country, most of [...]
Arb Sightings 12/4/09
Ah, snow! We will end the first week of December with a fine, dusty coating of white on the ground. A week ago the temperatures were still in the 30’s and 40’s, but a week later the morning temperatures are in the teens. It seems that missed transitions are a theme this fall, as again [...]
Arb Sightings 11/19/09
As we continue to enjoy this pleasant, dry weather, it’s difficult to realize that December is less than two weeks away. At this point it seems like we’re getting spoiled in late November with high temperatures in the mid- to upper 50’s; indeed, the forecast for this Saturday calls for a high of 55 degrees [...]
Arb Sightings 11/12/09
I think all of us in southern Minnesota can agree that the weather during this past week of November has been much more pleasant than any week in October. Earlier this week, temperatures here reached the mid-60’s, reminiscent of the warm, sunny weather of two months ago. The weird weather patterns we’re experiencing may be [...]