By WILLAM FELKER
Poor Will's Almanack Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2015 Old October’s purt’ nigh gone, And the frosts is comin’ on Little heavier every day. -James Whitcomb Riley Lunar phase and lore The Deer Mating Moon, full on Oct. 27, wanes through its third quarter, entering its final phase on Nov. 3 at 7:24 a.m. Rising after dark and setting near midday, this moon spurs fish and game and livestock to be a bit more active in the morning, especially as the cold fronts of Oct. 30 and Nov. 2 approach. Lunar position favors the planting of bulbs, shrubs and trees when it moves through Cancer on Oct. 31-Nov. 3 Weather trends After Halloween, the odds for decent temperatures plummet. In all November, there is an average of only 1-2 days in the 70s, just six in the 60s and only eight in the 50s. That makes just half the month with moderate afternoons, and many of those fall within the first 10 days of the month. The danger of frost remains similar to that of the third week in October: About one night in three receives temperatures in the upper 20s or lower 30s. But by this late in the season, the chances for a hard freeze have risen past 50 percent, and the odds get better each night for killing lows. The natural calendar Oct. 26: Orion appears on the eastern horizon after 10 p.m. Oct. 27: The week just past and the week to come are among the most dramatic of the year along the 40th Parallel. Thirty days ago, the woods were green. Fifteen days ago, the leaves were at their peak; today, most of them are gone or are ready to come down. Oct. 28: Asian lady beetles (the pale brown ones) often swarm near the end of October, seeking places to overwinter. Oct. 29: Record lows below 20 degrees now become possible in the lower Midwest. Oct. 30: Major bird migrations through the Ohio Valley typically end by today. Oct. 31: In the month ahead, Venus and Mars move retrograde into Virgo, leaving Jupiter in Leo to become the earliest of the morning stars. And by the time Venus and Mars finally reach the horizon, Jupiter and Leo are almost overhead. Saturn still in Scorpio becomes too close to the sun for observation and disappears until Dec. 17, when it comes back as a morning star. Nov. 1: Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. on Nov. 1. Set clocks back one hour. |
