East coast weather historically bad or just that time of year??

benyflyguy

benyflyguy

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benyflyguy
Ive been watching the weather past couple of weeks here in the NE part of the country. I live in Pa. Are we just in a weird cycle of weather that has brought a lot of instability and overall nasty weather for the GA pilot of a small single or is this just how fall is?
From a non-aviation standpoint it seems just wetter and more windy. From an aviation standpoint it is seems a lot more inhospitable. Lots of LLWS, turbulence, icing. You name it.
I like to do a weather brief for fun on my common destinations for an IFR flight probably twice a week. I find it a good learning experience. But also sobering as the last couple of weeks, there has what seems little opportunity for a 182 to go places without icing protection.
 
September was the rainiest on record near me since 1865. And this is coming from a weather station with a record of every single day since that time - never missed a day so far.
 
It’s been horrible this year. It’s because I bought an airplane. :shrug:
 
Good year for working on the instrument rating, although it was too crappy out today to fly.
 
I flew up from NC on Monday when the wx was a lot nicer here in Pgh than it was south of PA. Got a nice approach into Danville on the way though.

I hear Pghers complaining about the wx this year so I guess it’s so but I also know there almost always a period, shorter than in spring, when cold fronts pass thru frequently. Great for soaring ridge runners along the Appalachians but definitely windy, unstable and turbulent with ice up high.

My trips up here since early spring have had almost 100% reliability but ‘tis the season for icy diversions, cancellations and reversals.


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Not sure what you are talking about. Nothing but blue skies and highs in the low 80’s here in NorCal.
 
Not your imagination. In DC, it's now the 6th wettest year on record, with another two months to go. Plus we now seem to be in a cycle where the only time it clears out is when we get short-lived high pressure & howling winds from the north. There have been occasional clear, calm days - but certainly never on the weekends!
 
Same in Midwest , barely one or two days of flying weather then 1.5 weeks of total crap
 
I've lived on the mid Atlantic coast for a total of about 5-6 years of my life. This year doesn't strike me as significantly outside the norm. Can't speak to the OP's situation further north, but for us, I think it has been average to slightly above average.
 
benyflyguy said:
Ive been watching the weather past couple of weeks here in the NE part of the country. I live in Pa. Are we just in a weird cycle of weather that has brought a lot of instability and overall nasty weather for the GA pilot of a small single or is this just how fall is?
From a non-aviation standpoint it seems just wetter and more windy. From an aviation standpoint it is seems a lot more inhospitable. Lots of LLWS, turbulence, icing. You name it.
I like to do a weather brief for fun on my common destinations for an IFR flight probably twice a week. I find it a good learning experience. But also sobering as the last couple of weeks, there has what seems little opportunity for a 182 to go places without icing protection.
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I’ve been flying for 6 years, based on Long Island, and this fall has been awful! I used to love fall flying, as the air is crisp, the planes climb better and the visibility is spectacular, but this fall( and even summer) really have been terribly wet and windy. I’m hopping this pattern is termporary.
 
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AlleyCat67 said:
Not your imagination. In DC, it's now the 6th wettest year on record, with another two months to go. Plus we now seem to be in a cycle where the only time it clears out is when we get short-lived high pressure & howling winds from the north. There have been occasional clear, calm days - but certainly never on the weekends!
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Exactally!! Today great example. Clear as crystal. But it’s winds howling!! While I would love to go see my sister today, I shutter st the thought of trying to come back!!!
 
SE Texas... not exactly East Coast, but the weather around Houston has been crap for two months. Rain, rain, more rain... coupla nice days here and there, but my grass strip is a swampy mess, can't get my RV out of the hangar. Since Sept 1st I've been able to fly a whopping 3 days... driving me nuts.
 
Just unlucky. Even the VFR days aren’t flyable because winds are gusting to 30kts
 
Here in Michigan, I've been trying desperately to log 2 more approaches under IFR before winter sets in...when the clouds were right, the wind was 20 gusting to 35, and when the wind is under 20, the clouds are over 3000...Now I've got the clouds and wind right, but the freezing level is just 1000 feet AGL...and the 10 day forecast calls for ground temps no higher than 35 for its entirety.
 
It sucks. Always. You couldn't pay me enough to move back there.
 
Actually seems a little better, warmer.
 
C-1 PILOT said:
And I thought I was the only one. Sucks doesn't it? Can't catch a break...
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Sure does... Today was forecast to be clear, sunny, and perfect for flying. I woke up to rain. Again. There were three flyable VFR days out of our grass strip in October. Hoping for a late warming spell with some clear, calm days. We've had west winds for weeks, which is terribly unusual. West winds cause a LOT of rough air due to the location of our strip and the surrounding mountains, and the region in general.
 
Matthew Rogers said:
September was the rainiest on record near me since 1865. And this is coming from a weather station with a record of every single day since that time - never missed a day so far.
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Gulldam you are old.... Thank god for Basic med, right....?
 
Lachlan said:
Daily temps were between 10 and 15 degrees F below the normal for October in the Adirondacks. I hope you continue to enjoy your warm weather, wherever you are...
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Thought it was colder this time last year?
 
El Niño is predicated to build, weakly. If I remember correctly that means warmer and wetter winter for NEast coast.
 
It's been awful.
Got my brains beat out in the Cub today. Pulled the plug after 30 minutes.
And today was the best day for the past few weeks.
 
James331 said:
Thought it was colder this time last year?
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There weren’t many freezes/hard frosts til mid November last year, but the ground froze solid before Thanksgiving. Fall has been much colder than normal, overall. Hoping for many feet of snow this year. They’re already making snow on the mountain, and it snowed on me yesterday on my road bike ride. Mountain bike trails are really muddy from the constant rain.
 
Today is like the 3rd or 4th with low ceilings. I mean so low I can’t even take my instrument student up for some actual. Haven’t been out to the aerdrome in days. Hopefully tomorrow will be better as I have a full flying schedule this weekend.
 
Major reason for moving the plane to Florida is North east weather. My plane doesn’t like the cold neither do I.
 
I don’t miss the east at all. Here in Utah I don’t remember the last time I saw a cloud. Must have been at least three or four weeks :D
 
jspilot said:
I’ve been flying for 6 years, based on Long Island, and this fall has been awful! I used to love fall flying, as the air is crisp, the planes climb better and the visibility is spectacular, but this fall( and even summer) really have been terribly wet and windy. I’m hopping this pattern is termporary.
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WX here on LI has been really lousy. Today is a good example (102156Z, 28017/G26)...peck gust today was 41kts.

Looks OK for tomorrow. 44N for lunch, hopefully.
 
Today had the “look” of a nice day. Until you got out of the car and felt the gusts in the 20’s-30 range. Had to be bumpy up there!!
Tomorrow hoping for an IFR lesson
 
John221us said:
Not sure what you are talking about. Nothing but blue skies and highs in the low 80’s here in NorCal.
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Nothing but Smokey skies now. Yuk. I do feel bad for the thousands of people about 90 miles north of me that just lost their homes and tragically some lives were lost too. This has been a tough year for fires out here.
 
We got nailed with 6" of heavy, wet snow during the day yesterday, and late into the evening. Lots of broken branches, and one of my buddies' 172 was sitting on its tail from so much accumulation on the horizontal stab and elevators. Glad I'm in a hangar for the winter! Hoping for a thaw and some good weather before it's time to park it for several months...
 
Lachlan said:
There weren’t many freezes/hard frosts til mid November last year, but the ground froze solid before Thanksgiving. Fall has been much colder than normal, overall. Hoping for many feet of snow this year. They’re already making snow on the mountain, and it snowed on me yesterday on my road bike ride. Mountain bike trails are really muddy from the constant rain.
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Yeah hoping some snow will see its way to coastal VA as well.......its a pain to shovel the driveway, but its still fun. Of note, it is hovering just above freezing in ATL tonight.
 
35 AoA said:
Yeah hoping some snow will see its way to coastal VA as well.......its a pain to shovel the driveway, but its still fun. Of note, it is hovering just above freezing in ATL tonight.
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I live in a ski town, so we’re not usually too short on snow. There was a pretty dry year about 3 years ago, but it was a rare one. When I was a kid we used to get several storms a year that dumped 18-24” at a time, and numerous little 4-6” squalls from Nov til it finally melted in the end of April.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
Not your imagination. In DC, it's now the 6th wettest year on record, with another two months to go. Plus we now seem to be in a cycle where the only time it clears out is when we get short-lived high pressure & howling winds from the north. There have been occasional clear, calm days - but certainly never on the weekends!
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That’s why I retired! Weather not good today, I’ll wait and fly tomorrow!
 
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