Danny Disappoints, Yankees Do Not

So, all the excitement (from a meteorological perspective) about a tropical storm affecting southern New England today was premature, as Tropical Storm Danny never really got its act together. The center of circulation off the coast of Florida never seemed to coincide with the area of thunderstorms that spawned it, and Danny never lived up to expectations. It was, at best, a disorganized mess that just barely maintained tropical storm strength, and passed east of New England earlier today, spreading only some heavy rain over eastern sections, while never really producing any dangerous conditions along the Connecticut shoreline.

Danny's path and failure to organize itself were good news for Yankee fans, as conditions at Yankee Stadium earlier today were actually just fine for today's game against the Chicago White Sox. The Yankee offense, unlike Danny, did not disappoint, putting 10 runs on the board, while the defense sparkled, and the White Sox could only manage a single hit off Yankee pitching. The Stadium was not nearly full, as many fans, probably expecting a washout, decided not to make the trip to the Bronx. I was there, however, and it was really a great game (if you're a Yankee fan). The sun even tried to make an appearance late in the game. Here in Connecticut, however, it was rain and drizzle through most of the day. The next couple of days should be much nicer.

Of Heat Waves and Tropical Storms

After getting through all of June and July without a single day with temperatures of 90 degrees or higher, the month of August has featured much more summerlike weather. So far, there have been nine days at Bradley International Airport when the mercury has topped out at 90 or higher, including a seven day long heat wave from August 15th to the 21st. Today should be the final hot, humid day for a while, as a cold front will push through the region this evening, bringing much cooler Canadian air into southern New England for the next few days.

If you have outdoor plans for the weekend, things may go downhill very quickly on Friday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on newly formed Tropical Storm Danny, located east of the Bahamas this morning. The current forecast track brings Danny just east of the Outer Banks of North Carolina by early Saturday, and strengthens the storm to a Category 1 hurricane. It will then race up the eastern seaboard, perhaps reaching the Bay of Fundy (still as a hurricane) in Nova Scotia by Sunday morning. If this track holds up, heavy rain will be falling throughout southern New England by late Friday night, and will continue through most of Saturday. Also, wind speeds may exceed 40 mph, with higher gusts, especially along coastal sections of Massachusetts and Maine. This could be the first significant tropical weather system to affect the northeast in a long time. We'll be watching it as it develops.

I kick you, you kick me.

Two games done in this weekend's Fenway Park face-off between my beloved Yankees and the evil Boston Red Sox. On Friday night, the Yankees pounded the Sox and recorded a 20-11 victory. On Saturday afternoon, the Sox returned the favor with a 14-1 embarrassment of the Bronx Bombers. Sunday night sees the rubber game. If the Yankees win, they leave Boston with a 7 1/2 game lead. If Boston wins, the lead is cut to 5 1/2 games.

It must have been tough for both teams to play these first two games in such humid weather conditions. Both games featured lots of home runs, which is to be expected when the humidity level is high. Contrary to popular baseball mythology, humid air is not "heavy," and does not weigh the baseball down. In fact, because water molecules are lighter than air molecules, the overall density of humid air is actually less than that of dry air at the same temperature. So it's logical to expect fly balls to carry further on humid days, and that seems to be the case for the first two games.

Temperatures are expected to cool down this week as a Canadian air mass moves into the region. This should make for some nice baseball weather as the Yankees return home from their ten-game road trip after finishing up at Fenway Park. Anyone at Yankee Stadium next Saturday--come by Section 305 and say hello.