Rukavina's Extreme Weather and Climate Blog

Many of you have been sharing with us your photos of the great Winter predictor....the Woolly Bear! You've probably noticed a wide variety showing up in your own backyard. Not all "woolly-looking" caterpillars are Woolly Bears. Even the all-black versions are actually a different type of caterpillar. Below shows a good photo of what a TRUE Woolly Bear Caterpillar looks like. They have very full, thick bristles and have both orange and black segments.The other three caterpillars are often mistaken for the true Woolly Bear. Both the blond and tan colored caterpillar are the Yellow Bear Caterpillar.  The all black caterpillar with faint red stripes on the segments is the Giant Leopard Moth Caterpillar. They all have that bristled look but the one on the far right is the Woolly Bear. Now let's get to specifics....The folklore says that the Woolly Bear Caterpillar is a predictor of the upcoming winters' harshness. Each Woolly Bear has orange and black segments (...

Thursday September 22, 2016 at 9:21 AM Central marks the beginning of fall here in the Local 6 area. While temperatures are still very summer-like I wanted to give you a peak at how quickly our weather will change in the next couple months. The seasonal start represents equal parts daylight and darkness and we'll see a decline in daylight hours until the Winter Solstice in December. With less daylight comes less warmth in the Northern Hemisphere along with a migrating jet stream that often brings harsh storms both of the severe and winter variety. A look at the graphic to the right shows that decline in temperatures from September to November. Hot and humid conditions with highs in the 80's and 90's are usually ongoing as we first embark on Fall but a chill in the air is rarely far behind. By October frost is threatening to bring an end to the growing season and November ushers in a higher chance of a first snow and daily jacket-wearing. Seasonal allergies begi...