Category Archives: Weather & Sky

Seen This Week: Old Snow, New Snow

Bird Behavior, Weather & Sky
Starlings … Poof! … Pittsburgh, 30 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

7 February 2026

Since returning home late last a week, I’ve seen a lot of old snow.

In a walk on 30 January a flock of starlings burst off a tree near the Shakespeare statue at Carnegie Music Hall. Shakespeare had old snow in his lap.

The sidewalks were easy to navigate but the crosswalks were blocked by icy piles of plowed snow.

London plane trees in snow, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 30 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Old snow on the roofs and a pink sunset.

Old snow on the roof at sunset, 30 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Last week I saw Bobcat Skid-Steer Loaders all over the city moving snow to out of the way places. This pile on Flagstaff Hill probably came from Frew Street. By the end of the week the crosswalks were clear.

Pile of snow moved from street to Flagstaff Hill, 2 Feb 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

But we were worried that yesterday’s predicted snow would bury us again. The National Weather Service said it would be a “fast moving clipper.”

The snow squalls hit last night around 10pm. A whiteout at 10:15pm. Light snow and better visibility just four minutes later.

And this morning, less than an inch of new snow in the city.

What to do in a Foot of Snow

Bird Behavior, Weather & Sky
Sledding tracks down the Mellon Institute steps, 30 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

31 January 2026

While I visited La Selva Biological Station last Sunday (see photo of me in yesterday’s blog), it was snowing heavily back home in Pittsburgh for an official single day total of 11.2″. The snow was even deeper in other parts of the county: 14.2″ in Ross Twp and 13.8″ in Bridgeville.

Since it was impossible to go anywhere by vehicle on Monday, the young at heart decided to have fun in Oakland by sledding down the Mellon Institute steps.

People were not the only ones to slid on their bellies. Check out the penguins at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium!

The winter storm hitting the Carolinas today will not affect Pittsburgh. We have sunshine and very cold temperatures: High 15°F, Low 0°F (-17.8°C).

Seen This Week: 6 Years

Weather & Sky
Starlings browse leftover fruits in a street tree, 17 January 2021 (photo by Kate St. John)

17 January 2026

This week I was so busy indoors that I have no photos for “Seen This Week” except for the high point that I’ve already described: Falconcams Cleaned For The Nesting Season. So here’s a look back at what I saw This Week during the last 6 years.

Merlin on a snag at Schenley Park golf course, 25 Jan 2022 (photo by Kate St. John)
Sun Pillar during the Gleam at Sunset, 14 Jan 2023, 5:07pm (photo by Kate St. John)
Sun pillar at sunrise, 11 Jan 2024 (photo by Kate St. John)
Halo with two sundogs, seen at Schenley Park on 16 Jan 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)
Light snow hides the distance before dawn, 17 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Seen This Week: Moss, Waves and Snow Melt

Plants & Fungi, Schenley Park, Weather & Sky
Moss in a Pittsburgh front yard, 8 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

10 January 2026

Lots of yo-yo weather in the past two weeks!

  • 7 days above freezing starting Christmas Eve: Highest was 64°F
  • 6 days below freezing at the New Year: Lowest was 10°F
  • Another spate above freezing this week: : Highest was 66°F.

The plants may be shocked by this up and down weather but some low-lying moss (above) was as green as Ireland on Thursday before the next cold snap.

Meanwhile, beautiful altocumulus undulatus clouds at 3pm on Thursday 8 January made waves in the sky. This type of cloud can predict rain within the next 20 hours and indeed it started to rain on Friday just before 9:00am.

Waves in the sky over Pittsburgh, 8 Jan 2026 (photo by Kate St. John)

Yo-yo weather keeps the streams open and running. This brook at Bowers, PA made happy sounds as it ran with snowmelt.

Babbling brook at Bowers, PA, 3 Jan 2026 (video by Kate St. John)

Extreme Weather Focuses The Mind Wonderfully

Weather & Sky
Collapsed building in Juneau due to heavy snow, 5 Jan 2026 (screenshot from Alaska’s News Source on YouTube)

9 January 2026

We have plenty to worry about right now but the people of Juneau, Alaska are probably not thinking about it because they have one big thing to focus on:

SNOW! More than a winter’s worth of snow fell in December alone — 82 inches! — and 49 of those inches fell in just five days. The weight of the snow has sunk boats in the harbor and collapsed roofs. Juneau is running out of places to pile the snow.

RAIN! Today there’s a flood watch and winter weather advisory because it will rain heavily on top of the snow — 1 to 4 inches of rain! — which will cause flooding, landslides and avalanches.

Here’s what it looks like.

Totals from National Weather Service, Juneau on Facebook
video embedded from Alaska’s News Source on YouTube
Juneau news 9 Jan 2026, video embedded from Alaska’s News Source on YouTube

video embedded from Accuweather on Instagram

Extreme weather focuses the mind wonderfully.

p.s. The title of this article refers to a quote attributed to Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784

“The prospect of being hanged focuses the mind wonderfully,” attributed to Dr. Samuel Johnson, the quote is probably altered from what he actually said. Apocrypha: The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page explains:
“This is another popular corruption of a famous line of Johnson’s. What Johnson really said, according to Boswell, was, “Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” A little clunkier in its original form, even when you drop the first sentence, which is probably why the simpler, corrupted form is frequently seen.”

So Cold Your Tires Blowout

Weather & Sky
Ice fog in Fairbanks, AK, 2005 (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

5 January 2025

This winter in Pittsburgh we’ve had yo-yo temperatures. Warm and then so cold that my tires deflate and I have to fill them again. Annoying.

This will cease to be an issue when it warms up tomorrow. By Friday our high will be near 60°F.

Maximum temperature forecast in continental U.S. for 9 Jan 2026 (map from NWS)

Meanwhile in Fairbanks, Alaska it is incredibly cold and has been for weeks.

video embedded from Alaska’s News Source on YouTube

The video points out that in this kind of cold your tires deflate — and they blowout.

Flat tire … in temperate weather. (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Google search explains why:

Deflated tires in subzero weather significantly increase the risk of a blowout because low pressure causes tires to flex excessively, overheat, wear unevenly, and lose traction, making them prone to failure, especially when hitting potholes or bumps. Cold temperatures shrink air, reducing tire pressure by 1-2 PSI for every 10°F drop.

— Google Search result about deflating tires in the cold

Meanwhile severe cold continues in Fairbanks. On the same day we’ll have spring-like weather, Friday 9 January, the forecast for Fairbanks is a high near -26F and a low around -30F.

Graphical Alaska forecast of max and min temperatures for 9 Jan 2026, (map from NWS)

Brrr! I’m glad I don’t have to deal with it!

p.s. The beginning of the video mentions ice fog (photo at top), which is called “pogonip” in the Rockies. And why is the reporter on camera at night? He isn’t. The days are so short in Fairbanks right now that a normal “day” includes a lot of dusk and dawn.

No Ice? Heavy Snow

Travel, Water and Shore, Weather & Sky
screenshot from 3 Jan, 2026 Snow Report in Sandy Creek, NY by CNY Central on YouTube

4 January 2026

In Case You Missed It

“As of early Saturday morning, January 3, some areas in Oswego County, including Pulaski and Sandy Creek, had received as much as 4 feet (48 inches) of snow within a 24-hour period since New Year’s Day.” — Syracuse.com

CNY Central TV shows what this looks like!

video embedded from CNY Central on YouTube

This huge snowfall, called “lake effect snow,” happens when cold air moves over warm, open water on the Great Lakes.

Diagram of Lake Effect Snow from weather.gov

The path of the storm determines which community gets hit and the storm’s intensity. Meteorologist Eric Snitil shows how the storm picked up moisture from four bodies of water.

NOTE: If you’re viewing this on mobile: There is a Facebook bug since October 2024 that prevents displaying embedded Facebook posts on mobile devices. Until Meta fixes it click here to see a photograph of this post.

Indeed all the Great Lakes were ice free. Here’s the storm’s path superimposed on GLERL’s ice map. Pale blue means open water.

Ice cover on the Great Lakes, 2 Jan 2026, added orange arrow for wind path of storm. (Original Map from NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab)

Where is Sandy Creek, NY? It’s at the arrowhead on the map above. Click here to see its location on Google Maps.

Skating on Thin Ice

Water and Shore, Weather & Sky
Black ice on a canal in the Netherlands, 2007 (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

30 December 2025

After nearly 60°F yesterday morning we now have snow on the ground.

When temperatures suddenly drop below freezing the National Weather Service warns us of black ice on the roadways. This dangerous transparent thin ice cannot be seen until our cars slide on it.

Black ice also forms on still water such as canals in the Netherlands, above, and a small lake in Sweden, below. It is dangerously thin to skate on it but it makes weird noises when this intrepid skater passes over it. Turn your sound up to hear it.

video embedded from National Geographic on YouTube

Also Seen + Common There, Not Here

Phenology, Water and Shore, Weather & Sky
Winter Solstice sunrise in Pittsburgh, 21 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

28 December 2025

The painted bunting was not the only thing seen last week but it grabbed the headlines. In other news the Winter Solstice was unusually sunny (photos above and below) and I saw an Infrequent duck at Duck Hollow on Christmas Eve.

Sunny Winter Solstice day, Pittsburgh, 21 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

The common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) is a relatively small duck, closely related to buffleheads. The female has a chocolate brown head, a golden tip on her beak, and of course a golden eye. All three tipped me off to her identity.

Female common goldeneye at Duck Hollow, 24 Dec 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)

Common goldeneyes are far from abundant in the Pittsburgh area but actually common in Canada in the breeding season and at the Great Lakes and waterways in the American West in winter as shown on their North American abundance map below.

Common goldeneye year-round abundance map in North America from eBird Status and Trends

I had thought that, like buffleheads, goldeneyes were only found in North America but I saw them in Finland last summer. In fact they have a disjoint range on three continents as viewed from the North Pole: Europe, Asia and North America.

Common goldeneye range map from eBird

Common there, but not here.

Winter Solstice

Weather & Sky
Winter solstice sunrise at Llangrun (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

21 December 2025

Today the sun will pause its southward journey across the sky and begin to move north again. That moment of pause at the winter solstice occurs at 10:03am Eastern Standard Time.

You can see the sun’s journey if you record its position at the same standard time every day for a year. Its path, an analemma, is created by the Earth’s tilted orbit, not by movement of the Sun. This silent movie shows the path for three years.

video embedded from Robert Quimby on YouTube

Musical interlude to celebrate the season: Winter Solstice, composed by Michele McLaughlin and released in 2006, was often heard then as background music in shops during the Christmas season.

video embedded from Frito Four on YouTube