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| The local weather for any area can be effected by many different things including elevation differences, large bodies |
| of water, the prevailing winds, the slope of the land and even |
| the type of vegetation, to mention just a few things. Some of |
| these things account for the various micro climates found in |
| the Town of Saugerties. |
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| In the western part of Saugerties, the Catskill Mountains create a type of vertical climate based on elevation. A general rule of thumb is that as elevation increases temperatures will drop. People living in West Saugerties and other parts of town that have significant increases in elevation will often have snow during the winter when the rest of the town is getting rain. This is one of the results of vertical climate. |
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| The Catskills also effect our weather in other ways. When the winds are blowing out of the west or northwest they will be intensified as they descend from higher elevations and are funneled into mountain passes. Anyone who lives in the Blue Mountain area of Saugerties knows the results of this pattern. What is a moderate wind in the village can be a gale out near the mountains. When I lived out there we would joke about tying weights around the kids to keep them from blowing away. Those who have lived in the area for a long time may remember January 1, 1962. Temperatures never got above 10 below zero and the winds were gusting over 80 miles per hour and yet the sun was out all day. Hundreds of trees came down, particularly in the stand of pine trees by the reservoir. The house we had been living in lost its front picture window and the water pipes in the house froze and burst. |
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| One other effect of these mountains on our local weather in the winter can be seen during the major snow storms we call |
| nor'easters. As these storms move north of the region the winds which have generally been out of the northeast will switch to the northwest because of the counterclockwise winds surrounding a storm. This causes the winds to descend the mountains and cuts off the moisture flow causing the snow to stop sooner than it would if the mountains were not there. This same effect takes place when |
| storms come out of the west. Although these are not generally big storms, they may produce several inches of snow north and even south of the Catskills while we may get little more than a dusting here in Saugerties |
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| The Hudson River also has a significant effect upon the micro climate of our region. It has a moderating effect on the daily weather, keeping adjacent land areas cooler in the summer and milder in the winter. Nighttime temperatures in the winter can be 20 degrees colder out towards Blue Mountain, Highwoods or West Saugerties, particularly if the river is not frozen over. The effect in the summer is the opposite, although usually not as extreme. It will generally be cooler by the river than in those areas located further to the west. |
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| In the village of Saugerties itself, the presence of many buildings located quite close together can have a moderating |
| effect on temperatures during the winter. This would be particularly so during clear nights with little wind. Temperatures in outlying areas may be 10 to 15 degrees cooler. |
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| When I prepare the local forecast for the Saugerties area its accuracy, to some degree, would depend on what part of town you live in. I live in the Glasco area where conditions would be similar to the village but might at certain times be quite different from Blue Mountain and other areas to the west as well as those areas on the river in Malden, Glasco and Ulster Landing Road. This is not to suggest that I have come up with a way of predicting the weather accurately for any region. Weather is always full of surprises, but I have had a lifelong fascination with it and hope that I have learned a little about it over the years. |
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| Did You Know? |
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| 1. Temperatures taken at ground level can vary more than five degrees from temperatures taken at 4 feet above ground level. |
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| 2. Official temperatures are always taken in the shade |
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| 3. It once rained in Saugerties when the temperature was 11 degrees above zero. |
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| 4. The high temperature for the year in Saugerties once |
| occurred in April. (98 degrees on April 18, 1976) |
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| 5. On May 9, 1977 We had a nor'easter with more than |
| five inches of snow and the schools were closed. |
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