On Friday, a month until the solstice, 30 days from the start of a cold new season, Washington’s gray sky and pallid sun seemed to warn of winter, but autumn mildness was still very much in the air.
The sky may have been less than implacably gray, not quite unremittingly so, and at times sunlight did break through gaps and thin spots in the overcast.
In those minutes when the sun shone, its presence seemed a reminder of how welcome it is, especially in the closing weeks of the year, when its presence is limited in duration and its radiance is diminished in intensity.
But the high temperature in the District, which was 56 degrees, seemed pleasant enough, and seemed to contradict the dour message that might have been inferred from the blanket of gray cloud.
The high of 56 in Washington matched the normal temperature here for Nov. 21. The morning low of 47 was seven degrees warmer than normal for Washington.
It may have contributed to the overall impression of Friday as a fairly pleasant day. Other contributions came from the sporadic appearances of the sun.
Even in thin and muted sunlight, the many leaves that remained on many trees, found ways to display their golden colors to good advantage, and to make clear that the departure of autumn was not to be hurried.
Probably the lightness of touch exhibited by the November wind also played a role in permitting the pleasures of autumn to make themselves known despite the seeming bleakness of the sky.
The highest wind, as of 5 p.m., was no more than 9 mph, and the highest gust not much more than that, at 11 mph. Not quite enough to set denizens of the outdoors to clutch their coat-collars in mitigation.
However, Friday did start the two-month period when the length of daylight is at its minimum, the time of darkness at its maximum. One of the months comes before the Dec. 21 solstice and the other comes after it.
The 60 days before and after the solstice, though similar in the balance between daylight and darkness, are not of course uniform. The 30-day period before the solstice may be perceived as more pleasant, if only because it is warmer.
The post One month from solstice, the sky said winter, but the air said not yet appeared first on Washington Post.
