tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69222983474035171042024-03-14T02:02:14.614-05:00The Siren's CallEveryone else runs for shelter, I'm on the porchMatushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-14895043390548154892020-02-06T09:08:00.002-06:002020-02-06T09:09:52.773-06:00Long Time No Post<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It’s been five years or so since I’ve posted here! In that time we’ve move twice, had another baby (#7), and all sorts of projects have come and gone. I’m still very much into weather and joined Twitter just to interact with other weather enthusiasts. [Twitter in general is a cesspool and I keep my followed accounts to a minimum. I think a large portion are various national weather sites.]<br />
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I also joined <a href="https://www.cocorahs.org/">CoCoRaHS</a> (Conmunity Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network). I have an approved rain gauge (see site for suppliers) and log in my daily precipitation, as well as any unusual precipitation-related events (flooding, high rain rates, etc.).<br />
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I’ve had a couple emails from teachers and their students and am so glad they enjoyed this site, although it’s pretty pitiful! I really need to get it back going, especially since I’ve done all sorts of things since then like learn to take time-lapse videos.<br />
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The latest suggestion is from Liza who highly recommended an <a href="https://www.alansfactoryoutlet.com/a-guide-to-weather-vanes">article</a> explaining what weather/wind vanes are and how they work. At the end of the article is a list of resources to learn more about them and even build your own. I need to look at these and do this with my own kids! Good job, Liza, and thank you for the suggestion!<br />
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Just for fun, here is a random selection of weather photos from the past couple years:<br />
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-73234176498365444832015-08-10T09:46:00.000-05:002015-08-10T09:47:45.991-05:00HOT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been so hot. And not just peaking in the middle of the day and cooling off around the edges, but just hot, all the time. The low temperatures are in the upper 70's and come right before dawn. Around 11PM last night the heat index was still 97F. Immediately after the sun starts to rise the temperatures climb. You can pull up Weather Underground and just watch the temperature go up. And up. It's sort of grimly entertaining. Unfortunately, the humidity is always 90-something % at that time so the heat index is astronomical. For instance, right now...<br />
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9:30 AM.<br />
Temperature: 88.3F<br />
Humidity: 80%<br />
Dew point: 81F<br />
Heat index: 107F<br />
Wind: 0 mph<br />
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9:42 AM <br />
Temperature: 88.7F<br />
Humidity: 79%<br />
Dew point: 81F<br />
Heat index: 108F<br />
Wind: 0 mph<br />
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That's a pretty uncomfortable situation. Note the <a href="http://meteorologymom.blogspot.com/2012/08/explanation-of-humidity-and-dew-point.html">dew point</a> of 81F. The temperature is supposed to be 101 today (it was 100 yesterday) and the heat index will be much higher. The last few days the heat index has topped out at 112.<br />
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We're under an excessive heat warning and have been for a couple days. We're in good company: it extends over the entirety of Mississippi and Louisiana, most of Alabama and Arkansas, and half of Oklahoma and Texas.<br />
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Of course, it's worse in parts of Iran, where the<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/08/03/searing-164-degree-temps-in-iran-as-heat-dome-traps-middle-east/"> heat index reached an <i>unbelievable 164F yesterday</i></a>. Lord have mercy!</div>
Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-76537152933214442172015-07-14T10:31:00.001-05:002015-07-14T10:31:50.782-05:00Sprites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I was driving home from work after dark several years ago and watching the tops of some thunderheads directly in front of me. They were too far away to hear any thunder and I was only seeing the cloud tops, probably over Georgia. The lightning was lighting up the anvil and overshooting tops quite nicely and at one point I saw a vertical flash of light over the clouds. I couldn't imagine what it was. Only later I found out about sprites.<br />
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This is a great documentary with some super-slow motion captures of sprites. Mesmerizing.<br />
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-67854383937437228162015-06-29T22:34:00.001-05:002015-07-14T10:32:07.851-05:00Summer Lightning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The next two are subtle, but you can see the edge of the shelf cloud approaching. </div>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-23765763700301225812015-03-05T13:12:00.003-06:002015-03-05T13:24:36.482-06:00Rare Wintry Mix<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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About once a winter we see something in the way of frozen precipitation. This winter (2014-2015) we hadn't seen anything yet, and with the daffodils blooming it seemed as though our chances were slim.<br />
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Yesterday the high was 82 and today we have barely nudged above freezing (it's currently 29 in the middle of the day). A more than 50 degree difference in the space of much less than 24 hours is quite extreme!<br />
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This morning the drizzle finally changed to a wintry mix and it's been going on for about 3 hours now. The children were quite excited.</div>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-71031755206929290202015-01-29T22:14:00.001-06:002015-01-29T22:14:42.050-06:00Arizona: Just Too Hot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've always thought Arizona was just plain old HOT. Too hot. Like too hot to be legal. But this confirms it:<br />
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-60313250762171855572014-11-03T22:52:00.002-06:002014-11-03T22:52:47.161-06:00Lunar Halo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o84mN76PIBc/VFhZnFwC4CI/AAAAAAAAT9M/S-S1U1Wv2MM/s1600/IMG_1228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o84mN76PIBc/VFhZnFwC4CI/AAAAAAAAT9M/S-S1U1Wv2MM/s1600/IMG_1228.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1gUwLWSAu0Q/VFhZnuWcgKI/AAAAAAAAT9U/NFiUJoYIR_8/s1600/IMG_1229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1gUwLWSAu0Q/VFhZnuWcgKI/AAAAAAAAT9U/NFiUJoYIR_8/s1600/IMG_1229.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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From <a href="http://earthsky.org/space/what-makes-a-halo-around-the-moon">EarthSky.org</a>: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There’s an old weather saying: <em>ring around the moon means rain soon.</em>
There’s truth to this saying, because high cirrus clouds often come
before a storm. Notice in these photos that the sky looks fairly clear.
After all, you can see the sun or moon. And yet halos are a sign of
high thin cirrus clouds drifting 20,000 feet or more above our heads.<br />
<br />
These clouds contain millions of tiny ice crystals. The halos you see are caused by both <em>refraction</em>, or splitting of light, and also by <em>reflection</em>,
or glints of light from these ice crystals. The crystals have to be
oriented and positioned just so with respect to your eye, in order for
the halo to appear.<br />
<br />
Because moonlight isn’t very bright, lunar halos are mostly colorless,
but you might notice more red on the inside and more blue on the
outside of the halo. These colors are more noticeable in halos around
the sun. If you do see a halo around the moon or sun, notice that the
inner edge is sharp, while the outer edge is more diffuse. Also, notice
that the sky surrounding the halo is darker than the rest of the sky.</blockquote>
(Also info on 22 degree halos <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/22%C2%B0_halo">here</a>.) <br />
<br />
Interestingly enough, there is rain forecast for Wednesday, two days from now. :) </div>
Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-88466648976410293092014-10-17T10:04:00.001-05:002014-10-17T10:04:29.637-05:00Morning Cirrus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kCIQE-Qeclo/VEEtjHAKT2I/AAAAAAAATo8/Y95eiQAU0Wk/s1600/IMG_0779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kCIQE-Qeclo/VEEtjHAKT2I/AAAAAAAATo8/Y95eiQAU0Wk/s1600/IMG_0779.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Such a lovely display against the dark blue sky. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6EOBpdcDoOI/VEEtei2rWhI/AAAAAAAATo0/0zK4xkaSYus/s1600/IMG_0781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6EOBpdcDoOI/VEEtei2rWhI/AAAAAAAATo0/0zK4xkaSYus/s1600/IMG_0781.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I love how these bits of cirrus were all lined up... </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hyw0qnuB1xk/VEEtz_UzUfI/AAAAAAAATpY/N1UYX8g2Ar8/s1600/IMG_0784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hyw0qnuB1xk/VEEtz_UzUfI/AAAAAAAATpY/N1UYX8g2Ar8/s1600/IMG_0784.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-80296420903359442932014-09-02T21:02:00.000-05:002014-09-07T21:36:37.971-05:0079 years ago...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
September 2, 1935. The strongest hurricane to make landfall in recorded US history comes ashore in the upper Florida keys. Known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1935_Labor_Day_hurricane">"Labor Day Hurricane"</a>, it killed over 400 people, many of them veterans working in the WPA camps.<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Storm_pages/labor_day/labor_article.html"><i>Fascinating meteorological article about the hurricane.</i> </a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The following photos are from the Florida archives:</i></span><br />
<h1 class="item-title" style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://floridamemory.com/items/show/38358"><span style="font-size: small;">Soldiers assisting with the disposition of bodies of victims of the 1935 hurricane - Snake Creek, Florida</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>
</h1>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">After
the big storm, active Army units were assigned to search the
shoreline, tidal creeks, and other likely areas where bodies might
have been blown or washed up in the final stages of the hurricane.
World War I veterans in a rehabilitation camp, a remnant of the Bonus
Army that marched on Washington, were employed for highway
construction in the federal work relief project when they perished.
The crude boxes are makeshift caskets, containing bodies for
cremation. Servicemen on the right stand ready for a final salute to
veterans who died in the hurricane. Religious services were performed
by Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish clergy. The bodies of over 250
veterans were cremated on the banks of Snake Creek, between
Islamorada and Tavernier.</span></span></div>
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<h1 class="item-title" style="text-align: center;">
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</h1>
<h1 class="item-title">
</h1>
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<img alt="Soldiers assisting with the disposition of bodies of victims of the 1935 hurricane - Snake Creek, Florida" src="http://floridamemory.com/fpc/reference/rc17063.jpg" height="326" width="400" /></div>
<div class="span5" style="text-align: center;">
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
<a href="http://floridamemory.com/items/show/38356">Mortal remains of victims of the 1935 hurricane being cremated: Snake Creek, Florida</a></h4>
<h4>
</h4>
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<img alt="Mortal remains of victims of the 1935 hurricane being cremated - Snake Creek, Florida" src="http://floridamemory.com/fpc/reference/rc17061.jpg" height="306" width="400" /></div>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://floridamemory.com/items/show/149572">Rescue train swept off the tracks by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane</a></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
</h4>
The hurricane washed this eleven car special train off the track soon
after reaching the strickened area. The train was trying to rescue 683
World War I veterans in a rehabilitation camp, of which around 250 died
as a result of the hurricane. The veterans, a remnant of the Bonus Army
that marched on Washington, were employed for highway construction in
the federal work relief project.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Rescue train swept off the tracks by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane" src="http://floridamemory.com/fpc/general/n041488.jpg" height="640" width="509" /></div>
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<h1 class="item-title" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://floridamemory.com/items/show/57275"><span style="font-size: small;">Monument to the victims of the 1935 Hurricane - Islamorada, Florida</span></a></h1>
<h1 class="item-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h1>
<h1 class="item-title" style="text-align: center;">
</h1>
<h1 class="item-title" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><img alt="Monument to the victims of the 1935 Hurricane - Islamorada, Florida " src="http://floridamemory.com/fpc/commerce/c026458.jpg" height="640" width="497" /></h1>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-52451825119417203382014-06-23T10:44:00.001-05:002014-06-23T10:44:29.394-05:00Horrendous Dew Point<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x-x7k4dypoc/U6hK_uPyFII/AAAAAAAARg8/5aapfwJ7WD4/s1600/Unbelievable+dew+point.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x-x7k4dypoc/U6hK_uPyFII/AAAAAAAARg8/5aapfwJ7WD4/s1600/Unbelievable+dew+point.png" height="125" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(click to enlarge)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I took this screen shot of Weather Underground just a little bit ago. I had to share it. LOOK at the dew point! That's horribly oppressive! I think I'll just stay inside today.</div>
Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-81362749141500901132014-04-29T22:06:00.000-05:002014-04-29T22:06:57.402-05:00This is SO true.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xf-8BS_R3go/U2Bm6Mj_0PI/AAAAAAAAQ6k/hbgg-4jdoYw/s1600/learn+geography+in+south.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xf-8BS_R3go/U2Bm6Mj_0PI/AAAAAAAAQ6k/hbgg-4jdoYw/s1600/learn+geography+in+south.jpg" height="400" width="396" /></a></div>
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I remember when I first moved from Georgia to Alabama. I didn't know any of the counties and of course we were always having tornado warnings in the spring. Fortunately I married a native Alabamian, but I still had to get the map out.<br />
<br />
When we moved from Alabama to Pennsylvania, one thing we were not expecting to hear was a tornado siren. We <i>were</i> eagerly anticipating snow, but since we moved in August we figured we'd just be enjoying a lovely fall until then. The nights were deliciously cool after the muggy heat of the south, and we were in heaven.<br />
<br />
Less than a week after we moved, we were awakened in the dead of night by the unmistakable sounds of a tornado siren. Moving on instinct, we leaped out of bed. I threw open the window and, perplexed, gazed out at a perfectly clear and cool night. The weather radio hadn't automatically gone off (even more perplexing) so we turned it on. Breathlessly, we listened to a county by county description of the weather in NEPA. It was uniformly clear and cool. Shortly into the forecast I realized that I had no earthly idea where these counties were and if anything like a tornado were announced, I wouldn't know whether to duck or go back to bed. This is a very uncomfortable feeling in the middle of the night. The siren had stopped by now and we looked at each other. "I guess we'll just go back to bed," one of us ventured. We lay in bed, both still on alert, but eventually went to sleep. The next day Father asked our landlord why the tornado siren had gone off. "Tornado siren?? That's the volunteer fire department siren."<br />
<br />
Sigh.</div>
Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-15193639942299669962013-06-09T21:20:00.003-05:002013-06-09T21:20:35.819-05:00Nice Shelf Cloud<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had a nice storm approaching this evening and I ran out and got pictures of the leading edge as it came in. It had a lovely shelf cloud.<br /><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b5EmEor85M0/UbU2xsoN1zI/AAAAAAAANS0/SJljQKIqYys/s1600/IMG_4399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b5EmEor85M0/UbU2xsoN1zI/AAAAAAAANS0/SJljQKIqYys/s400/IMG_4399.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HsApQIXTbIE/UbU27f-aTbI/AAAAAAAANS8/IXwiPoWcCJI/s1600/IMG_4406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HsApQIXTbIE/UbU27f-aTbI/AAAAAAAANS8/IXwiPoWcCJI/s400/IMG_4406.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fvV37mrZQwk/UbU3Cg6sGII/AAAAAAAANTE/QtJtAvhf0tU/s1600/IMG_4407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fvV37mrZQwk/UbU3Cg6sGII/AAAAAAAANTE/QtJtAvhf0tU/s400/IMG_4407.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uXdzR8_p5EI/UbU3IuK_-aI/AAAAAAAANTU/eUFl24grmO4/s1600/IMG_4413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uXdzR8_p5EI/UbU3IuK_-aI/AAAAAAAANTU/eUFl24grmO4/s400/IMG_4413.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The bulk of the storm was passing to the north of us and for a short while the last remnants of the sunset were visible through the rain and lit up the base of the clouds.<br />
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-14557292182240984532013-04-27T19:40:00.001-05:002013-04-27T19:40:59.638-05:00Nice clouds from this eveningWe have some tiny showers passing through, but the way the clouds looked as the sun was getting low was really nice. I had my camera with me so I grabbed a few shots.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JsBZPBpTPHE/UXxtSrZXZgI/AAAAAAAAM6c/AuQcHReWt3M/s1600/IMG_3944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JsBZPBpTPHE/UXxtSrZXZgI/AAAAAAAAM6c/AuQcHReWt3M/s400/IMG_3944.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-75844421036583654772013-03-18T22:28:00.001-05:002013-03-18T22:28:38.044-05:00Hail Storm with Golf-Ball Sized Hail<br />
I could see some severe cells approaching on the radar and
one looked like it was going to hit us dead-on. I went out on the porch
to wait. The lightning was almost continuous but the wind hadn't picked
up yet. The sirens went off and added to the excitement (half of us
were on the porch, waiting). Eventually there was a bit of breeze, then
it got stronger. In the distance we could hear a roaring sound, growing
louder. I wasn't worried about a tornado and thought it was too loud for
the wind associated with a downdraft. Assuming that the coming rain
must be incredibly heavy I went to the doorway to watch. A few drops
started coming down and then I realized that the sound was probably
hail. Another moment and it was upon us. It was absolutely deafening. It
sounded like the end of the world. I could see massive hailstones
hitting the street and exploding. I looked at our van and car and
realized that there was nothing I could do. I made the sign of the cross
over them and asked God to protect them. [Foolishly I didn't do the
same thing for the house.] The hail was not only large - most of it golf
ball-sized - but there was a ton of it. The ground started to turn
white. The wind was blowing very hard and the hail was exploding through
the open screen door and starting to cover the porch. When we opened
the door to the house some of the hail blew inside.<br />
<br />
[Pause
to add that we're going to go check the church and the hall in a few
minutes. Oh boy...it's like, all windows...I'll update when we get back.
[UPDATE: SEE BELOW]]<br />
<br />
After it had been hailing for
about a minute I remembered the camera and dashed inside to get it. I
filmed the next 2 minutes of the storm. The video doesn't do it justice
because it's so dark. Turn the volume up until you're covering your ears
and that's what it sounded like.<br />
<br />
[Stolen from my regular blog] <br />
<br />
As soon as it died
down (about 2 minutes after I stopped filming) I ran out to gather up
some hail to measure. I photographed it next to a tape measure. When the
rain had stopped a little bit too I ran out and checked the cars. There
are probably dings in the metal car bodies but the windows are all
intact!! I can't believe it. They were completely exposed. Thanks be to
God! Remember I mentioned that I should have done the same for the
house? Well, we lost two windows in the house and have a leak in the
roof near the fireplace. Live and learn. I estimate the entire hailstorm
lasted about 5 minutes. It felt like an eternity.<br />
<br />
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<br />
UPDATE:
Well, we went to check the church and hall (ALL of us, despite it being
past bedtime) and, believe it or not, the church is FINE. Not one crack
in one window. And our church is practically all windows! We were most
worried about the west side (that's the direction the hail was coming
from) but here it is, sound as ever:<br />
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<br />
Not quite so lucky at the hall, but even there only lost one window in the kitchen: <br />
<br />
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<br />
We
drove around a few blocks on the way home and saw a few things. There
were two streetlamps which had the exterior portion blown down by the
hail...but the light was still on. Amazing. Here's one: <br />
<br />
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<br />
In
one shopping area a few smart people pulled their cars right up on the
sidewalk outside the stores. As we drove around we didn't see any
vehicles with broken windows. My theory is that the hail was composed of
ice layers that broke apart easily so the energy of the blow was
absorbed more by the hail (which exploded) than the item it hit. <br />
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<br />
Unless,
of course, the item being hit is an easily ripped-out screen. All of
our screens except the two on the sheltered east side of the porch were
ripped out by the hail. That explains how so much hail got on the porch.
<br />
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<br />Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-41306166141043948802013-02-11T22:35:00.000-06:002013-02-11T22:35:02.138-06:00Feb Storm Pics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
These are some photos as the storms were rolling in Sunday afternoon. The tornado hit Hattiesburg about 1.5 hours later.<br /><br />
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<br />
Storms are STILL rolling in out of the Gulf. Just had hail at 10:24 PM CST - only pea-sized but it was loud enough. Got a blurry photo of a few that were left on the porch by the time I got a light and camera out there: <br />
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-48339949818840824822013-02-10T21:04:00.002-06:002013-02-11T10:36:58.192-06:00Hattiesburg Tornado<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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[2/11/13 Update: more details <a href="http://www.weather.com/news/tornadoes-hattiesburg-damage-map-20130211">here</a>.] <br />
<br />
2/10/13 When
the storms came through today we had our share of sirens and warnings,
but nary a tornado. Just some garden-variety thunderstorms and a few
periods of heavy rain. Ginger was very disappointed. He had stationed
himself on the porch with his book about tornadoes, a pad of paper and
pencil (for taking notes and making sketches) and his camera. I took a
few snapshots of clouds but I was cynical enough to know that we weren't
going to see the faintest wisp of tornado. Once the main portion passed
by I got on with the business of cooking dinner.<br />
<br />
We got a phone call sometime a little later from a parishioner who was a bit shaken after having <i>seen</i>
a tornado in Hattiesburg while driving on a highway. He said it was
"huge". We all started checking on folks who live in that area. The
tally so far: one family without power and everyone accounted for. A few
minutes ago we got word from that parishioner that the Red Cross office
in Hattiesburg (where he works) was destroyed along with one of their
emergency response vehicles and two other vehicles. Rather unfortunate. I
saw a few photos of the tornado on the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/02/10/tornado-mississippi-hattiesburg-storm/1907859/">news </a>and
it certainly would leave you shaken up if you came upon it unawares
while driving. It caused "some significant damage" on the campus of the
University of Southern Mississippi but details aren't available yet.*
Injuries have been reported but no deaths (that I'm aware of).<br />
<br />
So, just to let everyone know, we're ok and we think all the Hattiesburg members are ok as well.<br />
<br />
[Update: more details available <a href="http://www.weather.com/news/deep-south-tornadoes-20130210">here</a>.] <br />
<br />
(Just found this video:) Note: Hardy Street, where the video ends, is right across from the SMU campus.</div>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-60223067097728347462013-02-10T13:26:00.002-06:002013-02-10T13:26:33.012-06:00"We could have a lot of dark blue over here..."This 9 year old weather anchor is just precious. He does a very good job! I think the station's weatherman is fantastic with him.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u_64HKpaOtE?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-16609704488294422452012-12-27T12:52:00.003-06:002012-12-27T12:52:55.801-06:00Cloud IdentificationAnyone care to try to identify these wavy clouds? Photos taken 12/12/12 in northern SC around 11 AM.<br /><br />
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<br />Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-14957616271544917832012-11-11T19:23:00.002-06:002012-11-11T19:25:22.712-06:00Storm is a storm is a storm is a storm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>But a storm by any other name would be as destructive. </i></div>
<br />
A long time ago (but not in a galaxy far, far away), someone came up with the idea for naming tropical cyclones. The credit is given variously to several people but it doesn't really matter now. The point is it turned out to be a pretty good idea.<br />
<br />
A lot of work and collaboration has gone into the strength rating and naming of storms over the years and slowly it has become a quite well-oiled machine. No one really has any problem with it. The only little hitches were when people (feminists) decided to become offended because all the storms had female names. To me this was only a natural outgrowth of other naming systems: boats and ships were traditionally given female names (and mostly still are) and a lot of times fighter pilots in the wars unofficially named their planes after wives or sweethearts. So it changed to alternating male and female and the dust settled until the next beleaguered group reared its head. Now we have both male and female names of English, French and Spanish origins in the Atlantic and of multiple other (including Polynesian, Japanese, etc.) origins in the Pacific. This makes sense for the areas the respective storms will affect. <br />
<br />
The Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale was created in 1973 and went through various adjustments over the years, the latest adjustment being only this year. Thus we have a relatively simple system for telling how strong a hurricane or typhoon is and a way to quickly and easily identify it in all of the countries which it may affect.<br />
<br />
All well and good. Then an entirely new animal emerged just a little while ago: the naming of winter storm systems. <br />
<br />
The excuses given are various but THE claim to credibility is the precedent set by the Europeans to name winter storms. Let's just look at that for a moment:<br />
<br />
<u>First</u>, the Europeans name all major windstorms, not just winter storms (although most do occur in the winter). <u>Second</u>, a given windstorm will likely track across multiple countries in the course of only a few days and it is not a bad idea to have one name for the thing so there isn't confusion. <u>Third</u>, given number two, you would think that you would thereby avoid confusion by having an official naming system. Alas, no. The media started the naming system and it gradually spread. Because it is not sanctioned by any international meteorological society the storm can acquire different names along its course. <u>Fourth</u>, you can have multiple winter windstorms affecting Europe at one time so naming them is a way to distinguish between them.<br />
<br />
So, back to this interesting development in the U.S. The Weather Channel <b>unilaterally</b> created and instituted this naming system. The Weather Channel, contrary to what some people think, is not an official and disinterested meteorological body. [The National Weather Service (NWS), one branch of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) <i>is</i> an official government body.] <b>TWC exists to make money</b>, plain and simple. It is not a non-profit. It is interested in increasing ratings and thereby increase income. Everyone knows how hyped up hurricane season has become an how people hang on TWC's every word. When there is a storm about you can go into restaurants with bars and the televisions are tuned in to the TWC. It's playing in the airports. It's everywhere. I admit that when we had cable (almost 3 years without!) I would watch it too...although not 24 hours a day. All it does is keep recycling the same thing every 15 minutes. When hurricane season is over things settle down. The excitement goes down. You don't go into public places and look up to see people in yellow slickers with "TWC" emblazoned across the front hanging onto lamp posts with the wind blowing them at 45 degree angles. Consequently, ratings must go down.<br />
<br />
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<br />
By deciding to create the same excitement during the winter as during hurricane season, you never get that drop in ratings. About the time the last hurricane has blown through there's snow on the back side of it. [Spring is already covered with "Tornado Season".] It's brilliant.<br />
<br />
Do we need it? I have to say, by the time we're seeing the end of hurricane season (and usually well before) I'm a bit sick of the hype. I don't mean the well-deserved warnings and the sober predictions, I mean the <i>hype</i>. Winter is a relief from all of that. And now we're not even to get that break? It's like always being in election year. Gah!<br />
<br />
So, back to the question, do we need it? I say no:<br />
<br />
1. When a winter storm system comes through the U.S., it generally affects Canada and the U.S., two quite large countries. It's not hard to communicate storm warnings between only two countries.<br />
<br />
2. We usually don't have two major winter systems at once although we have had up to several tropical systems being tracked at the same time.<br />
<br />
3. Naming winter storms is a good way to confuse tropical and arctic systems as far as the public is concerned. Someone will say, "Remember Olive?" and the other person is left wondering if it brought blizzards or beach erosion. This does bring up the point: how are we going to have naming systems that are obviously distinguished from one another?? Is there something about "Alvin" that is tropical and "Marvin" that is wintry? <br />
<br />
I would rather see the NWS institute a winter storm naming system if it is going to be established. I would still have arguments against it but at least I would feel that it was a fairly unbiased decision. As it is, TWC seems to be coming up with the latest gimmick to line its pockets.<br />
<br />
At least one weather station's reaction to all the hype: </div>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-25798261711704470442012-09-17T13:53:00.002-05:002012-09-17T13:53:29.888-05:001928 Lake Okeechobee Hurricane<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
84 years ago last night, September 16th-17th, 1928, a hurricane made landfall in south Florida. The eye made landfall near West Palm Beach and then moved right over Lake Okeechobee.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T6VEyI1Mseg/UFdt7qu-oWI/AAAAAAAAI-Q/Rs6JjGmCYoA/s1600/1928+Okeechobee+hurricane.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T6VEyI1Mseg/UFdt7qu-oWI/AAAAAAAAI-Q/Rs6JjGmCYoA/s400/1928+Okeechobee+hurricane.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thousands of migrant farm workers, mostly black, lived in the low areas near Lake Okeechobee. There was a 5 foot dike to keep the waves out during storms, but it was no match for the hurricane. The figure below details the area that completely flooded. The southern end flooded first; when the eye passed over the northern end that area flooded as well. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G4v_PWW5Vq4/UFdt-OwTjiI/AAAAAAAAI-Y/l9iN1H5bHT0/s1600/Okeechobee+hurricane+flood+area.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G4v_PWW5Vq4/UFdt-OwTjiI/AAAAAAAAI-Y/l9iN1H5bHT0/s400/Okeechobee+hurricane+flood+area.gif" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
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People living in the area had evacuated initially but the hurricane did not show up when predicted. They went home, a fatal mistake. Thousands perished, many bodies being washed into the Everglades where they were never found. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NXFPeUjYJh0/UFdvUOztK1I/AAAAAAAAI-g/DTl9JrdkRqc/s1600/Belle+Glade+1928+hurricane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NXFPeUjYJh0/UFdvUOztK1I/AAAAAAAAI-g/DTl9JrdkRqc/s400/Belle+Glade+1928+hurricane.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(click to enlarge)</td></tr>
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The racism of the day dictated what happened next. The few coffins were given to bury white victims; the black victims were either burned or dumped in mass graves with no memorial markers. <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article808161.ece">It was only in the last several years that markers were put up</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kx04lsUTbZQ/UFdxHjJHUxI/AAAAAAAAI-o/eC-MqdSV4Ck/s1600/mass+burial+marker+1928+hurricane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kx04lsUTbZQ/UFdxHjJHUxI/AAAAAAAAI-o/eC-MqdSV4Ck/s400/mass+burial+marker+1928+hurricane.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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The Red Cross initially estimated the dead at 1,836 but because so many bodies were never found and the migrant population was not well documented, that number was probably much higher. In 2003 the death toll was revised to "at least" 2,500 to reflect that. This makes the 1928 Lake Okeechobee Hurricane the second-deadliest to make landfall in the U.S. (the greatest being the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 with a death toll of 8,000 - 12,000).<br />
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Further reading:<br />
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<a href="http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/?n=okeechobee">NOAA memorial page</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928_Okeechobee_hurricane">Wikipedia article on hurricane </a><br />
<a href="http://www.sptimes.com/News/022501/Floridian/The_wrong_they_could_.shtml">Article in St. Petersburg Times</a> - interviews with survivors<br />
<a href="http://alvinsweather.blogspot.com/2009/11/floridas-forgotten-storm-hurricane-of.html">Extensive blog post</a> on Alvin's Weather Blog<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Cloud-Great-Florida-Hurricane/dp/B00127SI9K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347907958&sr=8-3&keywords=1928+hurricane">Black Cloud: the Great Florida Hurricane of 1928</a></div>
Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-84926234186874334362012-09-15T13:10:00.001-05:002012-09-15T13:10:02.396-05:00Grandpapa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
[1963] U.S. Meteorologist Robert L. Smith checks over one of the radar operated
weather tracking pieces of equipment in the U.S. Weather Bureau located
in this northwest Florida coastal city [<i>Apalachicola, FL</i>]. This station is one of five
that fringe the state. The equipment Mr. Smith is looking at is a radar
operated camera that takes both still and movies of heavy weather
disturbances up to 150 miles away. The picture at the right was made
several years ago and shows a hurricane off the southeastern Atlantic
coast.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sJkhmvzGES4/UFS9Qpmc2EI/AAAAAAAAI7U/2J025-O5KC4/s1600/Grandpapa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sJkhmvzGES4/UFS9Qpmc2EI/AAAAAAAAI7U/2J025-O5KC4/s1600/Grandpapa.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/38324">source</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The first Doppler-radar measurements of a tornado were made in 1958 by U.S. Weather Bureau meteorologists R. Smith and D. Holmes. They obtained a Doppler radar from the U.S. Navy, set it up in Wichita, Kansas, and then waited. Just over a year later, on June 10, the radar detected a tornado in El Dorado twenty-five miles away. What luck that a tornado happened to touch down within range of the first Doppler radar used for meteorological purposes! The likelihood of a tornado striking within thirty miles of a given location during a given spring is extremely small. Although at the time it was not possible to discriminate between approaching and receding velocities, the wind spectra obtained by this radar detected maximum velocities (that is, wind speeds in the line-of-sight direction) of 200 mph.<br />
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-Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains, 1999, Howard B. Bluestein, p. 12-13</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/089/mwr-089-01-0001.pdf" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UXYe5jdFFM/UFS_Ahey4eI/AAAAAAAAI7c/WhTIQsya1Ok/s640/Doppler+study.png" width="524" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to go to the PDF file of the entire study.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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[Another publication citing my grandfather (for my family's interest): <a href="http://aquaticcommons.org/1210/1/flood_gadsden.pdf">Flood of September 20-23, 1969 in the Gadsden County Area, Florida</a>]</div>
Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-19220637735640460072012-09-09T09:05:00.000-05:002012-09-09T09:05:52.948-05:00Ahhhh...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just a quick post to note that it is almost 9 AM and 65 degrees <span style="font-size: xx-small;">with 77% humidity</span> outside! It's going to warm up, of course, but we should not have a heat index over 100 and we should also get some breeze today. Thank God! I know that summer is not over, by any stretch of the imagination, but it's SO nice to get a break.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QS0n9a8_CAo/UEyiMSw49ZI/AAAAAAAAIo4/idyJF67TCY0/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QS0n9a8_CAo/UEyiMSw49ZI/AAAAAAAAIo4/idyJF67TCY0/s640/001.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-20867966605782772472012-09-05T15:23:00.001-05:002012-09-05T15:23:38.794-05:00Summer...be gone!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Right now the temperature is 97.9 with a heat index of 113. Ok, that's too hot. Just. Too. <b><span style="color: #990000;">Hot</span></b>. This morning I woke up, looked out at a nice, fresh-looking day with a breeze, and sitting in an air-conditioned house thought, "My, what a lovely fall day it looks!" On examination, the temperature was already over 80 and the air was soggy.<br />
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Enough already!!<br />
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It looks as if there's supposed to be a <strike>cold</strike> cool front coming in on Saturday and from Sunday on (at least as far as the forecast goes) the temperature should be much more moderate: highs from 75 to 81 and lows from 59 to the mid 60's. There's also <i>supposed</i> to be a breeze with that, mostly out of the north.<br />
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Oh, please...let it be true!!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jJgcH-u6r1o/UEe0olhM8cI/AAAAAAAAIWY/QFZcbliriVU/s1600/far+side+inside+sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jJgcH-u6r1o/UEe0olhM8cI/AAAAAAAAIWY/QFZcbliriVU/s400/far+side+inside+sun.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Inside the Sun" [The Far Side - Gary Larson]</td></tr>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-1550220261240492042012-08-30T12:07:00.003-05:002012-08-30T12:09:49.521-05:00Local Aftermath<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We seem to be among the very lucky people because we only lost power for a few hours last night, still have power, water and internet...and an intact roof. The other side of our street doesn't have power and indeed, most of our town doesn't have power. In fact, I can hear the generator running at the ATT building on the opposite corner of our block. Our house is fine; we mostly have small debris covering everything. The church and hall are fine except for the same small debris. I went out to see what was going on (which you're not supposed to do) and took some pictures. I did pass one house partly smashed by a large tree, but I didn't take a picture; it seemed heartless.<br />
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This is at the end of our street, a block and a house away. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PigcmTORzG8/UD-UrkudqxI/AAAAAAAAIJs/xkGsZBkgJXo/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PigcmTORzG8/UD-UrkudqxI/AAAAAAAAIJs/xkGsZBkgJXo/s400/011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Looking through the blocked intersection. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SnhdLFVGkkw/UD-U23JN8JI/AAAAAAAAIJ0/iwejv7xQqZk/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SnhdLFVGkkw/UD-U23JN8JI/AAAAAAAAIJ0/iwejv7xQqZk/s400/008.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Another view. You can see it came down right across the power lines. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mMGxVFHOinc/UD-VFKhNnvI/AAAAAAAAIJ8/2RBm9MKekLY/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mMGxVFHOinc/UD-VFKhNnvI/AAAAAAAAIJ8/2RBm9MKekLY/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Three blocks from our house. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jmk0LjUPU3Y/UD-VOQLswoI/AAAAAAAAIKM/vjGrjErAuSQ/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jmk0LjUPU3Y/UD-VOQLswoI/AAAAAAAAIKM/vjGrjErAuSQ/s400/012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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About ten blocks from our house. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-73cNrlsdXew/UD-VYBmQcRI/AAAAAAAAIKU/mTJd6xHEI0s/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-73cNrlsdXew/UD-VYBmQcRI/AAAAAAAAIKU/mTJd6xHEI0s/s400/015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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About five blocks away on the main road. The signals are out. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uu_uH3-CrXQ/UD-VfOFf3wI/AAAAAAAAIKc/2hgeXmDyAIo/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uu_uH3-CrXQ/UD-VfOFf3wI/AAAAAAAAIKc/2hgeXmDyAIo/s400/016.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And in one case...missing. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zRmWyUgUjhM/UD-VkoRA0HI/AAAAAAAAIKk/i8kJtIuK2Vg/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zRmWyUgUjhM/UD-VkoRA0HI/AAAAAAAAIKk/i8kJtIuK2Vg/s400/017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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About eight blocks from our house in another direction. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9T7MoSDRQ8A/UD-VuxKVU1I/AAAAAAAAIKs/70aU_pE9E6I/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9T7MoSDRQ8A/UD-VuxKVU1I/AAAAAAAAIKs/70aU_pE9E6I/s400/018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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About four blocks away. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VAevznkyNlk/UD-V1EW763I/AAAAAAAAIK0/rHgkmlz4dtY/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VAevznkyNlk/UD-V1EW763I/AAAAAAAAIK0/rHgkmlz4dtY/s400/019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And, a little closer to home, the zinnias survived. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKAzvNpcSqI/UD-WCthygYI/AAAAAAAAILA/ufzAZ8HI1JI/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zKAzvNpcSqI/UD-WCthygYI/AAAAAAAAILA/ufzAZ8HI1JI/s400/020.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And we wound up with just a light covering of small debris. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JZHldc5tVxQ/UD-WRu9-RLI/AAAAAAAAILI/wrtuFo55K4s/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JZHldc5tVxQ/UD-WRu9-RLI/AAAAAAAAILI/wrtuFo55K4s/s400/021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Interestingly, I found this graphic:</div>
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<a href="http://www.wlbt.com/category/246124/isaac-rain-totals"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/wlbt/isaac_rain_totals.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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Our little town has achieved notoriety. Also, it explains why the dam at <a href="http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2012/08/mandatory_evacuation_being_con.html">Percy Quin State Park is full and about to go</a>. They are evacuating 50,000 people below the dam in Tangipahoa Parish, LA. Let's hope it holds.</div>
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<img alt="map-percyquindam-083012.jpg" class="adv-photo" height="604" src="http://media.nola.com/hurricane_impact/photo/11500607-large.jpg" width="380" /></div>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922298347403517104.post-83502652498078708742012-08-30T09:20:00.003-05:002012-08-30T09:20:52.029-05:00Watch Isaac Pass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's neat to look at our local stats for the week and see Isaac pass. Of note: The humidity was very high (duh!) so you see the temperature and dewpoint right up next to each other. Notice that the temperature remained fairly constant once the heavy cloud cover and rain started. Looking at the pressure you can see that just after midnight the center of the storm passed. Even though I don't exactly remember it, apparently we had gusts to just over 40 mph but our steady winds never really got out of the 20's. MUCH lower than forecasted. Also interesting, you can see the wind direction changing from the north to the east and now to the south as the storm passed by.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A4uRihdcR3U/UD91xQSrApI/AAAAAAAAIJU/TPZdbwVsfwI/s1600/Hurricane+Isaac+local+stats.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A4uRihdcR3U/UD91xQSrApI/AAAAAAAAIJU/TPZdbwVsfwI/s1600/Hurricane+Isaac+local+stats.png" /></a></div>
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Matushka Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10522097149212770814noreply@blogger.com0