Category Archives: Weather/Climate

Tornado Alley active

Posted on February 10, 2009 | Comments Off on Tornado Alley active

Rain is good. We’re supposed to be getting more of it this afternoon and into tonight. But there’s also a watch out for tornadoes that could be popping out of the severe thunderstorms. Not good. Fortunately it’s mostly northeast of us.

Via the Seablogger.

UPDATE:  The thunderstorms swept through about 10 p.m., leaving behind about a half an inch of rain and some pea-size hail. Fortunately the storms, with wind gusts to sixty mph, were moving pretty fast so were gone in about fifteen minutes. Looks like Oklahoma got the tornadoes.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Rain, at last

Posted on February 8, 2009 | Comments Off on Rain, at last

Wind’s really picking up at the rancho, gusting to twenty-five thirty-five out of the southeast whence normally cometh our rain-making Gulf moisture. Indeed, the forecast is for thunderstorms overnight. LCRA meteorologist Bob Rose thinks we may get some real rain over the next three days, possibly the most we’ve had since mid-November.

In fact, Rose, noticing that the southern Jet Stream is becoming more active (and thus capable of guiding Pacific storm fronts our way), is thinking something I was wondering about the other day: that the 2008 drought might just finally get busted later this month into March. If so, it would be by a flood, of course. Floods are the way droughts break hereabouts. But we’ll take it.

UPDATE:  By 9 a.m. Monday, according to LCRA’s hydrologic system of rain gauges, one-half to three-quarters of an inch of rain seems to be the norm over the area since midnight. Nice to see water ponding in the gutters again.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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The sun is still quiet

Posted on February 7, 2009 | Comments Off on The sun is still quiet

So, according to Henrik Svensmark:

No sunspots = more clouds = lower temperatures.

The Central Texas winter, which began quite early last year, should be more or less over by March 1. Let’s just hope.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Library, Rancho Roly Poly, Science/Engineering, Space, Weather/Climate

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Lake Travis plunge

Posted on February 4, 2009 | Comments Off on Lake Travis plunge

Having sold the family sloop, we no longer pay much attention to the ups and downs of the reservoir called Lake Travis. It has been quite low in previous droughts, but seems to be trying to set a new record in the ongoing one. It is now at six hundred and fifty-five feet below above mean sea level, which is roughly twenty-six feet below normal. Worse, it is forecast to continue its plunge to around six hundred and twenty feet. 

Nevertheless, in the interest of soothing hysterics who worry about the droughts of global warming (though it is the potential rising of sea water rather than the falling of lake surfaces that has them upset), this has happened before, and quickly (say, within thirty days) has come back to this. So, in other words, unless you own a lakeside home (which is now a gully-side home) there’s almost certainly nothing to worry about. What goes down has, historically, come right back up.

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Posted in Sailing, Texana, Weather/Climate

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James Hansen’s boss…

Posted on February 4, 2009 | Comments Off on James Hansen’s boss…

…John Theon of NASA, says Hansen’s global warming data is bosh. No surprise, there. When science turns messianic, it’s time to watch out. Hansen has even declared that energy industry execs who question his data should be jailed. Sweet reversal.

UPDATE:  Ah but, meanwhile, in Obamalot, the warnings continue as if nothing had changed. How brilliant.

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space, Weather/Climate

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The drought continues

Posted on January 27, 2009 | Comments Off on The drought continues

nupalmer.JPG

Here in Central Texas, anyhow. Severe to moderate. Yesterday’s drizzle, meanwhile, preceded a deep cold front. We’re back in the icebox.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Rain at last

Posted on January 26, 2009 | Comments Off on Rain at last

Just a light drizzle. Not enough to even nudge the drought. But it should take some of the ash juniper pollen out of the air–which will help diminish my "cedar fever" allergy.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate

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