Category Archives: Weather/Climate

Rain breeder

Posted on October 23, 2006 | Comments Off on Rain breeder

Hurricane Paul, off the west coast of Mexico, is expected to be no more than a tropical depression by the time it clears the Mexican mountains on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, it is sending an express train of moisture into Texas, increasing our chances for light to heavy rain tomorrow through Wednesday. As usual, we can use it, being a bit ahead of normal in the city but well behind at the airport.

UPDATE  From National Weather Service in New Braunfels: YEARLY RAINFALL FOR 2006 WAS AS FOLLOWS…SAN ANTONIO 17.38 INCHES…9.9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL…AUSTIN BERGSTROM 20.99 INCHES…7.03 INCHES BELOW NORMAL…AUSTIN MABRY 28.15 INCHES…0.73 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL…AND DEL RIO 9.15 INCHES…7.44 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

Then Paul weakened to a tropical storm before going ashore but, drawing on Gulf moisture, the rain forcast is still on through Wednesday night.  

 

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Under the gun

Posted on October 18, 2006 | Comments Off on Under the gun

Severe weather developing over the next few hours as a big cold front moves across Central Texas. Meteorologist Troy Kimmel expects we’ll see some action at the Rancho. So I may be offline a while.

Troy says, "I do expect thunderstorms to develop with some thunderstorms possibly becoming severe with the primary risk being damaging straightline thunderstorm wind. A severe weather watch may be issued over the local area within the next few hours. You can see the NWS/SPC discussion and associated graphic for this mesoscale discussion [here]."

UPDATE Turned into a nice, soaking rain of half an inch to an inch and a half over much of the area. No wind damage or hail at the Rancho. 

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El Nino part 2

Posted on October 10, 2006 | Comments Off on El Nino part 2

Rain is coming down hard at times at the Rancho with already four inches in some spots across the city, and a flash flood warning and a tornado watch until 2 p.m. It’s ponding on the walks in the back yard. Mark Murray, KVUE meteorologist, says in today’s paper that this is "a typical El Nino autumn weather pattern" and the radar shows plenty of yellow and some red, the colors of storm intensity. After more than a year of drought we can sure use the rain. But I am reminded of the rain in the Shenandoah Valley last week, which was steady instead of coming in bursts like our climate gets. I heard the valley’s apple crop was losing out this year to Japan, free trade the old timers could not have imagined.

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Lord, save us from the heat bursts

Posted on September 28, 2006 | Comments Off on Lord, save us from the heat bursts

"Just after midnight on the morning of June 15, 1970, a blast of hot wind estimated at 80-100 mph drove the temperature from 70 to 140 on the northwest side of Lake Whitney, northwest of Waco. Cotton fields were reported to have been carbonized, leaving only burnt stalks standing."

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Thunderboomers

Posted on September 23, 2006 | Comments Off on Thunderboomers

That’s what I’ve been calling Texas thunderstorms since the days when Mr. Boy would call for Mom at the first crash overhead preceded by a neon flash, usually late at night. Understandable. Who wouldn’t be scared at such a young age? This was at three or four. At six going on seven, however, while he doesn’t actually like them, he’s no longer particularly afraid of them. But I still call them thunderboomers.

And KVET-KASE meteorologist Troy Kimmel says we’re in for a possible few severe ones (heavy rain, damaging hail, strong straight-line winds) in the next few hours as a strong cold front makes its way southeast and slams into our high humidity (54 percent) and hot (93 degrees with a heat index of 100) afternoon, whose only indication of looming trouble has been the ovenlike breeze that’s been kicking up for the last hour or so. There’s already been a few showers around town ahead of the front, but nothing at the rancho. Details to follow.

UPDATE  Shut down the computer at 5 or so as the first storms and cloud-to-ground lightning moved in. No hail or strong winds to speak of at the rancho, but the rain was heavy enough at times to leave us half an inch. The cold front and the rain combined to drop the temperature twenty degrees. The lights went out for a few minutes but came back on. Mr. B. watched a Yu Gi Oh video through the whole thing. Ho hum.

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Waiting for El Nino

Posted on September 21, 2006 | Comments Off on Waiting for El Nino

Bob Rose and Troy Kimmel, my favorite Austin meteorologists, say we’re going to bust this drought any time now, as the strengthening El Nino in the eastern Pacific is going to bring us a rainy period this fall/winter here in Central Texas. That’ll be nice because, although the temps are dipping into the 50s overnight and the days are seldom above the low 90s, it’s still pretty dry.

"The latest measurements indicate that a couple regions of the Pacific have already reached moderate threshold while others are still categorized as weak," Rose writes. "The Nino 3.4 region, the one which typically has the greatest influence on Texas weather, is still showing weak. Overall, sea surface temperatures continue to warm…and the episode is forecast to become moderate in intensity by November or December.

"Historically, weak El Ninos typically have a somewhat dry signal for Texas. On the other hand, moderate to strong episodes show a strong correlation with above normal rainfall across Texas and the southern US.  There is also a stronger signal for below normal winter temperatures with the moderate and strong events."

The outlook predicted by the National Weather Service? "…for November through February…above normal rainfall across almost all of Texas."

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Storms & space

Posted on September 13, 2006 | Comments Off on Storms & space

154189main1_plasma_bands_smweb.jpg

And you thought space was "out there" and the weather was "down here."

Uh uh.

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space, Weather/Climate

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