This is Upper Michigan not Central Texas. There’s no snow on the ground here at all. But it feels like the picture because it sure is cold. The elephant ears in the front yard at the Rancho are turning black, like rare reader Diller’s ladyfinger banana plants. He’s a farmer in the West Central Florida panhandle where he has cows to worry about. JD Allen, down in Brazosport, likewise expects to lose his red and yellow hibiscus. I’m worried for the rose bushes in the Back Forty. Time will tell.
Comments Off on Record freeze
Posted in Antique Roses, Blogosphere, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate
Tagged arctic air, Record Freeze, Texana
So we can hope. We’d certainly like to avoid the single-digit days of the Northeast, if we can. Indeed, the deep-freeze-by-next-weekend prognostications of meteorologists Bob Rose (who left town for a long-scheduled cruise) and Troy Kimmel seem to be defunct. The National Weather Service isn’t buying it, nor is Accuweather, and Austin’s KXAN weather folks have the daytime highs rising into the 60s by Saturday, about thirty degrees warmer than Rose and Kimmel were predicting last Friday. Fine with us here at the rancho, where the sun is out today but the air is in the chilly 40s. We’re already tried of winter, which usually only lasts a few weeks here in Central Texas, which we’ve grown to believe is our natural right.
UPDATE The weather service has altered its forecast somewhat, saying the arctic air will come next Sunday but is expected to be "modified" before it reaches South Central Texas–their term for Central Texas–and so not as cold as previously advertised. But they’re hedging their bets on how cold.
Comments Off on No arctic air?
Posted in Texana, Weather/Climate
Tagged Accuweather, arctic air, Bob Rose, KXAN, short Central Texas winter, Troy Kimmel
The anticipated Arctic air express for the eastern two-thirds of the country next week is still on schedule, says meteorologist Bob Rose.
"Long-range solutions continue to show the development of a pattern that will bring very cold air into Texas beginning late next week, continuing into next weekend and possibly longer…"
But, at least, they’re no signs (yet) of any concurrent rain to turn it icey: "Fortunately, the long-range solutions continue to indicate the weather will be at least initially be dry…"
Awakened by Mr. Boy, who was excited at the possibility that the rainwater cascading off the stone steps in the backyard might start flowing into the family room. Got up to see that it was barely threatening to do so, as the French drain was working well, channeling the water around to the garage side of the rancho. Nevertheless, there’s flash flooding all over town, mainly along and east of Interstate 35, after 2- to 5-inch rainfall overnight, with more on the way. The worst part, maybe, is the forecast Arctic air is already settling in, overnight temperatures of almost 70 degrees having already plunged almost 30 degrees. So after the flooding, the next big thing could be ice and snow. One good thing is this will squelch the drought and that the lakes are bound to rise, at least a little, perhaps a lot. Mixed bag of good and bad, as always.
UPDATE Rain totals set records for the date, according to National Weather Service: 4.20 inches at the airport, eclipsing a 1951 record and 3.55 inches midtown, knocking off a 1944 record. Ice storm is expected to begin overnight tonight, worsen Sunday and overnight Sunday when it changes to snow through Tuesday. We have no travel plans, so that’s not a problem, but ice buildup may bring down power lines and that would be an inconvenience, to say the least. Never a dull moment at the rancho.
Comments Off on Floodin’ down in Texas
Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate
Tagged arctic air, rising lakes, Texas flash flood
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