Please let's not go through what we did last year and the year before. We lost touch with A2Kers for days at a time. Perhaps, beyond a posting site where folks could report on their status, there could be a trusted member who would share his/her phone number with folks in the hurricane prone areas.
Sounds like a good idea, realjohnboy. I have Phoenix's phone number already, I had Letty's number and can't find it now, I have Misti's number (my Mom). I live in a housing development where all phone and electric lines are underground and we seldom lose power ~ last summer we only lost it for one half hour during all those storms.
If no one else wants to volunteer, I'd be happy to be the contact person during hurricane season. I work for a property management company, so we have to keep a close eye on the storms ~ preparing 250+ units takes a couple of days.
Thankfully, Alberto fizzled about before causing too much damage. Far as I can tell, there isn't anything brewing out there at this time.
Good show Rae, I will check in with you ...
Has anyone heard from Letty? Is she ok? I sure hope so, especially since hurricane season is upon us!
I just heard on NPR that Houston got 6 inches of rain in less than 2 hours.
Several A2Kers there. That is a hell of a lot of rain.
I got an email from Letty on, I believe, Saturday or Sunday. But I haven't written a response yet.
Thanks for volunteering, Rae.
realjohnboy ~ saw some pics of Houston on cnn.com today. Really, really, really happy I'm not there! Wow!
Has anyone heard from the A2K'rs who live there? Take care, ya'll!
I live in Tomball (actually mid-way between Tomball and Spring). While it did rain here, we missed the destructive downpours that fell on Houston, plus, we are on high ground. Even a ten inch rain of the kind in the news would likely not harm us. My job is in an apartment complex never known to have flooded. My home is on a long, gradual slope. Water rarely stands in the yard, and, when it does, it is not so deep. I live in a tiny mobile home with my wife and two dogs. No real space to put anyone up.
My part of town didn't flood, though several coworkers couldn't get here yesterday.
My complex has flooded in the past, but I live on the 3rd floor, so only my car is really in jeopardy. (I've moved it to higher ground on occasion - since I lost a car due to flooding in Tropical Storm Allison in 2001.)
Back to the hot, dry. We get too much rain or drought; rarely a good balance.
I heard on the radio this morning that we might get rain, much needed rain, here in central Virginia today. But when I got home it was hot and the sky was clear of clouds.
Around 6 pm I started to see the clouds build up along the ridge just to the west of me. A layer of clouds followed by another layer of darker clouds. I have lived in the same place for 30 years, so I knew what would happen next.
I adjourned my on line scrabble game, disconnected my computer and just watched.
It was an amazing lightening and thunder show. We turned off all of the lights in the house and just looked out the windows. To the nortth and to the west as the storm rolled over us.
As it turned out, instead of a short drenching rain, we got a couple hours of gentle rain. The dog and I went out for awhile. Big raindrops.
There is a retention area 50 yards away from me to collect water runoff. It hd been dry for weeks. But tonight it has some water in it and I am hearing a lot of noise from crickets.
Awesome RJB! I am so happy for you!
Here in central Florida, it's been unseasonably dry today and tonight, which amazed me!
Isolated Showers
Lo: 75°
POP: 20% Partly cloudy. Isolated showers. Lows around 75. North winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain less than 20 percent.
Saturday
Chance Of T-Storm
Hi: 87°
POP: 60% Partly cloudy with a chance of showers in the morning...Then mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Highs 86 to 88. North winds 5 to 10 mph becoming east 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 60 percent.
Damn. Be careful of what you wish for, the old expression goes. You might just get it.
We needed rain badly, but Friday and Saturday and Sunday and Monday and Tuesday have brought us something like 8 inches of rain here in central Virginia. They may have even gotten more in DC, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The storm on Friday was, as it turned out, brutal. Torrential rain. And since then, we have had brief periods of calm followed by wicked, and quite localized, storms.
Years ago I had this dog, named Sherry. She was terrified of thunder. She would listen intently and we could tell there was a storm coming by her increasing restlessness. She, my "early warning system." is gone now.
I have lived in the same house for 30 years. I used to be able to look out over the ridge to my west and see the storm clouds piling up. But now the storms come from, not only the west, all of the other directions on the compass. Fast moving storms, very intense storms, that seem to come out of nowhere.
It is raining again here right now. I see the cars go by my house with the wipers on fast swishing. Maybe tomorrow it will stop.
Enough, already. -rjb-
eastern lake ontario :
rain moved across the eastern end of lake ontario this afternoon .
received about 20 mm (1/2 inch) within about an hour .
after the rain moved through the birds were busy having supper on some careless dew-worms .
more rain expected during the next 24 hours .
hbg
What I found interesting today was the similar climates of London and Silicon Valley today.
Quite warm here since a fortnight, with tempersatures above 30°C since two days.
It's warm in the UK as well - frontpage of the early issue of London's Evening Standard from today:
eastern lake ontario :
quite pleasant summer weather .
daytime highs about 25-30 C - seems a touch lower than previous years .
some rain every few days .
flowers and shrubs doing well .
the first beans , peas , currants and raspberries should be ready for picking this weekend .
can't wait for some berries and currants with the breakfast cereal -
we've actually started to pick a few . they are are quite juice , just a little tart right now ; three days of sunshine will sweeten them .
hbg
hamburger, your last post reminds me of growing up in Ireland when we used to pick Blackberries on the side of the road, bring them home and mom would make jam with them ... life was so simple then!
eastern lake ontario :
beautiful weather cntinues - daytime high about 25-28 C , not excessively humid yet , some rain forcast for tonight .
picking raspberries and currants , they are coming on like gangbusters !
also picked some beans and snowpeas - enough for a meal - ah , summertime !
hbg
I've heard the UK was granted a bit of relief over the weekend with a high in the 70's. Much needed from the last week or two.
