Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 12:10 am Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
Heineken wrote:
I am so ready for winter I could break a toe.
We're still baking in the 80s here, close to or breaking daily record highs at various locations around the state. Very few clouds, brutal sun, windy, dry as an olive's dust.
Most of the rain west and south of here is moving north and will miss us almost entirely. We might get a tiny shower or two.
They keep talking about cooler weather coming, but it never seems to get here. Except at night, when the incredibly dry air leads to dramatic radiational cooling, like you'd see in the desert.
Nothing but nothing can budge the giant High that Zardoz has posted graphs of for the past few weeks/months.
The last time we had rain exceeding "barely measurable" was September 14, when we got 0.32 inch. Basically it hasn't rained since August. Almost every local newscast now starts off with drought-related stories. The general situation is now deteriorating very quickly.
The relief being seen in places like Georgia and Tennessee supports my theory that the Great Southeast Drought of 2007 has settled most viciously on Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region. But the national media remain fixated on Atlanta, it seems.
I don't care about the hydrological drought anymore. All I really want at this point is a little surface moisture to fend off fire and take some of the stress off the trees.
It goes on. The only question for me is how long I will go on.
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4402 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 12:24 pm Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
Heineken-
Excellent write up about the conditions in your area, if you haven't read it yet?
Downsloping _________________ "Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07
Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 6426 Location: Rural Virginia
Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 4:02 pm Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
Right, I just got in from my dam-building labors and saw the updated, vastly improved forecast. I feel fantastically happy, but I still have to maintain a certain reserve since we've been disappointed so many times.
I'm particularly happy for all the little critters that are suffering. I've never seen so many frogs, salamanders, and newts in my life wandering around in search of moisture. _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Hey Frank, thanks for this. It's really interesting seeing a discussion about what's actually been going on "behind the scenes" all these months! I will read this in detail just as soon as I have time. I can't say I understand all that meteorologyspeak, though. This is an area of weakness I will have to address in the future . . . _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Holy crap, look at that map now. 3 to 6 inches over all of VA the next 5 days! Heh, once you "break the seal..." We've gotten good rain here over in WV. Don't have a gage out but I'm sure I've had 1.5-2" easy.
Also, thanks to the drought, flash flood guidance values are all in the 4.0-5.5 inch value in 12 hours. So these rains should not produce any severe flooding.
Joined: Oct 04, 2004 Posts: 5386 Location: Oklahoma
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:24 pm Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
My synoptic prof said "every drought ends with a flood." Makes sense, I suppose. I'm happy to hear you guys are expecting some badly needed rain. It's going to feel great to be outside after that, I'm sure. _________________ "Every junkie's like a setting sun..." - Neil Young
Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 6426 Location: Rural Virginia
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:52 pm Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
Yes Shanny, this is incredible! Our rain gauge suddenly has 1.75 inches of water sitting in it, after standing virtually empty for the past 40 or so days. It's been raining torrentially all evening and has only just let up a bit. Earlier today it was raining lightly to moderately.
There are fairly strong winds and occasional lightning and soft thunder.
I took a flashlight and walked way back to where the massive dam I'm building is. The stream hasn't started flowing yet but it may be on the verge of doing so; it's quite sensitive to any rainfall. My hand-dug, S-shaped pond (which measures about 50 feet long and ranges in width from 7 feet to 14 feet) has maybe a foot of water sitting in parts of it, from runoff. The dam itself is about 3 feet high. Who knows, by morning the water may be flowing over it, and the pond filled to capacity.
I turned off the flashlight for a moment and listened to the rain in the utter blackness of the night forest. I thought of all the times it has sounded like that across the millions of years of the pristine past, when no man or woman walked the earth.
There were a couple of more things I wanted to complete on the dam (including some concrete work to provide insurance against erosion), and I wanted to do more excavation, but those will have to wait until conditions allow. I think it will hold up fine in the meantime. But you never know. Nature doth make fools of us all.
I really do intend to post pictures; I've been so busy building this thing that I haven't made time for that. _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:16 pm Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
Heineken wrote:
Yes Shanny, this is incredible! Our rain gauge suddenly has 1.75 inches of water sitting in it, after standing virtually empty for the past 40 or so days. It's been raining torrentially all evening and has only just let up a bit. Earlier today it was raining lightly to moderately.
There are fairly strong winds and occasional lightning and soft thunder.
I took a flashlight and walked way back to where the massive dam I'm building is. The stream hasn't started flowing yet but it may be on the verge of doing so; it's quite sensitive to any rainfall. My hand-dug, S-shaped pond (which measures about 50 feet long and ranges in width from 7 feet to 14 feet) has maybe a foot of water sitting in parts of it, from runoff. The dam itself is about 3 feet high. Who knows, by morning the water may be flowing over it, and the pond filled to capacity.
I turned off the flashlight for a moment and listened to the rain in the utter blackness of the night forest. I thought of all the times it has sounded like that across the millions of years of the pristine past, when no man or woman walked the earth.
There were a couple of more things I wanted to complete on the dam (including some concrete work to provide insurance against erosion), and I wanted to do more excavation, but those will have to wait until conditions allow. I think it will hold up fine in the meantime. But you never know. Nature doth make fools of us all.
I really do intend to post pictures; I've been so busy building this thing that I haven't made time for that.
Congratulations. Don't you feel like handing out cigars? Other than giving birth I can't think of another event that is more welcomed than the first heavy rains after a drought...beauty!
Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 6426 Location: Rural Virginia
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
You are so right, T-bear. Cigars and a frosty Heineken (or two) for all!
I was agonizingly worried about my pineland investment three counties to the south of here. I'm going to visit the place on Sunday and do a little work on a trail I'm building; the drought, for some odd psychological reason, dissuaded me from going for at least the past five weeks. Instead, I hung out here and built the damn dam as a ridiculously obvious protest against nature's dry whim. _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4402 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:11 pm Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
Hopefully this is a pattern change and you can start reversing some of these deficits you've built up down there.
Up here it looks like we will finally have a run of roughly 50F daytime temps with 30F nighttime temps fro the next 7 days. Today was a bright, sunny 54F day. Weather like this is perfect. No heat to turn on, great sleeping, sun shining in to warm the house in the afternoon. I've been able to finish up some projects that i was going to do early next spring.
Looking forward to seeing your "damn" pictures. _________________ "Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07
Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 6426 Location: Rural Virginia
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:51 am Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
Frank, it is indeed wonderful when your house is in that "sweet spot" and basically regulates its own temperature for a while. The human comfort range is pretty narrow.
I've been eyeing my woodstove lately, knowing that the long period of constantly feeding it, checking it, regulating it, and cleaning out its ashes is about to begin. Not to mention constant fiddling with my windows to keep temps in bound.
In the past it would already have been cranking by now.
We should see our first 30s next week here.
I checked "the pond" this morning (with frisky help from my dog, Jiffi), and it had quite a bit more water in it than during my noctural outing. It's just sitting there, with no suggestion of leaking water (and how could it leak, with over 5 feet [from front to back] of packed clay, layers of plastic sheeting, 2-by lumber, and white oak logs to get through?). Stream still isn't running. Normally it would be roaring after a rain like last night's. More rain coming. Gotta run and squeeze in what work I can.
I wish I could have had more time to work on it and excavate, but overall I'll take the rain!
Pics coming in a week or two. _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Joined: Sep 08, 2005 Posts: 749 Location: Atlanta, GA
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:57 am Post subject: Re: Autumn Weather 2007
Heineken wrote:
Yes Shanny, this is incredible! Our rain gauge suddenly has 1.75 inches of water sitting in it, after standing virtually empty for the past 40 or so days. It's been raining torrentially all evening and has only just let up a bit. Earlier today it was raining lightly to moderately.
It's so wonderful that you're getting so much rain...now it's my turn to be jealous of you! Didn't quite make an inch this event, but then again, we've had rain several times this month. Just hope this is part of a genuine pattern change and not just a one-off. And congrats on the dam holding too, that's going to be so cool to see pics of when you're able to post some on here.
Yeah, and it's finally getting cool here in Hotlanta....I must admit, I was tempted to just "test" our new furnace a bit ago...hehe. But 62 degrees on the inside isn't too tough to take, and the bright sun will heat up the house just fine. I'll fire it up when it gets below 60 in here and see how it does then...in the meantime, I want to make the most of "no climate control needed" for as long as possible. _________________ Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide...
...and the meek shall inherit the Earth!
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