weather

When is Enough Too Much?

Fandango11 Comments

You may recall late last year and back in January when I was writing about all of the rain we were getting in the San Francisco Bay Area. Much needed rain, I might add, given that we’ve been in an extreme drought in the area for a number of years. I had the nerve to complain about all the rain we were getting because it was an inconvenience, especially when it came to walking our dog in the pouring rain, which it did for about three weeks straight.

After that, we had a few days of dry weather before we got more rain. And more rain. And even more rain through much of February. March started out sunny and clear, though, and I was looking forward to some nice, dry weather. But today the rain returned, and it’s forecast to continue through Friday.

Hey, I’m thrilled that we can finally put this drought that has been plaguing the area behind us. But come on, when it comes to rain, seriously, when is enough too much?

The Bomb Cyclone

Fandango38 Comments

“Atmospheric River”
“Bomb Cyclone”
“Pineapple Express”

Those are the words the giddy meteorologists are using to describe the major storm that will rapidly intensify and become a bomb cyclone, a powerful storm associated with a sudden and significant drop in atmospheric pressure, off the coast of California. It will slam into the Golden State, unleashing the risk for life-threatening flooding, damaging winds, and widespread power outages from Wednesday into Thursday.

An atmospheric river, or massive plume of moisture originating from the tropical Pacific Ocean some 2,500 miles away, will fuel the heavy precipitation. Such a weather setup can lead to excessive rainfall and flooding, as well as a thump of snow that can shut down travel where the atmosphere is cold enough. In this particular case, the event can be classified as a Pineapple Express, since the plume of moisture will extend from near Hawaii.

This latest storm is also arriving just days after the previous storm that brought heavy rainfall and created significant flooding. Here’s what the National Weather Service is saying what we can expect starting tomorrow.

Between my back injury on New Year’s Day, which still has me out of commission, and this coming forecast for a Bomb Cyclone, 2023 has gotten off to a rather poor start. At least from my perspective.

TGIF — Let It Rain

Fandango4 Comments

Paula Light, at Light Motifs II, has this prompt she calls TGIF. She encourages us to take this opportunity to openly chat or jabber about anything we want.

It rained all day yesterday. And, boy oh boy, did we need it. We’re in the midst of a severe drought here in Northern California and we can use all the rain we can get.

The good news is that we’re supposed to get more rain tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday. Our dog won’t be happy, as she’s not a fan of taking care of business in the rain, but that’s a small price to pay for making a dent in the drought. And she’s a dog!

On top of the welcome wet weather, it’s unusually cold. Yesterday’s rainy day high reached only 48°F and it actually dipped down below freezing (31°) this morning. Tomorrow’s high is projected to be only 49°! Brrr. When it comes down to high temperatures at or above 100° versus highs around 50°, though, I much prefer adding layers to stay warm in the winter than stripping naked (hide your eyes) to keep cool in the summer.

And on that note, happy TGIF, everyone.

TMP — I Am So Not Peeved

Fandango29 Comments

Every Monday, Paula Light, with her The Monday Peeve prompt, gives us an opportunity to vent or rant about something that pisses us off.

My peeve today is about, well, nothing. In fact, I’m feeling very upbeat today. Unusually upbeat, actually. It’s a beautiful, cool, crisp, autumn day. Around 60°F, not a cloud in the sky, and just a whisper of a breeze.

We got some desperately need rain this past week. The “big red wave” that the Republicans expected in the midterm elections never materialized and the Democrats maintained a sliver of a majority in the Senate. And, all things considered, the Dems suffered only relatively small losses in the House. So Democracy in the U.S. lives on, for the time being, at least.

The Ukrainians are surprisingly embarrassing Vladimir Putin and the big, bad Russian military on the battlefield. And we had a great week and a delightful weekend with our houseguests. Even the stock market was way up last week.

So I have nothing to grouse about this week. I am not pissed off. I am not peeved in any way. I will bask in this glorious day, for who knows what craziness and chaos tomorrow may bring.

Share Your World — 11/14/2022

Fandango17 Comments
Share Your World

Di, at Pensitivity101, is our host for Share Your World each week. Here are her questions for this week.

1. Does the weather affect your mood?

Only if I have plans that will be affected (one way or the other) by the weather.

2. If a stranger smiles at you or says ‘good morning’ when they pass you in the street, do you return it?

I will typically return the smile or nod my head, but rarely speak.

3. If you had a choice of just one of these things to eat, what would it be and why?
Chocolate, a sweet pastry, a plate of chips/fries (this is not a forever choice, just one instance).

Depends what else, if anything I’m having. If I’m having a sandwich or a burger, I’d choose chips/fries. But if it’s a dessert following a meal, I’d go with a sweet pastry. And if it’s just a quick snack on the run, probably a Snickers bar.

4. If you could go back to when you were a specific age, what would that be? Why?

I’d probably go back to when I was 22 and had just graduated from college. That was the age at which I started my real life, and didn’t realize the ramifications of some of the decisions I made at the time. Of course, I wouldn’t necessarily want to go back to that age unless I would know then what I know now.

Gratitude:

I was very grateful to have had some very specials friends as houseguests this past week. And now I’m grateful that they have left and I can get back to my regular routines.

Hello/Goodbye hands from Klaus Hargreeves at Esty.