We’re in day 8 of 90o+ heat, with the humidity trailing that by a nose. A break is on the horizon, doubtless in the form of torrential downpours and thunderstorms.
I can’t wait.
-k-
Hazy. Hot. Humid.
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Tag Archives: weather
H, H, and H
Hazy. Hot. Humid. 92o, feels like 104o.
If this is June, I fear for our August.
-k-
Northern Virginia Lineman
Man, what a round of storms we had here yesterday. I think it even made the national news. 70+ tornado warnings, 4 or 5 on the ground, torrential rain, large hail, and intense straight-line winds. I’d never seen anything like this here, and only rarely back in Kansas.
One death, caused by a tree and power lines falling on a vehicle. The passenger in the SUV was killed. It seems that almost any storm with strong wind, tornadic or not, causes at least one such fatality every year. Some places around here have large numbers of huge trees along the roads, and with all the concrete in roads, sidewalks, and the like, maybe the trees aren’t as deeply rooted as they would be otherwise.
Outside tbbs World HQ, there are a few trees down, some limbs of varying sizes scattered about, but that’s about it, damage-wise.
Immediately after the storm, there was north of 260,000 power outages in the area. That number has decreased throughout the day today; it will still be Saturday before everyone is back on the power grid. We were fortunate in our little place; not even a flicker of the lights.
As easy as it is to say with all one’s utilities functioning, those without must be patient. I can appreciate their frustration, but it is in the power companies’ best interest to get them back on the grid, and start those meters whirling again. And they are working on it.
With temperatures climbing into the 90′s, and humidity racing to hit that number, I salute the linemen from the PowerCos of Northern Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, as they work their 12-hour shifts to restore service. They are earning every nickel.
More info here.
-k-
34
That’s the temperature here this morning. Brr.. I couldn’t tell for sure, but when I let the cat out a little while ago, I thought I saw a thin coating of frost on the car windshields.
I’ve included a blog self-referential capture of the weather.com details from the right sidebar.
It’s time to factor in a little extra time before leaving for work, to warm up the cars a bit, and scrape a little frost.
-k-
[stags]weather[/stags]
Still Rainin’
And the drought gets dinged a little more. A nice, sometimes heavy, but a pretty soaking rain, too. Cold, wet, and a good night to be inside.
Needing the rain as we do, you’ll hear no complaints from me. My little bride, our faithful cat and I are in front of the teevee, warm, and awaiting the arrival of the Hunan Herndon guy.
Mmmmm … lemon chicken.
-k-
[stags]weather,eats[/stags]
Drought Dented
Over the last day or so, practically every place in the region has received at least 2 inches of rain; some locales got 3+. There’s the promise of yet more precip over the next 36-48 hours.
Even though it’s wet and cold, we are grateful for the rain.
The drought still isn’t broken, but it’s at least dented.
-k-
[stags]weather[/stags]
We are Strangers to the Rain
If no measurable precipitation falls today, this area will hit a record 34 straight days with a bone-dry rain gauge. Much of the area is 12 inches or so behind yearly averages.
There is a chance of some fairly heavy rain overnight tonight and into tomorrow, but it sounds pretty spotty overall.
What we’d like is a nice lingering tropical system. We’ll take what we can get.
-k-
[stags]weather[/stags]
Pismires
One of the worst features of my shabby workplace cubicle this time of year is the black ants which are now making their annual invasion. I moved to this shabby cubicle from another equally shabby one at the tail end of Pismire Season, 2006, and was able to repel the critters with a good clunk from the heel of my hand.
This year, they’re evidently seeking shelter from the abnormally cold spring we’ve had thus far1 So, the other day, I put out a few ant traps, in corners of the desk surface, along the window ledge.2 For a few days, all was well. Today, there was a thundering herd of the varmints on my desktop. I used paper towels, and raked them off to oblivion, and used the heel of my hand to dispatch several others. When I got home tonight, I noticed a little tenderness in my left wrist. I thought my bad keyboard posture was the cause, then it hit me: The pain is in my pismire-killing hand.
Maybe it’s time for some more ant traps. Or, more likely, maybe I should learn not to leave a badly-resealed pack of Girl Scout coookies in the middle of the desk. It’s gotta be one of those things.
-k-
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77-37
No, that’s not the final score of a #1 seed over some hapless 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That’s yesterday’s high temperature versus today’s. Add to that the 2 or 3 inches of rain that fell today, now turning over to sleet, freezing rain and snow, and we’ve experienced nearly a year’s worth of weather in 48 hours. Except for the hot and humid days. And they’ll be here soon enough.
-k-
A New Weather Term
I’m watching the news and weather during my pre-work departure coffee hour. The weather guy was just on, and used a term I have never heard: freezing fog. I’m not sure what to expect on the commute, but “freezing fog” mentioned in the same sentence as “black ice” can’t be a good thing.
-k-