'Round the World Weather Report

[moira finnie]

Since every time the weather comes on a thought crosses my dim brain wondering if any of our farflung members are struggling to survive a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or flood, perhaps this spot might offer each of us a chance to check in with our latest meteorological observations. This was partly inspired by recent reports of flooding in the North and West of the U.K., but could apply to anyone in Texas, Florida, California, Canada, France, Australia, or the Moon.

Here's my recent take on which way the wind's blowing here in upstate NY--I hope you'll post your own weather related thoughts too.:

Fall is coming. Nights and now days are much cooler, some trees are turning already, the geese fly over the house at dusk and dawn to their Winter habitats. A very rainy summer, with some 90 degree+ days, but not bad overall. The angle of light, which somehow seems whiter in Summer has taken on a more golden cast, intensifying the blueness of the sky.

Over the Summer, we have had many extraordinary supercell clouds accompanying the rainstorms, sometimes like the above pic, and occasionally looking a bit glowering yet beautiful, like something eerie and truly awesome out of the imagination of Maxfield Parrish (see painting, called "Atlas" below for a fantastic example).

[movieman1957]

I'll say that except for a couple of days here and there we have had the most delightful August in Maryland. We are usually swamped with heat and humidity. My wife having spent an August pregnant with our son in 1987 was horrendous.

September is off to a good start.

[klondike]

Moira, please be advised that I've forthwith stolen your image of Parrish's Atlas for my picture files.

And there will be no apologies issued, by myself or my staff.

I've had a mad, dizzying love affair with the graphic works of fellow New Englander Maxfield Parrish running fullsteam now for over 40 years, and good reproductions of his work are SO hard to find online.
Thanks!
You have exponentially brightened & inspired my day.

[knitwit45]

Here in Kansas, we have a saying: If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes, it'll change. I'm sure someone famous said that, but everyone I know nods and says "Yep."
After a stormy Spring, with many tornadoes and straight line winds, we moved into an unusual Summer, very temperate weather. In August, we are usually looking at brown, parched fields, but this year we are enjoying lush lawns and fields. The weatherman predicts a cold harsh Winter, but he has been known to miss a few times.. here's hoping this is one of them.

Moira, your beautiful "Atlas" picture is now my desktop wallpaper. Thanks so much!

Nancy
aka "Dorothy Gale"

[jdb1]

Looking back, I think we got away with a pretty easy summer this year here in NYC. There were, of course quite a few of our standard "HHH" days (Hazy, Hot and Humid), but not as many as there have been in the past. I wonder how those of us who live in Manhattan feel this summer has been. Where I live, in southern Brooklyn, it's always about 5 or more degrees less than it is in Manhattan. When the weatherman says "and cooler along the shore," he means us.

The one thing that I find notable is that it has been a lot windier, generally, over the past two years than I remember it being in the past.

[mrsl]

Our summer has been very much like jdb's summer in Brooklyn. August, usually the hottest month of the year for us, was, although hot, and humid, only a few days were like that. Most of the month was more like a hot June. One thing has happened though, two weeks ago on a Tuesday, it was so hot and humid I turned on the A/C for a while to cool off the apartment, then turned it off around 10 p.m., and checked the windows to open them. They felt cool so I did, and I have been covering with an afghan ever since. That's how our seasons happen lately, one day it's summer, the next, it's fall. In other words, we no longer have seasons except for 24 hour ones. One day it's one season, and the next day it's another.

Anne

[klondike]

Here in Kansas, we have a saying: If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes, it'll change. I'm sure someone famous said that, but everyone I know nods and says "Yep."

Moira, your beautiful "Atlas" picture is now my desktop wallpaper. Thanks so much!

Nancy
aka "Dorothy Gale"

Nancy:

1) Growing up, I thought that saying was native to the river valleys of SE Vermont & SW New Hampshire; but in the past 40 years, I've heard it rattled off as a proprietary legacy by locals in Manassas, Virginia, and Port Orchard, Washington, and Canandaigua, NY, and Big Delta, Alaska, and Lachine, Ontario . . so I'm really not surprised that Kansans have a claim in, too.
2) You too? I've got it on my desktop right now . . Moira's started another hot trend!

[Hollis]

Morning all.

Way down here in the "Heart of Dixie" (although personally I feel it's better aligned with certain other parts of the anatomy) we've been very fortunate to have escaped the wrath of Mother Nature since that fateful day in '05 when Katrina reared up and said "I don't like you very much and here's what I intend to do about it." Except for feeling the periphery of Ike, we've yet to feel the impact of another named storm. What's unusual is that water temps in the Gulf of Mexico are at record highs which typically means that any storm spawned in or coming through the Gulf is only going to increase in size and strength and get really ugly really quickly. I can't account for our good fortune, but I'm genuinely glad for it. We have had more than our share of high heat and humidity, conditions which combined make for healthy, happy mosquitoes. I understand there's a move on in the legislature to make it our state bird. I think it's time to move on!

Have a great day everyone!

As always, Hollis

[klondike]

We have had more than our share of high heat and humidity, conditions which combined make for healthy, happy mosquitoes. I understand there's a move on in the legislature to make it our state bird.

As always, Hollis

For what it's worth:
FACT- Alaska breeds the biggest, nastiest, fastest-breeding mosquitoes to be found anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, and always has.
POPULIST MALARKY- The Alaskan mosquito is universally credited to be the unofficial State Bird of Alaska.

Something to think about every time Sarah Palin swears she has the best interest of the American people at heart!

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Way down here on the Gulf Coast, it's cooler, less humidity, and fewer mosquitoes since large areas have been sprayed after Hurricane Ike sent us Bolivar Peninsula's lovely batch of bugs. (They may not be as big as Alaska's, but none of them look like a bespectacled Diane Keaton with a beehive!)

HAH! I'll bet you thought I lost my sense of humor since we had all the hurricane parties and wouldn't share!

Good news: Our lights finally came back on today after the Centerpoint Energy crews from Mount Airy, North Carolina, and other regions worked
their way to our neighborhood!

So the weather is much nicer, we have air conditioning, and it all makes the outdoor cleanup easier.

[moira finnie]

Yah, Christy,
You're back in business. Thanks for checkin' in. Hope that this marks the beginning of a streak of luck for you and everyone who's been through hell this year with the hurricanes.

We're entering real Fall weather up here with temperatures in the upper 30s and lower 40s at night. My furnace has kicked on without any encouragement in the middle of the night a few times. Can't wait to get that bill.

Despite this, the days are often in the 70s and my flower garden is still flourishing, with the potato vines beginning to turn a reddish color and the mums, impatiens, cascading pansies and coleus plants putting on a great show--all it will take is one sharp frost for all of them to fade. That knowledge reminds me to try to fill my eyes with color every time I walk out of the door.

[mrsl]

Klondike:

You can add Chicagoans to the list of people who claim that phrase to be their local ditty. I'm really dreading winter this year because in the past, usually when you have a non-violent summer, the winter is usually pretty awful. After all those years of no snow in Vegas, upon returning here, I find myself hating to drive immediately after a snowfall. I will sit at home for two days until the streets have all been cleaned completely before venturing out. Nothing is worth chancing driving or walking on slippery streets. Even though I feel as if my reflexes are still quick, I am rarely tested on them, and find it more sensible to not test them in a way that others could be harmed besides me.

Of course, with global warming, since Las Vegas can have snow and rain, who says Chicago and suburbs can't have 70 degree weather in December? We really have not had a white Christmas like we used to have in many years.

Anne

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Moira,
Sounds like a lovely garden. I had just created a new flower bed under one of my pecan trees, and had to hide all the knick-knacks for IKE.

In my yard I have several Dutchmen's pipes (blooms are a long stem extending from the center with delicate little white flowers that smell like faint honeysuckle), Red Cannas, Purple Wandering Jew, A few Tropicana roses (one bloomed yesterday), three kinds of ivy, blue plumbago, red ixora, Mexican petunias, and Pease Lillies, but they are all trying to recover.

It is not so humid now, but I think we are going to have a much colder than normal winter because the squirrels are pecan hunting and burying like crazy.

I miss having actual seasons and the cold weather.
We had snow here on Christmas Eve/Christmas day in 2004.

[knitwit45]

Remember the old joke about "You know you're in the country if you run your car's heater in the morning, and the a/c in the afternnoon"??

Guess I'm country! Lows in the upper 30's last night, this morning, and then 75-80 this afternoon On second thought, I'll just roll down the windows!. If I was REALLY country, I'd say "crack" a window.

My new pansies love this weather, they will bloom up thru November, and if I cover them up, I'll have blooms again in the spring.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

It's cool, dry, and a beautiful cat's eye moon tonight.

Now all the major debris has been removed, and I bought some
fall pansies, too!