THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER » Weather/Climate

Freezing this morning

Dick Stanley — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:33:48 +0000

First freeze of the year for us out there at the moment, which will probably blacken the nice green elephant ears in the rancho’s front flower bed.

But this is mild (only 30 degrees) compared to the one that walloped Tulia, Texas this morning back in 1899. Forty thousand cattle dying overnight? Yipes.

Contrails

Dick Stanley — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:06:18 +0000

Driving Mr. B. to his scout meeting last night, I was startled when he suddenly said “Wow!” and pointed at the sky.

It was just after dusk and the sky was still bright enough to illuminate a dense crosshatching of airliner contrails (condensed water vapor) overhead—east, west, north and south. ’Twas a busy evening up there, apparently.

No global warming for 15 years

Dick Stanley — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:22 +0000

Take that, Gorebot, Obozo, et al. Find your tax revenue somewhere else.

Not that they’ll notice. They’re still singing the “CO2 causes global warming and the science is settled” refrain.

Maybe when the glaciers move as far south as Chicago and, then, Tennessee. Ya think?

Via Instapundit.

Rains welcome

Dick Stanley — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:51:10 +0000

The thunderstorms overnight Tuesday into Wednesday were welcome in most places, except where they provoked trouble: power out for a few thousand homes, hail damage, street and creek flooding, emergency rescues, and at least one tornado.

The National Weather Service, whose Internet radar images always seem to go down on these occasions when they’re needed, lost them again right on schedule. Our tax dollars at work. At least they recorded a healthy ~~five~~ three inches of rain at their official downtown gauge (more than five inches out at the airport east of town). Got almost three here at the rancho, northwest of downtown.

Snow in Judea

Dick Stanley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:48:34 +0000

Our winter is all but officially over, about a month early, oddly enough. So we have to take snow where we can get it. No place better than the Judean Hills.

Cedar fever, again

Dick Stanley — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 09:20:54 +0000

The Texas curse has my nose (and eyes and roof of my mouth) in its annual grip again.

But temporary relief may be forthcoming, if the forecasted rain tonight through tomorrow night falls in sufficient quantity. It will wash the juniper pollen out of the air, at least for a day or so.

Still Air Chance

Dick Stanley — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:28:19 +0000

The Popular Mechanics analysis of the flight deck transcript of the 2009 Air France crash into the Atlantic is chilling:

02:14:23 (Robert) Putain, on va taper… C’est pas vrai!
Damn it, we’re going to crash… This can’t be happening!

02:14:25 (Bonin) Mais qu’est-ce que se passe?
But what’s happening?

02:14:27 (Captain) 10 degrès d’assiette…
Ten degrees of pitch…

When I was young, in the 1950s, Air France was rather widely known as Air Chance. Seems it would still be a good idea, if you can help it, not to fly Air Frog.

Soaking rains

Dick Stanley — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:10:18 +0000

Our several long days of soaking rain, which ended Monday, have been really welcome here at the parched rancho. According to our amateur rain gauge we’ve collected a little more than two inches since the steady showers began at the end of last week.

Now Mr. B. has something extra to look forward to on his Boy Scout troop’s Hill Country camping trip this weekend: a camp fire for the first time this year. The rains most likely have been sufficient to lift the burn bans imposed in most parts of Texas this year.

Pansy: the rancho’s cold weather flower

Dick Stanley — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:41:20 +0000

More rain this week?

Dick Stanley — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:38:20 +0000

So says WeatherBELL meteorologist Joe Bastardi (formerly of Accuweather):

“Rain is coming for Round Rock and surrounding environs in the southern plains early [this] week and it’s something that is at a premium in a La Nina winter. The area from the Trans Pecos northeast through northeast Texas and into Oklahoma and Arkansas could have widespread 1-2 inch amounts…”

Of course this is similar to the forecasts last week, when we got a mere quarter inch altogether. We’ll have to hope Mr. Bastardi knows better.

Meanwhile his colleague, Dr. Dewpoint (Joe D’Aleo), sketches out the wholly natural and therefore repeating AMO and PMO causes of our ongoing drought:

“We have many Texans reading our blogs and the serious drought has affected their lives. Almost every year, other parts of the world have experienced serious drought. It is of course most likely in areas that are semi-arid to begin with but sometimes extends into areas where rainfall is normally abundant.“

UPDATE: As of Wednesday, Nov. 23, we’ve had about an inch of rain with more expected Friday-Saturday. No drought-buster, but welcome.