There is always something, but I know how much work and care is invested and it takes a toll. I hope the season is kinder to you after this rocky start. 
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applestar
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Re: 2018 What's the weather like where you are?
Aww I’m so sorry to hear about the damage to your plants @rainbowgardener — that is heartbreaking. There is always something, but I know how much work and care is invested and it takes a toll. I hope the season is kinder to you after this rocky start.
There is always something, but I know how much work and care is invested and it takes a toll. I hope the season is kinder to you after this rocky start. The heavy rain last weekend causes flooding on Kauai and parts of the windward side. Some seashore homes on Kauai were washed away or damaged along with some homes, churches, schools, and businesses around streams that overflowed. The roads were impassible and some parts of the main road on the windward side of Oahu was undermined and washed out. I think the news said that Kauai got 48" of rain in 24 hours. It was a new record. The last time it came close was the New Years flood of 1992 when Hahahione Stream changed course right through a house.
My lanai floods with heavy rain, but it gets sucked out on its own. All I can do is put up a barricade and dig a trench to redirect water to the side of the house.
More rain is expected and there is a flash flood watch that started yesterday that runs through tomorrow. The rain is expected tonight. It is from the same system that hit us last weekend. It is not so much the rain, but the volume and the fact that the ground is still saturated. Forecasting bad weather here is hit and miss. Most of the rain may just land in the ocean or on another island. Hopefully, the folks that have already lost so much and spent the week cleaning up won't have to do it again.
I am in Central Oahu so I get some of the rain that makes it over the mountains from the windward side. I do live on a hill and down hill at the end of the street is the drop off to Kipapa Gulch so I have never seen the street flooded more than ankle deep even in the worst rain. In the meantime I may add a little fortification to the lanai and make sure the water can get out to the side of the house.
My lanai floods with heavy rain, but it gets sucked out on its own. All I can do is put up a barricade and dig a trench to redirect water to the side of the house.
More rain is expected and there is a flash flood watch that started yesterday that runs through tomorrow. The rain is expected tonight. It is from the same system that hit us last weekend. It is not so much the rain, but the volume and the fact that the ground is still saturated. Forecasting bad weather here is hit and miss. Most of the rain may just land in the ocean or on another island. Hopefully, the folks that have already lost so much and spent the week cleaning up won't have to do it again.
I am in Central Oahu so I get some of the rain that makes it over the mountains from the windward side. I do live on a hill and down hill at the end of the street is the drop off to Kipapa Gulch so I have never seen the street flooded more than ankle deep even in the worst rain. In the meantime I may add a little fortification to the lanai and make sure the water can get out to the side of the house.
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applestar
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35°F this morning! Forecast was 42°F. 
I actually left the two lidded storage tubs of tomato seedlings outside, albeit on the brick patio in a sheltered corner near the kitchen window ON the arms of a teak armchair so up off the ground AND covered with 3-layers of thin plastic, a heavy garden fleece, and a nylon woven burlap blanket.
I thought at 42 and in sheltered location with those covers, they might be better off than being brought in the house like I did with the peppers... ugh. I brought the two tomato totes in the kitchen to warm up — hopefully they haven’t taken damage, though apparently the temp dropped down to the 30’s around 2am, so just over 3 hours.... It’s supposed to warm up to above 50 by 9am.
I actually left the two lidded storage tubs of tomato seedlings outside, albeit on the brick patio in a sheltered corner near the kitchen window ON the arms of a teak armchair so up off the ground AND covered with 3-layers of thin plastic, a heavy garden fleece, and a nylon woven burlap blanket.
I thought at 42 and in sheltered location with those covers, they might be better off than being brought in the house like I did with the peppers... ugh. I brought the two tomato totes in the kitchen to warm up — hopefully they haven’t taken damage, though apparently the temp dropped down to the 30’s around 2am, so just over 3 hours.... It’s supposed to warm up to above 50 by 9am.
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rainbowgardener
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Well that was the very last frost. And the good news is that since it was warm before and after, the freezing probably only lasted a few hours. The tenderest things, basil and impatiens, died. All the rest, including tomatoes and some of the peppers, were set back a lot but are now sprouting back from low on the plant. I am cutting the dead tops off and letting them go to see what happens. They are stunted and ugly, but survivors!! 
Yesterday was a very warm day. First afternoon above 70°f since September, 2017!
It's now approaching 30° cooler than that, outdoors. We have moved a number of tomato plant starts out of the greenhouse and into the temporary hoop house. They joined some marigolds and zinnias in their containers, sitting across the path between two beds. This is the latest that I've fired up the little electric heater in there since the frost-tender plants began rotating into that cooler, protected growing. Sunrise is still more than an hour off.
Friday afternoon, we may see the thermometer hit 80°! Then, don't you know, the forecast for the weekend is for clouds, rain and much cooler. We will come out of that with overnight temperatures back, at least, to frost on the rooftops. I'm really hoping that the tractor guy follows thru and tills the big garden on or close to the first. If there is some delay, I may be out myself with the rototiller on some ground he doesn't need to drive over so that I can get some pea and early greens seed in ...
digitS'
It's now approaching 30° cooler than that, outdoors. We have moved a number of tomato plant starts out of the greenhouse and into the temporary hoop house. They joined some marigolds and zinnias in their containers, sitting across the path between two beds. This is the latest that I've fired up the little electric heater in there since the frost-tender plants began rotating into that cooler, protected growing. Sunrise is still more than an hour off.
Friday afternoon, we may see the thermometer hit 80°! Then, don't you know, the forecast for the weekend is for clouds, rain and much cooler. We will come out of that with overnight temperatures back, at least, to frost on the rooftops. I'm really hoping that the tractor guy follows thru and tills the big garden on or close to the first. If there is some delay, I may be out myself with the rototiller on some ground he doesn't need to drive over so that I can get some pea and early greens seed in ...
digitS'
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applestar
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YAY! We got the much needed rain! Not just a sprinkle but good soaking rain!! This means I will be able to pound stakes and posts into the hard subsoil clay that has been softened by the soaking. 
WAH! We got so much rain all of the trays and tubs with my hardening off plant starts are filled with as much as 2 inches or so of rainwater
...after that first inspection round/stroll with my mug of coffee, I’m inside fortifying myself with eggs and bacon before going out to tackle them all. I collect all the water that have been enriched by the fertile potting mix so it’s going to take a while....
WAH! We got so much rain all of the trays and tubs with my hardening off plant starts are filled with as much as 2 inches or so of rainwater
...after that first inspection round/stroll with my mug of coffee, I’m inside fortifying myself with eggs and bacon before going out to tackle them all. I collect all the water that have been enriched by the fertile potting mix so it’s going to take a while....
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rainbowgardener
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Damn near perfect! Temps in the mid 80's between now and Thurs next week (with night time lows in the mid 60's). Lots of sunshine, but frequent brief thundershowers, so I don't have to do too much watering. Everything is so lush and deep green and growing like crazy. We haven't had the furnace on since early-mid April and still have not turned the A/C on. So our electric bill for April (for all the energy for our all-electric house, we have no gas bill) was $5. That is what was left over when the credit for what our solar panels generated was subtracted from what we used. We expect our May bill to be in negative numbers.
We have had 9 overnight lows above 50°f. All of them occurred in May and 5 this week.
The forecast low for this morning was back in the 40's but it didn't happen! All mornings this coming week should be above 50° and we might see the first above 60°. Afternoon highs forecast to be in the 80's by mid-week.
We have reached good growing season warmth but have had 6° to 8° above normal temperatures for this time of the year and look to be going higher.
Steve
The forecast low for this morning was back in the 40's but it didn't happen! All mornings this coming week should be above 50° and we might see the first above 60°. Afternoon highs forecast to be in the 80's by mid-week.
We have reached good growing season warmth but have had 6° to 8° above normal temperatures for this time of the year and look to be going higher.
Steve
It was 48° here this morning, also.
The afternoon is turning windy. I hope not yesterday's 30mph gusts; wind is so stressful on the garden plants.
On the 3rd, the temperature rose from 49° in the morning to 87° in the afternoon. That sorta thing is also stressful. Usually, those 40° temperature swings occur when there is very low humidity and l o n g hours of overnight darkness. Makes me feel that I should be covering all the plants!
Maybe when I finally decide to confine my gardening to here at home, I will just use protective growing or containers that I can wheel indoors during difficult hours.
Steve
The afternoon is turning windy. I hope not yesterday's 30mph gusts; wind is so stressful on the garden plants.
On the 3rd, the temperature rose from 49° in the morning to 87° in the afternoon. That sorta thing is also stressful. Usually, those 40° temperature swings occur when there is very low humidity and l o n g hours of overnight darkness. Makes me feel that I should be covering all the plants!
Maybe when I finally decide to confine my gardening to here at home, I will just use protective growing or containers that I can wheel indoors during difficult hours.
Steve
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applestar
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...aaaand 48°F outside now....
— I just planted and sowed a bunch of warm/hot weather stuff yesterday thinking this is getting WAY late. This has been a very weird season so far. The peppers I already planted are yellowed and wilty looking, and tomatoes have been slow to grow.
Cabbage-family stuff are looking great however, but there has been enough days soaring up to upper 80’s and 90’s that lettuces have all bolted. Cabbage white were slow to appear this year, but now that they are here, they are already egg-dumping, laying dozens of eggs on each leaf, and there has been hot enough weather that cabbage moths have laid eggs on the cabbages, too. I’m afraid those lush leaves are going to get turned into lace and tattered in no time at all....
— I just planted and sowed a bunch of warm/hot weather stuff yesterday thinking this is getting WAY late. This has been a very weird season so far. The peppers I already planted are yellowed and wilty looking, and tomatoes have been slow to grow.
Cabbage-family stuff are looking great however, but there has been enough days soaring up to upper 80’s and 90’s that lettuces have all bolted. Cabbage white were slow to appear this year, but now that they are here, they are already egg-dumping, laying dozens of eggs on each leaf, and there has been hot enough weather that cabbage moths have laid eggs on the cabbages, too. I’m afraid those lush leaves are going to get turned into lace and tattered in no time at all....
It is a warm 79 degrees now but it got up to 88 today. We had warm rain in the morning that steamed off. Humidity 89% with light trades. Definitely feeling the summer heat. It is a good day to go riding in an air conditioned car or go to the mall, movies, beach, but not a good day to work out in the sun.
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Gary350
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98 degrees with extremely high humidity it feels much hotter than 114 in Arizona. I was at Death Valley once 123 degrees it feels hotter than Death Valley today. Humidity is suffocating hard to be outside more than 10 minutes. Where I once lived in Illinois was 105 today they claim it has never been that hot there before. Put on your swim suit then get out the garden hose the water feels good.
I didn't really intend to make a pun about our windy conditions but it's kinda apropos. Exhausting - meaning "tiring." It adds a level of physical stress. Exhausting - something is "blown away." Joking, like my enthusiasm for talking about it.
Another thing that is lost is the protected micro climate conditions with so much mixing of high and low altitude air. Near the soil surface, the sun heats things up. The sun goes down or is obscured by clouds, temperatures are closer to what they usually are much higher.
Bright midday sunlight and the temperature rises to 80°f, and above. That air is swept away, the sunlight disappears, and temperatures drop locally about 35°! Again and again ... 85° at home yesterday, 49° yet again at 5AM.
It must add to plant stress and weaken their resistance to disease and pests. My cruciferous vegetables have been doing well and, surprisingly, the pumpkins. I set myself on a route to find better uses for pumpkin a few years ago (soup!) but ran into a DW roadblock because she prefers winter squash ... Oil seed press, anyone
?
Steve
Another thing that is lost is the protected micro climate conditions with so much mixing of high and low altitude air. Near the soil surface, the sun heats things up. The sun goes down or is obscured by clouds, temperatures are closer to what they usually are much higher.
Bright midday sunlight and the temperature rises to 80°f, and above. That air is swept away, the sunlight disappears, and temperatures drop locally about 35°! Again and again ... 85° at home yesterday, 49° yet again at 5AM.
It must add to plant stress and weaken their resistance to disease and pests. My cruciferous vegetables have been doing well and, surprisingly, the pumpkins. I set myself on a route to find better uses for pumpkin a few years ago (soup!) but ran into a DW roadblock because she prefers winter squash ... Oil seed press, anyone
?Steve
Much cooler today,which is a releif ,and we had a wet weekend with maybe half an inch of rain,thats no where near enough.
soil in the unwatered parts of the garden is damp maybe an inch down and then the spade depth at least is bone dry ,trees are shedding leaves and some of the big matuere trees are turning to autumn colours due to lack of moisture.
soil in the unwatered parts of the garden is damp maybe an inch down and then the spade depth at least is bone dry ,trees are shedding leaves and some of the big matuere trees are turning to autumn colours due to lack of moisture.
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Gary350
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When we left the house I notice the whole west sky was very black storm appeared to be moving very fast. 15 minutes later we parked at the restaurant storm was entering the parking lot. We sat near the window to watch black clouds came through faster than the cars on the highway. I never saw a storm in TN move this fast but I have seen this in CO & MI. One seconds sky was blue with white clouds then the black clouds pushed through like a big bulldozer. Wind started blowing very hard then it rained so hard I could barely see cars in the parking lot. After 10 minutes storm was over just as fast as it came. Times like this I wish I had my camera to take a video.
Very Hot.
Three days above 100°f, with a record tied nearby. The WS thermometer nearest home showed 106° and 107° on two of the days.
After nearly an inch of June rain, 3/100 of an inch of rain fell in 3 July "rain events." How does the Weather Service even measure such minuscule amounts!?
Yesterday, the wind showed up with gusts above 30mph. The smoke haze that had hung around for days, mostly blew away. It will be back. The WS person had said that a frequent question from the public was "where is the smoke coming from?" His/her answer was, "where is it not coming from?" I'm afraid to check on those wildfires this morning ...
Steve
Three days above 100°f, with a record tied nearby. The WS thermometer nearest home showed 106° and 107° on two of the days.
After nearly an inch of June rain, 3/100 of an inch of rain fell in 3 July "rain events." How does the Weather Service even measure such minuscule amounts!?
Yesterday, the wind showed up with gusts above 30mph. The smoke haze that had hung around for days, mostly blew away. It will be back. The WS person had said that a frequent question from the public was "where is the smoke coming from?" His/her answer was, "where is it not coming from?" I'm afraid to check on those wildfires this morning ...
Steve
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rainbowgardener
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We have been having a very mild wet summer. Lots more days under 90 degrees and zero days in the 98-99-100 range. Some of our night time lows (including last night) have been in the 60's -- very odd for mid-August. The first summer we were here 2016, was a year of killer heat and drought and we had tons of 98-99-100 degree days and no rain. Now we have had about 47" of rain to date in 2018 (!). Average total rainfall here for a year is 52" inches of rain and we have a lot of 2018 left. Unless it slows down A LOT, we are headed for an above average rainfall year. But not record breaking and we have not had major flooding.
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applestar
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56°F at 5 am.
...but forecast for 94°F/75°F on Tues. and Wed. So no, summer is not over yet!
....... 54°F now at 5:50 am
...but forecast for 94°F/75°F on Tues. and Wed. So no, summer is not over yet!
....... 54°F now at 5:50 am
Last edited by applestar on Fri Aug 24, 2018 6:11 am, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: 2 degrees lower! Added weather report screenshot
Reason: 2 degrees lower! Added weather report screenshot
Lane went by painfully slow. The Big Island and Maui had record flooding 52 inches on the Big Island.
Kauai had flooding yesterday and they still had not fully recovered from the April flood.
FEMA came to the islands before Lane arrived and the utilities and DOT had prepositioned men and equipment in the Wilson Tunnel and most of the mayors of each island sent out crews to clear drainage canals and ditches and closed roads prior to the storm that were prone to flooding and rock falls.
Lane battered Hilo on Tuesday, August 21 and the rain continued for 3 days.
Maui was next and the storm had moved so slowly 2-4 mph that most of the rain did not reach Oahu till Friday and Saturday.
I was lucky, it rained all night but I only lost power at 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning and it was back on by 6. On Sunday, the power again went out around 4:30 but it took longer to get back on. I went to work with the power off. The most annoying thing was that I had to disconnect the garage door to get it open. I made a dam in my patio with concrete blocks and soil since my patio is prone to flooding when the rain comes down hard and fast. I also spent some time Thursday grading the side of my yard so the water could make a faster exit.
Kauai got the rains the last two days and they also flooded in the same areas that got hit by the April floods. Some roads are still closed until they can move the debris and fallen trees away.
When Lane was passing South of Hawaii, the winds sparked 3 fires in Lahaina, Maui and one wildfire in Waianae on Oahu. The Lahaina fires burned for days, the wind whipped the flames and the firefighters set up a line within 20 ft of homes. A few homes were still lost, but the residents were all evacuated to safety. They were actually praying for rain to put the fire out. The flames isolated Lahaina from the rest of the Island and luckily the surf did not get as high as predicted, otherwise the largest town on Maui would have been cut off.
The fire in Waianae was next to the Kahe Power plant. It started when the winds caused the high power lines to touch and it sparked. Firefighters widened the fire break to protect the power plant and no homes were threatened, but a few of the power poles burned. The rain finally came and put all the fires out.
Today, is the first day I have seen blue in the sky. It is still cloudy, but the trades have returned and it is not as muggy, even though it is going up to 89 degrees today.
Our respite will be short. Miriam, about 1500 miles east of Hilo and headed toward us is expected to intensify to hurricane status in a day. The track is predicted to turn north into cooler waters and not affect us as the hurricane moves into a gap in the Pacific High pressure ridge.
About a week behind Miriam, is Norman. Norman is also on a path directly westward and heading toward us. It is also expected to intensify into a hurricane in 3-5 days. It is too far away to predict its path.
We are most vulnerable to storms in September and October because the water is warm and the Pacific High which usually protects us moves away as the Aleutian low becomes a bigger influence. The Pacific High is an anticyclone that rips hurricanes apart usually before they get to us. The Aleutian low, on the other hand, strengthens and intensifies hurricanes that are drawn to it. It draws hurricanes northward toward the low. The Aleutian low is more dominant at the end of summer. Hurricanes passing to the North of Hawaii can come close and drop a lot of wind, rain and kick up the surf, but hurricanes to the south of us can veer North suddenly.
Kauai had flooding yesterday and they still had not fully recovered from the April flood.
FEMA came to the islands before Lane arrived and the utilities and DOT had prepositioned men and equipment in the Wilson Tunnel and most of the mayors of each island sent out crews to clear drainage canals and ditches and closed roads prior to the storm that were prone to flooding and rock falls.
Lane battered Hilo on Tuesday, August 21 and the rain continued for 3 days.
Maui was next and the storm had moved so slowly 2-4 mph that most of the rain did not reach Oahu till Friday and Saturday.
I was lucky, it rained all night but I only lost power at 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning and it was back on by 6. On Sunday, the power again went out around 4:30 but it took longer to get back on. I went to work with the power off. The most annoying thing was that I had to disconnect the garage door to get it open. I made a dam in my patio with concrete blocks and soil since my patio is prone to flooding when the rain comes down hard and fast. I also spent some time Thursday grading the side of my yard so the water could make a faster exit.
Kauai got the rains the last two days and they also flooded in the same areas that got hit by the April floods. Some roads are still closed until they can move the debris and fallen trees away.
When Lane was passing South of Hawaii, the winds sparked 3 fires in Lahaina, Maui and one wildfire in Waianae on Oahu. The Lahaina fires burned for days, the wind whipped the flames and the firefighters set up a line within 20 ft of homes. A few homes were still lost, but the residents were all evacuated to safety. They were actually praying for rain to put the fire out. The flames isolated Lahaina from the rest of the Island and luckily the surf did not get as high as predicted, otherwise the largest town on Maui would have been cut off.
The fire in Waianae was next to the Kahe Power plant. It started when the winds caused the high power lines to touch and it sparked. Firefighters widened the fire break to protect the power plant and no homes were threatened, but a few of the power poles burned. The rain finally came and put all the fires out.
Today, is the first day I have seen blue in the sky. It is still cloudy, but the trades have returned and it is not as muggy, even though it is going up to 89 degrees today.
Our respite will be short. Miriam, about 1500 miles east of Hilo and headed toward us is expected to intensify to hurricane status in a day. The track is predicted to turn north into cooler waters and not affect us as the hurricane moves into a gap in the Pacific High pressure ridge.
About a week behind Miriam, is Norman. Norman is also on a path directly westward and heading toward us. It is also expected to intensify into a hurricane in 3-5 days. It is too far away to predict its path.
We are most vulnerable to storms in September and October because the water is warm and the Pacific High which usually protects us moves away as the Aleutian low becomes a bigger influence. The Pacific High is an anticyclone that rips hurricanes apart usually before they get to us. The Aleutian low, on the other hand, strengthens and intensifies hurricanes that are drawn to it. It draws hurricanes northward toward the low. The Aleutian low is more dominant at the end of summer. Hurricanes passing to the North of Hawaii can come close and drop a lot of wind, rain and kick up the surf, but hurricanes to the south of us can veer North suddenly.
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pepperhead212
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And I guess it couldn't have been a mistake, where someone actually meant to put 21.7°! lol
I got over 5" of rain here, with that front that came through. What did you get from that, Apple? The news said that Woodbury got 4.53", when they came on at 11 PM, but it was still raining a few min ago, when I went out back to turn the delays on my watering timers. Don't think I will need to water for a while, even with the SIPs, as the high temps will be in the 70s and 60s the next two days. And Sunday is supposed to be rain for much of the day.
I got over 5" of rain here, with that front that came through. What did you get from that, Apple? The news said that Woodbury got 4.53", when they came on at 11 PM, but it was still raining a few min ago, when I went out back to turn the delays on my watering timers. Don't think I will need to water for a while, even with the SIPs, as the high temps will be in the 70s and 60s the next two days. And Sunday is supposed to be rain for much of the day.
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applestar
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The “anti-rain device” scattered the clouds yet again just before reaching my garden and the reported rain according to nearest wunderground station was 0.01” last night, but it’s raining this morning and we have had 0.23” so far.
I’ll have a better idea once I get out there and look around.
The difference even between our two gardens is astonishing....
I’ll have a better idea once I get out there and look around.
The difference even between our two gardens is astonishing....
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pepperhead212
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applestar
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3.3 inches in the last two days according to nearby weather station, that means we probably got a little more.
...that might sound contradictory to what I said before, but I’ve noticed this kind of discrepancy before when measuring actual amounts. I’ve always attributed it to localized dust-devil kind of mini-swirls that seem to occur.
Of course my containers are not the official rain gauge type, so it’s always possible it’s my own measuring error....
...that might sound contradictory to what I said before, but I’ve noticed this kind of discrepancy before when measuring actual amounts. I’ve always attributed it to localized dust-devil kind of mini-swirls that seem to occur.
Of course my containers are not the official rain gauge type, so it’s always possible it’s my own measuring error....
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Gary350
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We went camping 85 miles east of the hurricane zone we were out of range of the clouds & rain it was 95 degrees and hot. Nights only cooled down to 80 it was still humid & hot. Now we are home, dark gray over cast sky an 65 degrees all day and a bit windy. I had to put on my long sleeve flannel shirt to stay warm.
You know I can never figure out the rain reports. Sometimes it seems like we got rain but the report is only .01".
Well, in other news, we have another storm coming. Not as big as Florence on the East coast, but with one coming almost every week it is nail biting. Olivia is has been downgraded to a tropical storm but the winds are about 70 mph or 5 mph less than a cat1. The track has it dropping down from the Northwest and landing around Hana, Maui. Hana and the Big Island will again get the strongest effects of both the wind and the rain. Lane produced lots of rain, but not a lot of wind. Those poor people have barely cleaned up from the last flood and they may flood again. It will be very hard for the farmers to recover from a third massive flood this year. The storm is predicted to land sometime Tuesday night to Wednesday. It may slow after interacting with the mountains and is predicted to again pass south of Oahu. This time since the passage is closer and the storm is only weakening slowly, we may get more wind as well as rain. I kept most of my supplies and I am washing out my water bottles. I drained my water barrels since they were already full. Oahu is in a storm watch while Maui and the Big Island have a storm warning. I am going to do my laundry early in the morning and I bought more bucket covers ( they finally came in. I hope they fit). I will put the plants back under cover and move what I can out of the way. Some are still under cover from Lane, but I need to move the orchids again and some potted plants into the garage. I don't have any plywood to cover the windows, but I cannot do that by myself. I did take pictures of everything when Lane approached so I do have that and I checked the hurricane kit again. I have brought up a bunch of towels and rags in case I need them if the rain comes through the windows. I need to reinforce my dam by the patio. It did not flood so it did not get tested last time. I do expect the power to go off. So, I have unplugged most of the things and the computer, table lamps and my radio are all that are left to unplug. When Lane came by, the electric company did a good job of sending crews to where the outages were. They came in 30 minutes or less and it took 1-2 hours to restore power. I don't actually need a storm to lose power. The utilities are underground and they often go out when it rains hard enough. I did plant some seedlings in the garden. If it rains hard, it might bruise them, but there is nothing I can do about it now.
Well, in other news, we have another storm coming. Not as big as Florence on the East coast, but with one coming almost every week it is nail biting. Olivia is has been downgraded to a tropical storm but the winds are about 70 mph or 5 mph less than a cat1. The track has it dropping down from the Northwest and landing around Hana, Maui. Hana and the Big Island will again get the strongest effects of both the wind and the rain. Lane produced lots of rain, but not a lot of wind. Those poor people have barely cleaned up from the last flood and they may flood again. It will be very hard for the farmers to recover from a third massive flood this year. The storm is predicted to land sometime Tuesday night to Wednesday. It may slow after interacting with the mountains and is predicted to again pass south of Oahu. This time since the passage is closer and the storm is only weakening slowly, we may get more wind as well as rain. I kept most of my supplies and I am washing out my water bottles. I drained my water barrels since they were already full. Oahu is in a storm watch while Maui and the Big Island have a storm warning. I am going to do my laundry early in the morning and I bought more bucket covers ( they finally came in. I hope they fit). I will put the plants back under cover and move what I can out of the way. Some are still under cover from Lane, but I need to move the orchids again and some potted plants into the garage. I don't have any plywood to cover the windows, but I cannot do that by myself. I did take pictures of everything when Lane approached so I do have that and I checked the hurricane kit again. I have brought up a bunch of towels and rags in case I need them if the rain comes through the windows. I need to reinforce my dam by the patio. It did not flood so it did not get tested last time. I do expect the power to go off. So, I have unplugged most of the things and the computer, table lamps and my radio are all that are left to unplug. When Lane came by, the electric company did a good job of sending crews to where the outages were. They came in 30 minutes or less and it took 1-2 hours to restore power. I don't actually need a storm to lose power. The utilities are underground and they often go out when it rains hard enough. I did plant some seedlings in the garden. If it rains hard, it might bruise them, but there is nothing I can do about it now.
Still waiting for Olivia. I put as much of the pots I could into bags and brought my ohia into the house. I thought I lost my cat when I discovered I left the door partially open, and of course he refused to come when I called him. He has since made an appearance. Olivia has decoupled which is good news since it is breaking up faster and it has slightly shifted course so it may land on Maui or somewhere in the channel between Maui and the Big Island. The winds are down to 50 mph from 70 mph this morning. All of this in a low shear environment and warmer water. We are so lucky, and I am still holding my breath. We are still expecting a lot of rain, flooding, landslides, and the power going out. The storm has slowed to 15 mph so now it will not get near Maui until about 2 a.m. It very muggy now ahead of the storm and it is 80 degrees right now. If we are even luckier, the slowed speed and the rapidly weakening storm will further decrease the winds. The Big Island and Maui will again be hit for the third time this year with most of the wind and rain. Maui has a lot of bare earth from the brush fires that came at the same time as Lane. That will increase the risk of flooding since there is no vegetation to keep the ground from eroding. I am not expecting to see much of the rain or the wind unti some time tomorrow.