Wow, I'm glad you folks made it through all that OK, but sad for those who didn't.
This time of the year with impending or already-here freezing temperatures, any report of severe house and home damage is heart-breaking.
Sounds like our typical stormy weather. 60 mph winds will bend a few coconut trees and break tree limbs. The building code was upgraded after Iwa and hurricane clips were installed in new construction and some people (including me) retrofitted older structures to make it harder for the roofs to fly off. The clips are rated for 80 mph winds but will not stop a category 5 storm like Iniki from leveling everything in its path.
Most of Hawaii is still under drought conditions. We got some short term drought relief and that helped keep the mountains greener than usual and that is good because there were fewer fires. Although it was very unusual to have a fire in Wahiawa.
We are getting a few showers passing by and it is supposed to get wetter at the end of the week. Yesterday was a nice sunny day. Today it is very cloudy with not much wind. More rain is expected toward the evening. It is not enough rain to cause flooding, but also not enough to really soak the ground. Unfortunately it will be plenty for the weeds. It is 64 degrees right now and a high of 82 degrees is expected.
Most of Hawaii is still under drought conditions. We got some short term drought relief and that helped keep the mountains greener than usual and that is good because there were fewer fires. Although it was very unusual to have a fire in Wahiawa.
We are getting a few showers passing by and it is supposed to get wetter at the end of the week. Yesterday was a nice sunny day. Today it is very cloudy with not much wind. More rain is expected toward the evening. It is not enough rain to cause flooding, but also not enough to really soak the ground. Unfortunately it will be plenty for the weeds. It is 64 degrees right now and a high of 82 degrees is expected.
Winter storms can be unpredictable. Even if you prepare for them there will be things you won't foresee like a huge tree that falls and especially if you live in valleys and on hilltops the wind and wind driven rain will be much more severe than in protected areas. It is best to stay inside as much as possible and keep tabs on the weather. My phone sends me weather alerts. It is especially important to keep an eye on streams and drainage canals up to a mile away if you are lower or at the same elevation as the river bank. We had a couple of storms that weren't so bad at the house, but some of the streams on the other side of the island got so clogged with debris that the streams changed course and went down some streets. People thought they were safe because they were 'uphill', but the stream was above them. The state is doing a better job of dredging the canals and cleaning debris (mostly mand made: shopping carts, appliances, tree branches and just rubbish dumped in the ditches), a few years ago we had a long spell of rain that saturated the ground and the clogged streams and drainage ditches flooded the business district and a home was swept away on another island and the family in it was lost. Earlier this year a homeless woman living under a bridge was swept away when the stream she was camping by swelled and she was carried away in the current. She was never found. We don't have a lot of landslides, but there is a spot on the road going down to the coast that is dangerous when it rains. There is fencing to reinforce the hillside and a rock fence, but some of the rocks still get through and they can roll down at any time. Every few years the state sends a crew up there to remove the loose rocks and replace the fencing.
If it rains hard enough for the rain to turn the streets into a stream, the power usually goes out or flickers which has already damaged 5 phones. I usually unplug everything I don't need and my microwave took a hit during the last thunderstorm but luckily it reset. I have added a surge protector to the line. The computer is a laptop and it is on a surge protector. If the power goes out while I am on the computer, the battery will allow me to shut down the computer safely.
It is best not to go out in the rain unless you really have to. I don't know about you but people here do not know how to drive in the rain. Everyone does slow down and increase their spacing, most people will turn on their lights so people can see them better. It is really bad when the traffic lights go out because some people do not get the concept of the 4 way stop. Sometimes it is challenging to figure out whose turn it is when everyone is waiting for someone to start. If the rain gets so bad that the wipers can't keep up, I and a few others just put on the flasher and pull over to the side, under the overpass if possible, and wait it out.
If it rains hard enough for the rain to turn the streets into a stream, the power usually goes out or flickers which has already damaged 5 phones. I usually unplug everything I don't need and my microwave took a hit during the last thunderstorm but luckily it reset. I have added a surge protector to the line. The computer is a laptop and it is on a surge protector. If the power goes out while I am on the computer, the battery will allow me to shut down the computer safely.
It is best not to go out in the rain unless you really have to. I don't know about you but people here do not know how to drive in the rain. Everyone does slow down and increase their spacing, most people will turn on their lights so people can see them better. It is really bad when the traffic lights go out because some people do not get the concept of the 4 way stop. Sometimes it is challenging to figure out whose turn it is when everyone is waiting for someone to start. If the rain gets so bad that the wipers can't keep up, I and a few others just put on the flasher and pull over to the side, under the overpass if possible, and wait it out.
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HoneyBerry
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It is interesting for me, to read about Hawaii. The storms are bigger in Hawaii than they are here in Washington. We don't get hurricanes here, but we do get windstorms. I worry about my roof blowing off or a tree falling on me but it hasn't happened to me yet. The shingles blew off of the south side of a neighbor's house. They patched it just fine but the shingles for the patch are a different color than the rest of the roof. I have a roofer lined up in case of an emergency. He said that he will come and fix my roof right away if the shingles blow off. He is so sure that they won't blow off that he said he will fix my roof for free if they do. How's that for insurance. A climate change report was just issued for the Puget Sound region. They are predicting a warming trend, less snowpack in the mountains, more rain, more flooding, more wildfires, more hot summer days over 95 degrees. It will affect everything.
We built over our garage so our house ended up being taller than the neighbors. The roofer used a cheaper shingle and he shingled the roof on an overcast day. I kept losing shingles all of the time whenever the wind went over 50 mph. We patched it a lot and even paid another roofer to mastik down the edges of the shingles to keep them from coming off. Eventually the roof leaked. It was only ten years old. It leaked because the original roofer missed 1 foot of flashing. The roofer also said that the patches that were coming off were getting larger because the repairs were not done properly. the nails were not in flush and that allowed the shingles to lift and take larger sections of shingles with it.
The roof was redone and we specified that the shingles on the edges be mastiked in place since it was along the edges that the shingles came off first. It has been 7 years and so far all the shingles are still on the roof. I always check the roof after we get high winds.
The roof was redone and we specified that the shingles on the edges be mastiked in place since it was along the edges that the shingles came off first. It has been 7 years and so far all the shingles are still on the roof. I always check the roof after we get high winds.
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sweetiepie
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HoneyBerry
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Don't get me going about bad construction work. I could go on and on with stories about people getting ripped off that way. I learned the hard way about hiring for residential. I am very careful now about who I call. I check out the company before I call. They have to be Better Business Bureau certified A+. I've heard that good contractors are hard to find in Hawaii, being so far from the mainland.
Wow, ND is getting hit pretty hard. There seems to be weird weather everywhere these days. The climate change study for the Puget Sound area is very interesting to read. I think more research needs to be done for non-coastal areas. The climate change study is easy to find online. It was just released by the University of Washington. It will provide insight even if you don't live in the Puget Sound region.
The weather here is supposed be clear and cold for the rest of the week, with freezing temps at night. Some people are still without power, so if they have electric heat, they will need to figure something else out or they will freeze. I am so lucky. I have power and no wind or flood damage.
Wow, ND is getting hit pretty hard. There seems to be weird weather everywhere these days. The climate change study for the Puget Sound area is very interesting to read. I think more research needs to be done for non-coastal areas. The climate change study is easy to find online. It was just released by the University of Washington. It will provide insight even if you don't live in the Puget Sound region.
The weather here is supposed be clear and cold for the rest of the week, with freezing temps at night. Some people are still without power, so if they have electric heat, they will need to figure something else out or they will freeze. I am so lucky. I have power and no wind or flood damage.
72 miles per hour is just under the hurrican level of 75 mph. And you mostly flat that means that there isn't much in the way to slow it down.
We need to get used to the warmer cycle. More of the permafrost is melting so we are coming out of this ice age cycle and moving into a warming trend. In the space of geological time this has happened before although this time it was accelerated by man's activities. The lesson to be learned here is to learn to adapt and survive. It may be a few lifetimes we will have to live with it.
https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2014/07/11 ... l-warming/
We need to get used to the warmer cycle. More of the permafrost is melting so we are coming out of this ice age cycle and moving into a warming trend. In the space of geological time this has happened before although this time it was accelerated by man's activities. The lesson to be learned here is to learn to adapt and survive. It may be a few lifetimes we will have to live with it.
https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2014/07/11 ... l-warming/
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sweetiepie
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I think the temps for ND are our normal. We had really nice temps most of November. Sometimes it snows the beginning of October. We got a little bit of snow here but no freezing rain for us last night. The wind is still crazy but not uncommon for ND either. We definitely plan for no power. No power doesn't really effect us that much except to take away internet etc and I have to get water to my animals by pump jack, twice daily which is a pain. But if the power is out then husband probably isn't working and he can start the generator for water.
I agree imafan that we will adjust to changes. The earth changes all the time and the planet seems to evolve and make do.
I agree imafan that we will adjust to changes. The earth changes all the time and the planet seems to evolve and make do.
It's Back to Normal temperatures for the moment, 39°f this afternoon. The weather has been about 10 to 15° above normal.
Our chance of snow is disappearing. I am just in from 2 hours of cleaning the gutters. I had half dun before the windstorm. Found 2 walnuts. No, the trees are across the road and downwind
. Just imagining why the squirrel had them on our roof and what he thought after they got away from him and rolled into the gutter . . .
I had different plans for the afternoon but the dental office person called with the message that they still don't have electricity. All the nearby school districts remain closed but our weather has been really good for cleanup and repair. There must be way more work than available workers but snow doesn't look likely for a few more days.
Our weather extremes here are not usually very dramatic. At 2,000 feet elevation, this isn't like Colorado where nothing is below 3,317 feet, Wikipedia tells us. That sorta mountainous country is likely to have a lot of weather drama.
"The geological evidence is very strong that sea level was higher by about 200 feet at times ..." that is what the geologist in your linked article says, Imafan'. Let's see, that would drop our elevation a little but put Washington State's capital of Olympia about 150 feet under ocean water ...
Steve
Our chance of snow is disappearing. I am just in from 2 hours of cleaning the gutters. I had half dun before the windstorm. Found 2 walnuts. No, the trees are across the road and downwind
. Just imagining why the squirrel had them on our roof and what he thought after they got away from him and rolled into the gutter . . .I had different plans for the afternoon but the dental office person called with the message that they still don't have electricity. All the nearby school districts remain closed but our weather has been really good for cleanup and repair. There must be way more work than available workers but snow doesn't look likely for a few more days.
Our weather extremes here are not usually very dramatic. At 2,000 feet elevation, this isn't like Colorado where nothing is below 3,317 feet, Wikipedia tells us. That sorta mountainous country is likely to have a lot of weather drama.
"The geological evidence is very strong that sea level was higher by about 200 feet at times ..." that is what the geologist in your linked article says, Imafan'. Let's see, that would drop our elevation a little but put Washington State's capital of Olympia about 150 feet under ocean water ...
Steve
Being isolated in the middle of the Pacific and closer to the equator we notice it more. Ocean temperatures are about 2 degrees warmer than usual. A lot of that has to do with El Nino. It is why we had almost a storm a week passing by and we are lucky that the Pacific High steers most of the storms away from us. There has been increased coral bleaching and that does destroy the reefs. It also does not help when some people drop bleach on the reefs to make it easier to catch fish and then there are the people who go out and pull the seaweed of the reef instead of cutting it or wait for it to naturally come in to the shoreline. The fish migration pattern changes and some of our fish heads off to California. Someone saw an Orca which is not that common around here. The other migrating whales came on time. The storms are keeping the sharks closer to the shoreline and it seems like there have been more shark encounters than usual. The storms accelerate beach erosion and threaten the homes on the coastline. This past summer we hit new high temperature records a few times. With temperatures around 89 -91 on some days. 90% of the lettuce on the farm was lost from tipburn and bolting. It is hard to grow lettuce in summer, especially in the tropics. Other farmers growing herbs, cabbages, and other greens said the storm of the week ruined a lot of other crops. Watermelons were rotting in the fields, more pumpkins were imported since the local farms said they weren't going to have enough. They even put pumpkins in the fields for their annual pumpkin patch event. The food prices have tripled. It is easy to pay $50-$80 at the grocery store and it would be even more if I bought meat.
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applestar
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This year's warmer autumn weather has been a boon because I was sick for most of October. I might still be able to get a few things done that needed doing, and even try to get a couple of back burner projects started.
A couple of times in the past, I didn't think to build a hoop structure or coldframe until I actually needed it in late winter/early spring, but found out that the ground is frozen solid at that time even when it seems like things are starting to thaw. Only the top couple of inches are soft and then the rest is still impossible to work... Forget pounding in rebar or PVC let alone heavy posts for support.
Also, I really want to dig a pond. I don't want to finish it then have it sit frozen all winter, but I think I'd like to get the basic prep work started protected, and not have debris and snow/ice build up and freeze over the winter.
Not sure how much I can get done since I'm still not back to 100%, but I can dream.
A couple of times in the past, I didn't think to build a hoop structure or coldframe until I actually needed it in late winter/early spring, but found out that the ground is frozen solid at that time even when it seems like things are starting to thaw. Only the top couple of inches are soft and then the rest is still impossible to work... Forget pounding in rebar or PVC let alone heavy posts for support.
Also, I really want to dig a pond. I don't want to finish it then have it sit frozen all winter, but I think I'd like to get the basic prep work started protected, and not have debris and snow/ice build up and freeze over the winter.
Not sure how much I can get done since I'm still not back to 100%, but I can dream.
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HoneyBerry
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DigitS Steve wrote:
"Found 2 walnuts. No, the trees are across the road and downwind ;). Just imagining why the squirrel had them on our roof and what he thought after they got away from him and rolled into the gutter."
Well, there is a huge walnut tree in the yard across the syreet from me, so I see lots of squirrels running around. I end up with walnut tree sprouts everywhere from all their little plantings. I had a litter of baby squirrels running around in my back yard last spring. It seemed like the nest was in my garage. I had been letting the mama squirrel get away with stealing sunflower seeds from the bird feeder. I knew she had babies somewhere by the way her tummy looked when she reached for the bird feeder. The baby squirrels were so darn cute. Adult squirrels are cute, but baby squirrels are beyond cute. There needs to be a different word for that kind of cute. One of the babies froze when he first saw me. I was wondering what he was thinking at the time. He stared at me for a while. I was the first human that bany squirrel had ever seen. Just like you, I wondered what he was thinking.
"Found 2 walnuts. No, the trees are across the road and downwind ;). Just imagining why the squirrel had them on our roof and what he thought after they got away from him and rolled into the gutter."
Well, there is a huge walnut tree in the yard across the syreet from me, so I see lots of squirrels running around. I end up with walnut tree sprouts everywhere from all their little plantings. I had a litter of baby squirrels running around in my back yard last spring. It seemed like the nest was in my garage. I had been letting the mama squirrel get away with stealing sunflower seeds from the bird feeder. I knew she had babies somewhere by the way her tummy looked when she reached for the bird feeder. The baby squirrels were so darn cute. Adult squirrels are cute, but baby squirrels are beyond cute. There needs to be a different word for that kind of cute. One of the babies froze when he first saw me. I was wondering what he was thinking at the time. He stared at me for a while. I was the first human that bany squirrel had ever seen. Just like you, I wondered what he was thinking.
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HoneyBerry
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El Nino turns things upside down.
For Hawaii, it means higher than normal summer temperatures.
More Pacific storms and fewer Atlantic storms
Wetter summers and Drier winters
Coral bleaching and beach erosion
Drier conditions usually mean more brush fires
Generally speaking El Niño brings:
cooler and wetter weather to the southern United States
warmer weather to western Canada and southern Alaska
drier weather to the Pacific Northwest
cooler weather to northern Canada
wetter weather to southern California
These effects are felt strongest in the winter after onset of the event.
tornado icon The Atlantic hurricane season is usually diminished during El Ni�o, while the tornado season is more active.
As for today. It has been raining pretty much nonstop since about 3 p.m. yesterday. There is almost no wind so this system is hanging around a long time. The good news is that it is a slow rain and the soil is pretty dry to start with so a slow rain will be absorbed by the trees and soil that need it and unless it starts coming down at a heavier rate, flooding is only going to happen around streams and possibly on the windward side where the ground is already saturated from previous rains. Every thing should green up even more which will bring some relief to the Big Island and Maui droughts. This is a warm rain. Temperature is 71 degrees, mainly because there is not much wind. The flash flood watch has been extended until tomorrow morning, but more rain is expected so the flash flood watch is likely to be extended again. If the rain keeps up to the point of saturation, my patio will flood again but, it happens regularly and I don't have anything on the ground that will be hurt by it. I have had to pick up buckets and pots that the wind has been blowing over and that will usually be the extent of that. At least I won't have to water although, I might have to bring the succulents in under cover if it keeps up for an extended time.
https://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid= ... 11&loop=no
For Hawaii, it means higher than normal summer temperatures.
More Pacific storms and fewer Atlantic storms
Wetter summers and Drier winters
Coral bleaching and beach erosion
Drier conditions usually mean more brush fires
Generally speaking El Niño brings:
cooler and wetter weather to the southern United States
warmer weather to western Canada and southern Alaska
drier weather to the Pacific Northwest
cooler weather to northern Canada
wetter weather to southern California
These effects are felt strongest in the winter after onset of the event.
tornado icon The Atlantic hurricane season is usually diminished during El Ni�o, while the tornado season is more active.
As for today. It has been raining pretty much nonstop since about 3 p.m. yesterday. There is almost no wind so this system is hanging around a long time. The good news is that it is a slow rain and the soil is pretty dry to start with so a slow rain will be absorbed by the trees and soil that need it and unless it starts coming down at a heavier rate, flooding is only going to happen around streams and possibly on the windward side where the ground is already saturated from previous rains. Every thing should green up even more which will bring some relief to the Big Island and Maui droughts. This is a warm rain. Temperature is 71 degrees, mainly because there is not much wind. The flash flood watch has been extended until tomorrow morning, but more rain is expected so the flash flood watch is likely to be extended again. If the rain keeps up to the point of saturation, my patio will flood again but, it happens regularly and I don't have anything on the ground that will be hurt by it. I have had to pick up buckets and pots that the wind has been blowing over and that will usually be the extent of that. At least I won't have to water although, I might have to bring the succulents in under cover if it keeps up for an extended time.
https://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid= ... 11&loop=no
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applestar
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We're finally getting ready to go down to freezing weather for good. A couple of upper 20's to mid 20's overnights, a bit of warm up, then settling down to 40's/30's it looks like.
I got my new pond dug, lined and filled thanks to the extended autumn as mentioned elsewhere.
It was forecasted to freeze overnight, and I actually made DH laugh last night saying "I can't wait to see my frozen pond in the morning." ...and I meant it, too
but it only got down to 32°F and we had frost but my new pond didn't freeze. Maybe tomorrow. 
I got my new pond dug, lined and filled thanks to the extended autumn as mentioned elsewhere.
It was forecasted to freeze overnight, and I actually made DH laugh last night saying "I can't wait to see my frozen pond in the morning." ...and I meant it, too
but it only got down to 32°F and we had frost but my new pond didn't freeze. Maybe tomorrow. It is still warm 72 degrees, it feels like 80 because the winds are from the south which means they are 0-5 mph. It has been raining since the wee hours of the morning and humidity is 100%. My floors are sticky and my vertical blinds are condensing. The windows are all frosted with dirt and condensation. There is another flash flood alert until 8 a.m. It is strange the ridge of showers is just passing through Oahu Kauai is dry. Maui, Molokai, and Kona are getting a few sprinkles.
The rain will be off and on again today. It is strange to have so much rain and still be so warm.
The rain will be off and on again today. It is strange to have so much rain and still be so warm.
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HoneyBerry
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I wish I was in Hawaii right now. We are experiencing some very cold weather this week. Days are sunny and cold but at nighttime gets into the low 20's. Brrrrrr. That's cold enough to freeze the water pipes. I have a couple of spots that I have to watch closely when it gets cold like this. The pipes broke once. It was not fun. So I am trying to prevent that from happening. It's a hassle.
It would be nice to see the seasons change, but I don't envy you the cold or having to winterize the house and bring plants inside that might freeze or frozen pipes. I think the worst I have ever seen was when I went up to Haleakala, besides the chest pain from being at that altitude (5,000 ft), was the frozen puddle (it looked a little like a mirror. There were no ripples when the wind blew across it, and the slush and noise that rattled out of the pipes in the bathroom. I have a harder time with the cold than with the heat. When I visited the mainland in winter it was strange and I felt a little claustrophobic because I am not used to being in a house that does not have the doors and windows open, and to be in a house with few or small windows for that matter. I was surprised by the starkness of the landscape, literally black and white. It was beautiful in its own way, but for me really different. But it was nice to see a real fireplace at work. We don't have many homes with fireplaces or basements. Fireplaces are mostly decorative and most homes here built slab on grade.
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HoneyBerry
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I was at the Haleakala Crater once. We spent 2 weeks in Hawaii, Mauii & Kauii, 1 week on each island. The weather was so warm and we were naive so we didn't bring warm clothes when we drove up to the crater. It was very cold and we were wearing shorts and light t-shirts, no coats. We enjoyed the views but the cold and wind kept us from hiking very far, which is what we had planned to do. Overall, I liked Hawaii, the warm weather, the warm rain. I didn't want to leave when it came time to fly back to the mainland.
It is very cold where I am this week. There is a burn ban but people have been burning anyway. So the air quality is bad. Wood stove smoke, car exhaust and industrial pollutants are trapped by stagnant conditions. I don't mind the cold as much as the air quality problems. People know better but so many of them burn in old wood stoves or firrplaces and refuse to upgrade to certified systems.
It is very cold where I am this week. There is a burn ban but people have been burning anyway. So the air quality is bad. Wood stove smoke, car exhaust and industrial pollutants are trapped by stagnant conditions. I don't mind the cold as much as the air quality problems. People know better but so many of them burn in old wood stoves or firrplaces and refuse to upgrade to certified systems.
There is a break in the weather again today. I rained most of yesterday and all night. The sun came out for a bit so I went shopping. It wasn't bad. Most of the stores opened up their black Friday deals starting at 6 p.m. at a lot of stores so there was parking and the stores had extra staff on board for customer service and almost all of the cashiers were open. I wasn't shopping for any of the specials, I just went to pick up a few things. I got another small stone pine which I will keep for a Christmas tree. They last about 5 years. I don't bonsai stone pines. The branches are too soft and too far apart for me to get a nice natural look. I prefer easier more forgiving trees like ficus, panax, and dwarf pomegranates. Geometry trees should be easy, but I haven't mastered that one yet.
This morning, it is 15°f and there is a lot of smoke in the air. We are right on the cusp of "unhealthy." Down and Dirty. That isn't just in the middle of the urban area but in the lower part of the Coeur d'Alene River Valley and at the south end of the lake.
The lifting of the emergency exemptions for woodstove use, because of the 180,000 who were without power after the November 17th windstorm, will happen soon. Power is back on to almost 100% of the area. I don't think it will matter much because we should be getting a little more air movement early next week ... Please! ... Despite Black Friday sales, weekends have just a little less car traffic on our roads. Koff!
Steve
The lifting of the emergency exemptions for woodstove use, because of the 180,000 who were without power after the November 17th windstorm, will happen soon. Power is back on to almost 100% of the area. I don't think it will matter much because we should be getting a little more air movement early next week ... Please! ... Despite Black Friday sales, weekends have just a little less car traffic on our roads. Koff!
Steve
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HoneyBerry
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The smoke problem was worse last year. My neighborhood got so bad that I ended up in the hospital with breathing problems. I had to evacuate my neighborhood for a week. The water pipe in back was frozen, but I couldn't deal with it, so I turned the water off at the meter and got out of Dodge. I was lucky to find a place to stay with a bird caretaker, a makeshift sanctuary of sorts, right in their home, so it was okay to have my bird with me. I worked off the stress while staying there, cleaning up the bird rooms. It was an adventure. My bad experiences with the air quality last year make me feel anxious when the really cold weather, stagnant air and wood stove smoke come my way. So far this year I haven't had to go to the hospital with breathing problems. The air quality is gradually getting worse. The smokey polluted air is trapped. It it supposed to change next week. I can't wait for that moment of relief. This is very stressful. I don't like winter because of this kind of stuff. Pipes freezing is nothing compared to not being able to breathe.
You are right. We don't get too much of that problem thankfully, our air quality is usually really good. Now, that they have banned fireworks it is even better. We will still get vog when we have Kona weather and it will actually burn my eyes. It is usually not thick enough to cause most people any breathing problems unless they have underlying lung problems.
Today is the second sunny day this week, but the ground is still pretty muddy.
Today is the second sunny day this week, but the ground is still pretty muddy.
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HoneyBerry
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- Location: Zone 8A Western Washington State
There was an unusual weather event here last winter. I noticed soot falling in the air on 2 evenings during the first part of November 2014. A layer of this stuff accumulated on my car. It looked like a fine gray dust and was black on the paper towel when I wiped some of it from my car. At the time, I had no idea where the soot was coming from. I had never experienced anything like this before. I was dumbfounded. Soon after that, a stagnant air and burn ban advisory was issued. I experienced breathing difficulties during that time, which is very unusual for me. I was allergic to the stuff in the air. Later that same winter, I read a news piece about an unusual milky rain in Oregon that was the result of volcanic ash mixed with rain. The volcanic ash had blown over from the Hawaii volcano and possibly the Alaska volcano as well. I am now pretty sure that the ash I saw falling on my car was volcanic ash that blew over this way from Hawaii and/or Alaska.
Our first "cold" front will come through today. High's will be in the upper 50's and the low tonight in the 40's. It is late for this, we usually have our first cold about mid November. I am NOT complaining. This will last about 4 days and we'll be back in the low 70's again for a short while. I hope this means we will have a short winter! I just hate winter!
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HoneyBerry
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- Location: Zone 8A Western Washington State
The extreme drought that we had is over finally. The water utility is monitoring the situation because he 2015 drought was the first of it's kind for this region. We now have some snow in the mountains, which is a very good thing. But a warmer than normal winter could adversely effect on the snow pack and result in water shortages for next year. The officials don't kniw what to expect because this has never happened before so everything is being closely monitored.
Not the case for eastern Washington - the extreme drought continues (LINK).
My continuing hope is that things will change. And, they have but not much. The linked map shows the drought status as of December 1st. Since then, the nearest weather station has reported less than 2/10th of an inch of moisture. That's right. There was .04" of water in yesterday's light snow and .11" from the sprinkles of rain we've had so far today.
There was a continuing deficit in November: @NWS Spokane, "#Spokane will end up 14 driest November on record dating back to 1881. November 2015 total - 0.77 inches, normal 2.30 inches. #wawx"
Having .25" will count for something and the week isn't over with still more rain possibilities in the forecast. Soon, a nice snow cover would be very much appreciated.
Steve
My continuing hope is that things will change. And, they have but not much. The linked map shows the drought status as of December 1st. Since then, the nearest weather station has reported less than 2/10th of an inch of moisture. That's right. There was .04" of water in yesterday's light snow and .11" from the sprinkles of rain we've had so far today.
There was a continuing deficit in November: @NWS Spokane, "#Spokane will end up 14 driest November on record dating back to 1881. November 2015 total - 0.77 inches, normal 2.30 inches. #wawx"
Having .25" will count for something and the week isn't over with still more rain possibilities in the forecast. Soon, a nice snow cover would be very much appreciated.
Steve
Over an inch of rain fell in the last 48 hours!
There is more on the way but it's coming with wind ..! The Weather Service says not nearly as bad as 3 weeks ago but with gusts around 60mph.
Mostly, the ground in the lower elevations thawed and must have absorbed the moisture like a dry sponge. The first frosts in my garden were way back in September. We are well past the growing season but I trust, the plants will benefit from the rain. Hopefully, more trees won't fall to the wind.
Steve
There is more on the way but it's coming with wind ..! The Weather Service says not nearly as bad as 3 weeks ago but with gusts around 60mph.
Mostly, the ground in the lower elevations thawed and must have absorbed the moisture like a dry sponge. The first frosts in my garden were way back in September. We are well past the growing season but I trust, the plants will benefit from the rain. Hopefully, more trees won't fall to the wind.
Steve
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HoneyBerry
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HoneyBerry
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The river flooded the trailer park that is next to it. I've seen that happen before at that same spot. There are some people in the river and there is a rescue in progress. I think they are homeless people. Some people are stranded over there. There is a designated evacuation area but some people didn't make it. I was pretty sure it would fllood at that location but I was too tired to keep tabs on it through the night. It's a small flood as far as floods go.
Some photos from the police website.
All this is again moving quickly across North America.
When the flooding was so bad in the Philippines 2 years ago, I asked a Filipino friend about the people affected. He said 2 words, "Homeless people."
After the windstorm and power outages a few weeks ago, all of Spokane's shelters were filled but so were the downtown hotels. Public libraries and a few of the public schools opened for warming and kids' lunches.
Steve
When the flooding was so bad in the Philippines 2 years ago, I asked a Filipino friend about the people affected. He said 2 words, "Homeless people."
After the windstorm and power outages a few weeks ago, all of Spokane's shelters were filled but so were the downtown hotels. Public libraries and a few of the public schools opened for warming and kids' lunches.
Steve
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HoneyBerry
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Yeah, the homeless people are face to face with the weather elements. Yesterday while I was driving, I saw a pitiful looking guy crossing the road (crosswalk), he was pushing a wheelchair, one leg was wrapped and elevated, he had a towel over his head, makeshift hood I guess, a thin black soaked & wimpy looking hoodless jacket, he was having a hard time pushing his wheelchair over the hump, the rain was falling like rivers from the sky, I wanted to get out and help him, he made it across just in the nick of time as the time ran out on the crosswalk signal.
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HoneyBerry
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Here's the official story about the rescue effort:
https://www.king5.com/videos/weather/201 ... /77030928/
There is flooding all over Washington. Closed roads, flooded baseball field in Carnation, Tumwater Falls is overflowing, Tolt River Bridge flooded, flooded buildings in some areas. Western Washington seems to be having a larger than usual winter flood event during this year.
https://www.king5.com/videos/weather/201 ... /77030928/
There is flooding all over Washington. Closed roads, flooded baseball field in Carnation, Tumwater Falls is overflowing, Tolt River Bridge flooded, flooded buildings in some areas. Western Washington seems to be having a larger than usual winter flood event during this year.
It is raining now but it is just overnight rain and should clear up later in the day.
The homeless are a problem everywhere. They have the most to lose and can least afford it. The city here has been forcibly evicting homeless off the streets. Literally they had been camping along the streets downtown and beside streams. The city would clean up one street and they would move over to another street. The city made space to accommodate 110 homeless people in city shelters but that left 100's more with no where to go. They don't feel safe in the shelters and they don't want to leave their spots, their belongings or their pets for fear that they will lose that too. Some of them are working poor and there are whole families living on the streets. There are also the druggies, a lot of veterans with PTSD and a few people who are mentally disturbed. It is hard for the homeless to get jobs if they haven't been working in a while or if they have been sick. You cannot get a job or services without an address. Recently the city handed out cell phones to the homeless. I remember thinking. O.K. and how are they going to charge them after the batteries run down. It is not like they have ready access to an electrical outlet.
The homeless are a problem everywhere. They have the most to lose and can least afford it. The city here has been forcibly evicting homeless off the streets. Literally they had been camping along the streets downtown and beside streams. The city would clean up one street and they would move over to another street. The city made space to accommodate 110 homeless people in city shelters but that left 100's more with no where to go. They don't feel safe in the shelters and they don't want to leave their spots, their belongings or their pets for fear that they will lose that too. Some of them are working poor and there are whole families living on the streets. There are also the druggies, a lot of veterans with PTSD and a few people who are mentally disturbed. It is hard for the homeless to get jobs if they haven't been working in a while or if they have been sick. You cannot get a job or services without an address. Recently the city handed out cell phones to the homeless. I remember thinking. O.K. and how are they going to charge them after the batteries run down. It is not like they have ready access to an electrical outlet.
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HoneyBerry
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Sounds similar to how the homeless situation is here. I don't like it but I don't know what the solution is. The Microsoft foundation poured a large some of money into helping the homeless here, but there are still problems. They said that it is difficult.
More flooding predicted for Washington. Low pressure and high tides are combining to generate flooding along the shore. Minor flooding is predicted. Another storm expected on Saturday. I've had enough of winter. I'm ready for spring.
More flooding predicted for Washington. Low pressure and high tides are combining to generate flooding along the shore. Minor flooding is predicted. Another storm expected on Saturday. I've had enough of winter. I'm ready for spring.
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!potatoes!
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