Time for a rain dance?

Brrrrr, it is only 53 here this morning and the wind is starting to pick up. The big blow is supposed to hit later this morning.

On the bright side, perhaps the mosquitos will be blown away.

Sorry you didn't get much rain Stono. What ever happened to those lovely showers that we used to get almost every afternoon around four?

It's cold here too! had to break out my electric blanket!

X

Gusts up to 26mph here today. Why is it only windy when it's cold?

At least it looks like we'll be back in the mid-80's by the week's end. Maybe some more rain by Wed.

Wind is caused by air flowing from high pressure to low pressure.

METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY

Air is set in motion by the Pressure Gradient Force (PGF). This, as you well know, is a flow from high pressure to low pressure. In nature, regions of excess move toward regions of deficit. This comes from the second law of thermodynamics that states higher energy states move toward lower energy states. Nature is always trying to balance. The result of trying to balance and equalize pressure results in wind. The pressure gradient force acts on a horizontal plane.

What causes the pressure changes in the atmosphere? The primary reason is through the warming and cooling of air. The pressure exerted by a gas changes as it becomes more dense or less dense. Since a cold air mass is denser and has a lower thickness than warm air, pressure decreases more rapidly with height in cold air than in warm air. When cold dense air is placed next to warm less dense air, wind results by nature trying to balance the pressure differences at each level in the atmosphere between the two air masses. This can occur on all scales of motion. Examples: On the planetary scale, temperature gradients create the polar jet stream; on the synoptic scale it creates jet streaks; on the mesoscale it creates sea breeze circulations and the low level jet; on the microscale it creates lake breezes.

http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/85/

X

LOL, thanks X . I just joke about how it's funny. Naturally we can't get relief from the hot weather from a nice wind. I actually got my degree in Climatology. Looking back, I'm kinda glad I didn't use my major for my profession. Weather folks get it rough.

Keonikale: I'm with you! I can stand cold, rain, or wind - on their own - one at a time. But they always seem to come together! :)

Dry as a bone again. That 4/10" didn't have much of an effect - specially with the wind coming right behind.

That's gardening! (sigh)
Deb

I lucked out again (so far), not much wind here today. A steady breeze but manageable.

let keep our fingers crossed that the hurricane looking thing right off the coast develops more and hits us so that we get the rain! hopefully it wont develop TOO much though...

o yeah tonight here its 30-40 mph winds w/ gusts to 50 and tomorrow til at least tomorrow night 35-45mph w/ gusts to 55. yippee!!! (sarcastic)

Storms with that kind of spin this early in the season worry me. I expect a busy hurricane season (much more like 04-05) this year. Last year El Nino helped keep them at bay, but this year El Nino has weakened, and that concerns me. SC in many regards is overdue for another storm.

Hope you guys on the coast don't get beat up by the winds from this system too bad.

Thankfully I'm not on the coast .. but my greenhouse and shed are tied down with mobile home augers and my bamboo fence is constructed in panels that can be taken down and secured. I bought some of those corkscrew type dog ties for that.

My friend who lives in florida turned me on the something called Plylox window clips, he uses them and says it makes boarding up windows a breeze. I need to sit down and figure out how many I need for all my windows and get plywood cut to size for them as well.

http://www.plylox.com/

X

.....and then there is the issue of storing the plywood. It is code in this county to have the plywood so all the new homes come with it. However, the termite companies won't issue a certificate if you have the plywood under your home. Soooooo, the builders cut the plywood and then haul it away for you after the house is inspected. Dumb and dumber.

Oh me .. looks like we are going to miss out on the rain in the feeder bands of this storm as well ... guess I need to go get my flip flops on and go water everything.

X

Well we are now on water restrictions around here. It has to do with the bridge incident, they need to remove a water line to fix the bridge. No hand watering either and I have some containers that I often water twice a day. Guess I'll be saving the bath water. My rain barrel is in need of a refill.

are you in Beaufort county? we never heard that and our builder took all our left over materials

looks like we may get some of those feeders

I just came in from watering. The whole time it was ominously cloudy, but it would just spit a few rain drops and stop. Disappointed! I had high hopes for that weather system.

Keonikale: Oh no! You said the "H" word. Quick! Throw some salt over your shoulder or knock on wood or something!
You're right that we've been lucky the last few years. We're not due for a "big one" though. They usually only happen every 30 years or so - and I hope that trend continues. :)

Deb

Diehard, yes, I am in Beaufort Conty and around here the builders do you the favor of taking it away for you because it attracts termites under your house.

X's clips look interesting but since we can't reach most of our windows it is a moot point. Hauling ladders around putting plywood up takes too long when we need to be hauling something else up 95 and 26.

LOL Deb, I'll definitely knock on wood to that. I doubt any of us have forgotten Hugo, even now.

The wind up here at times has been fierce. I'm glad I brought my newly acquired Chinese fan palm in, it would have gotten torn to shreds. My poor banana's and Travelers Palm's though. :(

I just came in from watering .. like Deb, got a few sprinkles and continued to water daring it to rain harder and longer .. alas it didn't.

Earlier this afternoon, after looking at the atlantic sat loop, I asked myself, why the heck aren't the weather guys calling this a tropical storm. It quacks like a duck, swims like a duck and has feathers .. but does anyone hear any weather guys saying tropical storm? Must be politics since the water temperature isn't high enough and it isn't the right time of year.

X

It's a cold core system :)

Keonikale: You have a traveler's palm?! I'm so jealous. :) Photo?
My BOP leaves got a bit beaten up today, but not as bad as I'd feared. Oddly, we lost a limb off our peach tree - and it was covered with lil peaches. :(
Deb

Hmmm ...

Still looks like a duck to me, what ever they call it!

X

It seems we were protected from the NW wind by the new McMansion behind us. WOo HOo, there is an upside to having it there.

Yeah all the various storm types can be confusing. Cold core, warm core, tropical, extra-tropical, blah blah blah. I hated having to study for those exams... yeck.

Deb, yeah it's just a baby though - maybe a few years old. I actually have three of them. I'd say 90% of what I grow is not hardy to this area, so I have A LOT to bring in the house in the winter. My DW will probably want to shoot me this year because we've (OK, I) have expanded my collection to include several tropical palms, ginger, and heliconias. I'm a bit crazy for the tropicals. You don't even want to know how much I spent on a 8' Christmas Palm this past weekend (should have it by this Thursday); I'm excited.

This was the Traveler's back when I first got it this February. The sun and wind have beat it up a bit now... I've sunk it in the ground in its pot outside for the summer.

how and where did you get a traveler's palm? i have gotta get one of those. was it a plant or from seed? i want to try one here in a protected area right next to the house and near some pretty tall wax myrtles that should keep it safe in the winter...

A seller on eBay who goes by "tropical_heliconias"

His name is Yamil and he ships from Puerto Rico. I've ordered 3 traveler's palms, a 2' white bird of paradise (as if I needed another), 2 heliconia rhizomes, 1 growing heliconia, and a young double Christmas Palm. He's been excellent and I have thoroughly enjoyed all the plants. The first Traveler's palm he sent me was the largest, but the others have grown very well since arriving too, and weren't much smaller to begin with (maybe half a year younger?).

Wheeeeeeeeeee! Check your rain gauge Deb! Looks like were gonna get some serious rain!!!

X

X was right, this nasty weather now has a name. It's Andrea

Wow, who'd have thunk it. It did turn tropical after all. That's very rare indeed. X, you must be weather psychic. We could use you on the local tv station. LOL

Edit: Ah, actually I see it's turned only subtropical. Basically it's at the end of the hurricane life cycle. Usually they go from being a hurricane to a cold-core subtropical system, and then a cold-core system (usually giving Europe a lot of rain). This one has gone in reverse - still incredibly rare.

This message was edited May 9, 2007 12:34 PM

Quack Quack!

Lol .. well we've been getting some good rain in Summerville off and on. I went out and bought a rain gauge. I ususally tell how much it rains by the buckets I leave outside .. but since the mosquitoes have put in an early appearance, I quit leaving buckets outside.

The kind of rain we are getting is great, its gentle enough to allow the earth to soak it in and not run off. It's an off an on thing .. from the 10 day forecast it looks like it's going to keep doing this for a week.

X

I wish some of those bands would come up here. All we have is clouds.

We had 2/10" this morning in dribs and drabs. At this point I am grateful for anything. This is the kind of (sub) tropical storm I love.

I just got home and checked the guage. Looks like about 1/3". It was pretty light but steady, so that's good. If it would do that more regularly..... :) I hope that forecast is right, X.

While I was out there I got mosquito bit.

Deb

We've got the green cell again. It seems that you can drive from one cloud to the next.
Raining-not-raining-not. Looks like we got enough to wet everything pretty well at our house. Here's me...blowing south again!
Bev

Keep it up please. If you feel unusually stong today perhaps you could blow a bit to GA and FL. They are far worse off than we are.

Thanks, Bev. I thing "sub-tropical storm" Andrea will be providing FL/GA/SC and NC with moisture for a few days from the looks of it.
Deb

And may she remain "sub" tropical!!!
Bev

Here here!!

Quack Quack!! Lol....

My whole garden is sighing in relief.

X