There are 211 posts filed in Weather (this is page 12 of 22).
This upcoming weekend could be an interesting if tropical storm Bill tracks the way it is now. Of course, there’s lots of ocean to cross and plenty of time between now and then but keep an eye out (no pun intended).
I was just wondering when our tropical storm season might heat up and it looks like that time is now.
Update Aug 17 9:30 PM: Looks like Hurricane Bill will veer away from the mainland.
We had a wonderful time in Boone the past few days. The weather was great, especially knowing how hot it’s been in Raleigh.
Grandfather Mountain was a fun diversion Monday. I was a little worried the kids would not handle the (0.4 mile) hike up the mountain but they did very well. We even tiptoed across the bridge and rocks to the other end for some photographs. The kids didn’t flinch a moment.
We stopped by a Boone burger joint for dinner before heading back home. On the way back up our mountain I got carsick and took a nap upon returning, which seemed to help me feel better.
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We’re spending a long weekend in Boone, which is nice. It’s good to get away from the near-100 degree heat in Raleigh today. Our weather is cool and breezy, with a high of 84.
We’re in a house up the hill from the Boone Mall. Not only is there no Internet access, but there’s no cellphone signal nor telephone in the house. I’m in the Boone Mall’s Panera now typing this before I head over to the grocery store.
I forget how quiet it is in the mountains. Quite peaceful and very relaxing. Wish I had a phone connection at the very least, though!
We’ve not no specific plans here other than to have fun. Maybe we’ll get out on a hike later today, as getting deeper into the woods really appeals to me.
Check in with you later.
I noticed that Seattle had its hottest day ever on Wednesday, recording 103 degrees. Seems the heat that normally bakes the other end of the continental U.S. is being kept at bay by a upper-level trough. Fairbanks, Alaska, had more 90-plus readings in June and July (one) than New York City (zero). Whoa.
I’m reminded that exactly two years ago, we were in the San Juan Islands, happily enjoying low-70-degree days while Raleigh baked in 100+ temperatures. Now the shoe is on the other foot!
I guess it’s the time of year when late-night summer thunderstorms drift slowly overhead. The skies were looking pretty calm until about 8 PM, when lightning chased us from the kids’ swim meet at Lake Johnson Pool. It rained a modest bit at home but was largely quiet when we went to bed.
I awoke at 1:30 AM to thunder and lightning. The dog was freaking out and doing all he could to squeeze himself under the bedroom door so he could join us. The storms lingered for a while, with popping lightning and earth-shaking thunder. Then about 20 minutes later it would move on and all would be quiet. We got another batch of storms a few hours later with the same activity: slow-moving, lightning-spewing clouds.
Kelly and I awoke today feeling like we never really went to sleep. I don’t think it’ll be a late night for us tonight!
Kelly and I were amused at our dog Rocket’s attempt to hide himself in our closet at bedtime last night. He’s usually banished to the den so that we aren’t kept awake by his snoring. Occasionally, he’ll park himself outside our door when he wants company but his sneaking into our closet was quite unusual. Four hours later, at 2:30 AM, thunder first rumbled outside. Like most dogs, Rocket is terrified of thunder.
Today I’m left wondering: did our dog somehow know about the thunderstorm long before it arrived? If so, how? Was it the drop in air pressure? If air pressure is the answer, why doesn’t he react similarly when fronts move through that don’t cause thunderstorms?
In other news, I’m thinking of selling my weather radio. 🙂
I noticed Friday that we had the first week in a long while in which it didn’t rain. Our spring and early summer has seemingly had rain every 4-7 days but last week was dry. I was missing that smug feeling I expected to have with a large rain barrel (“Lake Turner”) of rainwater that I haven’t tapped since September and another 40 gallons in a separate container. We’ve also been adding the water we run through the pipes before our shower gets hot and also water we collect from the air conditioning condensation, so there’s been no shortage of water.
Now that we’re into the second half of summer we’ll see if this water becomes necessary. I’m going to hook the rain barrel up to a timer again so that my tomato plants get regular water, but I don’t expect my plants to put a big dent in the supply.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, and happy Summer Solstice for everyone!
It’s pretty dang hot today, with high humidity and temperatures that could top 100 degrees.
Makes me wish I had that drought flag to fly.
We had a particularly large thunderstorm move through Raleigh this evening. I watched it on the radar as it approached from Cary and turned my ham radio on to the Skywarn net as we got ready for dinner. As we were finishing dinner, the skies grew darker and the kids got more excited.
I suggested to Kelly that we move the family to our safe room. Even if nothing happened it would be good practice, as we’ve never done this in our new home here. So with that, the kids began to gather pillows and blankets and put them in our utility room.
A minute or two afterward, I heard a report on the radio of rotating clouds above the NCSU belltower not far away. I suggested Kelly go to the utility room and told her I would join her when things looked safe. I then went to the back porch, which has the best view of the sky.
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