Weather

There are 211 posts filed in Weather (this is page 15 of 22).

Fresh ‘maters for Thanksgiving?

I’ve been mourning the impending cold-weather death of my beloved tomato plants but reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated. They made it through the first round of near-freezing weather a bit tattered but still standing.

I just enjoyed a few freshly-picked tomatoes for lunch. And I’m wearing shorts in the office today, too. Did someone say it is November?

Warm fall days

Its sunny and clear with a temperature of 85 degrees. Its a perfect spring day here in North Carolina. Slightly warmer than usual, but fine. Its perfect weather for the North Carolina State Fair, which kicks off this weekend. It should get off to a nasty start, though, with temperatures plunging Friday and rain predicted. Sunday should be nice, though.

Whoa

I walked out of the house wearing shorts and all ready to take Hallie to school. After 10 seconds outside I realized what a dumb idea this was and returned to get some jeans.

Fall is definitely here, folks, brought to you by 30 MPH gusts.

Changing seasons

Yesterday’s cold front brought steady rain, cooler temperatures, and a reminder that fall is right around the corner. On yesterday’s bike ride home I found myself chasing the warm bus exhaust I usually avoid. I’m also shivering at my desk as the building AC cools the office down to 71 degrees.

I’ve still got 300+ gallons of rainwater, too, letting the recent rain go without collection. Its hard to feel superior about collecting rainwater when Falls Lake is four feet above normal, the drought is officially over, and the city has relaxed watering schedules. Kelly says the car is getting quite muddy during her business trip to the coast so we can use the water for washing cars!

On a similar note, I popped a bucket underneath our air conditioning’s condensation drain pipe Saturday afternoon and a day later it was full of 5 gallons of crystal-clear water! I toyed with the idea putting a faucet on that pipe before realizing what a dumb idea it is! But I’d like to make use of the water somehow. Maybe I’ll attach a soaker hose to it and use it in my garden. The water trickles out at the perfect rate for watering our tomato plants!

Greg Hatem wide open

I had to come to work this morning to work on the company network. As I walked out of the building to grab some coffee I saw downtown developer Greg Hatem walking south down Fayetteville Street, soaked to the bone. He was wearing his typical white collared shirt and black shorts with sandals, only now his shirt was wind-whipped and completely soaked through.

The remnants of Raleigh Wide Open are scattered around downtown. Vendor tents lie upturned on the sidewalk, partially shredded by the wind. The gusting wind is occasionally punctuated by the metallic bang of another tent pole crashing into the street. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to keep the celebration going after all (though I’m sure the musical acts would’ve been tough to re-book). Its a shame the weather hasn’t cooperated.

Hanna blows in and out again

Tropical storm Hanna came ashore early this morning and has now reached the Raleigh area. It looks like the eye (such as it is) is just to the east of us. There’s a 15 MPH wind and some occasional gusts of around 25 to 30 MPH but not much more. I’m warily eyeing the handful of tall pine trees in the yard of the neighbor across the street, each of which is swaying 30 degrees in opposite directions. They look the most vulnerable of the trees I can see from the house.

We’ve got a flash flood warning here, and a couple of inches of rain have fallen. Our “river” in the back yard has a bit of a small lake at the end, but nothing too serious. I’m also pleased the gutter guards are doing their job. Its also good news that Hurricane Ike is heading farther west and into the Gulf, though I wouldn’t want to meet that storm in a dark alley.

I’ve got to set up my home weather station again sometime soon.