Weather!

[geckzilla]

"Awful Arthur takes aim at Cape Hatteras"

They figured out how to alliterate Awful Arthur but did they know he's also an Abstruse Allusion Artificer?

[neufer]

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

"Awful Arthur takes aim at Cape Hatteras"

They figured out how to alliterate Awful Arthur but did they know he's also an Abstruse Allusion Artificer?

I'm saving my strength for Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

<<In anticipation of Arthur's arrival, Nova Scotia Power prepared and collected resources in case of power outages and other impacts in the region. Numerous weekend events were called off throughout the Canadian Maritimes, including the Stan Rogers Folk Festival.>>

Awful Arthur

[neufer]

I'm saving my strength for Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Storm Arthur: Nova Scotians face hours without power
CBC News Posted: Jul 05, 2014

<<Environment Canada says Arthur landed in the Meteghan area of southwest Nova Scotia at about 7:30 a.m. AT Saturday. Maximum sustained winds reached 110 km/h, with wind gusts of 116 km/h in the Halifax area. It could take several hours for power to be restored to thousands of Nova Scotians as post-tropical storm Arthur sweeps through Nova Scotia.

It’s a storm Vanessa Slaunwhite on the South Shore won’t forget for a long time: “I went out for a cigarette and I thought a tree was going to fall on my head,” she said. “Kind of scary. I was inside of the bakery. Windows were rattling, fans coming flying out of windows. We were almost getting smashed in the face inside a bakery.” Her sister Amanda has a different recollection. “I slept right through it,” she said with a laugh.

The storm didn't stop Margaret McAloon from heading to the Dartmouth farmers' market: "We're going to go to other shops and go to the mall to do some errands and just do our typical Saturday morning manoeuvres.">>

Awful Arthur

[geckzilla]

Doesn't look like they'll be retiring the name this year.

[neufer]

Doesn't look like they'll be retiring the name this year.

Here I am retired at 911 Allison St.
and even Tropical Storm Allison gets more respect

Retired Atlantic "A" Names:

• -------------------------------------
  Hurricane Audrey
  
  Formed June 25, 1957
  Dissipated June 29, 1957
  
  Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 145 mph (230 km/h)
  Lowest pressure 945 mbar (hPa)
  
  Fatalities At least 416
  ---------------------------------------------------
  Hurricane Allen
  
  Formed July 31, 1980
  Dissipated August 11, 1980
  
  Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 190 mph (305 km/h)
  Lowest pressure 899 mbar (hPa)
  
  Fatalities 269 total
  ---------------------------------------------------
  Hurricane Agnes
  
  Formed June 14, 1972
  Dissipated June 23, 1972
  
  Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 85 mph (140 km/h)
  Lowest pressure 977 mbar (hPa)
  
  Fatalities 128 direct
  ---------------------------------------------------
  Hurricane Andrew
  
  Formed August 16, 1992
  Dissipated August 28, 1992
  
  Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 175 mph (280 km/h)
  Lowest pressure 922 mbar (hPa); 27.23 in Hg
  
  Fatalities 26 direct, 39 indirect
  ---------------------------------------------------
  Tropical Storm Allison
  
  Formed June 4, 2001
  Dissipated June 18, 2001
  
  Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 60 mph (95 km/h)
  Lowest pressure 1000 mbar (hPa)
  
  Fatalities 41 direct, 14 indirect
  ---------------------------------------------------
  Hurricane Alicia
  
  Formed August 15, 1983
  Dissipated August 20, 1983
  
  Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 115 mph (185 km/h)
  Lowest pressure 963 mbar (hPa)
  
  Fatalities 21 direct
  ---------------------------------------------------
  Hurricane Anita
  
  Formed August 29, 1977
  Dissipated September 4, 1977
  
  Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 175 mph (280 km/h)
  Lowest pressure 926 mbar (hPa)
  
  Fatalities 11 direct
  ---------------------------------------------------

[Chris Peterson]

Very dry here, just a tenth of an inch or so of moisture all June, and not much on the immediate horizon. Hope the monsoon arrives soon. Still we did have a bit of rain move through when we were walking the dogs yesterday. I was taking a picture of a rainbow when one of our horses came over the ridge. So what we have here is every 10-year-old girl's dream (as well as some very peculiar middle-aged men, I understand)... a rainbow pony.

[geckzilla]

Ah geez, you just made me realize I posted my dumb cloud pictures in the wrong thread. I'll be scooting them over here, now...

I had a small collection of My Little Ponies and enjoyed watching the cartoon as a kid. Thinking back on it I'm not even sure why I liked them. They were just nice to look at, except for the one I gave the haircut to. Oh yeah, some of them smelled like pastries.

[Ann]

Chris wrote:
So what we have here is every 10-year-old girl's dream (as well as some very peculiar middle-aged men, I understand)... a rainbow pony.

Rainbow pony man.

Ann

[rstevenson]

I'm saving my strength for Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

...
The storm didn't stop Margaret McAloon from heading to the Dartmouth farmers' market: "We're going to go to other shops and go to the mall to do some errands and just do our typical Saturday morning manoeuvres.">>

Awful Arthur

The storm left many in the province without power, but here in Dartmouth it was basically just a windy day. There were a few trees that couldn't stand the strain, mainly ones the city had ruined by running sidewalks over their roots years ago, but other than that, not much happened here. The Annapolis Valley took the brunt of the storm, along with southern New Brunswick.

Rob

[neufer]

Iridescent Clouds over Thamserku
Explanation: Why would a cloud appear to be different colors? A relatively rare phenomenon known as iridescent clouds can show unusual colors vividly or a whole spectrum of colors simultaneously. These clouds are formed of small water droplets of nearly uniform size. When the Sun is in the right position and mostly hidden by thick clouds, these thinner clouds significantly diffract sunlight in a nearly coherent manner, with different colors being deflected by different amounts. Therefore, different colors will come to the observer from slightly different directions. Many clouds start with uniform regions that could show iridescence but quickly become too thick, too mixed, or too far from the Sun to exhibit striking colors. The above iridescent cloud was photographed in 2009 from the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal, behind the 6,600-meter peak named Thamserku.

• Super Typhoon Neoguri Lashing Okinawa, Headed for Japan
  By: Dr. Jeff Masters , 4:01 PM GMT on July 07, 2014

[b][color=#0000FF][size=150]The Great Wave off Kanagawa[/size][/color][/b]

---

Voyager 1 Hears Sun Echoes Far Away, In Interstellar Space
by Elizabeth Howell on July 8, 2014

<<“Normally, interstellar space is like a quiet lake,” stated Voyager project scientist Ed Stone of the California Institute of Technology. “But when our sun has a burst, it sends a shock wave outward that reaches Voyager about a year later. The tsunami wave rings the plasma like a bell.” “While the plasma wave instrument lets us measure the frequency of this ringing, the cosmic ray instrument reveals what struck the bell — the shock wave from the Sun.”>>

More at: http://www.universetoday.com/113054/voy ... ore-113054

[BMAONE23]

Iridescent Clouds over Thamserku
Explanation: Why would a cloud appear to be different colors? A relatively rare phenomenon known as iridescent clouds can show unusual colors vividly or a whole spectrum of colors simultaneously. These clouds are formed of small water droplets of nearly uniform size. When the Sun is in the right position and mostly hidden by thick clouds, these thinner clouds significantly diffract sunlight in a nearly coherent manner, with different colors being deflected by different amounts. Therefore, different colors will come to the observer from slightly different directions. Many clouds start with uniform regions that could show iridescence but quickly become too thick, too mixed, or too far from the Sun to exhibit striking colors. The above iridescent cloud was photographed in 2009 from the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal, behind the 6,600-meter peak named Thamserku.

• Super Typhoon Neoguri Lashing Okinawa, Headed for Japan
  By: Dr. Jeff Masters , 4:01 PM GMT on July 07, 2014

[b][color=#0000FF][size=150]The Great Wave off Kanagawa[/size][/color][/b]

---

Voyager 1 Hears Sun Echoes Far Away, In Interstellar Space
by Elizabeth Howell on July 8, 2014

<<“Normally, interstellar space is like a quiet lake,” stated Voyager project scientist Ed Stone of the California Institute of Technology. “But when our sun has a burst, it sends a shock wave outward that reaches Voyager about a year later. The tsunami wave rings the plasma like a bell.” “While the plasma wave instrument lets us measure the frequency of this ringing, the cosmic ray instrument reveals what struck the bell — the shock wave from the Sun.”>>

More at: http://www.universetoday.com/113054/voy ... ore-113054

Current info regarding Typhoon Neoguri
sustained wind speed 70KT with gusts to 100KT
Moving North at 12KT

What would be currently considered a Category 1 hurricane

Imaged from the ISS
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/astro ... ri-n150706

[neufer]

Current info regarding Typhoon Neoguri
sustained wind speed 70KT with gusts to 100KT
Moving North at 12KT

What would be currently considered a Category 1 hurricane

Category 1 hurricane/typhoon:

• 1-minute sustained winds : 64–82 knots (74–94 mph)
  10-minute sustained winds : 56–72 knots (64–83 mph)

• Typhoon Neoguri

Code: Select all

Date 	   Time 	  Lat 	Lon 	Wind (mph) 	Storm Type

Jul 03 	00 GMT 	 8.9 	146.8 	 30 	Tropical Depression
Jul 03 	12 GMT 	10.8 	143.9 	 35 	Tropical Depression
Jul 03 	18 GMT 	11.5 	143.3 	 40 	Tropical Storm
Jul 04 	12 GMT 	13.7 	140.4 	 70 	Tropical Storm
Jul 04 	18 GMT 	14.6 	139.1 	 75 	Typhoon
Jul 05 	06 GMT 	16.0 	137.0 	135 	Typhoon
Jul 05 	18 GMT 	17.4 	134.5 	140 	Typhoon
Jul 06 	18 GMT 	19.7 	129.1 	150 	Super Typhoon
Jul 07 	00 GMT 	20.4 	128.2 	155 	Super Typhoon
Jul 07 	06 GMT 	21.6 	127.3 	155 	Super Typhoon
Jul 07 	12 GMT 	22.5 	126.8 	150 	Super Typhoon
Jul 07 	18 GMT 	23.7 	126.2 	125 	Typhoon
Jul 08 	00 GMT 	25.0 	126.0 	125 	Typhoon
Jul 08 	06 GMT 	26.5 	125.8 	125 	Typhoon
Jul 08 	12 GMT 	27.8 	125.7 	120 	Typhoon

[BMAONE23]

Thanks Art.
Unfortunately mine was a Typo that Autocorrect couldn't correct. "What" would be currently considered a Category 1 Hurricane should have been "That" would be currently considered a Category 1 Hurricane. More of a statement rather than a Question.

Looks like it touched Category 4 status before loosing a little steam


Do you know when the term "Super Typhoon" was coined?

[neufer]

Do you know when the term "Super Typhoon" was coined?

<<From 2009 the Hong Kong Observatory started to further divide typhoons into three different classifications: typhoon, severe typhoon and super typhoon. A typhoon has wind speed of 64-79 knots (73-119 mph; 118-149 km/h), a severe typhoon has winds of at least 80 knots (92 mph; 150 km/h), and a super typhoon has winds of at least 100 knots (120 mph; 190 km/h). The United States' Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) unofficially classifies typhoons with wind speeds of at least 130 knots (67 m/s; 150 mph; 241 km/h)—the equivalent of a strong Category 4 storm in the Saffir-Simpson scale—as super typhoons. However, the maximum sustained wind speed measurements that the JTWC uses are based on a 1-minute averaging period, akin to the U.S.' National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center. As a result, the JTWC's wind reports are higher than JMA's measurements, as the latter are based on a 10-minute averaging interval.>>

Typhoon Neoguri is a JTWC Cat.2 but a JMA Cat.1.

[neufer]

[b][color=#0000FF]Strongest UV Rays Measured in South America[/color][/b]

---

Strongest UV Rays Measured in South America
By Becky Oskin, Live Science Senior Writer
July 08, 2014 02:45pm ET

<<A "perfect storm" of ozone-destroying chemicals sent cancer-causing UV-B radiation soaring at the top of a South American volcano in 2003, a new study reports. On Dec. 29, 2003, a world-record UV index of 43.3 was detected at Bolivia's Licancabur volcano. A radiation detector left on the 19,423-foot-tall (5,920 meters) peak picked up the extreme spike in UV-B radiation during the Southern Hemisphere summer. A UV index of 43 is more similar to surface radiation on Mars than typical conditions on Earth, and the reading is well above the mid-20s routinely measured in the high Andes, said lead study author Nathalie Cabrol, a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.>>

More at: http://www.livescience.com/46701-andes- ... sured.html

[b][color=#0000FF]Volcano Licancabur[/color][/b]

---

<<The high-altitude, volcanic, arid terrain at the border of Bolivia and Chile has been described as the best Earth-based analog for conditions on Mars billions of years ago a time when scientists think it's possible that the surface of Mars harbored icy lakes and rivers. A team of scientists led by Nathalie Cabrol of NASA Ames Research Center believes the similarities are so compelling that in late October 2003, they arrived at the Licancabur Volcano to explore what life is able to exist in such an extreme environment as well as to test diving and other high-tech equipment like bodysuits that one day might be used to monitor the physiology (breathing rates, heartbeat, etc) of Mars explorers.

Among the most interesting sites are the lakes the one in the caldera of the volcano itself and the one at the base of the volcano. Pictured here in this false-color image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on the Terra satellite, the latter lake stands out in sapphire blue to the northeast of Licancabur (the solid charcoal peak). The microscopic plant life that survives in this lake is under increasing pressure as the lake, adjacent to the Atacama Desert (to the west), slowly dries up. The former extent of the lake bed now appears in a white ring around the lake. Former river courses, long since dried up, trace pale furrows across the rocky terrain.

Preliminary field work conducted in 2002 suggests the microscopic plants are becoming increasingly deformed as a result of increasing exposure to ultraviolet radiation as the lake levels drop. Whether these changes signal the beginning of these organisms’ extinction or whether the organisms are evolving adaptive responses to the extreme environment is not yet clear. The organisms found here might help scientists determine the point at which extreme becomes too extreme for life; their fate may reveal clues about what could have happened to any life that might once have been present on Mars.>>

[BMAONE23]

This could also be related
magnetic-field-weakens

Earth's magnetic field, which protects the planet from huge blasts of deadly solar radiation, has been weakening over the past six months, according to data collected by a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite array called Swarm.

The biggest weak spots in the magnetic field — which extends 370,000 miles (600,000 kilometers) above the planet's surface — have sprung up over the Western Hemisphere, while the field has strengthened over areas like the southern Indian Ocean, according to the magnetometers onboard the Swarm satellites — three separate satellites floating in tandem.

The scientists who conducted the study are still unsure why the magnetic field is weakening, but one likely reason is that Earth's magnetic poles are getting ready to flip, said Rune Floberghagen, the ESA's Swarm mission manager. In fact, the data suggest magnetic north is moving toward Siberia.



"Such a flip is not instantaneous, but would take many hundred if not a few thousand years," Floberghagen told Live Science. "They have happened many times in the past."[50 Amazing Facts About Planet Earth]

Scientists already know that magnetic north shifts. Once every few hundred thousand years the magnetic poles flip so that a compass would point south instead of north. While changes in magnetic field strength are part of this normal flipping cycle, data from Swarm have shown the field is starting to weaken faster than in the past. Previously, researchers estimated the field was weakening about 5 percent per century, but the new data revealed the field is actually weakening at 5 percent per decade, or 10 times faster than thought. As such, rather than the full flip occurring in about 2,000 years, as was predicted, the new data suggest it could happen sooner.

Can the degredation of the Magnetosphere also lead to a greater influx of UV Radiation?

[neufer]

<<The scientists who conducted the study are still unsure why the magnetic field is weakening, but one likely reason is that Earth's magnetic poles are getting ready to flip, said Rune Floberghagen, the ESA's Swarm mission manager. In fact, the data suggest magnetic north is moving toward Siberia. "Such a flip is not instantaneous, but would take many hundred if not a few thousand years," Floberghagen told Live Science. "They have happened many times in the past." While changes in magnetic field strength are part of this normal flipping cycle, data from Swarm have shown the field is starting to weaken faster than in the past. Previously, researchers estimated the field was weakening about 5 percent per century, but the new data revealed the field is actually weakening at 5 percent per decade, or 10 times faster than thought. As such, rather than the full flip occurring in about 2,000 years, as was predicted, the new data suggest it could happen sooner.>>

Can the degradation of the Magnetosphere also lead to a greater influx of UV Radiation?

I doubt it (but, then, I'm no Rune Floberghagen).

[Chris Peterson]

Can the degredation of the Magnetosphere also lead to a greater influx of UV Radiation?

Unlikely. A reduced magnetic field allows more charged particles to reach the ground. But it should have no impact on photons. Of course, it's possible that there could be subtle secondary effects, such as charged particles splitting ozone or seeding clouds, but at best these would probably be slight.

[BMAONE23]

Thanks Art & Chris.
I couldn't find anything that indicated it so I thought I would ask.

[owlice]

Sharp increase in winds here, and now thundering; had seen lightning to the west when I was out looking at the hot, dry sky. Severe storms are forecast, and heavy rain just started.

At least this time when the winds started, I remembered the patio umbrella was up; no searching the neighborhood for it tomorrow for me!

[mjimih]

BRRRRR Revenge of the Polar Vortex What a refreshing break from the heat tho'.

http://www.startribune.com/weather/blog ... ather.html
July Wind Chill: Coolest July 14 on Record for MSP

Yes, we got our weather boasting rights back. There are a few Minnesota townships where I could be jailed for mumbling 'wind chill' under my breath in mid-July. That's why I'm in my weather bunker, wondering out loud when, exactly, our weather went off the rails.

The terminology we've been using is all wrong. Global warming suggests everyone warms up, simultaneously. Climate change? Our climate has always changed, although this time we're the ones stepping on the accelerator.

Climate volatility is a better descriptor. From a record warm 2012 to last winter's Polar Vortex. From "flash drought" last summer to June, 2014, the wettest month in Minnesota history. That's what we're seeing in the data and on the maps.

Exhibit A: today, perfectly average for early October. A few instability showers pop up this afternoon; highs stuck in the low to mid 60s - probably the coolest July 14 on record for MSP. Meanwhile highs will soar to 90F near the Arctic Circle, topping 100F over British Columbia.

Extremes right out of some fictional, hard-to-believe Hollywood blockbuster.

[BDanielMayfield]

BRRRRR Revenge of the Polar Vortex What a refreshing break ...

Enjoy it while it lasts. In my part of Texas today it was 105, as they say, "in the shade", if you can find it.

[owlice]

We had some rain yesterday; numbers in bold are inches of rain, mostly in just a few hours' time:

...ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY...
1 WNW GREEN HAVEN 10.32 648 PM 8/12 TRAINED SPOTTER
PASADENA 7.55 700 PM 8/12 NWS EMPLOYEE
1 SE PASADENA 7.42 700 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
1 E CHURCHTON 6.56 600 PM 8/12 COCORAHS
1 N BALT-WASH INTL A 6.30 800 AM 8/13 ASOS
3 NW PASADENA 6.25 627 PM 8/12 PUBLIC
1 SE ANNAPOLIS 4.55 700 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
2 SSW SEVERN 4.18 617 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
1 NNW EASTPORT 3.50 800 AM 8/13 ASOS
4 W ANNAPOLIS 3.38 600 AM 8/13 COCORAHS

...BALTIMORE COUNTY...
1 WSW DUNDALK 8.75 645 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
2 WSW DUNDALK 8.50 600 PM 8/12 TRAINED SPOTTER
1 NNE PUMPHREY 7.41 504 PM 8/12 TRAINED SPOTTER
CYLBURN 3.22 800 AM 8/13 CO-OP OBSERVER


...BALTIMORE CITY...
1 SSE DOWNTOWN BALTI 5.42 800 AM 8/13 ASOS
2 W CARROLL 3.98 531 PM 8/12 TRAINED SPOTTER

...HOWARD COUNTY...
2 NE HANOVER 5.25 700 AM 8/13 IFLOWS
2 NNW JESSUP 5.03 600 PM 8/12 COCORAHS
SAVAGE 4.61 800 AM 8/13 IFLOWS
1 N SAVAGE 4.44 730 PM 8/12 TRAINED SPOTTER
2 NW COLUMBIA 3.98 637 PM 8/12
1 W SIMPSONVILLE 3.60 700 AM 8/13 IFLOWS
2 W COLUMBIA 3.58 500 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
2 N COLUMBIA 3.53 700 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
2 N COLUMBIA 3.49 739 PM 8/12 TRAINED SPOTTER
1 W OELLA 3.04 700 AM 8/13 IFLOWS

...MONTGOMERY COUNTY...
6 NW SILVER SPRING 4.80 500 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
2 N GARRETT PARK 4.79 600 PM 8/12 COCORAHS
2 NNE WHEATON-GLENMO 4.71 500 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
1 NNW DALECARLIA RES 4.66 623 PM 8/12 TRAINED SPOTTER
5 NNW SILVER SPRING 4.44 700 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
1 N SILVER SPRING 4.41 700 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
1 ESE NORBECK 4.00 700 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
2 W COLESVILLE 3.86 700 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
1 ENE OLNEY 3.12 645 AM 8/13 COCORAHS
1 NNW TAKOMA PARK 3.07 700 AM 8/13 COCORAHS

...PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY...
4 NNW DUNKIRK 5.53 800 AM 8/13 NERRS GAUGE
1 SSE UPPER MARLBORO 5.44 800 AM 8/13 IFLOWS
1 ENE UPPER MARLBORO 4.88 800 AM 8/13 IFLOWS
2 NW UPPER MARLBORO 4.42 800 AM 8/13 IFLOWS
2 NW UPPER MARLBORO 4.42 700 AM 8/13 IFLOWS
3 SE MARLTON 4.39 530 PM 8/12 TRAINED SPOTTER
1 SW OXON HILL 3.99 543 PM 8/12 CO-OP OBSERVER
1 SE OXON HILL 3.86 600 AM 8/13 CO-OP OBSERVER
1 E MORNINGSIDE 3.70 800 AM 8/13 AWOS
3 ENE KETTERING 3.52 700 AM 8/13 IFLOWS
2 NE BELTSVILLE 3.24 700 AM 8/13 IFLOWS

Source: http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php ... hlight=off

I had to take a different way home last night:

[orin stepanek]

The weather has really been HO-Hum out here; really kind of cool for summer except for a couple of weeks in July when it got so terribly hot!

[rstevenson]

The hurry cane slid by well off shore, with only a few spots of rain for us, but it pushed up some waves for the surfers. And as it went by, a cold front moved in from the north-west, giving us spectacular spume and spindrift (a couple of terms for you landlubbers to look up.)

That's the hill at the west end of Lawrencetown Beach. Just on the other side of the trees sits the MacDonald House, home to the Heron's Nest Tea Room, with a spectacular view of yet another beach. They serve excellent clam chowder, as well as fresh home-made biscuits served warm with butter and jam. And I don't even get a discount for saying that!

Rob