WEATHER REPORT

[Zlatko Waterman]

Yesterday was the warmest January Eighth in my memory of Southern California where I have lived now for more than thirty years. As most of you know, people in Los Angeles enjoy warm winter weather. Nothing new about that.

But yesterday the Santa Ana winds blasted at 50-60 miles per hour at times and the temperature was a dusty-abrasive near-80F. There's so much static electricity in the air here you can't make a piece of toast without a lightning bolt jumping from the bread when you pick up your slice.

At the end of the first week in January-- Jackson's famous day-- the 8th.

Last night my wife and I took our nightly walk and I wore a t-shirt as opposed to a sweater. Two weeks ago it was in the low fifties and high forties.

It was perfectly still when we walked at seven, very summery; the Santa Anas kicked up again about nine. But it was still about 70 degrees-- a summer night with clear skies and bright stars.

There have been dramatic shifts-- cold to hot to cold-- throughout the winter so far, and even last spring.

The old cliche about Southern California, that its seasons are fire, flood, wind and earthquake, just doesn't hold up any more, unless you count all those things happening in one day.


--Z

[stilltrucking]

Central Park in NYC is home to birds that would normally be down south by now. Some of those birds are staying all year now. But I think El Nino has something to do with it too. Maybe

The results of this year’s tally indicate that Central Park is presently home to several birds that are either uncommon or rare for this time of year, including one Rusty Blackbird, one Tundra Swan, one Palm Warbler, two Great Blue Herons, and a Kingfisher.


http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_newsroom ... p?id=20008

The next time you look to the sky over Jamaica Bay, you may notice a string of long-necked birds flying in a peculiar formation—a perfectly straight line. If you listen carefully, you might hear a cry that sounds like grrrrrr. It’s the glossy ibis, a striking bird with a long, curved beak and a three-foot, shiny, bottle-green wingspan.
Five hundred years ago, local Indians would never have seen one of these birds. They’re a southern species, normally more at home in the everglades of Florida or the Georgian marshes. But the city’s already so much warmer that the Audubon chapter in New York has found that 300 mating pairs are now nesting in Jamaica Bay. “It’s a really amazing sight,” says E. J. McAdams, the group’s former executive director. “They’re really beautiful.”
Enjoy them while you can—because as the climate warms, the sea level off New York is predicted to rise by half a foot in the next fifteen years, swamping the ibis’s new habitat in Jamaica Bay.
The weather giveth, and the weather taketh away.

http://nymag.com/news/features/24364/index4.html

Remember the old saying about someone who was such a good salesman he could sell ice to an Eskimo?

[abcrystcats]

Well, while you were experiencing those fierce Santa Anas, we were digging ourselves out of about 3 feet of snow.

The day of the first "blizzard" ( blizzard by modern news-weather standards) was scary. It dumped down on us so rapidly that we barely had time to make decisions. In the end, something animal in my nature told me just get the hell out of there.

I woke to about a foot-covering of snow. By the time I got out of the shower, there was enough to bury a cat in. Still wasn't enough to worry about, so I hopped in my car and drove to work. It was like driving in wallpaper paste. I was slipping everywhere. The snow was so thick it was affecting my visibility.

After about three hours at work and hearing things from earlier-arriving coworkers like, "My car is buried! I can't get it out!" And looking out the window at the continued heavy dumping -- I decided to SCRAM.

Good move.

One more hour and I never would have made it home.

As it was, it took me TWO HOURS in bumper to bumper traffic moving about a half car length every minute to get home. Sitting in traffic, my windows developed about an inch thick covering in snow and I could no longer change lanes because I could not see to make the choice.

The last mile and a half down Littleton Blvd was BAD. I learned later that it was snowing that heavily in many places around 2:45 -- 3:15. I could not SEE anything except landmarks as I passed them. I thought my windows were fogged up. They weren't. It was the SNOW doing that!

The last time I tried to use my brakes, nothing happened. I didn't even slow down. So, heh, I just went with it and turned right .... I slid into my driveway and let the concrete bumper stop me.

The next day, my car was completely buried. The road was buried. You couldn't see it. It was just one large plain of snow with a drift in front of the house.

Second blizzard I just stayed inside and didn't budge. I cleaned house and watched it fall.

The ice storm thing didn't do much to us. We had a little pleasant snowfall here and that was the end of the story.

I am waiting to see what happens next.

[Traveller13]

wow that sounds incredible! I can only imagine what it's like because I've never seen so much snow in my life!

We've got a less pleasant event event: mosquitos.
For the first year since I was born we had mosquats in December, and in January. We're going to have them all year round now.
They don't bite at this time of year, but that means we're going to have a hell of a swarm this summer.


And clouds too.
My sister's boyfriend observes clouds a lot.
When he started doing it, it was to do wave-predicting to go bodyboarding. He can't do it anymore but he used to make very good predictions as to the size of the waves, the separation of periods with little ones, etc.
Last night he told me that there are currently types of clouds in the sky that he had never seen before.

[hester_prynne]

Yeah, weather has been really wild. Sittin on top of an ice cube here in the pacific northwest oregon coast. It snowed four inches and has stayed cold as hell for days. I live up top a steep hill on a southwest slope, (I call it the helm...) and really got blasted. I'm so afraid to drive on this stuff I just can't muster up the bravery, or foolhardiness, to do it much. I've been walking my ass off, to work, to town, sometimes I splurge for a cab.
Today i'm venturing out..got a gig at 4 this afternoon with a group called the uniontones. Looking forward to getting out and singing.
Wish you all could come.

Be safe out there in this angry, sarcastic weather. Seems to me we've made Mother Nature very angry. I don't blame her.
I keep thinking to her that i'm sorry.
I loathe that i can't do more to make it up to her.
H

[Doreen Peri]

hest... where's your avatar? can i fix it for you? i don't remember which one you were using. Let me know if I can help.

[abcrystcats]

heard tonight that it snowed, for the first time in 13 years (I remember THAT!) in Southern California.

Is it true?

Zlatko, tell us.

[Zlatko Waterman]

Dear Cat:

It may have snowed in SC but not where I live. The temperature has been consistently around freezing for a week here. This morning at six it was 35 degrees in the garden. I read and hear that the low temperatures have damaged the citrus ( and other) crops.

It DID rain just a few drops yesterday and the day before, so the foothills may have received a little snow.

I remember one afternoon when I stood on the porch of the Ventura College Learning Center in my "Alaska" coat ( the temperature was about thirty above) and watched snowflakes fall on the library.

But that was at least twenty years ago.



Best Wishes to you, Cat,

--Z (N)

[abcrystcats]

No .... I think 13 years ago. There was a snow in the early 90s.

SC means Santa Cruz? Or Santa Clara? Or what? I will find out from my brother in TO, lol.

Yes, I have heard the citrus crops were damaged. That has happened before, but it really freaked me out whem I read that 41 were dead from wind storms in Europe. That's WEIRD.

Am I overreacting?

It just seems like odd weather everywhere, lately.

Your "Alaska" coat?? Lol, it has gotten -3 here. NO windchill factor thank God or we'd DIE!!!

[Doreen Peri]

I was getting spoiled with the spring-like temps around here. But now, today, winter is definitely here. It's snowing. Ugh. I hate snow. Put the fireplace banner up to get myself warm.