And... Gone. Maybe.

I have been very interested in Hurricane Joaquin for several reasons.

First of all, it is the most powerful (category 4) storm to approach North America in a long time. 

Secondly, it seemed to be heading straight towards me.

5 Day Prediction as of October 2

Predicting hurricanes is tough.  Unlike most weather, which follows (mostly) predictable patterns, hurricanes ride the winds, bouncing off high pressure (dense, dry air) systems and being sucked towards low pressure (less dense, moist air) systems.  And of course those high and low pressure systems keep moving.

There are about a dozen computer models that are used to predict the movement of hurricanes.  All but the European Model were consistently saying that the storm would move west and hit the New Jersey shore.  The European Model showed it moving out to sea.

The European Model has been the most accurate over the past few years, so i waited.  Sure enough, the other models have changed their predictions.  It now looks like Joaquin will be a miss for Connecticut.

As you were.

Herding Cats

While most weather in North America is relatively easy to predict (compared to the stock market or the lottery), hurricanes are like cats.  They do what they want and go where they want.

Hurricane Joaquin now has 115 mph winds and seems to be going more to the east than predicted yesterday.   As of this morning, it is headed right up the Connecticut River Valley, hitting on Tuesday as a tropical storm.  That's winds between 39 and 73 mph.

A storm like that just might close school as it blows down trees and electrical wires.

Be prepared to go without your gadgets on Tuesday.

 

I've Had The Flu - I'll Take The Shot

World War I (1914-1918) killed about 17 million people.

The 1918 flu epidemic killed between 50 and 100 million people.

I just got my flu shot.

I'm Back - And A Wet Weekend

I know that I have not been updating my blog for a while - I've been enjoying my retirement a bit too much and have been away from home more than I have been here.  I will try to do better.

If you haven't looked out your window lately, it is raining - a lot. A warm front brought warm, damp air up from the south, and then some cold, dry air from Canada came to visit us.

As the warm, moist air floats up and over the denser cold, dry air, the warm air cools, the water condenses, and ... rain.

Hurricane Joaquin predicted path as of Wednesday 9/30

As of right now, it looks like it will be damp right through the weekend, with the possibility of Hurricane Joaquin coming to visit.

The computers aren't sure of the exact path, but most models show the hurricane moving west, crossing New Jersey or Pennsylvania and then passing up through New York.  We will miss the worst of the storm, but the weekend could be a wash.  

No snow days predicted...

I finally made it!

For years Iceland was a part of my teaching.  It has plate tectonics, volcanoes, geothermal heat, and is warmed by the Gulf Stream.  My students saw lots of photos of Iceland - but I had never been there.  I've finally made it to Iceland, taking a 3-day layover on a flight from France.  It is just as wonderful as I had thought!

The original Geysir The one that all of the others are named after	Geysir erupting
Reykjavik harbor	Gullfoss
45 degrees F and windy in June	Geothermal energy
Ponies	Steaming land
Reykjavik
Where the 2 plates meet - North America and Eurasia	The famous trail between 2 continents
Mr. Redwing with his mouth full of food for his babies	Greylag goose
Saxifrage	Wild thyme

Went To NYC, Just Because ...

Yesterday R and I went to New York City, just because. Wandered through my old haunts at the American Museum of Natural History, had lousy food at a place to get wonderful tea, saw birds and flowers while wandering through the barren wilds of Central Park.

This T. Rex at the AMNH had tooth trouble	A special exhibit on .... tardigrades!!
Selfie-sticks in action in Central Park	And people rowing on polluted waters
R looking across the waters and wondering who she's gonna call	The deserted wilds of Central Park
The gardens in the park are wonderful	Virginia spider-wort in the park
I hadn't seen the Canada violet for over 40 years.. and Central Park is full of it!	Tiffany knew his plants - at the NY Historical Society

Some Like It (Too) Hot

Exposure of US population to extreme heat could quadruple by mid-century

Date:

May 18, 2015

Source:

National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Summary:

US residents' exposure to extreme heat could increase four- to six-fold by mid-century, due to both a warming climate and a population that's growing especially fast in the hottest regions of the country, according to new research. 

More Information:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150518135143.htm