Maria...A Cold-Hearted Storm and A Blast of Winter in September

I don't know about you, but I'm looking through my closet for my boots and sweaters. It's cold in Raleigh this morning. Cold can be defined as 56 degrees in the middle of the day when it was in the 90s earlier in the week. That's quite a drop and the front came in with a blast of cold air that will probably give quite a few people the sniffles.

While we bask in football weather temperatures, Newfoundland had a taste of the tropics from Hurricane Maria.

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110916/hurricane-maria-newfoundland-110916/20110916/?hub=WinnipegHome

Well, it doesn't look too tropical but Maria may knock down trees and interrupt the power which is pretty impressive for a weak storm that wandered it's way west across the Atlantic all the way from Africa. Got to give Maria credit, she is a long tracker.



Newfoundland is not a stranger to land falling tropical systems, in fact they were visited last year by Hurricane Igor. They are not a stranger to bad weather of the winery kind. But, what most people don't know about Newfoundland is that it has it's own little tourist trade and is a popular stop for travelers who like to browse the English specialty teas and businesses on Water Street. What most people don't know is Water Street advertises itself as the "Oldest Street in North America" and that's probably true. Seems the earliest explorers were looking for a place to settle and live quietly away from persecution and settled there before they found out about warmer climates like Virginia and the Carolinas.

If you ever want to take a trip and view some breathtaking scenery to the north far away from Key West and Catalina Island then Newfoundland might be for you.

They even have Bed and Breakfasts if that is your favorite way of getting to really know a place and it's history.



http://www.parkhouse-nl.ca/

Some information about this quaint, beautiful but sturdy place:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalon_Peninsula

http://www.glutenfreeguidebook.com/2008/08/05/a-tale-of-two-newfoundland-inns/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalonia <--- for the historians and geologists.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/travel/escapes/28hours.html <--stouts wow ;)

http://www.britanniateas.ca/

Why am I showing all of you tropical weather people these links? Because if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there the tree is still dead. And, just because you may never have had a cup of tea or a stout at a local pub, these shops are boarded up today and the souvenir shops are closed and people are losing money and quite possibly they will have to clean up just like those ports of call further south that usually get the exciting coverage on TWC. Stephanie Abrams didn't get to do live shots on this storm and no one there got to meet Jim Cantore. But, they are getting a hurricane just the same.



It's a big, beautiful world out there and many of us travel the routes we know over and over and others are always looking for some new place to take a trip to and see something different. It reminds me a little of Portland Maine.

If you are not up to taking a trip and like to travel virtually, here are some web cams that are up that you can watch. They show a cold, gray day with wet highways and some stations with wind warnings.

http://www.roads.gov.nl.ca/cameras/#nlmap

So, my question for the day is why is it colder in North Carolina today than it is in Brooklyn? Ummmmm, am sure there is a reason but I'm not really interested. It's like splitting hairs 57 vs 62, both seem cold. But, then I'll be home in Miami in a few days and most of the temps will be in the 80s, both at night and in the daytime. So, for this weekend I am going to really enjoy the cool temps, my winter clothes and visiting with friends.

As for the tropics there is an area of weather down in the SW Carib and yet another wave coming off of Africa.

So, keep watching and waiting because something will most likely develop being that we are at the peak of the Hurricane Season. Of course, someone needs to tell that to the Tropical Waves out there who might not be reading their press releases.

http://www.intellicast.com/Storm/Hurricane/AtlanticSatellite.aspx?animate=true

Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the weather, watch your favorite team and get out and breathe the fresh air!!

Besos Bobbi