Pine Pollen Storm in Raleigh . . and across the South....wherever there be pines...Liz Horton & West Miami's Marco Rubio

Ever have that sense of Deja Vu like you've been here before and you keep forgetting how bad it is until it happens again and again.

Let's look up close at this nice anonymous car that was parked in the Trader Joes parking lot yesterday.

That's not a Pollock painting that's Pine Pollen up close and way too personal.

"Mural on Indian Red Ground”

People ask me how I live in Miami when they have so many hurricanes. Let me explain it to you like this: We don't ALWAYS have hurricanes! We go years and years and decades without a hurricane. We went from 1965 to 1992 without having a real hurricane. There are kids who were born 9 months after Hurricane Betsy who grew up, went to school in West Miami and graduated from Coral Park Sr. High and went off to University of Florida and moved away from South Florida and never, ever went through one hurricane. They look back from their home in Seattle or San Diego and wonder what it would have been like to go through a hurricane.

Every year in North Carolina whether there is a hurricane or a snow storm we suffer through Pine Pollen. Yes, Pine Pollen is an entity, it's a noun and it does get capitalized on my blog.The same pollen that works it's way up from somewhere near the Florida Georgia Line and meanders through Georgia, South Carolina and Fayetteville as the weather warms up the little yellow pine devils and they finally pops in NC. Watch out Virginia. it's coming your way sooner rather than later.

You see we have these things here called Pine Trees and they are everywhere and every year like clock work sometime in late March or early April the pine pollen rains down upon Raleigh with more consistency than any Atlantic Hurricane that may or may not hit land in Florida. Whether it's El Nino or La Nina or their cousin No Nino... there is Pine Pollen. And, every year we remember it but we don't really remember how bad it it until it falls. Every year since I have spent part of my life here I've heard old timers say "I don't remember it ever being this bad...." and am pretty sure they have been saying that since way before global warming came along or the dreaded polar vortex.

As the song goes... I keep on forgetting to forget about you...or should it be remember you?



You see the problem down here is that... it never falls the same time exactly so you never know when to leave town and it never falls the same two years in a row. A lot depends on the rain and how much rain we have and how often. The more rain we get the more the skies clear up for an hour or two and yellow puddles form in the gutter like yellow pollen art.

I'm going to use pictures to tell the story from here on in...

NC beautiful....after the rain, early in the morning.

Later that day.... 

note small yellow spots on wind shield... 

Still pretty but polluted by pollen ...

The infamous deck shot from Raleigh.

Usually seen covered in snow.........

That's yellow snow in Raleigh... 

Pine Pollen coating everything..

You see lots of postcards showing Dogwood as the State Flower

It also shows itself every year around Easter & Passover

Truly beautiful.

Sadly I'm watching from inside looking out...

As I'm staying as far away from the pollen as I can get..

And I wonder........

Does Big Pine Key have pollen too?

Hmmmnn

I may have to go north this time or just stay inside and hide :(

As for my women in meteorology post today I'm a little annoyed. It's harder than I thought it would be to post stories on women as it seems sometimes the men are covered more than the women. Or, the women are shown off more for their beautiful outfits vs the boring suits that the men wear.

Remember the story of the news anchor in Australia who wore the same suit for a year and no one seemed to notice... 

It's true and interesting. Hilary Clinton is running for President and the biggest story is how she will be packaged. Seems women don't always like how she wears her hair or her make up. Hmnnn. I'd worry more on other things. Marco Rubio is announcing his candicacy for President today at the Freedom Tower in Miami and no one is wondering what suit he will wear. Personally I'm excited. I grew up in West Miami not far from where he did and I have a lot of respect for him on many levels. 

This morning I was watching the woman meteorologist on Channel 11 talk on the weather for the day. She is on air every 10 minutes on News on the Ones and yet...........it's hard to find information on her. Sort of bugs me. Personally when weather is breaking I like watching Gary Stephenson, he does a great job when live when there is severe weather nearby or a random hurricane off the coast. Mind you I say "random" as hurricanes don't happen as often as Pine Pollen Storms!

http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/weather.html  ??? Why isn't the woman featured I wonder, sort of odd... I know she's on as she's on air talking about the weather...

One thing I love about Raleigh is local weather every 10 minutes..

...in case you miss the more boring coverage on TWC

TWC meaning The Weather Channel

not...

Time Warner Cable

Confusing.

Luckily we have many excellent weather forecasters in Raleigh. On Channel 11 the ABC affiliate here has Liz Horton doing a great job on air covering the weather.

She studied at Mississippi State University.. 

She does a great job and should be an inspiration for..

...any girl who has a passion for weather 

...and wonders what it would be like to study meteorology!

Besos Bobbi

Ps Very old school version of "In the Pines" by Bill Monroe

Michael from Mountains... the Judy Collins song I always think of when I see the yellow pine pollen art in the puddles

"there's oil in the puddles in taffeta patterns that run down the drain in colored arrangements that Michael will change with a stick that he found..."