Hurricane Harbor

A writer and a tropical muse. A funky Lubavitcher who enjoys watching the weather, hurricanes, listening to music while enjoying life with a sense of humor and trying to make sense of it all!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

This El Nino Like Ferris Beuller. Expect Anything & Everything!! Texas & NYC Changing Weather.


Long version:
When a pattern flips it flips. 
Things move fast in the world of weather.

Video Clip version:


Short version:

Nuff Said...

That was Texas....
Let's move on to New York.
New York City.
You know Brooklyn ....
...home of many broke girls!


NYC hit a HIGH Temperature. 
And then later that day the rain turned to Ice Pellets in Brooklyn.



Picture courtesy of my own broke girl in Brooklyn.
She was not amused.
Would you be if you left the house dressed for weather in the 60s?
That felt like weather in the 80s.
And then........it dropped like a rock down to 30s?




There has been a lot of talk on how summer like his winter will be ....
...in the East.
How we won't really have a winter....
"Year without Winter" 
(Rolling Eyes)

El Nino of 2015 - 2016 is a trickster.
Remember that I said that.

Sometimes I write long and on rare occasions I write short. Today is one of those days I went short.

Stay on top of the ever changing weather this winter.

Sir El Nino has tricks up his sleeve.

Besos BobbiStorm

Ps.. Trickster like Ferris... 
Enjoy whatever it brings you...
But except the unusual ..

Monday, December 28, 2015

Must Be Spring... Weather News Eclipsed By Election Primaries... Goliath Being Ignored. Winter Will Have the Last Laugh..



Winter is on the move.
Coming UP from the SW.
Moving down from the NE.


Texas is sending Goliath to Illinois
NC has a back door cold front moving in.. 


This Tweet put it well. Action.
Weather action of ALL kinds actually.

The "line" is moving into Atlanta area.
Note they are not talking on tornadoes just a mixed bag of bad weather.


I'm a bit concerned about what the evening could bring for Georgia.


The system is moving East and so will the watch boxes...

Tallahassee will soon be under the gun for watches.
Keep a watch out for watches to become warnings.


Wind Art shows an eye over the middle of the country.



I call it "Wind Art" as it was actually an ART project.
Some really great computer programmer types got involved.
Shows art.. a map... of the wind.
And everyone copied it.
Odd they had not thought of it before...
Artists...



http://hint.fm/wind/
Point your mouse over the black hole ...eye... barely a breeze.

See left brain..right brain.. everyone loves weather ;)

Then again CNN, FOX are talking elections.. politics.

Drudge is watching Clinton and Trump.
Months and miles away from this Goliath like Winter Storm.
Happening Now.. Live... Winter trying to take back the electorate.


Spoiler Alert...
We won't have to wait until February 1st for the primaries to begin.

You see CLIMO always wins.
Weather takes the day .. 
Record breaking rare _____ in _____.
That's weather.
Climo is the whole shebang.
It's the great equalizer.

Winter is arriving late this year in parts of the country.
But it's on it's way.

If you don't believe me... 
Ask anyone in Dallas.

Oh and do not try getting out of Dallas today.. 
After evacuating the tower for tornado warnings..
...they are lost today in deicing 

If you are flying today check with your airlines.

https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_
travel_advisory_201511261451157001417.html

Southwest Airlines has a few places with problems.

Again stare at the tip of Louisiana 

latest72hrs.gif (947×405)

Tropical moisture being sucked in by Goliath.

sat_wv_us_loop-12.gif (640×512)


Wide View... Long loop.

Hope I am wrong but think it's too soon to write off bad wxr for Georgia.

sat_wv_east_loop-12.gif (640×512)

Yes... sometimes one picture tells a whole story.


Keep watching out if you are in Georgia or Northern Florida.

Besos BobbiStorm

Ps... And sometimes a song doesn't tell it all but says a lot...


















Sunday, December 27, 2015

Updated! Texas Sized EF4 Twisters Fueled By Wicked El Nino. 11 Dead. More On Tap for Today. Sad End to 2015 Mixed Bag of Winter Weather on the Way



Sunday Night across the US.
http://www.weather.gov/
That's a whole lot of real estate under warnings.
Put your zip code in and make sure you are not in the path of a storm.

Current wind signature.


Put it in motion:

http://hint.fm/wind/


Update of current weather.
The Twister last night in Garland Texas was given EF 4 Status.


Devastation. Looks a lot like after Hurricane Andrew to Miami folks.

Up close... Garland Texas


Look at that low spinning up over land.
Tightly wound.

rb-animated.gif (720×480)

Spinning over Texas still.
Moving slowly.

23 people are dead from "Goliath" across several states.
New Mexico into Texas into Oklahoma.


Where the Spring like tornadoes were last night...
...have snow and rain. 
Fingers of ice are there as well.

The standard deck photo covered in 3 feet of snow from New Mexico.


To the East over Texas and Louisiana there is severe weather..again.


Ice, sleet and snow will stretch from Oklahoma City...
...to Kansas City... 
to Chicago.


Larry Cosgrove a meteorologist in Texas posted this picture.
That's one mighty low pressure system.

Rarely do I use the names from TWC.
But in this case Goliath seems to fit.


So sad when there is weather so wicked like this any time of year.
Somehow sadder, heart wrenching to think of families celebrating holidays...
...and then it was all ripped away.

This time of year should be about joy... about love... family... festivals.
Christmas. Followed by the joy of a brand new Year.
And yet as we finish out 2015... 
... weather tragedies catch up with us... 

Last night there was a beautiful full moon in Raleigh.
Took a walk and watched it rise through the pines.
Yet the picture didn't come out the way I saw it with my eyes.
The moon disappeared and a ghostly angry head seemed to rise.

Really one silver disc rising in the sky.
Yet the picture came out like this...


Warm weather in the low 70s early in the evening.
Illusions it's winter rather than a record breaking heat spell.
Got to tell you... been my experience record breaking spells of anything..
..are usually followed by other sorts of record breakers.

Weather in flux... caught between a rock and a hard spot.
El Nino was not kind this year to Texas.
And, I am afraid it's not over. 

Gonna be a long night tonight.
And I pray the dawn will not be as cruel....
... as this morning's was in Garland.



Keep reading. 
Article below about last night's storms.
And WHY we are having this weather in December.
The "WHY" is as important as what happened.
And, until the pattern breaks it is going to continue.


There are more pictures where that one came from but spoiler alert...
...they are tragically sad pictures.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/weather/stories/Severe-Storms-Leave-Damage-in-North-Texas-363566391.html

11 people died Christmas weekend in Spring like weather in December.
A small child was among the dead.
The death toll most likely will climb.
600 structures damaged.
25,000 people lost power.

Satellite imagery shows the nightmare show continues.

ECI8.JPG (640×480)

This is an ever changing story in real time.
Nothing is as real as weather.
Even terrorist stories tend to have a beginning and an end.
Weather evolves, moves across the landscape.

A new Tornado Warning was just posted for Brazos County Texas.


You can see the classic tornado signature forming over Texas.
The moisture feed... feeding the atmosphere.
Links all the way down and back to the Pacific.
El Nino.
The Christmas Child.
Christmas Weekend Twisters.


Remember our old friend from the Hurricane Season?
Watch how the circulation around the Bermuda High...
..works in concert with the El Nino in the Pacific.
Feeding the misery in Texas

latest72hrs.gif (947×405)

Why is this happening you ask?
Just watch that loop I posted above. Says it all.
Because of a strong Southern Jet (thanks to El Nino)
Pulling deep tropical moisture up from the GOM 
Slamming it into a strong Cold Front named Goliath according to TWC
Yes, they are still naming Winter Storms.


But see the kicker here is that it's bringing a mixed bag...

Twisters.
Snow.
Ice.
Flooding.

Who is ready for El Nino to hit the road?


The colors above are for the Oklahoma City area.
Snow, Ice, Sleet, Rain, see Red hook at bottom right?
Severe Weather.



I know its a big state like Texas but that's a whole lot of weather

Mike posted this storm chaser video on is Facebook site.


Hard watching the feed knowing what is going on in the darkness.
December is for bright holiday lights.
Not loss of power and a twister hidden in the darkness.


Twitter was all about Twisters last night.

Ghostly thoughts kept me awake last night ...
... watching the news come in from Texas.

We were up late, watching in real time.

I'll update this blog later today with more news.

But know one thing.
This is the start to a slow erosion of the pattern.
Snow and winter weather will slide slowly East.
Slowly.... cold weather is eroding the heat dome.
At some point down the road it will look longingly ....
at the Appalachians, the Piedmont and the Mid Atlantic States.

The illusion of summer in winter is just an illusion.
So keep that AC cranking in the SE.
Keep praying for those in the track of tornadoes today.
Good link on www.spaghettimodels.com 



Check back later for updates on last night's deadly twisters.
And for whatever unravels today as people sift through debris ... 
...hoping to find life not death.

And some people enjoying their first taste of snow this winter.

CONUS_GFS0P5_SFC_ACCUM-SNOW_120HR.gif (1180×770)

Besos BobbiStorm






Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Travel and Tornadoes in December. Winter Begins. Holiday Shopping & Travel Possibly Affected

Watching the strong moisture feed from the Gulf of Mexico.
No not for tropical weather but for possible twisters.

hicbsat_None_anim.gif (768×496)

Look at that moisture feeding in late December.
Warm, moist, tropical.

sat_wv_east_loop-12.gif (640×512)


Mike from Spaghetti Models is warning people to pay attention.


Crown Weather has pointed out the possibility for problems.
They advise shop early. Watch the weather.
My cliff notes there. 


If you live in the area highlighted in colors... 
Keep an eye on your local weather!

And if you live in the Carolinas...

Do not bother with an overcoat ;)


And if you are looking for winter?

It's out in the NW ...here and there... 


So ... if you are traveling across the next few days.
Check with your local weather...
See if there are airport delays...

Keep Smiling.

Sweet Tropical Dreams....

BobbiStorm

Ps If you live along the East Coast... 
...find a beach and pretend you are Jimmy Buffett






Sunday, December 20, 2015

No Snow for the East Coast? Say it Ain't so Santa. West Coast hogging the snow. Find a Beach, a Lake, a River and enjoy the warmth it won't last forever.



A good part of the East Coast is complaining on the lack of snow for Christmas.
I know you have all those picture perfect cards of snow in Vermont.
Then 2 weeks into January everyone is tired of snow...
And wants to be a snow bird and fly south to Florida.


 I'm from Miami. This is how we do it in Miami.
Seems kind of normal to me.

We decorate inside air conditioned stores.
We put stars in palm trees.

The Chanukah menorah is made from sea shells...



Yes the holidays go on even in short sleeves.


Aqua is the color of our winter wardrobe.
In fact we just have ONE wardrobe.
It's cheaper, easier.. pays for the AC bill ;)
(my son on the right there wink wink lol)

But as Chanukah has segued into Christmas and New Years Eve is not far away.

Seriously everyone is talking about the lack of snow.


Seems people are starving for snow.
I get it. I don't get it. 
Trust me I have kids up north who are thrilled.

I like snow in winter. It's pretty. Picture perfect.
But being a Miami girl having to bundle up to go outside...
...is so annoying.


Trust me everyone will survive warm weather in December.



Note the stores all are slashing prices on winter coats.
A good investment as this won't last forever.
It will eventually be cold this year and if La Nina returns next year...
...you won't see sales like this again for a while.


Oddly on this image the green is warm...
The red less warm and white... very warm.

Below you'll see where the snow is falling.


Even in Asheville if anyone wanted to see snow at the Biltmore...
...it's not happening.



Not in Raleigh.


Not in the Atlanta area...


Not in Brooklyn....


Let's go out West... nope nada happening in OKC...


There's got to be some snow somewhere...


Maybe Saturday in Iowa...

And a sure bet would be... Denver.


A chance on Thursday... not a big chance but maybe flurries.

Mike is covering it on www.spaghettimodels.com


And NWS in Chicago is getting in the spirit.



A sense of humor and the ability to adapt is a good thing!

Reminds me of that song Willie Nelson sings. The Great Divide. There is a big, huge difference in how the far West and the East Coast is celebrating the holidays this year.

Summer sun no prettier than summer rain.
Summer gone. Summer coming back again.

Man he plays a mean guitar, incredible.





As I sit here staring out at the maple tree with new buds growing on it... I wonder when winter is coming back again? Not hard to wonder as I am under the covers as I type this...  It's was 29 degrees last night in Raleigh after a warm week in the high 60s and low 70s. Then again they are coming back on Tuesday with a high in the 70s on Christmas Day. Santa will be wearing shorts this year in Raleigh and across a good part of the country.

Trust me you will survive. I grew up in Miami and lived many years in LA. We do just fine with the holidays in December wearing flip flops, going to the beach and driving about with the windows down on balmy nights looking at Christmas lights.

In North Miami they would decorate many streets and leave out buckets for charity the last two weeks of December. Sweet idea. A lot of places do that and it's commendable.



FPL sent bucket trucks in there to set up those incredible winter wonderland displays we enjoyed as we drove under a spider like web of oak branches decorated differently by various home owners and a little help from FPL. And the windows were down and we wore tee shirts and we were very in the mood for the holidays... we didn't need snow to get in the holiday spirit!

Whether you are celebrating Chanukah or Christmas or New Years Eve... be thankful for the weather you got... adapt... get a good sense of humor because trust me this won't last forever. When God gives you warm weather in December... go to the beach, or a lake or whatever suits your pleasure.

What will New Year's Eve be like? Can't say just yet though it's almost in the 10 day. 
Usually I refuse to stand outside in the cold on New Years Eve.
Raleigh First Night might be right if it's not frigid.

http://www.firstnightraleigh.com/

And I'm thinking on what to do... my birthday is around the corner.

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New Bern? Myrtle Beach (Israeli kosher restaurant...)
Margaritaville? Maybe....

Check back soon as I'll be talking about New Year's Eve and...
Winter Weather for 2016 sooner rather than later.

Besos Bobbistorm

Ps . . . Larry Cosgrove is a meteorologist I respect a lot.
Below he is quoted talking on January and winter... 

"The process takes time. But if the "cards" laid out on the weather "table" are indeed read correctly, the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. will be "flush" with a return to "real winter weather" in the second week of 2016.

Let's hope there are no jokers in the deck! Have a joyous holiday season and a terrific New Year, everyone!"

You might want to go buy those coasts while they are on clearance fast.
Heard BELK has big sales on boots as their inventory is not moving much.