Tropical Tuesday - Snowy Seattle - Sunshine in Florida - NY/NE Winter Weather Expected

It's a mixed bag across the nation with the Pacific Northwest stealing all the headlines and the states North of the old Mason-Dixie Line are hogging winter weather ...depriving Southern Snow lovers of snow and wishing they were in Seattle of all places! Here my grandson below who lives in upstate New York finally got some snow action again today; by the way he loves snow. Apparently the snow began before 9:45 AM so the school sent out text messages that school was cancelled officially so he's on his way back home (to the left of the picture) to spend a snow day with his mother who is most likely online sympathizing with her sister-in-law in Seattle whose kids have been on "snow day" all week so far.

Seattle grandkids doing cookie arts and crafts today.

Pretty sure that's gonna be Snow Week 2019!

In Florida we be like Winter is Wednesday ;)

www.spaghettimodels.com

Florida is beautiful.

So is Seattle ;)

The view of snow in Seattle is magical...

...to everyone but my daughter-in-law Chani

Van Gogh could not have done better.

https://twitter.com/WxDeFlitch

That's a stunning, snowy, magical winter wonderland!

So what can we learn about this coming hurricane season from this recent ongoing winter I wonder. It's easy to ask if previous past snowy years in Seattle were El Nino years or La Nina years or something in between. The problem with that is that some were moderate El Nino, others were moderate La Nina and some were moderately Neutral which is interesting as there is nothing moderate about this winter in Seattle so something should be worth studying. 

The problem with El Nino discussion is that everyone writes a different story in the news explaining that it is coming, going or continuing on as scheduled. Up above is a plethora of contradictory news stories regarding El Nino and how it is or isn't affecting the weather in any one given spot on the planet. Below is a good discussion from the most reliable place stating we really aren't in the throes of an El Nino today. It's not a matter of "fake news" in the "weather world" as much as everyone needs a headline or story so there is always some statistic that may be used to hype any fact you are trying to sell. 

This map shows a current Enso Neutral phase.

I'm sure many might argue this...

A wonderful link to learn about El Nino away from the hype of the headlines is shown below:
https://www.weather.gov/tbw/tampabayelninopage

Either way the years when Seattle had record breaking winter weather in one form or another are years when the Atlantic also spit out busy hurricane seasons. You can add 1945 and 1949 to the images I showed in yesterday's blog. Despite the differences in phases of El Nino the similarity for all those years shown from 2012 to 1985 to 1945 to 1949 show busy hurricane seasons along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico; it would be ironic if the Hurricane Season delivered what Mother Nature took away in the winter. One way or the other weather happens.

Note the headlines for one of those storms.

Another factor in the tropics is SAL.

Saharan Dust that has already shown it's face.

The sunset images all week on Twitter show that fact.

Coral orange and rusty red sunsets are in order.

It also ups allergy, asthma and other illnesses here.

Yes, that's dust as DaBuh pointed out this morning.

https://twitter.com/DaDaBuh

It's pretty windy in Miami today so that helps.

The Australian Pines are rustling.

The sun is shining.

My kids are either swimming, boating or jogging on the beach.

But the natives never really forget the hurricane season.

Those coral sunsets on Instagram dazzle....

...but Saharan Dust is in the air.

Winter weather here is beautiful.

Nothing lasts forever....

Winter turns into Spring.

Spring Fever Baseball....

...Storm Chasing on the Plains?

Royal Poinciana Trees turn crimson colors.

Plumeria blossoms appear.

Jo Malone puts out Spring Scents.

And then.... we have hurricane season.

Til then a good loop below shows the SAL story.

Saharan Dust satellite loop:
http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/real-time/sal/g16split/movies/goes16split.html

The bottom line is any real weather pattern that is as noticeable as this year's lack of winter in some places and the constant bombardment in other areas shows a pattern of sorts. What kind of pattern? Not sure yet. Shake the Magic 8 Ball and look again later. The Plains were a bit lacking in Spring weather last season and tornadoes happened frequently in places far to the North such as Wyoming and Cape Cod. And endless parades of T Bone like Cold fronts dragging severe weather up across the Florida beaches that got slammed last hurricane season meeting up with Ohio Valley winter weather continues on and on and on.

Last year's developing moderate El Nino helped keep Texas dry.

Dry from tropical weather tho they had lots of storms.

That pattern months later still seems in place.

However the winds may have changed if El Nino waned some.

Til then just keep watching.

Much to think on down the road.

Today I'm going to enjoy Miami and the family.

Not going to think about NC and the lack of snow there.

Or the cold temperatures at night.

Or my boots that are waiting for me in my closet.

Then again Spring will come soon.

The maple tree was already budding when I left.

We are all collectively waiting on Spring.

Especially meteorologists.

Stay tuned.

Check out yesterday's blog on Snow in Seattle.

And it explains why I've been on vacation ;)

http://hurricaneharbor.blogspot.com/2019/02/missing-in-action-in-miami-as-snow.html

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

https://www.instagram.com/bobbistorm/

Ps... a good long walking tour video of Seattle's Pike Place that is one of the most iconic and incredibly fun places to spend the day if you are lucky enough to be in Seattle on any day even in a snow storm. Spoiler Alert... it's going to keep snowing this week. I bet he never thought he'd be on a tropical blog that usually features tropical weather. Such is life ... filled with surprises.

Missing in Action in MIAMI as the Snow Falls and Falls and Falls in Seattle. 2012 or 1968 Hurricane Season on My Mind.

Seattle wins the Snow Globe Award for the Winter of 2019. That picture is my son's backyard and the grandchildren's play world covered with white fluffy stuff and amazingly the snow keeps falling. My son loves the snow as do the children, my daughter-in-law who spent a part of her childhood in Postville Iowa does not like snow... she is not a happy camper.

I knew this was going to happen as it was only a matter of time that the cold air filtered in and settled into the rainy mass of Winter Storms that were marching through the Northwest that Seattle would end up stealing all the snow from the East Coast. I went to New York in January and I got stuck in a tropical like rainstorm as the temperatures fell and the wind blew but no snow fell from the skies. After the early November snowstorm in Raleigh we got nothing but windy, rainstorms alternating with frigid dry cold fronts. And, now I'm in South Florida ...what seems a million miles away from winter.

I took this picture yesterday....

...sat with a friend and watched the Bay.

Watched the clouds, the waves and we talked.

We walked along the water in 80 degree weather.

I'm kind of on vacation in South Florida.

And obviously away from blogging regularly.

That street is a hidden treasure...

..that only the locals know about!

Many of the snow pictures below are from online.

https://www.king5.com/

The picture below I took at my grandson's bris.

Normally I only post pictures that I can give credit to the person who took them, but these pictures have been plastered all over my family Whatsapp group and online. I've been at my kid's apartment in HULU land and not really following the news. A new baby was born named Milo Ezra and been enjoying some family time with Milo and other babies, children and I helped my best friend buy an outfit for an event she needed to go to as well as talked and walked and enjoyed being home. And to be fair I was very sick for the first several days after I got into town so I've really been out of it. And the amazing part about being in Miami in February is that you really don't have to check the Weather every 20 minutes to see if there was a chance of snow that they will take out of the forecast in a few days as they do in North Carolina. I'm enjoying being away from the teasing game of "maybe it will snow" next week that this whole winter has been like so far in the Carolinas after the November snow. I am so done with winter and getting excited every new model run only to have my snowy hopes dashed and torn to smithereens by the next model run. I'm done. I'm home this week in South Florida and I'm truly sorry but no I don't care if the next storm phases or doesn't phase or evaporates. I am so done. In Miami I know how to dress, what to wear and if I will need a sweater or leggings because the restaurant I am going to keeps their AC set to 68 degrees daily!

But I do love Seattle at the other end of the world more than almost any other place in the United States after Savannah and New Orleans. Maybe I love Seattle more but it's a long, long flight to Seattle from the East Coast and once there I just wanna stay. I did stay near this beautiful houseboat when my son was interning at Amazon one summer and it's one place I love deeply as the views from Lake Union are almost as beautiful as Biscayne Bay in Miami. It's a winter wonderland :) and the image of the Ice Age Dinosaur is just a fake but fun image being passed around online.

You can find more great pics online.

One good site is below.

https://www.wsls.com/weather

My main interest in the series of Seattle snow storms is that this is basically a historic sort of event as it doesn't come often and the last time there was this much snow in Seattle was in 2012 I believe and that makes me wonder on what the winter of 2012 was like as well as the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season because that's how my mind works. Sometimes there is some parallel worth studying and other times not. Time will tell, but it's definitely in my mind to look at those years to see if any could be used as analog years this coming hurricane season. 

It's just something I can't help but wonder on... 

According to a good site on Twitter...

.. we are now tied at a 50 year event as in 

1969

Really that is something to think on... 

Snowy Seattle Winters and ...

...busy Hurricane Seasons that follow.

I'll be back to blogging more normally next week with here and there blogs this week weather and health permitting. My youngest daughter Rivky is under the weather today and I made her soup and we sat and watched HULU documentaries which apparently were not as good as the NetFlix documentary on Fyre scandals and we watched romance movies with Southern Country themes which were cute and we are hanging out touching base. 

If you live somewhere that winter disappointed you this year, there is always next year. And, to be honest Spring is right around the corner and after Spring Fever (Tornado Chasing or Baseball Season) is Hurricane Season. So I'll be back soon enough, before you can say a wink and a smile!

Much Love....

....Sweet Tropical Dreams!

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorn on Twitter and laying low in Miami

Ps... Loving being in Miami but wish I was in Seattle enjoying the snow but as someone told me recently you can't be everywhere at once. And, wherever you are it's good to enjoy where you are..   The famous Gas Works seen in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You are being used for sledding and snow fights this week in Seattle according to my son :)

P. P. S. Seriously not into "phasing" this week!

Rolling eyes

Time Waits For No One... Hurricane Season is Around the Corner.

Time flies when you are traveling. And, I've been traveling a lot lately. I'm back for a day or so ... so it occurs to me I should blog. I did think on putting a "Be Back Soon" sign on the blog or "Save This Space" but nah I'm going to say hello and try to put early April into perspective from my point of view.

I'm in Raleigh this morning and wondering why it looks more like Seattle with gray skies that are darker in Raleigh than they are in Seattle; something about diffraction of light possibly but my son explained it to me and he's right. Raleigh on a gray day is so gray it's dark, dreary and a sort of denial of Spring. Fall and Spring often bring these gray days when the weather just hangs low over Raleigh. It's okay, I've come to like it and appreciate it. For instance on Saturday which is my Jewish Sabbath I was in Temple staring out at the wisteria that somehow looked prettier on a gray day than on Sunday when I went over to take a picture in the bright sunshine. Wisteria like Jacaranda looks most beautiful on a gray day. I know that because I lived in LA and it's often gray early in the morning and later in the afternoon as the marine layer lays over the city for much of the day sometimes.

I have a confession to make. I've been laying low and trying to avoid the ever flowing news headlines that keep coming faster than the cold fronts sliding East across the nation. The last one was so strong it raced down through Florida and then turned into a Stationary Front hanging across the Straits of Florida. Yes, I am watching every day a bit more at the satellite imagery. And, I keep watching each new front sweep in from the Pacific slamming the NW part of this country with never ending rain, gray skies and infrequent wind or hail. Spoiler alert time flies whether you are watching it or not.

This loop and others are on Spaghetti Models.

http://spaghettimodels.com

We drove down to Miami to visit with my children who had babies over the last month or two. My daughter in Brooklyn met us in Raleigh and we drove down to Florida with her so that provided some rare quality time. In Miami and Hollywood Florida the family gathered for the Passover holiday. When I say gathered that's an understatement with my gang. I'm pretty sure there are some Native America Pow Wows that have less people and less noise. I know noise is good as it shows people are alive and kicking. Meyer kids tend to be loud, vibrant and talkative. The younger Meyer kids tend to be quieter though they are vibrant and fun. Babies cry and sleep, two year olds say "NO!" and sometimes slug someone (alive and kicking ...) and kids when they get together as adults often (but not always) revert back to who they were when they were teenagers.  Did you know Whole Foods has stopped carrying Happy Camper since they were bought by Amazon? Really pretty pathetic as I had to hunt it down at Sprouts Market in Raleigh. A few of my favorite products have been dropped from Whole Foods which is annoying but it forces you to spread your wings and spread more money around into small local stores that often get lost when competing with the larger juggernaut stores that charge more money anyway. Yes, they are really called "Happy Camper Pills" and they do give a measure of calm, energy on days when 20 or 30 family members are gathered together to memorialize tradition and history. I'm pretty sure the early Hebrews did not have them when they left Egypt and headed for the Red Sea. 

So that being said I'm going to go out and do things I need to do before heading out to Seattle to visit with my West Coast kids that I rarely get to spend any real quality time with as well...it's a long expensive flight (especially during cruise season so you got to go fast before fares go up) and using up my Southwest Miles to travel for miles to see the kids there. It's my granddaughter Bella's birthday and I want to spend it with her this year rather than watching from a far.  Then I can come back to Raleigh and settle down and settle in as the Atlantic Hurricane Season moves closer day by day whether I'm paying attention or not. Are you paying attention? It's easier to prepare now before an approaching hurricane fills up your Publix faster than you can say "oh my gosh not again!!"

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2018-04-04-hurricane-season-forecast-atlantic-colorado-state

Yup, time waits for no man or woman or gender neutral person. Soon I'll be writing every day and discussing tropical tropics on a daily basis. I know that sounded redundant. 

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

Ps... I hope you are happy .... I updated the blog! I updated but not proof reading!!

March Madness. Ten Things I Hate About You ... Great Movie, Great City But So Far Away. Been On The Road... Home for a Few Days.

 

I've been asked to write a new blog post. I'm writing a new blog post. Don't say I didn't warn you. This may not be your normal BobbiStorm blog post!

#1  There is no tropical weather in the Atlantic Ocean.
#2  The Hurricane Season is getting closer.
#3   84 Days to go before the Hurricane Season begins in the Atlantic.
#4   Hurricane Seasons don't always begin on June 1st but often earlier.
#5   Snow Storms are back and cold fronts are on the move once again.
#6   Early GOM action could be possible with all those dangling stalled out cold fronts.
#7   Forecast for 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season is "more of the same" aka BUSY.
#8   Bet you aren't stocking up at Publix at things on sale you could use come June....
#9   Some people in Florida STILL have blue tarps on their roof tops.
#10 Some people in the Florida Keys still do not have a roof top :(
#11 I'm not done.
#12 Seattle and the NW has had a very wet, cold, snowy winter.
#13 Spring Weather Season is starting early in the South.
#14 Pollen is at "oh my God!!" levels in parts of the South.
#15 Tampa, Florida IS part of the South and busy with pollen season.
#16 The Pine Pollen is about to fall in Jax from personal observation.
#17 Azaleas are beginning to bloom in Savannah.
#18 Spring creeps it's way up from South to North.
#19 My daughter moved from her bay view post Sandy house up into the country in NY.

Um yeah........

#20 Luckily my daughter likes to camp out she is snowed in and without power.
#21 Good news she figured out how to power her coffee pot from the car battery.
#22 The deer there look like reindeer (OMG)
#23 It was extremely windy in Miami last week .... even too windy for me at the beach.
#24 Mango trees are in full bloom ... pollen and small little itsy bitsy mangoes.
#25 No I am not done this is fun.
#26 The small itsy bitsy mangoes are flying in the wind... #onlythestrongsurvive
#27 For some reason Aventura Mall added a Disney Slide ride in the parking lot
#28 Spent the last several months going back and forth to Florida.
#29 Did not drive through the blizzard on the NJ turnpike and stayed in NC.
#30 It is much colder in NC than it was in Miami #justsaying

And that's the way my world has been the last few weeks. I love Miami and Hollywood Florida but I need a small studio like little itsy, bitsy apartment down there. Love the sunrise from Ormond Beach it is always beautiful and reminds me of Myrtle Beach and the fact that things remind me of Myrtle Beach make me realize how much of a Carolina Girl I have become. I also love Jax for many reasons so deal with it. I love my bed that I'm in as I type out this new post so that I stay relevant and keep some unsaid promise that I'd blog to make at least a few people happy..... I'm waiting to hit the road again and drive back to the 305/954 County Line area once again.... but babies come when babies come and you just got to go with the flow and breathe deep and wait it out and think good thoughts, etc, etc.

I want to go to the following places badly and probably in this order.

a) Seattle Washington for four various reasons along with loving Seattle in general.
b) NY or more specifically Brooklyn, 770, Crown Heights and yeah the new house.
c) Pawleys Island  (yes pathetically I'm a Carolina Girl)
d) Savannah (it would be higher up on the list but I was just there on Tuesday)
e) Key West (yes it's below the other places... gotta think on that one day.
f) Tampa to do some genealogical research.
g) Ireland with Malka (long story, maybe one day)
h) Jerusalem again if only I could twitch my nose and just appear there. Long plane ride.
i) Asheville is possibly on the list to go back... in the late Spring.
j) Havana... some day when the time is right. No mas Castros?



So those are my lists today. Pretend this was a visual Bullet Journal. Songs below to show
Below are more photos and songs that go with the mood and the mode of the day. And, I'll be back posting semi-normal posts soon about the tropics and Spring weather and things like that ...that go bump in the night.




Besos BobbiStorm
@bobbistorm on Twitter



Ps... Someone once told me I have to think on who my audience is when I write. Despite this blog going way over a million .... anyone who really knows me knows I started this to write for one person and it sure wasn't me ;) but writing gives me a big, big smile always so it's a gift that seems to keep on giving. Thanks for being a nudge!!!!! Did you really think I was going to show Sleepless in Seattle song? Nope.

Snow Seattle & Maine & Places In Between... Will the South Get a Winter Storm? Stay Tuned...

Seattle won the Snow Raffle.

A rare Christmas snow blanketed Seattle last night.

How beautiful is that?

I have a daughter-in-law who does not love snow as she lived for many years in Postville Iowa. It gets really cold there in the winter.... as it currently warmed up today to 5 degrees!  But she has a father who lives there and 2 children on vacation who are going to go see their grandfather and see what a real winter is really like again. They grew up in Iowa, however they have been living in Seattle where it is ironically quite warm considering it's at a far latitude North. Palm trees grown in Seattle and there is a nearby rain forest in the mountains; the pine trees though make it look like a warm Winter Wonderland all year round. This year.......she got snow thrown in her face before going to Postville that looks more like the Ukraine this time of year than America. My son loves snow and most types of "weather" so he's over the top to see Seattle covered in snow!

A good video of Postville in the Winter. If you want snow you can usually bet it is there in the winter, however it's a long ride to get there from any airport. Don't say I didn't warn you! And..dress warm!

That's how I dress when in Postville...

But I'm in North Carolina.

Wishing for snow.

Or some sort of winter weather...

Trying not to buy too much online today.

Had Indian food for lunch ;)

So Maine and Washington State got their snow wishes today and places in the MidWest saw snow.

Later this week the Snow Fairy takes a vacation to the South!

How far South is a question.

And who gets snow vs freezing rain?

Yet to be determined.

Stay tuned!

I hope you all got what you wanted today and if not it's probably on sale somewhere online for free shipping and 20% off so treat yourself to whatever you want the most! I know a few friends who have their new grandchildren this year so they are in 7th Heaven ;) and I know a newborn baby going home this afternoon from the hospital so I know quite a few happy people today. One of my best friends had her 2nd Great Grandchild today and no she's not that old... but she started young and so did her daughter and her daughters ;) A pic of me and Malka celebrating the engagement of my son just a few years ago. Love her. 

Family can be awesome....

.....but they can also drive you crazy sometimes.

Friendship is golden!

If you have a good friend... you're blessed.

I'll be back tomorrow with weather info.

News on the next big storm.

TWC is on all day talking about weather.

So.... you can bet I'm watching carefully.

Check back for more As the Weather World Turns.

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

Ps Leaving you with a song a mutual friend loved ... he used to call Malka "Blondie" so here's to friendship and love.

Winter Solstice .. Game On Winter is Here to Stay. But Rain Not Snow for Many These Holidays

No that's not a Survivor Finale.

Nor is it the Fiji Islands.

It's Seattle at the Solstice or more specifically Fremont.

http://fremontartscouncil.org/winter-feast/

Fremont is a funky place any day of the year.

It celebrates the Solstice with festivals.

I was there one year for the Summer Festival.

I can't really show you those videos.

You'll have to Google it!

But for those who hate the short days of winter.

Know tomorrow is the shortest day of the year.

That's got to be a reason to party!!

I used the capital of the USA for the time.

You can check with this site for your town.

https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice.html

Yes the Winter Solstice is here...

South Florida refuses to participate.

Northern Florida is a team player.

South of I-4 no they don't want to play.

You can make out the large High that is holding on tight to S Florida.

You remember it from the Hurricane Season.

What is the Winter Solstice really?

Winter is officially here to stay!

The freeze and frost line is far to the South.

However the snow is not going to fall for the holidays over the East Coast.

If you want snow that bad go to Colorado skiing!

Chilly water down there in the tropics.

A nice loop to watch by the Enya song below.

And Winter Came...

I wish I could give people who want snow better news.

But think of all the places you can go and things you can do..

...if it doesn't snow on Christmas.

I mean really in Miami we do the holidays without snow all the time!!

In short sleeves and sandals outside under the palm trees swaying.

Swaying with the palm fronds :)

You really don't need snow for the holidays!

Though a boat makes it so much finer :)

So even if it doesn't snow...

You can show your holiday spirit...

Be happy, be generous and share the love.

I'll be updating in real time if and when some weather shows up.

Til then I'm shopping, mailing things out and watching loops.

Mind you I am cold in Raleigh this December.

Very cold. My toes are cold.

Very cold... 

But my winter will be interrupted by a trip to Israel in January.

To the Israeli Riviera ...

(that's what she said...)

So I'll be saying goodbye to North Carolina for a few weeks in January.

Is that cool? I'll be blogging from Israel ;)

Maybe on the beach!

My daughter's boyfriend proposed in one of these planes over Netanya.

That was then this is now.

They live in Miami.

 I'm going to meet the Israeli family. 

Kind of like a birthday present!

Never been there ...go figure....

Adore my son-in-law!
 Getting in the spirit here and sharing with y'all...

So I'll just count down the days til warmer weather.

And tomorrow maybe I'll have hot chocolate?

Or a Starbucks Green Tea Latte?

Do something special tomorrow!!

When home in Florida I like to go to Key West!

What I'll do tomorrow...

...only time will tell!

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

Ps Good to have a good sense of humor if you are not in Key West

Personally I'd rather be here ..

...and if you are on Lincoln Road check out the parrots..