FSCA (Future storm chasers of America), ready, set, launch!

I am starting to feel like a broken record (and you know, as I type that expression, I realize there's a whole generation of folks coming up who have no clue what that means... does that mean that I am technically getting old??!!), but guess what, folks?! Cold weather's coming! I am disappointed to announce that two Alberta clipper systems are parading out of Canada (yes, YEGTG, I am blaming Canada!), sweeping in some of the coldest temperatures of the season. Unfortunately, they are moving in just after a cold front moved in as a brrr-cold blast of air, already dropping temps, preceding the precession of cold air. Check out this morning's wind chill temperatures ...

~source

Alberta clippers (called that because of their fast movement and origin in the Canadian province of Alberta) will bring snow, wind, and colder temperatures to the nation's Northern Tier this week, with the cold and wind reaching the Gulf Coast as well.

The first clipper is moving through the Midwest today, bringing some locally heavy snow from the Northern Plains to the western Great Lakes today and from the Mississippi River to the Upper Ohio River Valley and central Great Lakes tonight. Blizzard or near blizzard conditions are possible from the Dakotas to the Great Lakes with strong winds near and behind the system. Blizzard watches and warnings are posted (even as far south as Chicago!) This first clipper will begin to move into the Northeast late tonight, bringing a chance of a snow shower in the interior Northeast.

A second clipper will begin to move into the Northern Plains late tomorrow night and Tuesday bringing another round of snow and wind as well as much colder temperatures. Snow from this system will spread across the Midwest on Wednesday and into the Northeast on Thursday. The cold front associated with this system will move through the South dry but will bring cold and windy conditions late in the week.
~source

All I can say, is I am glad I don't live any further north than I do...

Aside from that, we had a wonderful adventure this weekend... I gave my wonderful gtb's dear son a rocket for Christmas, with the promise that we would all launch it the next time he visited. Well, father and son assembled the rocket on Friday night, doing a masterful job. On Saturday afternoon, my wonderful gtb, his dear children, and his terrific mom picked me up with my camera and gear (partially for the launch and partially in hopes of a slight chance at a lightning chasetunity that night that never panned out) to head out to a field we had spotted while driving out to that sunset spot the prior weekend. We again passed the blooming peach tree orchard (not good, especially in light of the cold stuff headed our way this week).Well, we got all set up on a field, with what we thought was plenty of cleared out cotton field (only a few little puffs of cotton scattered on the ground remained) to the north-northeast of the launch site.We even had permission from the person living on that property to launch from that location. Unfortunately, initially, she must have thought that I was asking to launch something else, because she was asking about the size of the explosion. I tried to explain that it was just a child's rocket kit and that it would not leave any explosion debris behind. Unfortunately, the wind was a little stronger against that rocket's parachute than we thought and it got swept far to the north-northeast... last I saw it, it was heading well past the tree line... but the guys went after it...After a great deal of unsuccessful rocket chasing, the guys and gtb's dear daughter who joined in the hunt, returned empty handed learning the lessons of cotton plant stubs (ouch). Since we were in the area, we decided to take everyone to that charmingly primitive wooden bridge that we discovered last weekend. Future Storm Chasing Videographer??? Watch out, Jeff! lol

Anyways, Saturday was a ton of fun, launching and exploring, even if the storm chasing never worked out.

Have a happy Monday!
~Dewdrop