Gal pals

What an incredible weekend I had with a couple of my bestest gal pals! The only downside was my horrible cold, which I am surviving, though it is requiring frequent doses of Nyquil (which is wonderful!!) I slept for 21 or the past 36 hours, so I am feeling much better after the much needed rest. Before I get into that, I want to share the wonderful sky I experienced on Thursday night. It was sensational, with the brilliant orange color filling the eastern sky, which was full of exciting clouds. The western sky contained a full arched rainbow, which seemed close enough to reach out and touch. I didn't capture any fantastic shots of the rainbow, but here is a sample shot of the sunset.Imagine coming home to that...

So, Friday, after work and a slight delay, I was on the road to my dear friend's house, way up on the north side of the perimeter. I arrived late, but in time for some great sleepy conversation with my dear friends. We have known each other since Middle School!! I won't say how many, but that's a lot of years. We took my friend's children, hubby and dog with us to the neighborhood park, which created a great backdrop for a photo shoot. I felt like the paparazzi. :D You know me.Then, there was this other shot, which I title, "Temptation". I couldn't resist shooting this one. It begged me to grab my suit, but I tend to be a bit rebellious.
Aside from that wonderful part of the weekend, and apparently, while I was leaving the area, storms ravaged the area north of where I was, including many in North Carolina. I saw a report of one tornado struck area, where a mobile home was lifted and thrown 100 feet into a nearby pond. Fortunately, the 4 people, inside the trailer at the time, swam to safety.You can click on the graphic for more details about the tornado reports (15 in all) from Sunday. It's time for me to start watching the models to see if a storm chase prospect exists for next week. An anniversary chasetunity would be nice...

Have a great day!
~Dewdrop

Missed opportunity

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! Thanks to Dot and Tom, never forgotten founders of this great event. Come on, come fly with us!

Thanks to hosts: Klaus Sandy Sylvia Wren Louise Fishing Guy

I could kick myself... last night, we saw this amazing perfect halo around the moon, not a corona, but a halo. All I could think was, I've shot that before. I'll just stand back and enjoy it. So then, I'm looking through archives for a lunar halo shot... guess what... NOTHING. I was so wrong. I have solar halos, coronas around the moon, great altocumulus moon shots, lunar eclipse... no lunar halo... bummer. So, instead, I will share with you my two favorite moon shots, taken with my little point and shoot camera. I was blown away by the detail in this shot. I have never been much interested in telescopes. I like them ok, but they aren't all that for me, but for me to be able to grab this picture with my little Sony Steady Shot Point and Shoot camera, I was impressed. I have never captured such a detailed moon shot. I couldn't believe that you could actually make out the craters.This was a great night, standing in the yard, capturing the stages of the lunar eclipse. Granted, I didn't capture the detail as in the other shot, but I love the red glow of the moon during the eclipse.

Now, as for weather, got a text from Alabama Mike, asking if I would be available for support during a potential chase this afternoon. Looks like he's got a pretty good shot at some weather, if they can get things to destabilize. It looks like hail and wind are the big forecast scenarios, but there is still a 2% shot at tornadogenesis.Alabama Mike and JB will likely be chasing this one. It's a super fast system, so they will need to be vigilant to stay ahead and stay safe. When a storm is moving at 65 mph, you really have to be careful.

THIS ACTIVITY WILL MOVE INTO AL TODAY INTO A PROGRESSIVELY MORE STABLE AIR MASS WITH THE RISK OF ORGANIZED SEVERE STORMS LIKELY TO REMAIN RATHER LOW. BY EARLY AFTERNOON...A STRONG DRY SLOT OVER TX WILL ROTATE NORTHEASTWARD INTO MS/WESTERN TN. A PERIOD OF SUNSHINE IN THIS REGION WILL HELP TO STEEPEN LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND DESTABILIZE THE AIR MASS WITH POCKETS OF MUCAPE OVER 1000 J/KG EXPECTED...SPREADING RAPIDLY EASTWARD INTO MIDDLE TN/NORTHERN AND CENTRAL AL/NORTHWEST GA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

Be safe out there, guys!

~Dewdrop

Beautiful sky

Oh, how I love a cirrus filled sky. Such a lovely thing to take in... This morning's sky was plastered with streams of cirrus clouds... mare's tails and contrails being absorbed into the sky... billowing cirrocumulous clouds and of course, some sun dogs (which weren't exceptionally photographic, but the scene in its entirety was outstanding). As I was backing out of my driveway, I caught a glimpse of this beaming sky, which shouted for me to capture it, so obediently, I grabbed my camera, put the car in park and snapped this shot of a glorious sky just after sunrise.I love the way the soft golden glow melts into blue, "dawn goes down to day... nothing gold can stay."

I suppose I should include the whole poem here.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
~Robert Frost, "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

Kind of a sad poem... helps me understand why I feel so compelled to capture the beauty around me in the moment. God's blessings are abundant, and we must take time to appreciate them while they are ours.

So, along the way, I knew that with the sun rising so beautifully into the sky, with the thin layer of fog, just barely kissing the ground, that the pond I pass along the way was certain to be breath taking, so I readied my camera, lowered the window, and held up the camera for a "drive-by shooting"... I didn't look, I just held up the camera and shot. This is what I got:God is good.

As for weather, seeing as how this is a weather blog, I figured I should talk some about the weather. We have some upcoming severe weather potential in the southern plains, with hail and tornadoes moving from Texas/Oklahoma into the Mississippi/Alabama area tomorrow, Mike and JB territory... not here.Have a great day!
~Dewdrop

Shout, everybody, now, Spring is HERE!

One of the advantages of spring is the longer days, which affords me better opportunities for chasing the sun. Yesterday's sunset was glorious, as I was headed home from Yoga practice. The clouds were all jagged and textured on their base, and broken up just enough to allow some brilliant pink crepusclar streaks of light to radiate through, as the ball of fire set beneath the tree line.Oh how I love to sky-gaze!

The weather today was beautiful, so after a 3 hour tour of the doctor's office... grrr... my wonderful groom and I opted for a picnic lunch at a nearby park. It was beautiful, but still a little chilly. We had a great time, doing our thing, playing on the playground equipment. I love the fun we have together!
~Dewdrop

Welcome Spring!!! What took you so long?!

Happy Spring!!! It's about time. Spring has been making itself quite evident in my neck of the woods, with several flowers and trees starting to bloom, a thick layer of fog on our cars and in the air, and the much more reasonable temperatures. Spring is my absolute favorite season, and that's not just because of the weather prospects. Yes, Spring marks the official end of a long SDS season. Severe weather, though so far, quite mild, should pick up as days go by. What I enjoy, in addition to that, though, is the beautiful demonstration of new life, new growth, new beginnings... as flowers awaken from their winter slumber and shout in their vibrant colors announcing spring's arrival.Spring is definitely upon us... of course, don't say that to the Atlanta/Chattanooga/Huntsville/Birmingham areas, currently being snowed on, or to Dallas, digging out from under a significant snow event. All I can say is... BETTER YOU THAN ME!!!

Weather prospects aren't lining up with Spring's arrival as many chasers might hope. My wonderful groom and I are hoping for a chasetunity for our anniversary this year. We'll see how that pans out. Wouldn't that be wonderful?! So far, nothing lined up with any degree of certainty.

Have a beautiful day!!!
~Dewdrop

Chattanooga and more

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! Welcome all sky fans!!! I truly appreciate your visit and comments.

Our hosts: Klaus Sandy Sylvia Wren Louise Fishing Guy

Thanks, also,to Dot and Tom, who were instrumental in the success of this blogging event. You should definitely come fly with us!We spent Saturday enjoying our local community festival, where my adorable "grand-puppies" entered in the doggie beauty contest. Seriously... We supported them, and Foxy (the pomeranian) came in 4th place in the smile contest. Then, we watched as Mini-Dew jumped around like crazy (that's the shot above, where she is mastering her triple)... and then sat and relaxed enjoy my favorite local music group, Skannyardle.

Sunday, we went away for a few days on a business trip in Chattanooga. It was absolutely terrible weather for a trip to such a beautifully mountainous area. We had an amazing view of Lookout Mountain from the conference center and some of the elevators, but no thanks to the icky grey-ness and low cloud cover, we couldn't even enjoy and appreciate it. Unfortunately, also, I was in session during normal business hours, so we were extremely limited in our exploration of the local area. We did have the opportunity to briefly explore the aquarium, which was beautiful and delightful, and we visited several of the restaurants in the area. Our favorite was the "Big River Grill". When you go there, ask to be seated in Chris's section. He's the BEST! His customers are well served. We really enjoyed the free electric shuttle, which provided us free travel all over town, and it's designed to be "green". You can see the grey skies in my pictures... hold cursor over picture for the description.




Have a magnificent day!
~Dewdrop

Slight risk just expanded to include almost all of GA

The SPC just expanded the area of slight risk to include most of Georgia. I don't see any chance at there being sufficient instability, but who knows... There is a 2% chance for tornadoes!!!!Here's what they are saying about this "COMPLEX SITUATION THIS MORNING WITH SEVERAL POTENTIAL SEVERE THREAT AREAS...EACH OF WHICH HAS SOME LIMITING FACTORS. (instability)" :

WEAK-MODERATE INSTABILITY WITH LARGELY UNIDIRECTIONAL WIND PROFILES. ISOLATED SUPERCELLS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE BROKEN FRONTAL BAND ACROSS ERN AL INTO GA THIS AFTERNOON...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING GUSTS THE MAIN SEVERE THREATS.

Be safe out there!
~Dewdrop

Severe potential in south Georgia

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! Welcome all sky fans!!! I truly appreciate your visit and comments.

Our hosts: Klaus Sandy Sylvia Wren Louise Fishing Guy

Thanks, also,to Dot and Tom, who were instrumental in the success of this blogging event. You should definitely come fly with us!
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, a Thursday pretty much makes things a shoe-in for severe weather if the parameters are anywhere near present. That area that was merely a "See Text" area on the graphic yesterday, has been given a slight risk for severe weather today, which my neck of the woods is included in... In fact, we fall within an area of a 5% chance of tornadoes spawning. If you start to see anything like to shot above, we could be in for a doozy! We could be in for a doozy even if not though. This same system produced destructive tornadoes yesterday. There were 5 tornado reports, including reports of injuries in Arkansas and Louisiana. Several homes were destroyed. Another big story with this monster storm was the hail. Severe hail fell all over the storm ravaged area with some reports that hail was 2 3/4" in size. Here's what the Storm Prediction Center has to say about today's threat:

DESPITE MODEST CAPE (which is being limited by the overcast skies)...GIVEN INCREASINGLY MOIST LOW-LVL ENVIRONMENT AND DEGREE OF BOTH LOW-LVL AND DEEP SHEAR...SETUP WILL SUPPORT SHORT LINES/CLUSTERS OF STORMS WITH EMBEDDED LEWPS/SUPERCELLS. THESE MAY PRODUCE BOTH TORNADOES AND DMGG WIND GIVEN STRENGTH OF LWR TROPOSPHERIC FLOW AND LARGE LOW-LVL HODOGRAPHS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTN. WHILE THE SVR THREAT MAY DIMINISH THIS EVE...THE THREAT MAY INCREASE AGAIN LATER TONIGHT/EARLY FRI AS THE LLJ REDEVELOPS AHEAD OF APPROACHING UPR IMPULSE.

Incidentally, a similar area of severity is mapped out for tomorrow.If not for the Dewvoid, I would expect that area of slight risk to expand to my area. We shall see... I could actually chase tomorrow.

Have a safe day!
~Dewdrop

Weather... coming right up!

Well, after what might have seemed to many storm chasers as an unending winter season, it looks as if we are finally breaking into a pattern of the weather that storm chasers crave. With the Oklahoma EF2 on Monday, chasers got just a tease of what might be to come if the weather pans out the way forecasters are suggesting. The expectation is that once these severe storms start, we might be in for a doozy of a season. Today's risk has hatched out 2 areas, where the Storm Prediction Center forecasts a 10% risk for tornadoes. Some of my chaser friends will be on these storms today. Go Bridget!These risk areas fall within a much larger area expected to have a slight risk for severe weather today.As for me here in my neck of the woods, our less than a slight risk potential (we are in the dreaded "see text" region)Anyone who has followed by blog for any amount of time knows that if weather were going to happen in my neck of the woods, it would require one of the following situations, which would render the storm non-chaseable:
1). A night storm. I don't do night storms.
2). I am responsible for Mini-Dew at the time of the storm, and I don't take her chasing with me.
3). The weather occurs on a Thursday, payroll day, the only day I can't break away from work...

Well, scenario 3 it is... looks like we'll have a slight risk outlined for tomorrow by the end of the day. They just aren't keen on forecasting the Dewvoid.

Here's what they are saying about Thursday's storms:

RELATIVELY STRONG/VEERING LOW TO MID TROPOSPHERIC WIND FIELDS ARE SUGGESTIVE OF SOME POTENTIAL FOR A FEW SUPERCELLS AND/OR MAINTENANCE OF SMALL QUASI-LINEAR CLUSTERS CAPABLE OF DAMAGING WIND AND/OR A TORNADO. THE DEGREE OF ONGOING/EARLY DAY CLOUD COVER/PRECIPITATION COMPLICATES THE SCENARIO...BUT SOME SURFACE BASED CONVECTIVE UPSWING IS POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH FL/FAR SOUTHERN GA (that's me!) DURING THE DAY PROVIDED SUFFICIENT DIURNAL DESTABILIZATION ALONG/SOUTH OF A WARM FRONT (meaning, cloud cover will have to subside for any action, which I can't chase, so I'd rather just not have any...)

Have a beautiful day!!
~Dewdrop

Wild adventures at Wild Adventures

We had a crazy busy weekend this past weekend, and now I am bummed to learn that my favorite window and connection to the world has been closed... Yahoo. My access to email during the hours from 8:30 - 5:00 has been limited by the IT police. Time to get creative, I suppose.

So, ummm, back to our weekend... Saturday was a loss, with my wonderful groom being at work all day, but we made the most of the rest of the weekend, with a trip to Wild Adventures, which is the local amusement park. They just reopened after "winter" with 3 new rides and a $1 million refurbishment of another (which, by the way, was a colossal waste of money, since it still gave my whiplash muscles an outrageous workout, even though TJ assured me it was no worse than driving up the highway with the windows down. Aside from the amazing display of cloud iridescence and the magnificent cirrocumulus sky shortly before sunset, the sky was uneventful, but I still enjoyed the park Dewdrop-style. Here goes.It looks like a puddle of oil in the sky.Random people riding the new Viking Family Coaster.Beached swan. I think swans are just a picture of grace and elegance.This was a spectacular display of cirrocumulus clouds framed by the Boomerang, which Mini-Dew rode for the first time on Sunday (and LOVED it!) Apparently, there's a dare-devil in there yet!A random cutie holding a dove in the petting zoo portion of the park.9 Day old calf pleading with Mini-Dew's friend for milk. It chased her all over the place.

All in all, we had a truly terrific time. The weather was perfect, Spring is in the air!!! Even he thinks so!
Now, aside from our wild adventures at the park, yesterday turned out to be an exciting weather day in the plains, with a long-lived tornado being nabbed by several chasers who were undoubtedly foaming at the mouth to finally see something after a long season of SDS. Posted on severestudios.com is a great video grab captured by storm chasers Andy Gabrielson and Mike Ratliff. I saw this footage on TWC this morning of the tornado from Elk City to Hammon, OK, which stayed on the ground for about 30 minutes yesterday, tearing up 5 homes, a barn, and took out power to 1,000 residences or so. Fortunately, as far as I've heard, warnings helped protect lives, so no one was hurt. Another slight risk for severe weather exists tomorrow, which carries with it a threat for another potentially tornadogenetic (just made up that word, don't know if it is real or not, but I like it) environment.

Have a beautiful day!
~Dewdrop