Weather gone wild

More unfortunate news from Haiti this morning, their strongest aftershock yet, struck at 6:03AM, with a 6.1 magnitude, just 35 miles from Port-au-Prince, not far from the original major earthquake 8 days ago. I haven't heard reports about how the already dangerous state of Port-au-Prince's structures were impacted or if any rescue workers were impacted, which is my first thought, but it is clear that they continue to need all of our prayers.

Back here, we have a relentless weather pattern, which is inundating much of the country with one type of weather or another. A series of low pressure systems is parading its way across the country moving in off the Pacific. Strong low pressure systems are dumping record rainfall on California, causing incredibly dangerous landslides and threats of more, as more rain moves in. As if that's not bad enough, southern California actually reported 3 tornadoes, including one in Los Angeles. Apparently, the turmoil in the water (20' waves) caused some water spouts which moved inland.

GOLETA SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CA
RADIO STATION KCOY IN SANTA BARBARA REPORTED A SHERIFFS DEPUTY SPOTTED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR THE OCEAN MEADOW GOLF COURSE NEAR ISLE VISTA AROUND 1030 AM...ROOF DAMAGE (LOX)

HUNTINGTON BEACH ORANGE COUNTY, CA
TORNADO SPOTTED ON PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY JUST SOUTH OF ANDERSON STREET. THE FUNNEL CROSSED THE HIGHWAY AND HEADED NE. A BLACK LIMO WAS LIFTED UP AND AN SUV WAS FLIPPED (SGX)

HUNTINGTON BEACH ORANGE COUNTY CA
PROBABLE (Interesting wording) TORNADO IN HUNTINGTON BEACH. BOATS UPLIFTED AND DAMAGED IN THE HB HARBOR. DAMAGE TO BUILDING IN AREAS. CAR FLIPPED 16400 PCH. (SGX)

Neither San Diego, not Los Angeles's Weather Service Office reference the tornado at this time.

Local Storm Reports
Los Angeles
San Diego
Unfortunately, that same system is now causing treacherous blizzard conditions in the mid-west, with ice storms and just a huge mess. For us, down in the south, this all spells out severe weather potential.

For today, much of the central Gulf states are under a slight risk for severe weather with a mentionable tornadic threat. The area of risk stops short of my area with a new threat bumping into tomorrow's forecast.




Anyone within the green outlined area, should be mindful of rapidly changing conditions. The second graphic depicts the probabilities for tornadoes.

I am keeping a closer watch on tomorrow. Before you ask, NO! I WILL NOT BE CHASING! It's payroll day for me, so I will be stuck at my desk, missing out on all the fun, but the wording has me intrigued.You see, though it looks like instability will be lacking, south Georgia and north Florida look like the ripest areas for action. As in, if anything is going to happen, it is most likely to occur in my neck of the woods. I'll break down the discussion.

...SERN AL...SRN GA AND NRN FL...

AN MCS (mesoscale convective system-large rotating storm system) SHOULD BE IN PROGRESS OVER THE SERN STATES EARLY THURSDAY WITHIN ZONE OF ISENTROPIC LIFT (warm air overriding cold air. Lift is a key element of thunderstorms.) WIDESPREAD CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION SHOULD LIMIT MLCAPE (low instability- due to limited heating potential, cloud cover) TO WELL BELOW 1000 J/KG EAST OF ONGOING STORMS...BUT PARTIAL CLEARING WILL BE POSSIBLE FARTHER DOWNSTREAM ACROSS FL AND SRN GA (we might HERE have just enough break in the clouds to allow for the heating to destabilize things, instability is another key element for thunderstorms). STORMS DEVELOPING NEAR THE SRN END OF THIS MCS WILL EXPERIENCE AN INFLUX OF RICHER LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE (the third and final ingredient of thunderstorms.) AND THEREFORE SHOULD HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF BECOMING ROOTED NEAR THE SURFACE. STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR (a fourth ingredient making conditions ripe for tornadoes) ACCOMPANYING THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A THREAT OF SUPERCELLS AND BOWING STRUCTURES WITH DAMAGING WIND AND ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE AS ACTIVITY DEVELOPS EWD. HIGHER PROBABILITIES MAY BE NEEDED IN LATER OUTLOOKS IF IT BECOMES MORE APPARENT THAT THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL UNDERGO SUFFICIENT DESTABILIZATION.

So, basically, all the ingredients for potential tornadoes in south Georgia (north Florida) are lining up for tomorrow. If we get a clearing in the sky, watch out! That's the only ingredient that is needed to trigger a significant event.

Be safe,
~Dewdrop

Continued prayers for Haiti

Unfortunately, the news out of Haiti is grim. The optimistic side was guestimating a death toll near 50,000. Initial speculation had numbers in the 100's of thousands. Unfortunately, with them having recovered 70,000 bodies already from the wreckage, it looks like the earlier, more devastating totals are a closer match with reality. The estimate is now at about 200,000. In a poorly constructed tightly populated city of 2,000,000, I fear that they are being overly optimistic once again. Sadly, the situation is also bad for rescue workers and survivors. Supplies of water, food... the basics are falling short of the need. How do you have enough for 3,000,000 people...?

Haiti's already poor health and infrastructure situation, such as a lack of water, and sanitation systems, has brought additional challenges to the rescue operations in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation.

The damage done to the main port of the country as a result of the earthquake, as well as the main roads and airport, have limited the distribution of aid.

~source

I received this prayer today through email. It does a great job of summarizing my thought and prayer for the people of Haiti and all those involved in rescue and relief efforts.

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU, because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were. Because this morning my home was still standing, because this morning I am not crying because my husband, my child, my brother or sister needs to be pulled from underneath a pile of concrete, because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water, because this morning I was able to turn on the light, because this morning I was able to take a shower, because this morning I was not planning a funeral, but most of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Haiti. Lord I cry out to you, the one that makes the impossible, possible, the one that turns darkness into light, I cry out that you give those mothers strength, that you give them peace that surpasses all understanding, that you may open the streets so that help can come, that you may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye. For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on! Protect the children and shield them with your power. I pray all this in the name of Jesus!

We here are truly blessed!!!!!

I had a beautiful thing happen last night. I was outside and looked up to the magnificent star-filled sky. We live far enough from city lights to really have an opportunity to see and appreciate the magnitude of the universe, millions of twinkling diamonds plaster the sky. It's breathtaking on a clear night. Well, last night, as I was star-gazing, a brilliant ball of fire raced across the sky with it's tail streaming, as a luminous contrail reaching across the expanse of the sky. It stopped my words. It stopped my movement. I couldn't even signal my wonderful groom to look. I was paralyzed with awe of our great God. I immediately poured out thanks to Him and it was gone, another special love note from a loving Father.

Today was an interesting day so far... It started with a simple adjustment that lasted way too atypically long. They were having a Monday, too, apparently. This made me late for the dentist, who was running behind, so I got caught up and only had a short wait. I decided then to make my deposit at the bank, which is on my way and generally only takes a few seconds. I prepared my checks and money and deposit slip, placed them all in the tube thing.... placed the tube in the chamber and pressed send... that's when it started... this HORRIBLE RACKET that they could hear on the other side of their no-doubt very thick glass. A loud roaring noise rumbled and whirred and the tellers looked at me, like I had done something. They immediately came on and asked what I had sent... meaning, they didn't get it. Well, with it no longer in the chamber and not with them... UGH! So, this racket continues for some time as the machine tries with all its might to try to send the canister through the tube to the teller. Still nothing. Well, then, smoke starts to pour out of what I can only imagine to be the motor on this crazy contraption. The couple in the car two lanes over are starting to get nervous and give an eye witness report of what was going on... as if all the tellers' noses weren't pressed to the window gawking at this nutso scene... Well, then, the smoke gets thicker and starts boiling out of every crack and crevice the machine has to offer, apparently even filling the tube that travels into the bank. Well, that was my signal to pull up and away from this thing before it burst into flames in my face. A teller and the manager came running out and try to communicate the same way I was with the tellers inside... hand signal showing billowing smoke coming from the machine. They asked me to come inside so they could figure out how to take care of me. The crazy drive-thru teller machine repair man was called in to seek out my deposit which I was assured will be recovered... good grief. Crazy start to a day, but if that's the least of my problems, I still consider myself exceptionally blessed.

Have a great day!
~Dewdrop

All eyes on Ike's eye... and the possible return of Josephine???

Well, it's an unfortunate story with Ike. He barrelled through the Turks and the Caicos as a powerfully dangerous category 4 hurricane causing a wake of destruction. I have heard some staggering figures. One that struck me was the 90% of the structures on the Grand Turk Island were damaged or destroyed by Ike. I also heard that 73 people have been killed in Haiti, and Ike didn't even make landfall in Haiti. The flooding there is extensive, of course... with Gustav, Hanna and now, Ike, how could they not? Now, what is expected with Ike...? Good question. He is currently tearing through Cuba, as a strong category 2 hurricane after making landfall last night as an intensifying category 3 with beautiful symmetry and a powerful and obvious eye. As he has ripped through Cuba's mountainous landscape, he has fed in some dry air, which attempted to work at his symmetry, but he seems to be holding on none-the-less. After making a journey through Cuba, the models have gotten into better alignment, helping boost confidence in what Ike is expected to do.

IT IS STILL TOO SOON TO KNOW WHAT PORTION OF THE GULF COAST WILL ULTIMATELY BE AFFECTED BY IKE.

... but, it looks like Louisiana/Texas is a good bet.

THE OFFICIAL FORECAST AGAIN SHOWS LESS WEAKENING OVER LAND THAN INDICATED BY THE DECAY SHIPS MODEL...IN THE EVENT THAT THE CENTER EMERGES OVER WATER SOONER THAN FORECAST. THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE GULF IS EXPECTED TO BE VERY CONDUCIVE TO RESTRENGTHENING WITH A VERY DIFLUENT LIGHT SHEAR UPPER WIND PATTERN AND WARM WATERS BELOW. THE MAJOR UNKNOWN IS HOW DISRUPTED IKE WILL BE WHEN IT EMERGES.

Is Josephine the comeback kid? Looks like though Josephine fizzled out over the Atlantic over the weekend... she has been holding on to her low and popping up intermittent showers and storms. Though her environment at the current time does not support redevelopment, down the line, the environment favors her reforming in a couple of days... we might not have seen the last of Josephine, yet.

OK... it's been a while and my list is full... but here is yet another entertaining list of the things people have typed into their search engine to find me. Some of these literally had me rolling!

Searches that have resulted in complete DEW-ness!

1. NWS Tallahassee Spotter test answers (Cheater!!!! You're not going to get answers on my site. You need to study!)
2. Weather lesson plan swf (Did you get any useful ideas...?)
3. Dewdrop tornados (Must be a new type I have never heard of... ;O) )
4. www.dew is blog spot.com (Seriously, people? I think they were specifically after me... to help you out... it's http://www.dewdropweather.com/)
5. South Georgia Storm Chaser (also in this group was "Tropical Storm Chasing", "Weird Hurricane Chasers" and "Crazy Hurricane Chaser") (That's me, or it will be. Big cheese grin.)
6. Is Fay turning around and coming back to Ga? (Sort of... yeah.)
7. Several asking "Should I cancel my trip to Disney World Fay", "Hurricane Hanna Destroy Disney World" and "Should we cancel our trip to Disney because of Fay and Gustav" (I would say let me consult my crystal ball, but apparently someone looked for that too... check out the next...)
8. What do fortune tellers predict about Gustav (alrighty then... if you found out something, I hope you got with those other folks)
9. Does South Georgia have school tomorrow? (Pretty broad question...)
10. Tornadoes that look like Jesus (blink, blink... huh?)
11. Strange bright light over Jacksonville, Florida August 21st (again, blink, blink... huh?)
12. Dangerous Photography Trips (This makes more sense to me... I try not to be dangerous, though.)
13. Can a tornado form from a cloudless sky (The immediate answer is no since tornadoes are attached to a cloud base by definition; however, clouds can pop up in a cloudless sky in the right environment and form tornadoes seemingly out of nowhere... hence the expressions "Out of the clear blue sky..." and "Out of the blue..." I liked that one. Thanks!)
14. Can a helicopter stop on a cloud (oh my... "A cloud is a visible mass of water droplets, (or other condensed liquid form of gas) or frozen crystals floating in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body." NO! A helicopter cannot stop on a cloud! A cloud is just wet air.)
15. What really happens at boy scout camp (WHAT?!)

Alrighty then... Here is my sky over the weekend... nice cirrus.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, has endured the onslaught of four tropical storms in a three-week period. Heavy rains and flooding sparked by the outer bands of Hurricane Ike killed at least 61 people in Cabaret, to the north of the capital Port-au-Prince. "The whole village is flooded," said local civil protection official Moise Jean-Pierre. "The death toll could go higher." The destruction in Haiti has been described as catastrophic.

Police said 500 people were confirmed dead from recent Tropical Storm Hanna while others were still missing and the number could rise. The newly installed Prime Minister, Michele Pierre Louis, has launched a fresh appeal for international aid. He called in particular for helicopters to bring those left stranded by the floods to safety. ~source

God be with those dealing with Ike!!!
~Dewdrop