Mackerel Moon

I totally almost forgot to share this morning's sky with you... I came outside to let the doggone dog do his thing and to check the practically empty rain gauge, and slapping me right in the face was the amazing altocumulus mackerel sky... with the full moon peeking from behind it with it's powerful corona illuminating the surrounding clouds. It was extremely cool! You know what that means... had to run back inside for camera and tripod.

"Mackerel in the sky, three days dry"

Enjoy!
~Dew

Don't let mild temps fool you!

Howdy Dew, folks!!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I played SWF hookie last week since I had no sky shots at my location at the time (even though, my wonderful gtb suggested I just go out and take one), I just decided to sit it out a week... but Thanksgiving is over, and once again, it's time for a Sky Watch "Friday" post! Please visit Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Louise and Fishing Guy's SKY WATCH BLOG to participate in Sky Watch Fridays, which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Thanks to Dot, the mother of this fabulous blogging event, and to the "retired" Tom, who brought it to full bloom. It is so fascinating to see skies from all over the world!!! You should definitely climb aboard the SWF Express!This morning, I decided to post this really cool altocumulus mackerel sky from back in March of last year. It is the closest I have to this morning's sky, when I actually had a beautiful bed of stratocumulus that almost resembled mammtus clouds which I caught a couple of weeks ago (big grin), but they weren't nearly as amazing. They looked like a pile of cotton balls stuck to the sky creating a ceiling or like a heavily quilted blanket, all puffy and full... mostly grey with a little pink as the sun rose under them. I didn't grab a picture... it really wasn't all that photogenic. I should have tried, but eh...

Stratocumulus lenticularis are separate flat elongated seed-shaped clouds. They are typical for polar countries or warmer climate during winter seasons. They also can be formed by winds passing hills or mountains, and in this case they can be very regularly shaped.

Locally, the big story is the flooding of the Withlacoochee River around town as a result of this weekend's abundant rain. We desperately needed the rain, but the river wasn't quite ready for that much, that fast. With a flood stage at 13ft, yesterday's 16.6ft stage rose water high onto properties surrounding the river. My picture to the left (sorry about the less than great quality... twilight shots are not so hot on my camera), shows water from the Withlacoochee, rising well into a parking lot. The parking lot usually extends to the tree line (click on the image to enlarge). In fact, the van in the picture was driving toward that side of the parking lot, when they suddenly noticed the water and slammed on their brakes. Smart move, you should NEVER drive into flood water!

WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER NEAR VALDOSTA AFFECTING LOWNDES COUNTY... MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND EXPECTED TO CONTINUE

SAFETY MESSAGE...ALL PERSONS WITH INTEREST ALONG THE RIVER SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS...AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT DRIVE CARS THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. IF YOU SEE FLOOD WATERS... REMEMBER TO TURN AROUND AND DO NOT DROWN.

...FLOOD WARNING EXTENDED UNTIL LATE SUNDAY NIGHT...THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE WITHLACOOCHEE RIVER NEAR VALDOSTA.
* AT 2:30 AM THURSDAY THE STAGE WAS 16.6 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 13.0 FEET.

There is another line of showers moving across the eastern US headed this way. The abundant dry air currently planted over the southeast should deplete most of the squall line of its rain, but we could still see some showers in Georgia today, mostly in north Georgia where severe drought is still a concern. Its not a drought buster, but every drop counts, right? With the mild temperatures preceding the rain, people might be caught off guard by the arctic blast that will move in on the other side of that squall line rain event. We aren't looking at severe weather with this one (sigh), but you can expect things to get downright cold after the rain! Speaking of cold, I asked my dear friend, Christine to give me some ideas to write about to help me with a little bit of bloggers block I've been battling. She suggested this (among many other topics):

What are some of the differences between how bad weather up north was dealt with compared to down south? Do people react differently if it snows? What are some basics to always keep on hand (home) - not emergency kit - but... food staples, etc.?

It's funny, that's one of the things that struck me when I moved to Georgia. I had never experienced a winter without a heavy snow, and several of them, while I lived up in Massachusetts. Snow in Boston is a common occurrence, nothing too exciting, just a nuisance because of the shoveling and de-icing. It wasn't unheard of for me to walk home from school often in thick snow (yeah, yeah, up hill both ways and bare feet -- lol, oh wait, that's my grandfather's story), seriously though, snow drifts over my head, at times. People don't react near the same way up there as they do down here. It's a part of life up there... now, in Georgia, if there is a hint in the forecast of a possibility of a snow flurry, the schools close, businesses close, people buy up all the milk and bread (why always milk and bread?!)... It's total mayhem. Cities literally shut down. When the snow falls, children run outside wearing oven mits and garbage bags, scraping together every flake of snow they can to make a 3 inch snowman. In addition, with folks in the south not really knowing how to drive in snow, you see fender benders galore.

So, how should you prepare for snow in Georgia? I would recommend keeping a box of cold weather clothes... no, you won't use them often, but at least when you want them, they will be there... gloves, hat, scarves, ear muffs, heavy coats (or just lots and lots of layers). Snow is very wet as it melts and you want to have a layer that is water resistant if you plan to play in snow for any amount of time (if there is any accumulation). Food-wise, skip the bread and milk... if you haven't lost a lot of your leaves and have a heavy wet snow with ice, you're liable to lose power lines as the trees snap under the weight, and subsequently lose your power. Don't stock up on milk, stock up on hot chocolate mix! Heat up water for that over the fire... stock up on canned goods--chili, beef stew, spaghetti O's, fruit, vegetables, non-perishables that you can heat up over the fireplace. I guess bread would be ok, in case roads are closed for a while (likely in the south--read on) and you can't get to the store, or like in every other scenario, everyone bought it all up... usually, in Georgia, they don't have the salting machines and snow removal equipment like up north so road closures are likely. Be prepared to just hunker down, lots of blankets and candles, possibly some battery back up heaters, but be very cautious with those things... they can start fires. Don't forget the bottled water either, 3 per person per day, for a few days worth. Stay warm.

Enjoy whatever weather you got, cause it'll most likely change in a minute...
~Dewdrop

What I'm thankful for....

First, I want to share my sky from yesterday with you... what a splendid display of cirrocumulus, including some incredible mare's tail-shaped cirrus clouds, which were well presented (and followed by a cirrocumulus mackerel sky means that we can expect strong westerlies at the surface in the near future)... so, here is the summary in pictures...How great is our God?!

Aside from that, the Thanksgiving holiday is breathing hard down our necks. The grocery stores all packed to the brim with some less than pleasant shoppers, counting each others carted items in the express line, ready to brawl if there are 21 items. The roads are covered in bumper to bumper traffic, full of frustrated drivers, holding tight to their steering wheel and their position, unwilling to merge and allow yet another vehicle into the over-crowded, gridlocked mix. Everyone's headed to Grandma's, Mom's, Great Aunt Matilda's... yet, in all the mayhem and grief, the table starts to turn and our senses come to life, as we remember grandma's creamy mashed potatoes and juicy gravy, Mom's exceptionally yummy sweet potato casserole, gtb's really incredibly awesome roasted butternut squash soup. Ahh, the fragrant aroma of a cinnamon rolls for breakfast, the mouthwatering oversized, overstuffed turkey baking in the oven... the various bands presenting themselves in the highest honor, Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, as you wait for your favorite float, the sound of men shouting over the wins and losses of their favorite teams... family, friends sitting around the table in a gesture of love, sharing what they have to be most thankful for... what God has done... what God is currently doing... what God will do in each of our lives... all the many blessings. I hope that you have a truly blessed Thanksgiving! Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you're thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!
~Dewdrop