Posts Tagged ‘climate’

Suffering in Atlanta’s Pollen Regime

Okay, maybe it’s not a regime, but the start of this year’s pollen season here in Atlanta, GA, has been absolutely brutal.

Yesterday, the city hit a record with a pollen count of 8,164.  Today’s pollen count . . . 9,369!

The pollen count is too DAMN high!

The neighborhood streets are already covered in a thick dust of the yellow powder.  While out running some errands, my girlfriend and I saw that ordinary black parking lots had many bright yellow sections.  It’s all because of pollen.  Grrrrr.

Lately, the pollen season here in the Atlanta region has been occurring in the spring around late March and early April.  We’d have like a week or two of intense pollen counts, but then it would quickly end.  At some point a nice downpour embedded in a thunderstorm would help wash away the dusting, making it easier to breathe once again.

But as we’ve noticed, it seems like spring skipped the region and we’ve headed straight into summer.  The daytime highs have been in the low to mid 80s, and nights have been pleasantly warm in the mid 60s.  That kind of weather is fine for June, but not for the first half of March.  This is just crazy hot for this time of year!

Right now the weather forecast is showing highs in the low to mid 80s for the rest of the week.  We might see some precipitation on Thursday or Friday, but right now the chances of that are still fairly low.  With intense pollen like this, we need a good downpour about every other day to help wash away that crap and keep it easier to breathe outside. Read more…

Groundhog Day 2012 — Early Spring For Some, More Winter For Others

February 2, 2012

One more time the country held its collective breath.  Watching, waiting for one of the most repulsive and unholy of creatures to make its annual decision.  A pitiful rodent that ranks even lower in society than cockroaches.

It sniffed the air.

It observed the crowd.

And then it spoke.

Early Spring!  (at least for Georgia)

The crowd erupted into a glorious celebration, worshiping the fabled weather rat.  General Beauregard Lee was set on his imaginary pedestal and celebrated once more.  The crowd couldn’t be happier.  Spring is officially on the way!

Well, at least the Georgia crowd was pleased.  Word has it that Punxsutawney Phil, the oversized weather rodent of Pennsylvania, didn’t quite agree with General Lee’s forecast.  Phil had doom and gloom in mind as he predicted six more weeks of Winter.

Does one groundhog’s forecast override the other?

Is Punxsutawney Phil capable of detecting weather patterns in the southeast or pacific northwest?

Does anybody really care what a giant rat predicts, especially rodents as wrong as these two?

Let’s check with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and see what they predict for the next few months. Read more…

Tornado Terror — Spring 2011

When it comes to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, this past spring has been nothing short of unbelievable.

Parts of the nation not only experienced tornado outbreaks, but this time some of the strongest of storms struck populated areas from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Joplin, Missouri.  And sadly, this has included significant loss of life and complete destruction of an untold number of homes, schools and businesses.

• April of 2011 set a new record of 875 confirmed tornadoes, smashing the previous record of 267 back in April of 1974.

• 2011 has been the seventh deadliest year on record with a total number of 508 tornado-related fatalities.

• The EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, MO is the eighth deadliest tornado on record with 135 (updated – June 1, 2011) confirmed fatalities.

• The National Weather Service has estimated that the U.S. has experienced 1,228 tornadoes so far this year.  The yearly average number of tornadoes within the past decade is 1,274.

So what does this mean? Read more…

Springtime Weather – 2011 edition

Today in Atlanta, GA we hit a high of 83 degrees along with an extreme pollen count of 3,301.  The pollen is a separate issue, but hitting 83 on a day where our high is usually around 70, and you know that we’re experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures.  Through in the fact that tomorrow’s weather forecast is to be only 58 degrees, and, well, big change is coming.

And by big change I mean potentially severe weather.

The evening hours are approaching, and as I type this latest article, severe storms are marching across the lower Ohio Valley and across the deep south.

Read more…

Springtime Pollen in Atlanta

Warmer temperatures are here, the flowers and trees are blooming, and as usual, the pollen count is soaring.

And just how high is the pollen count in Atlanta, GA today?

2,258!

Ahhhhhhhh!  Actually, it’ll probably be more than double that as we approach the peak of the pollen season.

The streets and sidewalks already have a little bit of a yellow tint as the allergy particles continue to fall from the vegetation. When we reach the peak of the season, the pollen will be so thick that cars passing in the street will leave yellow clouds of dust.  You can wash your car in the morning, and by early afternoon it’ll be covered in another layer of dust.  Walking through grass will cover your shoes and legs with pollen.  Nasty.

As for me, I already have a bit of a sore throat and stuffed nose.

At least tonight will involve lots of chicken wings soaked in different sauces, all while being entertained by one of the greatest guitarists in the country.  Good times for all. 

Groundhog Day 2011 – An Early Spring?

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 – GROUNDHOG DAY

Once again the country held its collective breath as Punxsutawney Phil, self-proclaimed leader of the weather rats, gave his climate prediction.

The furry rodent reached deep into his knowledge base, analyzed the current conditions, ran the numbers several times in his pea brain head, and then gave the local residents of western Pennsylvania his weather prediction:  EARLY SPRING!

Don’t worry about that massive winter storm that covered about a quarter of the country in a thick layer of snow and ice.

Forget about the forecast calling for more snow to cover the northeast this weekend.

Ignore the fact that Punxsutawney Phil is only correct with his predictions less than 40% of the time.

The all-knowing master of climate and underground studies has made his prediction.  This is his day to shine.  On this day the general public throws conventional science out the window and looks to nature’s retard, hoping that it will bring about some good news for a change. Read more…

Summer Solstice 2010 and Recent Weather

Here we are again on the longest day of the year for those of us living in the northern hemisphere.

According to the astronomy news, here in Atlanta we had 15 hours and 23 minutes of daylight.  Tomorrow is forecast to be one second less of daylight.

As a comparison, my hometown of Detroit, Michigan had 16 hours and 26 minutes of daylight.  Orlando, Florida, my favorite vacation city, had 14 hours and 51 minutes of visible daylight.

One of the weirdest things is that even though the amount of daylight is now decreasing until late December, we’re still approaching our peak summertime temperatures.  It’s going to be scorching hot outside come mid to late July and early August.  Then again, we’ve already been experiencing some decent heat so far this year.

So how hot has it been outside?

Let’s take a look at some data. Read more…

How Severe Was This Past Winter?

Or in other words, where did the “global warming” go?

As it was noted in a previous posting last month, the U.S. has been experiencing an El Nino weather pattern this past winter.  And when looking at the recent climate data for my three favorite cities (Atlanta, GA; Detroit, MI; and Orlando, FL), more evidence fits the pattern.

The El Nino weather conditions typically bring colder than normal temperature and precipitation to the southern and southeastern part of the country, and warmer and drier conditions to the upper Midwest and Northeast amongst other locations.  This can basically be viewed as a “reverse winter” where you’ll find more snow and freezing temperatures than usual down South, and less of the winter weather up North.

Looking at this temperature chart from the NOAA, sure enough, the southern and southeastern parts of the country had a significantly colder-than-normal winter, while the northern areas generally experienced at to above normal temperatures.

But wait! Read more…

A Change in the Air

Springtime is rapidly approaching for those of us down here in the southeast.

Last Tuesday we were hit with a hefty winter storm that dropped nearly three inches of snow on the ground and sent the school kids home early.  We weren’t that cold and most of the snow was gone by mid-afternoon of the following day, but as always, it was still entertaining.

And now here we are not even a week later, and it’s sunny and 70 degrees outside.

Simply outstanding! Read more…

Run For Your Life! It’s El Nino!

Speaking of El Nino, have you heard that we as a whole have been experiencing weather conditions directly associated from the warming of water in the eastern Pacific Ocean?

Let’s see, so far we’ve been seeing:

• More rain & mudslides in southern California than normal.

• Less snowfall in Vancouver (fresh snow would be nice for the Winter Olympics) than normal.

• Less winter precipitation in the Ohio Valley / upper Midwest than normal.

• Colder temperatures in the southern and southeastern part of the country than normal.

• More rain and flooding in southern Florida than normal.

Are all of those the result of the “global warming” and “climate change” we keep hearing about in the news?

Guess again. Read more…