It looks almost as extreme as the past winter in some areas.
A peek at the summer forecast from AccuWeather
- Thread starter tomturbomatic
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Last evening, our local weatherman showed a graph with 7 straight months of below normal temps. He said it looks like May is on track to be the 8th month in a row according to the NWS.
arbilab
Well-known member
If I had to sum in one word it would be 'brutal'. CA and TX drought expanding, becoming chronic. That heinous storm system that tore up AR and flooded GA came through here without doing squat.
came through here without doing squat.
I'm very thankful it didn't. I have tremendous sadness and pain for all those suffering loss of life and of family members and property, but I can do without all the violent weather. Glad it happens far more in the DFW Metroplex than getting down this far. And it can stay up there!!! I'm petrified of this crap. Every time there are destructive tornadoes in DFW I'm even more thankful and glad I did not decide to move there. I've had one tornado pass over my house, another that was an F5 pass within 5 miles of my house, and naively seen another one in a bank of green clouds as I was driving down a major thoroughfare. Those were way too close for me.
I'm very thankful it didn't. I have tremendous sadness and pain for all those suffering loss of life and of family members and property, but I can do without all the violent weather. Glad it happens far more in the DFW Metroplex than getting down this far. And it can stay up there!!! I'm petrified of this crap. Every time there are destructive tornadoes in DFW I'm even more thankful and glad I did not decide to move there. I've had one tornado pass over my house, another that was an F5 pass within 5 miles of my house, and naively seen another one in a bank of green clouds as I was driving down a major thoroughfare. Those were way too close for me.
The drought is having a *serious* impact on agriculture in this area. Three area-counties are historically the largest rice crop producers in the state. The river authorities have cut them off from access to irrigation water for the past couple years with no relief in sight until possibly 2017 when a proposed groundwater reservoir may be completed.
Well, you sure can't grow rice without a lot of water. I guess I had beter stock up on Uncle Buns.
dnastrau
Well-known member
Uncle Buns?
I don't think I want to try that kind - I'll bet it is brown rice!
I don't think I want to try that kind - I'll bet it is brown rice!
arbilab
Well-known member
We need the rain but of course NObody needs tornadoes. The 80s Edmond tornado in OKC at one point seemed to be coming straight for me on NW 50th. I emptied the vacuumcleaner closet so I could hide in there. But it wasn't going due east, rather NE/NNE. It wasn't a little pointy one like Wizard of Oz but a mile-wide blueblack monster.
Then there's Moore OK where they don't quite get done rebuilding before anOTHER one hits. After Loma Prieta in 1989 I was somewhat relieved to move out of San Jose. But come to think of it and forced to choose, earthquakes might be preferable to tornadoes.
Then there's Moore OK where they don't quite get done rebuilding before anOTHER one hits. After Loma Prieta in 1989 I was somewhat relieved to move out of San Jose. But come to think of it and forced to choose, earthquakes might be preferable to tornadoes.
Urban Design
There was something on the news last night (can't remember where now, to search for a link) about urban design or landscape design - not necessarily actual design but the interaction of open fields and trees or large objects which can cause a tornado to "drop" to the ground. They postulated that this could have urban design implications to prevent tornado's - though that seems far off, as yet.
In Chicago we were always taught we couldn't get them because of proximity to the lake, which isn't true (witness waterspouts in Lake Michigan).
I'd take that article with a grain of salt - the Lake Michigan temps are already the same as they were last year despite our cold winter and ice cover. However a cooler summer would be nice and I don't mind thunderstorms...
However, the storms in the south last weekend were predicted based on previous weather patterns, so at least the prediction is increasing.
There was something on the news last night (can't remember where now, to search for a link) about urban design or landscape design - not necessarily actual design but the interaction of open fields and trees or large objects which can cause a tornado to "drop" to the ground. They postulated that this could have urban design implications to prevent tornado's - though that seems far off, as yet.
In Chicago we were always taught we couldn't get them because of proximity to the lake, which isn't true (witness waterspouts in Lake Michigan).
I'd take that article with a grain of salt - the Lake Michigan temps are already the same as they were last year despite our cold winter and ice cover. However a cooler summer would be nice and I don't mind thunderstorms...
However, the storms in the south last weekend were predicted based on previous weather patterns, so at least the prediction is increasing.
arbilab
Well-known member
Topology does matter. Austin TX is just east of the 'hill country' which seems to inhibit funnel formation. They get some pretty wild thunderstorms but very few tornadoes. Whereas central Oklahoma is about as flat as flat gets in all directions but south and tornadoes are a nearly constant threat.
But whether those features can practically be designed into/out of housing development has yet to be demonstrated. I mean, flat is flat on a LARGE scale, not on a landscaping scale.
But whether those features can practically be designed into/out of housing development has yet to be demonstrated. I mean, flat is flat on a LARGE scale, not on a landscaping scale.
Growing up ...
... in suburban Pittsburgh, the tornado in "The Wizard of Oz" scared the hell out of me as a child.
My father -- an engineer -- reassured me that because of Pittsburgh's many hills, tornadoes were just not possible around us.
Two years later a triple funnel cloud levelled a neighborhood 1/10th of a mile from our house.
And ever since then, it seems like Pittsburgh has become part of "Tornado Alley".
So much for THAT theory.
... in suburban Pittsburgh, the tornado in "The Wizard of Oz" scared the hell out of me as a child.
My father -- an engineer -- reassured me that because of Pittsburgh's many hills, tornadoes were just not possible around us.
Two years later a triple funnel cloud levelled a neighborhood 1/10th of a mile from our house.
And ever since then, it seems like Pittsburgh has become part of "Tornado Alley".
So much for THAT theory.
When I lived in Rapid City,South Dakota-tornado threats were still prevelent even in the West part of the state which is hilly-not flat as the Eastern part of the state is.The Eastern part gets hit by Tornadoes quite regularly-Homes in that area have the Tornado shelters.Also in SD-They can get Horizontal tornados in the area of the Mt Rushmore monument.Several have been recorded.When I was little and we had a summer mountain camp cabin near Colorado Springs,Colo-A tornado hit up in the mountains there and cut a pretty destructive path-trees were torn out of the ground and broken up.So tornados can strike mountains and flat areas.Just about anywhere can have them-Tornados are most common in the Midwest areas.Remember when my Mom lived in Dallas Tx several years ago-a tornado struck their housing area-her home only had very minor damage-neigboring homes were destroyed or badly damaged.
