h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The evacuation for the areas near the lower levees is now in effect for what is expected to become Tropical storm or Hurricane Barry. This storm is expected to continue strengthening and lasting through Sunday. The French Quarter was flooded yesterday morning when all of a sudden, ten inches of water poured down businesses were flooded. That drained over night. More water is on the way. The process of closing 200 hundred flood gates is in progress.

The storm chasers, hurricane hunters, whatever you want to call them, are flying the recconaisance planes in and out of the storm clouds to gather data. New Orleans has already been declared a state of emergency. What that actually means is that the official aid will take less time to take effect, National Guard to Red Cross and so on.

More details and graphics are on my fb page. The updates are getting more frequent.

Thanks, Evangeline.

I didn't realize that the hurricane season had started, let alone so close to New Orleans.

Hi Paul.

Hurricane season is June 1 through November 30. It used to end November 1. It was changed somewhere in the late 90s or early 2000s.

In the 70s we had a pattern of the July 3 p.m. rain every day. It was the evaporation, condensation cycle. That stopped being so regular by the late 80s. The newer trend was far more hurricanes each year than previously. In 2017 there was something like two active, another forming and another rushing to join the first two.

I should probably go find a website that gives a prediction of this season, then.

Did you find what you were looking for?

This is what I found:

http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-predicts-near-normal-2019-atlantic-hurricane-season

Hurricanes are most likely to wend their way to my neck of the woods in September. I remember some lively Septembers here in years past.


Right now I'm sitting up late reading the signs of an approaching thunderstorm (mot much to report so far. Maybe in an hour and a half form now. Great, noise and liquid pummeling just when I'm trying to sleep .)

Have your Septembers been hotter than previous years?

I was reading late last night too. Have you seen archive.org? There are free downloads and free to borrow items. Same principal as a library. If the book has no copyright or an expired copyright download is free. If copyrighted, you get two weeks to read it. There are books of all sorts, music, audio books and plays, magazines etc. If you don't have a kindle, download books as pdf files.

I am watching the weather channel. One of my friends posted on facebook '' has anyone seen Rick Cantorre, yet... no... good.''

I remember a lot of storms and hurricanes over the years.

The story goes, that one of the storms from the 50's picked my Grandparents' house up off the concrete pillars that were 5 feet high, held it up, for a seconds and put it back on the pillars a little off center. My parents and grandparents and other family members were in the kitchen talking and playing cards (not for money). My grandfather built that house. He insisted on concrete pillars, three across the front three more down the sides and three across the original back, not sure about the addition.

My Septembers probably *are* a bit warmer than than they sued to be. I can remember when there was danger of a frost around the 25th. Nowadays there are many years when we get almost to Halloween before it frosts.

Our Halloweens are still as hot as July, just fewer hours of that heat per day until Thanksgiving.

Do you have any live oaks in your neighborhood?

The closest one fell after the flood in 2016. The roots probably drowned from being in so much water for so long.

The Oaks around LSU were cut back for 'securitypurposes' before an event about twenty years ago, maybe a bit longer. It wasn't for Reagan's keynote speech at commencement. https://twitter.com/lsu/status/965647267570077696?lang=en

Not all of the oaks were chopped, just the trees along the streets that would be needed.

This if from the LSU student newspaper.

http://www.lsureveille.com/news/university-trees-are-rich-with-history/article_129d3248-adf8-11e2-a07d-0019bb30f31a.html

Thanks for the link.

I feel cooler just reading about the shade that those trees give.

MY neighbor has a very large white oak tree right behind his trailer. The branches spread out horizontally about 15 feet up, shading some of my back yard. This is a good arrangement, as the tree gives me dappled shade. Due to some quirks i n the layout, I get morning and evening sun, and afternoon shade in most of my yard. During the hottest part of the day, when it's hot in my trailer, I can spread a towel on the ground in my yard, and sit in the shade. It's much cooler there.