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

Fortunately, Oklahoma is largely unpopulated. The tornado that touched down to the west and the one or two that almost touched down to the south didn't do any damage or cause injury. Today we have a 50% chance of more storms & rain.

We had nothing until about 1.30am when I was rudely awoken by much thunder. Camp Mabry got a mere 0.21" of rain. This morning there's not a cloud in the sky.

Pah!

It was cool here all last week, but started warming up nicely yesterday. I think we're going to turn the air conditioner on for the season today, supposed to be in the 80s all week (which would be fine if I hadn't said, 'What color do I want on the roof? Well, black looks alright'. In my defense I was young and didn't know much about houses when I bought mine).

Started pulling the yard together over the last week or so, getting the leaves from last fall picked up, and the small branches that came down during the ice storms. Bought all my flowers for this year, hung out my baskets, planted a couple perennials. Feeling very springy. Now if I could just catch the spring cleaning bug (having a party next weekend and the house is in a frightful state. Maybe it'll be warm enough we can barbecue and stay in the yard.)

Yeah, it's getting close to 'switch on the a/c and leave it on for the summer' here too, but we've also got a couple of wet days ahead, especially Monday - my day off

Looks like we're about to get hit by a strong line of thunderstorms that's a few counties off to the west. It's gone very dark and light rain is already falling from clouds coming from the south ahead of the squall line itself. There's a lot of purple on the radar and we're under a flash flood watch.

I can't help but think that this may finally be a decent year for kayaking down the Guadalupe with all the rain the hill country has been getting.

I'm planning on going to the river next month for a motorcycle rally. I've got a very nice inflatable kayak just for such an occasion.

I know we're officially still in drought but it really does feel like it's been pretty wet so far this year.

And wouldn't you know it - the part of the squall line that's heading towards Austin is dissipating and falling apart while the rest of it as strong as before

Just 11C outside this morning. My nose is cold and I have my ugg boots on

Someone else who uses 'C!

Today it was 21'C and I was driving around some pleasant villages and towns in Hertfordshire, UK, for w*rk. The sun made it a much happier experience I'm sure. Indeed when I had my tuna sarnie in the car, the pool of sunlight which came in through the open window was trying to burn my leg!

Similar temperatures expected tomorrow

Jules

They don't understand F here in Oz and I'm completely converted too

It's fantastic topless driving weather at the moment

Oh my!

That's the one thing I never quite got the hang of, Celsius that is. I was part of that experiment in the U.S. under the Carter administration where we tried to join the rest of the world by teaching our children (me and my gen) metric... and then the adults rebelled and we went back to pints, Fahrenheit, miles, feet, ounces, etc. I can think in kilometers, litres and kilograms but I've only just gotten my mind around only the vaguest notion that between 20C and 30C is relatively comfortable.

I still feel betrayed that we didn't stick with metric units. I'm sure those NASA folks and JPL who didn't check which units the other team were using for that infamous Mars probe feel more than betrayed.


Oh, yea, and the weather here today: It's currently 21C, high expected 27C with a 30% chance of widely scattered showers and "Thorms".

Oh, and I never got the hang of topless driving neither.

Topless driving's a piece of cake - just put the roof down. It's bottomless driving that's tricky

There's a band of rain to our north right now sweeping from west to east and the southern tip of it might just clip the far northern suburbs of Austin. Then we're likely to remain dry for much of the day but there's apparently another chance of rain this evening. Going to be around 80/26.7.

We learned both Fahrenheit and Centigrade (as it was called then) at school, even as far back as my infant school days (five and six years old, early 1960s).

We only ever learned 'C. In the 70's and 80's.

Topless passengering I can do but Spouse has to drive as the MGF seat and my legs don't seem to fit together for some reason (oh blimey!)

Bottomless driving I would currently seem to be doing in my Ford - Spouse thinks water is getting IN to my footwell somehow...

Jules

My last car, Spot, had exciting times in the rain.... the door panels filled so that every time you opened or closed the doors, went over a bump or round a sharp bend, you'd be accompanied by the sound of slopping waves . I had to take the bungs out on a daily basis. I bet you didn't know there are bungs on car doors?

Topless driving is far preferable

We didn't get a whole lot of rain here in Austin but other parts of central Texas had an inch or more yesterday. There'll be more this evening and through the night though, apparently. We were under a tornado watch for much of Tuesday evening and there'll no doubt be more weather alerts tonight too.

We had some pretty severe weather yesterday from what I hear. It must have poured at the house because when I got home SuperChunk's water table was full in the front yard (we haven't filled it yet).

When I dumped the trash this morning at work there was one dumpster with several inches of water in the bottom, so it must have rained quite a bit there as well, but I missed both storms and only drove through a nice, steady, springtime rain with a little bit of lightning on the way home.

Supposed to rain again today and tomorrow, but I haven't actually watched a weather report so I don't know how much.

Batten down the hatches, Gosho!