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

Just got the first (of many, I'm sure) email of the season regarding tropical weather. (This email is from our designated safety/weather nag on the contract who will send emails if there is lightning, rain, tornadoes, flooding, hail, or unexpected dampness within a 50 mile radius.)


"Models hinting at low pressure system developing near Yucatan then drifting into southern Gulf of Mexico. Still uncertain whether this will gradually become a tropical storm (National Hurricane Center gives it a 20 percent chance over 5 days). If and when it does form then much uncertainty with subsequent track although as of this afternoon most of the more reliable models keep the low center over southern Gulf."

A few degrees cooler yesterday. And our first 100° forecast of the year.

Yesterday 95/75 (10% chance of rain) (actual: 96/78, no rain)
Today 97/75 (10% chance of rain)
Friday 98/76 (10% chance of rain)
Saturday 99/76 (10% chance of rain)
Sunday 97/77 (10% chance of rain)
Monday 96/76 (10% chance of rain)
Tuesday 98/75 (10% chance of rain)
Wednesday 100/74

Average for this time of the year: 92/72

Almost...

Yesterday 97/75 (10% chance of rain) (actual: 99/76, no rain)
Today 98/76 (10% chance of rain)
Saturday 100/76 (10% chance of rain)
Sunday 98/77 (10% chance of rain)
Monday 97/76 (10% chance of rain)
Tuesday 99/75 (10% chance of rain)
Wednesday 100/76 (10% chance of rain)
Thursday 99/76 (10% chance of rain)

Average for this time of the year: 92/72

When I got out of work yesterday, just after 6pm, and felt the heat I could have sworn we'd just had our first 100° day of the year, but no. We were actually a degree cooler than the previous day, and with the same heat index (104).

Some 100° facts http://www.twcnews.com/tx/austin/news/2017/06/15/more-triple-digit-days-in-austin-on-average-than-100-years-ago.html

Yesterday 98/76 (10% chance of rain) (actual: 98/7, no rain)
Today 100/76
Sunday 98/76
Monday 96/75
Tuesday 98/75
Wednesday 98/74
Thursday 98/75
Wednesday 97/76

Average for this time of the year: 92/73

I wonder how much of the increase in scorchio days is attributable to the heat island effect with all the increased "development" in Austin, in addition to climate change? A comparison for a nearby rural community would be interesting.

It would, and I have to think that Austin heat island effect is getting significantly more attributable. It already was, particularly in the winter when rural communities, even a few miles outside the city, get colder than in town.

We made it. And a 106° heat index.

Yesterday 100/76 (actual: 101/77)
Today 98/76
Monday 95/76
Tuesday 97/75
Wednesday 98/73
Thursday 98/73
Wednesday 97/74
Thursday 96/77

Average for this time of the year: 92/73

And again. Only a 104° heat index this time.

There's a chance of a tropical storm building in the Gulf, but all tracks have it passing over the far eastern tip of Texas and Louisiana.

Yesterday 98/76 (actual: 100/78)
Today 95/76
Tuesday 98/76
Wednesday 98/74
Thursday 99/74 (10% chance of rain)
Friday 100/75 (10% chance of rain)
Saturday 95/77 (20% chance of rain)
Sunday 92/73 (30% chance of storms)

Average for this time of the year: 92/73

Latest from the office weather nag.


Forecast track has shifted westward overnight
•Tropical Storm Watches now from San Luis Pass to High Island, TS Warnings from High Island east across Louisiana Coast
•Tropical Storm Watch includes Chambers, Galveston, Harris and Liberty Counties, Galveston Bay and adjacent coastal waters
•Expected impacts: locally heavy rain, gusty winds, elevated tides mainly east of track
•System currently with max winds 40 mph, not expected to intensify much (45 mph)

And I've just received 3 more emails in the last 10 minutes.

But it's miles away. Are you not allowed to filter them straight into the trash?

Apparently there was a thunderstorm in the vicinity yesterday which gave all of one hundredth of an inch of rain

Yesterday 95/76 (actual: 92/76, 0.01" rain)
Today 98/76
Wednesday 97/75
Thursday 94/75 (30% chance of rain)
Friday 98/76 (30% chance of rain)
Saturday 94/77 (40% chance of storms)
Sunday 91/75 (40% chance of storms)
Monday 90/72 (30% chance of rain)

Average for this time of the year: 93/73

Those last three were
1) a new email with images from official nag
2) copy of this new one from a middle management person (self appointed nag I've never met)
3) rehashing of original email from yet another middle management person (who probably considers nothing official until they add their )

I do hope we get at least some of that predicted rain. The last time we had that kind of forecast (not long ago) I carried my umbrella every day and only opened it on one occasion, then simply gave up on it.

Yesterday 98/76 (actual: 98/76)
Today 97/75
Thursday 94/74 (20% chance of rain)
Friday 100/75 (10% chance of rain)
Saturday 94/77 (40% chance of storms)
Sunday 93/74 (30% chance of storms)
Monday 92/72 (30% chance of rain)
Tuesday 91/72 (30% chance of rain)

Average for this time of the year: 93/73

Just FYI, I've deleted 11 emails today regarding TS Cindy, all basically saying that the storm will most likely miss the Center to our East.

That's an email for every hour I'm at work (including my lunch break). They don't arrive evenly distributed, of course. They usually arrive in packs.

Like buses

I'm looking forward to those cooler temperatures next week, and the rain.

Yesterday 97/75 (actual: 98/75)
Today 94/74 (20% chance of rain)
Friday 100/76 (10% chance of rain)
Saturday 93/76 (50% chance of storms)
Sunday 92/73 (40% chance of storms)
Monday 91/72 (30% chance of storms)
Tuesday 92/71 (20% chance of rain)
Wednesday 92/73 (10% chance of rain)

Average for this time of the year: 93/73

We got a bit of rain last night.


But not a whole lot. I hope we get enough to soften the ground a bit. Our mailbox is in front of our house next to the neighbor's across the street. Both are a bit wobbly and often the neighbor's sticks out farther than ours and if I'm checking it while in my vehicle, my wing mirror comes close to brushing theirs before I can reach mine.

So, I've got a tamping device, a heavy metal pole with a flat plate stuck on the bottom, I plan on using to tighten up the "wobble" by tamping down the softened soil around the mail box posts... the "post posts" as it were.

Look at those temperatures next week. One below 90, even And all that rain. Some of it on my days off

Yesterday 94/74 (20% chance of rain) (actual: 99/75)
Today 100/76 (10% chance of rain)
Saturday 91/71 (50% chance of storms)
Sunday 89/73 (50% chance of storms)
Monday 90/72 (50% chance of storms)
Tuesday 91/71 (30% chance of rain)
Wednesday 92/73 (20% chance of rain)
Thursday 94/75

Average for this time of the year: 93/73

Broke the record today. 104°. I've seen varying numbers for the heat index - anything between 110 and 113.

Yesterday 100/76 (10% chance of rain) (actual: 104/78, no rain)
Today 91/71 (50% chance of storms)
Sunday 89/73 (40% chance of storms)
Monday 89/72 (40% chance of storms)
Tuesday 90/71 (40% chance of rain)
Wednesday 91/73 (20% chance of rain)
Thursday 94/74
Friday 95/72

Average for this time of the year: 93/73