2018 Weather and Natural Disasters Thread

Katzztar

I've not seen a weather thread started yet for 2018. It's taken about 4 months for me to get annoyed enough that I want to complain about the weather so here it is! XD

Frankly I'm getting tired of winter. It's April 18, shouldn't it be spring by now?! Right now there is about 2 1/2 inches that's fallen today … TODAY. That's not the total accumulation. Although I have to admit the pervious snow had almost melted, there was some still there.

And
Its
Still
Snowing!!!!

... I as so tempted to title this I hate Snow!

thegab

Fellow Wisconsinite …. pretty sure I've gotten at least 6in so far. Getting ridiculous :getlost:

Johnny B. Decent

It was 90 degrees today.

RoboBlue

I got two feet a few weeks ago.

At least we got some good ice cream out of it.

Envy

It snowed here a couple of weeks ago and I was so happy. I graduate in a couple of weeks and still had never seen any snow on campus while I was here (both years it happened only during winter break, while I was away). The fact that it took until April of the year I graduated to see snow on campus was…sad to say the least, but I'll gladly take it. I hate Spring. Any thing to keep the heat, bugs, and severe thunderstorms at bay I will take.

The ridiculous thing is all that happened was a light dusting (if we could even call it that, it only accumulated slightly in spots), yet people were whining about it, reposting things on FB that were obviously created by people in the Northeast who actually have winters and are actually dealing with winter not being able to go away. Meanwhile around here, it snowed a little bit, melted, and then got back up into the 70s in no time. Yet people were still whining as if Spring hasn't come and isn't ever coming. I mean, geez. So pathetic.

Kaido King of the Beasts

It's been everything from the mid 30s to the mid 80s within the past week, but very little in between. So one day we will probably start getting consistently hot temperatures with no spring at all to speak of.

Katzztar

@thegab:

Fellow Wisconsinite …. pretty sure I've gotten at least 6in so far. Getting ridiculous :getlost:

What's this? A fellow Wisconsinite here in AP? I finally found one!! lol
What area of Wisconsin are you in? I'm in Madison. So usually I get the mild weather of Wisconsin, not the really freezing of the north or lake snow effect of the east. Though we do get the top of those central plains storms that stretch from Texas all the way up to S. Wisconsin. At least they are not the violent storms that happen in the South though. I was here about 3 years before I realized why the springs were so different up here. hehe, very few of those vicious Thunderstorms that E. Texas gets.

@S.C.:

It was 90 degrees today.

YOU! Shut up and quit bragging! j/k I don't want it THAT hot. Lol I forgot where you were and was about to ask if you were in Florida or Arizona. Of course it would be Arizona… stupid desert heat. I've been there once, only once. It was in February that I visited Benson, just outside of Tuscon. It got so freaking hot I got a heat-related migraine. Id get those back in Texas... but during the summer not in late winter!

Pretty countryside, but hot

Katzztar

Well good news, warmer temps are finally here in Madison … took forever. But wow... seems it jumped from the 30s to the mid-60s with very little to no in-between temps. It wasn't even a week ago I was complaining about it still being so cold that it was still snowing.
The change in temp is so extreme (nearly 30 degree difference) that I'm having trouble telling my body "no, its not too hot, its mildly warm" ... I'm just happy that these 60s (f) degree temps are going to last for next 10 day, no dipping back down to freezing temps or jumping to it being too hot.

Whoho! Spring has finally arrived!

Katzztar

huh, no wonder I was whining about the cold. Turns out that April set a new record here
Iowa and Wisconsin Record Coldest April in 124 Years

Katzztar

Add this here since I don't see a thread for natural disasters … and yeah such things could affect weather ...sooo..

Anyone here in Hawaii?
I've been casually following the current eruptions of Kilauea and the multitude of fissures that's has formed.

Katzztar

Katzztar

Lava is advancing towards the Puna Geothermal Venture and its causing some worries of what will happen if lava hits some tanks.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

Now for a lighter topic....

Talk about draining the swamp!
Seems Mother Nature is fed up with this admin as well=
There’s a sinkhole on the White House lawn. And it’s growing.

The pit in the ground, which was first reported by White House correspondents on site this week, appears to have opened just outside the press briefing room and deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley’s office.

Aww darn, I was thinking how apt it was if was under Pruitt's window, but then any of this admin will do. I love some of the tweets shown in the article.

An actual, literal sinkhole has opened on the White House lawn outside the briefing room on the north side. Even the earth is trolling Trump and I'm here for it

Even Dictionary.com has a tweet about this! @Dictionary.com:

Sinkhole: A hole formed in soluble rock by the action of water.

Also a sinkhole: A place into which foul matter runs.http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sinkhole

…

[https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/05/22/drain-the-swamp-a-sinkhole-just-opened-up-in-the-white-house-lawn/#3cef51493563"]Forbes](http://[URL) have joked that sinkholes are following TRump around. In the article mentioning the White House sinkhole, it mentions, and links to an article, of a sinkhole appearing in front of Mar-a-Largo a year ago.
I wonder if Mother Nature will open one under Trump Tower next year? …. wait it already had the fire this year right?

Katzztar

[h=1]Volcano of Fire's violent eruption coats landscape in ash, lava[/h]Dozens of people were killed when Guatemala's Volcan de Fuego — or Volcano of Fire — erupted.

Guatemala's Volcano of Fire Erupts, Kills 70; at Least 46 Injured
https://weather.com/news/news/2018-06-03-guatemala-volcano-eruption-volcan-del-fuego
https://weather.com/news/weather/video/volcano-eruption-decimates-guatemalan-landscape-kills-dozens

Katzztar

And finally something different, no deaths or massive damage (yet) reported, just amazing video of Nature in action.

A tornado that touched down in Laramie, Wyoming on June 6th was captured in a stunning video.

What's stunning is the detail of the video that showed it as it formed. Amazing.

Satsuki

Just all more examples of "don't fuck with Mother Nature."

Katzztar

@Satsuki:

Just all more examples of "don't fuck with Mother Nature."

yeah lol Looking the uninterrupted posts I made recently … it looks like Mother Nature is on a warpath. And I've not posted all of it, just a few that caught my attention. I know there's some bad flooding going (went?) on but missed that story.

Katzztar

Anyone else in midst of a heat wave?
This weekend is unusually hot for this region. For June the average is around 80 f for late June. Today was in upper 80s/low 90s but heat index reached 96. Tomorrow is suppose to reach between 93-95 and feel like 99 F
Heat advisory warnings has been issued for this weekend

…. dang it, this heat is why I left Texas! Well this means I won't be getting out unless its an emergency.

good new is that its suppose to cool off some by Tues. If I was still Texas, heat index would be higher, the shade offering no relief and temps would only be climbing higher.

Halfmetal-lich

We were clocking in at around 35 yesterday. Was good to be around the pool.

Hot weather is nice, but it's worse when it's humid. Oh god the humidity

Katzztar

@Halfmetal-lich:

We were clocking in at around 35 yesterday. Was good to be around the pool.

Hot weather is nice, but it's worse when it's humid. Oh god the humidity

heehe there's hot weather then there's HOT weather. 35C/95F is at that boundary for some … and well into 'damn its too hot' for others.
I agree it would be a day for the pool as long as that humidity wasn't a factor!

It was that humidity and high heat that drove me out of Texas and up to Wisconsin. The cold has made me thing of moving back a few times but then I remember how the heat affected me and went "Nope!"

Halfmetal-lich

@Katzztar:

heehe there's hot weather then there's HOT weather. 35C/95F is at that boundary for some … and well into 'damn its too hot' for others.
I agree it would be a day for the pool as long as that humidity wasn't a factor!

It was that humidity and high heat that drove me out of Texas and up to Wisconsin. The cold has made me thing of moving back a few times but then I remember how the heat affected me and went "Nope!"

When I was overseas in Korea, the heat there was almost unbearable. I had to stuff up every hole in my apartment just to keep that cold air in the house. That little a/c was my lifeblood, but fuck did it leak water sometimes.

Katzztar

@Halfmetal-lich:

When I was overseas in Korea, the heat there was almost unbearable. I had to stuff up every hole in my apartment just to keep that cold air in the house. That little a/c was my lifeblood, but fuck did it leak water sometimes.

Wow… is Korea tropical or sub-tropical? I keep thinking of jungles but then remember I'm thinking of Veitnam not Korea is where my dad went. I've never been out of the USA. I grew up in NE Texas, visited grandparents down on coast in Corpus Christi, and great grandparents in W Texas. I've lived as short time on the west coast of Oregon, half a year in Oklahoma then 10 years in Wisconsin.

First off best place in weather is Oregon despite ..yes.. the overcast stereotype is authentic! But the summers were not so hot nor was the winters too bad.
For Oklahoma.... I was there from fall to early spring, nothing too bad there but it was so bland nothing stands out except flat land everywhere lol.
In Texas - some say "it may get hot"... there is no maybe about it. It will get hot, its just a matter of how hot, if its a dry or moist heat. If a moist heat, just how bad is the humidity. In the DFW area humidity can get bad but nowhere as bad as down in the inland side of coastal cities of the Gulf. In the NE TX, I could never understand why news would say its "89F in the shade" I was like wha... the shade makes no difference in the heat! (now that I am in WI, I can understand and tell there is a difference between in the sun and shade here)

When I visited my grandparents, they unfortunately lived in the suburbs on the inland side and the tall buildings of the city blocked the winds from reaching further inland. The humidity was so bad that it felt like I had a blanket that was soaked in hot water then thrown over me before being pushed out into 100 F sun. I was there one week and wanted, begged, to go back to the DFW area since I couldn't breathe well in the humidity. Out on the beach it wasn't so bad, actually it was beautiful and had no trouble, but return to their home.... gahhh

Halfmetal-lich

I'm actually not aware if Korea is tropical or not, only that it gets fucking HOT and has decent winters. Not the ones from Canada, but cold enough that you need to bust out a decent winter coat for.

Of course, as someone who comes from Canada, seeing the rest of the world react to what they call "snow fall" amuses me greatly.

Johnny B. Decent

It's hotter then a rattlesnake's ballsack today.

Katzztar

@Halfmetal-lich:

I'm actually not aware if Korea is tropical or not, only that it gets fucking HOT and has decent winters. Not the ones from Canada, but cold enough that you need to bust out a decent winter coat for.

Of course, as someone who comes from Canada, seeing the rest of the world react to what they call "snow fall" amuses me greatly.

LOL than you can imagine how I was when I moved! I remember as a teen there was a lady from NY riding the bus in a Dallas suburb. It was summer but somehow got on the topic of snow/ice and road closures. She was complaining how we down south don't know how to drive on a snow covered road,

NYer="Just a inch of snow and you can't drive. More than that and you close the road down. Just put some snow-tires on and no need to close the damn road!"

I had to reply to her= "Those snow tires would be useless since it rarely gets that bad, also it doesn't get deep enough to use them, so the chains on the tires could likely ruin the road instead. All we need is a sand/salt mix to melt ice and gain traction". I left unsaid that yes some idiots can't drive at all.;)

I and yes I am not exaggerating on the lack of snowfall in NE Tx. I was 18 before I saw 2 in of "real snow" aka the fluffy stuff, not sleet which is what was more common. Sleet and ice was far more common. In all my time living there (DFW area) I never experienced more than 3 ins.

It wasn't until I was on Oregon I expernced 6 inches…. and YES! I put on double layers and went out in it!
My first winter here in WI, I encountered a blizzard, temps below freezing and record breaking snowfall. And that met what I was expecting when I moved up here. But in subsequent winters, it was never that bad. Oh sure, we still get below freezing and it was another winter (not the blizzard) that it reached negative teens. But the snowfall (still greater than Tx - FAR greater) hasn't reached that bad.

@S.C.:

It's hotter then a rattlesnake's ballsack today.

looks at location I am not surprised… ouch! Seems Arizona is hot all the time. But this is summer... in the desert. Double ouch. Is a normal range for your area or are you experiencing a higher than average temps? I thought I saw something a week ago that projected higher than norm for areas of AZ-NM but not sure how long it was suppose to last or exact area.

Satsuki

Good ole New England. A hot day where we expect nothing but sunshine but get a fucker of a thunderstorm squall that dumps the Gulf of Mexico on us and puts the power out in lots of places.

Katzztar

@Satsuki:

Good ole New England. A hot day where we expect nothing but sunshine but get a fucker of a thunderstorm squall that dumps the Gulf of Mexico on us and puts the power out in lots of places.

yeouch! New England, now there's one area I've never been … oh who am I kidding there's a LOT of places here in the no-longer-that-so-good ol' USA I've never been to lol.

That reminds me of another difference between Madison, WI and DFW, TX = the spring storms
And boy do those thunderstorms do spring up quickly down there. I remember one day biking across town going home from work. Walking it was nearly 45 mins, on a bicycle about 15-20 min. I left the hospital it was slightly overcast. By 5 mins later black clouds, then in minutes buckets of rain were being dumped. It was so heavy I had to get off the bike, not due to rain making it hard to ride but because I couldn't see due to the heavy rain. Less than 5 mins it was over and I could start the 7-10s ride left to home. By time I got home it was full sun.

I was here in Madison for 3 years before I realized that Wisconsin (at least this area of the state) don't get the rampage of bad thunderstorms that East Texas does. Some storms sure, but a entire season of bad storms? nope.
If it took me that long to realize it, I guess I really don't miss it ;)

Satsuki

Wisconsin is about the same latitude as New England, so our weather is mostly the same. It's just living near the ocean here can fuck with out weather more than the midwest. Eastern Texas is closer to the ocean too (only it's Gulf of Mexico rather than the Atlantic), so that's partly why they get squalls like that.

Nolus

@Katzztar:

Anyone else in midst of a heat wave?
This weekend is unusually hot for this region. For June the average is around 80 f for late June. Today was in upper 80s/low 90s but heat index reached 96. Tomorrow is suppose to reach between 93-95 and feel like 99 F
Heat advisory warnings has been issued for this weekend

…. dang it, this heat is why I left Texas! Well this means I won't be getting out unless its an emergency.

good new is that its suppose to cool off some by Tues. If I was still Texas, heat index would be higher, the shade offering no relief and temps would only be climbing higher.

In Hungary, it's hot and also overcast a lot of the time (no rain since last week when there was a storm and heavy downpour like every other day). My heat tolerance was never that spectacular but hormone replacement made it worse I reckon.

Also, there are a lot of bugs and a great number of them seem to enjoy suiciding in my mouth, nose and eyes.

Katzztar

@Satsuki:

Wisconsin is about the same latitude as New England, so our weather is mostly the same. It's just living near the ocean here can fuck with out weather more than the midwest. Eastern Texas is closer to the ocean too (only it's Gulf of Mexico rather than the Atlantic), so that's partly why they get squalls like that.

Yeah being nearer to big body of water really changes things. Madison has it milder weather than Milwaukee since the later is on the coast of a great lake (more like a inland sea!) and they get that lake effect snow and such there. Sure Madison is the only city built on an isthmus and sits with 2 lakes on it sides but those are not big lakes at all so don't really affect the weather save for mugginess on hot days.

NE TX is so bad because it gets the moist air coming from the south from the gulf that meets the hot dry air from the west. In fact the region stretching from San Antonio up to Denton (just north of Dallas) is known as Flood Alley due to this and the sudden and frequent storms that arise in that region in the spring- early summer time

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@Nolus:

In Hungary, it's hot and also overcast a lot of the time (no rain since last week when there was a storm and heavy downpour like every other day). My heat tolerance was never that spectacular but hormone replacement made it worse I reckon.

Also, there are a lot of bugs and a great number of them seem to enjoy suiciding in my mouth, nose and eyes.

Oh dear, Nolus you have my sympathy.
I really don't know which of those is worse: the heat, the heat during hormone fluctuations, or the bugs that won't stay away from body openings.
They all make me shudder. …. though that last one really does add the gross factor!
I've not started menopause yet (thank goodness) but I remember the 'hot/cold/hot' phases both my mom and sister would go through due to hormone levels changes. I have to wonder if Hormone therapy has a similar effect on temperature tolerances like that, even if its only half as bad, .... you have my sympathy and hope you can get comfy soon.

Katzztar

Know what sucks?

It's 68 F, you think its a nice day so open the windows. But soon close them and turn on fan of the A/C because the 90+% humidity makes too muggy. Only the fan doesn't seem to make a difference so you give up and turn off the fan to actually cool A/C.

Well fuck Its not like I excpected to save money on electric bill this summer….

Satsuki

When does anybody save money on the electric bill in summer? Winter eats up our gas, summer our electricity.

Katzztar

I save on the elect. bill by moving from Texas to Wisconsin
I usually pay about 1/3rd what I had to down in TX. About Aug its, of course, higher but still not what I paid in TX.

One may think since I'm in Wisconsin and its more snowy here than NE TX, that'd impact the pocket. Heat is included in the rent, so a save there.
I ride the bus, so usually save on gas … except in winter. The bus system don't like 'kneeling the bus' (lowering it for handicapped) during the winter since it puts the underside into snowbanks. So I use taxis more often in the winter. But still its not much on gas since I dont' go every week.

Katzztar

Get thee gone, ad-bot! I banish thee!

Satsuki

Look at what you did, Katz.

Katzztar

@Satsuki:

Look at what you did, Katz.

Oh I see and like! Those ad bots are really annoying in how much they've recently been invading the AP forums.
If I see them I try to report them ASAP.

I have to thank the mods for their effort to get rid of them.
Since I don't know who does get rid of them, I thank all of you mods.

Johnny B. Decent

I report so many spam bots, I wonder if any the mods recognize me from doing so. :P

Katzztar

Well there's a massive heat wave for mid-US this weekend, esp for Fri-Sat. Stretching from Texas up to Wisconsin and surrounding states will be a heat warning, with select areas having either a excessive heat watch, or worse excessive heat warning. Yippe, I'm in one of the worse areas, its expected to reach just under the record high of 96F.

Today is expected to reach 94. But the heat index is expected to reach 105! … yeah I'm staying in today. I got food to last a few days. May get boring eating spaghetti, ramen noodles, or fish sticks for 3 days straight, but I'll stay out of that frickin heat. If I get too tired of that fare I could always break down and catch last bus of the day (around 10 or 11 pm) and catch cab back) but I ain't getting out in that heat!

Hope everyone that's in any region that's having a having a heat wave be able to stay cool.

Satsuki

Yeah, this week is gonna suck.

Nothing to do but drink water and boot up the air conditioner.

Katzztar

Today is better than Friday or Saturday .. but the mugginess is still making things miserable and can't open the windows even at night. My elect. usage is for June this year has been higher than the last for years. The upside is its still lower than what it would have been if I had stayed in Texas!

But to make things really miserable is the bugs. Mosquitoes are so bad that when I went out at midnight, I wore a long sleeve shirt and pants to avoid being bitten up. And its not just me, I saw my neighbor walking her dog; not only was she wearing a sweater w/the hood up (I've never seen her do that), but also had a handkerchief tied over her nose & mouth. Only skin exposed as eyes and hands. In the 6 years she'd been my neighbor I've never seen her bundle up like that.

Katzztar

First off, thank you mod(s) for helping with the change in thread title.

I had thought I posted this a few days ago, but just realized it was posted in the wrong thread (Laugh out Loud) whoops!

@Katzztar:

Anyone from the UK or Ireland?

Roads and Roofs Melt Amid Record Heat in United Kingdom, Ireland

As the United Kingdom and Ireland baked in heat that broke all-time records in some areas, parts of the infrastructure did not hold up well.

In recent days, numerous images like the one above have surfaced, illustrating how extreme heat has stressed the roads. That picture, captured Wednesday near the Irish town of Ardara in County Donegal, showed liquefied tar on Glengesh Road, according to Donegal News editor Harry Walsh. Melted tar was also seen on several roads in the U.K., local reports said.

"Typically there's enough moisture during a British summer to keep the heat tamped down, but this month has been one of the driest Junes on record," said Weather Underground weather and climate writer Bob Henson. "Most U.K. homes don't have air conditioning, so that only adds to the misery of a multi-day heat wave."

Satsuki

In the words of my father, "Thank god there's no climate change."

Nobodyman

Literally every Summer: OH MY GOD! CLIMATE CHANGE! WHY DIDN'T WE LISTEN?!

Literally every Winter: LOL, what climate change?

Satsuki

lol. Well, with these Winter hurricanes, or "bomb cyclones", you can argue it's a little more climate change.

Katzztar

I've not posted an update to the Hawaii volcano a bit, so went searching….

'The entire habitat is gone': Hawaii's natural wonders claimed by lava

In Puna, the area of Hawaii island that’s been hardest hit by the Kilauea volcano eruption, those who lived nearest to the lava flows watched the forest around their homes begin to die first. They said the fruit trees, flowers and ferns began turning brown, languishing in the noxious, sulfur-dioxide-filled air. Then the lava came. Now large swaths of formerly verdant forest have been replaced by rough and barren volcanic terrain.

Article states it can take around 100 years for the forests to return. Of course that's not the only ecological casualty of the lavas. In early June, the 400 yr old Green Lake was filled with lava and evaporated away.

I tried to link pics but they didn't work. The images are powerful.

Namiorbust

With the ongoing moderate drought here combined with having a well system and a large garden, I have started to supplement my water needs by collecting the water from my dehumidifier. I'm hoping this puts a lot less pressure on my well, along with keeping the garden relatively healthy.

Satsuki

Not a bad idea. If for nothing else than watering your garden with so you can keep the other water for, er, drinking.

In Indiana when a hell of a thunderstorm hits, only waking the next morning to see a tree down the street having lost a huge branch which is now leaning precariously on the power lines. I don't care if it's Sunday, CALL THE FUCKING ELECTRIC COMPANY!!

Unfortunately the rain hasn't solved the awful humidity that's been plaguing here for the past week. I may visit Indiana, but I will NEVER live here. I will never live anywhere farther South than Philadelphia.

Katzztar

@Satsuki:

Not a bad idea. If for nothing else than watering your garden with so you can keep the other water for, er, drinking.

In Indiana when a hell of a thunderstorm hits, only waking the next morning to see a tree down the street having lost a huge branch which is now leaning precariously on the power lines. I don't care if it's Sunday, CALL THE FUCKING ELECTRIC COMPANY!!

Unfortunately the rain hasn't solved the awful humidity that's been plaguing here for the past week. I may visit Indiana, but I will NEVER live here. I will never live anywhere farther South than Philadelphia.

runs to see just how far 'South' Philly is not far but far enough … Yeah don't blame you there.

gah, the humidity seems bad everywhere lately. Heck I can't catch a break even during the night as the humidity rises to over 90% (several times it was 98%), and only drops as the sun rises... which causes the temps to rise. So no opening the windows for a while here

Katzztar

Well seems that Kilauea volcano is finally setting down. according to an article on weather.com, its quiet except for fissure 8, the only fissure still erupting. The volcano went active back in May was active for over 2 months. From a lake being evaporated to an old growth forest destroyed and countless homes and even a power plant… now there's an act of creation. And no I don't mean the new land the lava is creating, as that's still over existing land.

I mean shortly off the coast, there's a tiny island being formed. Its currently only 20-30 feet so yes, tiny. But hey its new land where ocean was before so its new creation! Its possible its from the lava buildup from fissure 8. ITs too small and too close to the Big Island to be the 'next island' in the Hawaiian Islands chain, its likely to connect to the Big Island, if it doesn't collapse since new islands created by lava flows can be unstable.

Lava From Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Creates Tiny New Island

Katzztar

Sometimes, weather can be freaky, other's its ordinary weather that meets odd situation that results in a freaky occurance.
A fire in Texas during days of triple digits is of the later category. The cause of the fire was …. torillia chips?!

Seriously! I saw this at weather.com then went looking for other artices on it.

It seems they tried a new waste program that involved making the waste chips into a power. Some articles say they got soaked in oil, a few articles don't mention that. What is said is that in the high heat of triple digits the power spontaneously combusted. At first I thought how... but then I remembered that fine flour is combustible. There was even a big factory fire once somewhere (Texas? can't remember) at a flour factory some years (decades?) ago. so yeah it's believable. No.. wait that was a "dust explosion"… this had no actual explosion,

weather.com It Was So Hot That Tortilla Chips Spontaneously Combusted, Causing Multiple Blazes in Texas
newsweek Tortilla Chip ‘Spontaneous Combustion’ Sparked Multiple Fires in Texas

KageKageKing

Heat wave in Japan leaves 14 dead.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/23/japan-heatwave-prompts-concern-over-conditions-for-2020-olympics