Masshysteria's Weather Or Not Blog

Good Afternoon All!

It's been a very hectic few days around here with final touches and inspections done to our recent professional home renovation project. Now that all is said and done, (6 weeks!!!) the contractors, plumbers and electricians all did a thoroughly decent, albeit very time-consuming, job in ugrading our humble home. Wouldn't ya know, that just as they finally finished everything up, a possible hurricane is expected to arrive very late this Sunday? Hope we can get in a barbeque or two before storing the grill in our cellar. Fortunately, we keep all our outdoor furniture (table, chairs and a lounger) in our Florida room which has windows over the screens to crank completely closed. We tend to follow the "KISS" method (Keep It Simple, Sweetie)during the course of every season these days.

Yesterday, I was truly amazed that much of the East Coast experienced various sized tremors resulting from the 5.8 earthquake out of Virginia! If I hadn't been watching a local news channel just after 2:00 pm, I never would have known about it!! The last and only tremors I ever felt around here were minor while eminating from a 3 point something richter somewhere over the border in Canada in the late eighties. I've certainly got enough rattling around in my head right now than adding to it with a quake ... thank you very much. LOL! I'm grateful to hear, however, that no real serious harm came to citizens (some minor injuries); with only varying structural or property damage occurring near enough to the epicenter.

Regarding Hurricane Irene, well, at this point in our lives, hubby and I certainly know the full New England weather drill as we are old enough to consider ourselves quite seasoned or experienced storm veterans. On the up-side, at least it's not winter with below freezing temps and icicles hanging off of our roof!! A power outage, during these conditions, is quite overwhelming, to say the least! At least, if flooding occurs, we can test out our new replacement sump pump that's all hooked up and supposedly good to go. Hubby and I won't miss taking turns getting up in the middle of a very wet stormy night to possibly man the wet-dry vac in the basement!

Truthfully, the last documented full fledged hurricane (Bob) that I can recall to hit our shores, occurred twenty years ago, (in Aug. '91). It arrived here as a category 1 plus storm and, most thankfully for us, resulted in only one felled tree with a few other broken tree limbs in our then backyard. Most surprisingly, no power outages occurred to our specific area...just a periodic flickering of the lights. Hope and pray we can all make it through virtually unscathed as Irene seems intent on celebrating Hurricane Bob's 20th anniversary in a much bigger way!!

Naturally, our current chief concern is for my 90 yr old obstinantly independent in-laws who live in a large trailer and retirement park just over the border in New Hampshire. Hopefully, we can convince them to stay overnight either with us or, another trusted close family member. It would bring peace of mind to know they are in a more solidly resiliant structure. Believe you me, it's quite a tough sell getting them to rationalize or accept anything these days, but we must persevere for everyone's sake.

I'll do my best to keep you posted as the days progress, sinced hubby's keeping me hoppin' with concerns about getting things squared away post renovations and now pre-hurricane. We have plenty of batteries, lanterns, dry goods, spring water and a generator which hooks up to our electrical panel in the basement. After the ice-storm of Dec. 2008, we now leave nothing to chance!!!!

BE SAFE, WELL AND HAVE A GOOD DAY EVERYONE!





Track Data for Selected ModelsOFCL GFS BAMM UKMET CMC GFDL NGPS

Track Data for Selected ModelsOFCL GFS BAMM UKMET CMC GFDL NGPS

Model Run Time: Fri Aug 26 2011 8:00 AM EDT
Date Position Pressure Winds
(UTC) Lat Lon in (mb) mph (kts)
1200 FRI AUG 26 30.0N 77.3W - 104 (90)
1500 FRI AUG 26 30.7N 77.3W 28 (946) 104 (90)
0000 SAT AUG 27 32.2N 77.1W - 104 (90)
1200 SAT AUG 27 34.4N 76.6W - 104 (90)
0000 SUN AUG 28 36.7N 75.6W - 98 (85)
1200 SUN AUG 28 39.5N 74.1W - 86 (75)
1200 MON AUG 29 47.5N 68.8W - 63 (55)
1200 TUE AUG 30 55.5N 57.0W - 46 (40)
1200 WED AUG 31 59.0N 38.0W - 46 (40)
About the OFCL model: NHC official forecast

Good Afternoon All!

Thanks to all for your kind wishes and thoughts to those of us living through the eyes of Irene right now! I'm relieved that today's weather news brought about a downgrade in strength or back to a Category 1. For the most part, New England's hurricanes usually remain contained in this scale due to the increasingly chillier Atlantic waters found off of our northeastern shores, plus any landfall which generally helps slow down their speed. Unfortunately, it's the other related harmful effects (heavy rain, flooding, wind)and one's location to the coastline that's of greatest concern right now. The ferocity of a Cat 1's heavy rains and winds can easily compete with or beat one of our most severe Nor'Easters!!

Looks like we're about to be getting a small prelude to the weekend with some vicious pop-up t'storms currently heading our way. The winds are beginning to pick up and I can't or don't want to imagine what Sunday night might have in store. I'm hoping there's no crash, boom, bangs through any roofs now or later and everyone will remain safe and relatively sound!!

Hopefully by Monday, all those who were in Irene's path and successfully made it through the storm, can return to the enjoyment of pleasant, non-threatening, end of summer days with much needed peace and tranquility! Thought I'd re-post a favorite pic, found last year on WU's approved photos site, that's the true essence of such!

Good Morning Shore and All!

Shore ~ Thanks for your current post and info. since catching up on my previous posts about the now deceased, but once persistently annoying. neighborhood skunk. Apparently, he didn't get the memo about supposedly being nocturnal nor to look both ways before crossing a busy street. I honestly had mixed emotions when it met its end, as it was a small one who seemed alone, abandoned and unable to draw upon more normal instincts. Nevertheless, hubby and I certainly don't miss the lingering odiferous scent or sudden home confinement it placed upon us and several others in the neighborhood!! LOL!

Regarding the Gogi Grant tune I posted yesterday, I grew up absolutely enamored with it and would sing or hum along every time it came on the ole am kitchen radio back in the late fifties/early sixties. I have a funny feeling that when all is said and done Irene-wise, I may be begrudgenly humming another favorite tune of yester-year, namely, "Baby, the Rain Must Fall", by Glen Yarborough. I'll never forget, somewhere in the early/mid sixties, just as I was attempting to help remove and pump out our very flooded finished basement (from a bad spring thaw), my mother decided to snap on our kitchen radio, while upstairs, just as this tune began to play!! We both doubled over laughing at the incredible coincidence and timeliness! Truthfully, though, I rather not relive those tender moments in a present-day setting after all is said and done with Hurricane Irene! Some memorable occasions should remain committed to just a fond distant memory! LOL!!





Currently, a calm, overcast pall has taken over from an earlier deceptively bright sunny sky. This morning's weather maps and models show Irene's vast girth spreading up through the mid-Atlantic coastline and stretching up to as many Northeastern coastal states as possible. It's disconcerting to see Irene vacillate again between an easterly and westerly direction because so much hinges on whether we'll receive more wind (if westerly) than heavy rainfall (if easterly) to an already overly saturated ground.

I truly feel for those living in the still tornado ravaged central portions of Mass. Sadly, this 20 plus mile long heavily wooded region still contains much debris from many felled trees and homes; not to mention, the many citizens living in temporary trailers as they slowly try to rebuild. A couple of local tv news station reporters interviewed a few of these people the other day, and they seemingly appeared a bit too cavalier, to me, about the severity and possible dangers this hurricane/tropical storm could cause, especially, if deciding to remain in their trailers. Hope that they'll come to their senses, quickly reconsider and weather out Irene in a much safer structure ... such as a sturdy evacuation center!!

Thankfully, hubby and I have gone through and checked off all the necessary items listed and required for full preparation of any/all hurricanes. Now, it's just a matter of watching and waiting to see what path Irene will take and how much steam she'll have left upon arrival. Hopefully, with enough time spent on land, she'll diminish with age!!

Evening All!

Thanks so much for all your posts of concern and well wishes during this very challenging day for me and so many in the Northeast while we waited out this massive tropical storm; as well as, for all those living along and just inland of those effected East coastal states who received far more punishing winds and damage!!

I am so happy to report that our home and property continue to remain intact with only minor debris having fallen, i.e., small branches and leaves littering the entire yard. We're also thrilled that the power stayed on throughout the storm with only minor flickering occurring a couple of times. My brother-in-law, who lives a couple of streets over, lost his power around 11:00 am on his street due to a large fallen tree onto a power line. (This has been the case for many around here, in surrounding towns/cities, Boston, its 'burbs and across the State. Fortunately, he owns a very large professional generator which automatically converts once regular power goes out. My parents-in-law safely remained with him and his family overnight and will stay until their power's back on. Apparently, once winds had died down, my B-I-L drove my F-I-L to his home over the border into So. New Hampshire to find that he too had lost power. Since hubby's parents live in an elderly retirement park, hopefully, the power crews will tackle this area first.

While watching the local Boston newstations, it was reported to them, via phone by a National Grid Rep., that nearly 250,000 of their customers were without power and would have to wait, in some cases, up to a full week before restoration!!! Hope that's not the case for my brother-in-law, as National Grid serves this particular area.

Basically, it appears many of our MA coastal regions (Cape Cod and the Islands) and the Western portions of our State experienced the worst of it due to coincidal times of high tide and a full moon (Cape Cod) or tremendous flooding in (Western Mass.) due to already high rivers and streams. In one case, a large landslide occurred in a western MA town due to overly saturated ground and woodlands.

I truly give kudos to FEMA, MEMA and all local/state governments up and down the Eastern seaboard! Their coordinated efforts and early urgent warnings most probably spared many lives and quite possibly further resulting damage. It truly is better to go overboard with precautionary measures rather than risk what could have been another historically high fatality count. "An ounce of prevention is, most definitely [sic], worth a pound of cure."

Tomorrow and the rest of this week look absolutely spectacular around here with sunny skies, warm 80ish degree temps and low humidity. It'll certainly be appreciated by many businesses, homeowners, boatowners and utility work crews, etc. who need to assess and repair all damages. I know it'll certainly make our needed yardwork a much less daunting task.

Hope all of you are doing well, and glad to hear that Pros, Raindad, Koko and their home/property remained equally safe with their power soon restored. What a wild and wooley end to quite an unprecedented tumultuous summer season!

Good Afternoon All!

Just heard from my hubby that my parents-in-law's power is back on in Salem, NH, so he picked them up from B-I-L's and delivered the happy, appreciative twosome to their blessed domicile. Their property only sustained a few large broken tree limbs in the yard but no damage whatsoever to their home. WHEW! Thankfully, their park handles the upkeep of yards and removal of any such large fallen limbs.

This morning's sunny, crisp, early fall-like weather certainly belies yesterday's tropical storm conditions. It's almost like experiencing some sort of time warp. Thankfully, most of this week looks gloriously sunny, warm and dry which will assist many with any needed recovery efforts. I only hope that that our newly forecasted Labor Day weekend t'storms won't create further havoc to a still overly saturated ground.

I'm sadly reminded today on Patrap's blogsite, with the comments box presently disengaged, that this is the sixth anniversary of the historically devastating Hurricane Katrina. I can't forget the horrific scenes that eminated from NOLA just after or the debacles created by the previous Administration due, in large part, to the dismantling and defunding of FEMA for their own mal-interests and purposes!! So many more lives could have been spared and property salvaged if only they had the moral and intellectual capacity, at that time, to value humanity over their own personal, political and financial interests!!


(((EMMY))) ~ We sure miss your daily blogs, info. and levity on WU, but understandably, you've felt you've taken enough heat in more ways than one this summer. Glad that your actor-son and troup safely made it in and out of P'town before Irene tried to upstage them! It would be pretty hard to convincingly emote a good play while trying to hold up wind swept scenery on a leaky stage in soggy costumes. LOL!! Hope all went off without a hitch, and they were all well received by local critics and patrons alike!!

You, Pat and others effected by Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, etc. know all too well what a difference can be made when U.S. National/ State/Local govts. are cohesive, knowledgeable, expedient and place the safety of all its citizens first and foremost!!

Barefoot ~ So nice to hear from you again and thanks for your kind words! I realize that Oklahoma has been through much worse this summer between spring floods, tornadoes, scorching summer heatwaves, etc., etc. Hope the worst will be over soon and better weather and times will prevail upon you well before fall!

New ~ So glad to hear that you, too, escaped damage from T/S Irene! While watching the local news stations, yesterday, they mentioned that parts of Rt. 128 (major highway) in Waltham had to be shut down due to serious flooding. I immediately thought of you and wasn't sure how far reaching the effects would be for your area, since parts are located near a large dam and several streams. Hope your daughters' power lines will be restored in short shrift, as there are some customers with outages who must wait a full week!

(((OGal))) ~ I'm not sure just how badly Irene effected Peace in Chatham (on Cape Cod, MA). Her region did take it off the chin, especially, with massive flooding caused by high tides and storm surges along the coastline. I noticed she posted (on her WU site) that her power went out periodically, but she must either have a battery-powered laptop or the power's back on since she's seems to be posting short blurbs again. I'll need to double check. I sure hope this summer will end on a much higher note for everyone. It'll certainly take quite awhile to recover not only here, but nationwide, from so many weather related losses!

Mush ~ Thanks, good buddy, for your kind words and thoughts. We're all relieved that T/S Irene stayed more west than east while traveling through my area. I know full well it could've been a lot worse depending on where one lives in the Northeast!

Good Morning Pat, Pros and All!

Hubby and I are just about done picking up nine lawn bags full of fallen debris in the yard since T/S Irene swept by over the weekend. We still consider ourselves ever so fortunate to have received no real damage whatsoever to home and property!! It's still jaw-dropping to see so many pictures or scenes of many damaged or totally destroyed homes, etc. caused by large uprooted trees, limbs or from high water surges across some Mass. shorelines and along the entire Eastern Coast.

Hard to believe how Irene's punishing heavy rainfall caused Vermont, of all places, to have had complete homes, towns, villages, bridges, roads, etc. completely wiped out by raging floodwaters. Link to Huffingtonpost's: "HURRICANE IRENE LEAVES NEW ENGLAND HOMEOWNERS, TOWNS STRANDED" I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if Irene, for some curious reason, had ever remained a much stronger Cat. 1 in this region!! All of this really puts into greater perspective the effects, size and intensities tropical storms or hurricanes can have on our varying populations, topographies and withering infrastructures!

I'm nervously watching the ensemble models change daily as T/S Katia travels across the Atlantic towards the U.S. I certainly hope and pray that she will miraculously curve back out to sea, as the eastern shoreline and inland has already taken such an overwhelming beating. Some financial experts are already estimating Irene's financial costs to be approximately seven billion dollars. Looks like we'll be facing a lot of GOP political flack and obstructionism as well in trying to obtain it!!

Good Morning Everyone!

We have another beautiful day on tap this last remaining day of August and the forecast looks to hold up rather well throughout the remainder of the week well into most of the Labor Day weekend!! It's a such a blessing that the Northeast has continued to remain sunny, warm and dry as utility crews across this State and others continue to work long days, post Irene, to restore power to those still without!

I'm encouraged again to see that T/S Katia's esemble models continue to show daily improvement; with a majority of her tracks pointing far enough away from the East Coast while heading Northeast towards parts of Canada. I'm sure none of us, at this point, want to end summer with yet another ravaging bang!

New ~ Those Irene-effected Vermonters have certainly shown us what hearty, determined stuff they're made of. It's amazing what one can do when having to face one's survival head on! I'm glad to have learned that FEMA and National Guard troops have begun to drop (by helicopter) much needed food and medical supplies needed by those communities or homes that became stranded by washed out roads and highways. Those who hiked many miles for help seemed resiliant and determined, but then again, what would have been the alternative? It will take some time, but most citizens and companies seem determined to recover from this devastation.

(((Jus))) ~ Love that gorgeously bloomed rose you unexpectedly found and pictured in your yard below!! It's the perfect symbolic gesture or metaphor for many of us right now! Hopefully, all of us will continue to weather out the remainder of this challenging summer and enter fall in full bloom.