rain

Storms

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Central Texas is due for storms this week. Yesterday we had rain early in the morning, and had 0.42 inches of rain. Then it was cloudy and clearing skies the rest of the day.

Today we had cloudy skies, just light sprinkles. Then we suddenly got rain and wind. In about 45 minutes we got over 0.79 inches of rain. I can’t give you an exact amount as in the middle of the rain we got quite a lightning storm and power outages. We had about 4 power outages in a matter of 10 minutes. The power went out, then back on so the outages were quick. But the rain continued to fall and the weather station couldn’t keep up during the outages. So we got just over 0.79 inches, but I couldn’t give you an exact amount. But after a while it has stopped. But we will have flooding, my front walk area is flooded, but I’m sure it will drain quickly.

The storming is due to continue for the next week. We should get quite a bit of rain they say. Austin could get upwards of 7-10 inches. We’ll see how much we actually get. But we are expected to get rain for the next 7 days, until Tuesday May 25. Who knows, over that number of days we may actually get that much.

But as it stand right now, between yesterday and right now, and its not quite 3pm, we’ve already had an inch of rain.

So I will keep tabs on how much rain we get as best as I can.

Another storm

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Its Sunday, Mother’s Day, and we’ve been warned of another storm. We had a warm day of 85 degrees here at the house. It wasn’t a bright sunny day, it was more of an overcast and humid day. Walking the dogs was not a fun experience. Even the dogs didn’t enjoy it.

Now, at after 10PM its down to 78, but our humidity is up to 86%. Though I will say the clouds tonight were rather spectacular. There was a a layer of dark clouds, with these salmon pink clouds underneath them.

It does appear there are a few areas around here that are feeling the effects of this storm. Some areas are even supposed to get hail, again. So we will wait and see if we get rain here. We may get some still, even if its later tonight.

We shall see.

More rain

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Its just after 3pm and we’ve got 2 inches today since midnight, AND we just got the first Flash Flood Warning for the area. So since yesterday we’ve had over 3 inches of rain.

“At 227 PM CDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. The expected rainfall rate is 1 to 3 inches in 1 hour. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

HAZARD…Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding.”

And on Monday we expect to hit 90. This is Texas weather.

UPDATE: Since my last post less than half an hour ago we now have 2.33 inches of rain.

6:30pm We now have 2.63 inches of rain. Its raining be very light, more like a mist.

9:25pm: The rain is slowing down. But we still have 2.75 inches of rain since midnight at this location today.

Thursday Storm

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Well, we got rain, lightning, hail in some areas, and lots of thunder. We also got all of 1.23 inches of rain here at this location just today. The forecast still says we may get rain, actually thunderstorms, Friday and Saturday. Will we actually get much, well that still remains to be seen. Hopefully Sunday stays dry as they currently predict. But our temperatures are still warm, mid 70’s with Monday going for 90 degrees. Yes its humid out there.

But some areas have gotten big teacup size hail. Damage comes along with anything that size hail hits. Image someone throwing or dropping a softball from the sky onto your car. Well that gives you an idea of what to expect from that size hail hitting a windshield. Falling on a person isn’t going to be any better.

With any luck, we will get more rain, but a few less hail storms.

Storms ahead

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Its late April and we are looking for thunderstorms and severe weather starting tonight. South west Texas, down by Del Rio, has already received baseball sized hail. This storm is heading toward San Antonio and Austin. Where I am, in Austin/Dripping Springs area, we are also waiting for storms. The temperature right now, almost 8pm, is 78 with 81% humidity. The humidity has been climbing the past short while, couple of hours, and is expected to continue climbing. They have warned that we will get rain, some estimates say 2-3 inches of rain. We shall see. But we also have a tornado watch.

We are also forecast to have rain and thunderstorms Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday should be just isolated thunderstorms. But through it all we should be in the 70-80’s. This kind of warm weather with storms, heavy humidity, happens in this area. Its not the most comfortable weather, but its what we sometimes get. And yes, it can make for some uncomfortable times.

At this point, I don’t know what we’ll get for storms, rain, or weather. But then that’s the reality of living in this area.

I’ll keep you posted on what we get.

Weather again

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Yesterday was cold, hardly making 60 degrees. They did warn of warmer weather, with storms today.

Here at the house I’ve had all of 0.24 inches of rain so far, but even now, at almost 6:30pm its 72 with 93% humidity. That’s Texas weather. But some areas have had 5.5″ in two hours, and that’s south and east of where I am. One person in Blanco Co. say they got maybe a couple of drops. Maybe! So what I’ve had here is not indicative of what other areas received.

But some areas of Texas look like they have experienced, or are still getting much worse weather. The weather service had even warned of hail and tornadoes, possibly later this evening. And the storm is working its way east. Parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma are still in the path of the storm. And tomorrow it will be areas like Atlanta that are expecting thunderstorms.

So where we got rain, not all areas got much, yet some areas got a lot of rain. We did have hard rain for a while, and we heard thunder, and I got reports of lightning. And yet now its just warm and muggy outside.

Tomorrow we can look forward to warm sunny weather. Saturday should be 81 and sunny, Sunday 88 and sunny. But by Tuesday we will be 86 with strong afternoon/evening thunderstorms. Such is weather in Central Texas.

Rain and hail

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They said we would have a storm and we got one. We got both rain and hail, some hail 1-1/2 inches round. Between two different rain gauges, one said we had 1 inches (that was the one you buy and set out, its a physical container), and the other one said 0.72 inches (that was from the new weather station).

But we finally got some much needed rain. Most of this area is in some level of drought. But true to Texas weather, we had a lovely 70+ degree day, going for mid 80’s tomorrow and Saturday. Though Saturday and Sunday we are due for more rain. Hopefully that will happen. And if our luck holds, we might even get some rain next week. But of course, you never know.

One interesting item is that though tomorrow and Saturday are due to be in the low/mid 80’s, Sunday we are due to drop into the mid 60’s. We’ll see if that happens.

But at least it looks like central Texas has officially hit spring.

Winter In Central Texas

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Yes, for anybody that wonders how hard it can be to garden in central Texas, today Jan 4, 2021 it is now 75 degrees outside. Sounds wonderful? Maybe if you are in dark cold snowy weather. BUT guess what it does to your garden. The poor plants don’t know what to do. Is this spring, summer, will it get cold? So yes, your lettuce may bolt, your peppers may even start sprouting, but what will happen?

Well, where the temperature will drop slightly, down into the 60’s later this week, we could still get cold 31-30 degree nights later this weekend. And we don’t really have much in the way of rain coming. So you can plant, or at least try, but what will the weather be like next week?

That’s why gardening here can be sometimes a significant challenge. We don’t have an easy to understand winter, nor do we necessarily have cold rainy weather. Water will always be an issue. And once it doesn’t finally get out of the cold, may be next month February, it may go from 60’s to 80’s. That may feel nice, no real cold, but you also miss that slow growing season.

By the time you hit the 80’s, you are now looking at jumping into the high 80’s to the low 90’s. And it won’t take long.

This is the challenge of gardening here in Texas. The seasons may be “short” and you may not have much time to grow what you want. It also means that direct seed sowing/growing, what I do, can be an iffy proposition. Plants may germinate when the temperature is right, but the calendar says its not time. And that is what can make it a challenge – planting seeds/plants at the right time, before it gets hot, regardless of what the calendar says.

Welcome to gardening in central Texas.

Still cold

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We have had an honest to goodness rain and cold front event. Even though we had 2″ of rain the other day, yesterday we got an additional 1/2″ of rain. And cold weather, as in almost freezing nights cold weather.

Today, New Years Day 2021 it is blue skies, clear, and still a bit on the cold side. Where the forecast says we are going for a high of 52, with these clear skies we are also going for a low tonight of freezing, 32 degrees. We have a light breeze and I don’t see us getting anything in the way of clouds to keep us any warmer than that tonight.

I have covered my lemon trees, at least those I can, with green “planket” cloth, and two trees have lights in them to help keep them warm. Those are outdoor incandescent type Christmas lights. The incandescent lights provide a bit of warmth, LED lights don’t. Since my covered patio area stays warmer, since its covered, I have moved some plants back toward the house to keep them warm.

So the yard is doing okay. I do have a few things to do to it, figure out some planters that just didn’t work (not sure why they didn’t), and I need to pick up more soil and more landscape pins, those things are handy, and I’m already getting my 2021 seed catalogues. So it’s already looking like its time to start thinking of what to plant for this year.

Everybody, welcome to 2021.

Another cold

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Well we had another cold front earlier. We even had rain Saturday morning. We actually had 1-1/2 inches of rain. Its been a while since we’ve had rain. Our drought conditions have currently put us in severe to extreme drought conditions. Rain has not be in our radar for a while. But it was good to get what we did.

Between now and the end of the year, about a week and a half away, we expect to hit a couple of days of 70, but most will be in the 60’s. We don’t have another freeze here on the forecast for the next 10 days, but our evenings will be in the right 30’s to mid 40’s. Maybe we’ll get some rain, but there is not even a 50% chance. So I’m not holding my breath on that.

But such is Texas weather. It was a hot summer, hopefully at some point we’ll get some good cold. But if we do, its not yet.