It’s H-O-T!

Hurricane Season started a few weeks ago.  They predicted that it would be a pretty mild one this year.  I sure hope so.  It’s just that I’m not so sure.  We have had a lot of hot weather already.  I just checked the weather for the week.

Yes, at 11:24 it is 88 and feels like 102.  It will be hotter this afternoon.

Hot weather = hot water.  Hot water = hurricanes.  Eek!

This is the weather underground water temp map.

When it’s like this we can a) stay inside or b) go in the water. 

I think I see a string of beach days in our future!

Good News! Bad News

The good news is that it looks like Chantal is taking her party elsewhere! 

 

Thank goodness!  We will likely get wind and rain, but we are used to that.

The bad news is that it also looks like it is going to be heading to SC as a Tropical Depression.  Too bad the folks in SC don’t need any more rain right now.

 

We will be heading to SC next week and are looking forward to having fun with our friends and family there!  We have a bad track record of bringing weather with us whenever we go to SC, so I am sure I will have to shoulder the blame for the record rainfall that will hit the area!

Tropical Storm Chantal

Yesterday we woke up to this little nugget of news…

It doesn’t look too terrible, but as the day progressed the news didn’t look any better.  It looks like it will not lower in intensity by the time it reaches us.

It looks like we will have some messy weather between Thursday and Saturday.  Shouldn’t be too dangerous, just more inconvenient than anything else.

The boys and I headed to the movie store and stocked up on movies, then headed to the grocery store for bread and milk.  Sounds like a snowstorm!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Seriously it has been raining forever.  The sun came out for a bit yesterday.  I headed to the beach for some Vitamin D therapy.

Here are some photos to show you what it has been like over here.

We got way more than 5 inches.  I think our May total was around 23 inches.  That is at the airport.  Other places got way more.

The May average is about 4 inches.

Airport runway.  Just a little pond.

This car went through this puddle ahead of he.  It had a sticker that said, “Just trust God”  So I watched them carefully as they maneuvered through it.  Then I went.

God is good!

Our neighborhood got a new infinity pool!

You know what all the moms did when it stopped raining?  Let the kids out.

Judging by the looks of it, we should have given them a round of antibiotics first!

Oh, did I tell you that they were out of school for 2 days?  Yep.  For rain.

Now the rain has stopped the huge puddles lakes have mostly subsided and we are expecting another storm coming in this afternoon.

Worse then the rain is the mosquitos.  As soon as you open the door, they pounce.  Awful.  They are little too, so I know they have just hatched.  Young and hungry!

I am supposed to be looking for a electronic mosquito trap thingy, but instead I am blogging about it.  My goodness I am a productive one!

What the Heck Wednesday? Waterlogged!

When we get rain, it is typically an afternoon storm that builds for several hours and then dumps for about 30 minutes and passes.  Last week as we got back from Spanish Wells it began raining…hard. 

Our side of the island got about 5 inches of rain.  The East side got up to 15 inches of rain.  A hurricane typically brings 9-12 inches.  People prepare for that.  Not just a random Sunday evening where they get 15 inches.  Needless to say there was flooding.

Monday afternoon it started to rain.  We probably got 3 inches Monday night.  Tuesday it REALLY started to rain.  We got about 5 or 6 more inches.  Today is Wednesday, schools are cancelled and it is raining steadily.  We have had some passing bands that have dumped very heavy rain.

It is expected to continue through Saturday.

Here is the weather report:

...NEWS BULLETIN FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST FLOOD WARNING...
Residents throughout the archipelago should brace themselves for continued moderate to heavy rainfall throughout the day (Wednesday) and lasting through Friday night.
A broad area of moist unstable air extending southwest to northeast from the Caribbean Sea will generate heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across the entire archipelago. Conditions are favourable for flooding in low-lying areas.
Winds are expected to reach 30 miles per hour or more in embedded thunderstorms. Tornadoes are likely to be spawned from the thunderstorms.
A severe thunderstorm warning will be issued when necessary.
The Department of Meteorology is appealing to residents in flood prone areas to be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Residents are advised not to drive, walk or play in flood waters as the depth can easily be misjudged. All efforts should be made to protect lives and property.

So that brings me to another wet topic.  Hurricane Season.  It officially begins on June 1. Here is the  report:

Outlook says there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).
These ranges are well above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.

Coincidentally I just purchased this from Lands End. 

I’ve always wanted to channel the Gorton’s Fisherman!

 

I wish it would hurry up and get here!  Stay dry, y’all!

Tropical Storm Isaac

Last year we evacuated for Hurricane Irene.  It was a bit rough, but we survived.  Early last week it looked like another “I” storm was going to give us a hard time.  We prepared and kept a close watch on it all week.  In the end it turned a bit {leaving our island at the very edge} and turned into a big rain and wind maker here.  {Had we not prepared, we probably gotten a Category 5 storm.}
Friday was overcast and we had a shower or two, but that was just a warm up for the real storm. 
Saturday was pretty windy and overcast, but not too much in the way of rain. I love a good storm, so on Saturday afternoon, I made Allen and the boys go over to the beach and check things out. 

Waves smashing on the sea wall

All that seaweed is going to be a mess to clean up!

Wind makes them want to dance!

A conch find!

Another conch find!

As soon as the sun went down, we had high winds that night and lots of rain, but by Sunday afternoon we were out of the woods.  we slept through most of it!

ATL

After Miller got his medicine in him we thought he was going to bounce back so quickly.  We took him shopping and out for lunch on Saturday and he did great.  We got their Halloween costumes at Old Navy and Oh! MY! Gosh! they are cute, but they are going to roast wearing them in the Bahamas. 
Sunday we thought he was all better until we were in a TJ Maxx and he threw up all over the picture frames.  He still hasn’t figured out how to warn anyone what is coming.  Bless his heart!  And the poor workers at TJ Maxx who had to clean up his puke.  Again, it was not bad, just a little OJ. Am I justifying?  Just a little!
Monday my friend, Annette, and her children decided we were going to rent a car and head to downtown ATL.  We hit the Georgia Aquarium and it was every bit as good as everyone said it would be!  My camera didn’t act right, but here are my photos….
Aaron and Rebecca were lifesavers on our trip!
 
These fish swim by in a HUGE school right as you walk in.  It almost looks fake.

The moving sidewalk was perfect!  Walking and looking can be dangerous!  For me, that is.
 
This saw shark was swimming right overhead!

This guy ( I think it’s a grouper) was right beside us.  Huge doesn’t describe him.

Here he is beside Annette.


Jackson was so excited to see  a whale shark!

There were 4 whale shark in this part of the aquarium.
 
This grouper was a different one from before.

I know it is blurry, but look at the size of that thing!

The dolphins before the show.
 
Beluga whales!

A seahorse swimming.

The penguin exhibit was terrific.  They got to climb through a tunnel and see the penguins from a neat perspective.

Then they got to pop up through the holes and see penguins eye to eye.

This penguin was friendly.

A wall of tropical fish

Then my camera battery died! 
So I pulled out my iphone!  That’s right there’s more!  Next up Coke world. 
Oh and I need to maybe do a post about the boyS starting school!