Our forecasters have been predicting rain since last Thursday. In fact, we should be getting rain right this minute, but it’s calm and dry – cloudy, but not raining.
I just checked radar:
See that front that is just north of Springfield Missouri? Yeah, that’s the front that was supposed to dump a bunch of rain on us. We got lucky and it has curved around us and drenched our neighbors to the north.
And now it looks like Ike might be heading our way. Only, when you put this map into motion, it looks like it MIGHT curve just north of us, too.
We’ll see. We’ve certainly had our fair share of rain this season. In fact, I think the last time I heard, we were about 14 inches above average for the year.
My thoughts and prayers are with the folks in Texas. I really feel for the people who will be going back soon to discover their homes are under water. I can’t imagine what that must be like.
I’ve been fixated on watching weather.com videos of Ike. Can you imagine having a job like that? Reporting from the eye of a hurricane? In fact, that would make a good story … *grin*
I’ve been reading about Texas Hurricane History, mainly because I think hurricanes are a fascinating (and terrifying) aspect of nature and also because I sort of a have a morbid fascination with natural disasters in general.
Here are a few that caught my “eye” (get it? Sorry, hurricane humor is probably not appropriate at this time).
November 1527: There is record of a hurricane destroying a merchant fleet on Galveston Island. Up to 200 lives were taken by the storm. This is the first record known of a hurricane along the Texas coastline and also one of the most unusual…it struck during the month of November; only one other hurricane has ever struck during November (1839).
September 4th, 1766: Hurricane hits Galveston. A mission named San Augustine de Ahumado, located in what is now considered Chambers County, was destroyed. Storm surges of 7 feet flooded the area. A richly-laden treasure fleet of 5 galleons en route from Vera Cruz to Havana was driven ashore and had to wait many weeks for assistance to come. Fortunately, much of the treasure and people aboard were saved.
September 12-14, 1818: Among the earliest accounts of a direct hurricane strike on the Texas coast was this storm which passed by the Cayman Islands, before moving westward into the Bay of Campeche, then northwest to hit Galveston on September 12th. It was described as a storm of extraordinary violence. War ships from Vera Cruz who encountered this storm were put out of commission for months.
October 2nd-6th, 1837: Racer’s Storm The first recorded storm to rake the entire coast was Racer’s Storm on October 5th, named for a British sloop of war which encountered the storm in the extreme Northwest Caribbean on September 28th. It is remembered as one of the most destructive storms of the 19th century due to its extreme duration and 2000 mile long path of destruction. Then it was Galveston’s turn. The storm surge of 6 to 7 feet higher in Galveston inundated the coast. The scene on the island was one of utter desolation.
November 5th, 1839: Hurricane struck Galveston unusually late in the season.
September 17-18th, 1842: A strong tropical storm hit Galveston. They were on the west side of the system, as waters invaded the Island from the Bay to the north. About 4 feet of water swept over the island destroying smaller buildings and houses. Forty cattle were crushed under a house that was blown down. Damages totaled $10,000.
October 5th, 1842: A storm brushed by Galveston, flooding the town.
June 9th, 1871: This hurricane moved through East Texas. In Galveston, it wrecked many ships and leveled St. Patrick church.
On July 5th, 1888, a second hurricane hits Galveston, making 8 hurricane landfalls in 3 seasons for the battered Texas coast. Corpus Christi saw 2″ of rain.
September 14th, 1961 (Carla): No list of Texas hurricanes would be complete without the mention of Carla, which made landfall near Port Lavaca. Carla was among the largest hurricanes of historical record (number 2 behind the Great New England Hurricane of 1938). The storm produced many tornadoes, gusts estimated to 175 m.p.h., torrential rains, and a 22 foot storm surge at Port O’Connor. Hurricane force gusts were seen along almost the entire Texas Coast.
And there are many, many, MANY more accounts of hurricanes slamming into the Texas coast.
But I’m sure Ike is the direct result of global warming. *wink*
Seriously, take care folks. I pray life gets back to normal for you soon.
monday morning meme
Write From Karen 