How's your weather?

[bower]

@karstopography I saw that mark in the gulf when I was looking at the track for Larry. You are so right that it's better when they don't linger! The big difference between this speedy Larry and Igor eleven years ago is that we got a scant 30-50 mm of rain, cw the lingering Igor that dropped 200 mm, that was enough to wash out some roads and highways.
Yes, the rain here is routinely measured in mm, and your forecast of 500 mm in 3 days is a terrible thing. Really hope that doesn't pan out!
We are around the same temperature as you here today with 67F and a dewpoint around 58 F, still gusting 45 mph and a little too breezy to clean up the downed trellises. This is the sort of temperature I'm really comfortable with.

[worth1]

I heard yesterday my area might get 4 inches from the storm.

[SpookyShoe]

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Waiting for tropical storm Nicholas here. Not concerned about winds, but copious amounts of rainfall and coastal flooding.

I got this alert on my phone about half an hour ago. Probably just telling people to be cautious and prepared.

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[bower]

Take care, SpookyShoe!

[karstopography]

1.7” , 43mm rain so far. Looks like the center of Nicholas is going right over us later tonight, midnight perhaps. Getting a little breezy, winds forecast to be around 50mph from some of the news folks, one other weather forecaster we trust puts it closer to 75mph. These things can change up or down, though. Rain thus far hasn’t been especially intense, just steady. Wife is ramping up into full freak out mode, par for the course when these storms come by. She went through Hurricane Hugo in Charleston SC back in 1989 and hasn’t been the same since. Her girlfriend had to physically slap my wife’s face during the storm just to get her to calm down.

[bower]

Bad storms at night are the worst. Losing sleep makes it way more stressful... Stay safe @karstopography .

[karstopography]

@Bower thank you. Miraculously, we still have power, but understand from the electrical outage tracker and calls to friends most of town does not. Nicholas spun up into a Cat one Hurricane and now has turned right for us. The next couple of hours ought to be the worst as the center that’s maybe 50- 60 km away to the southwest will likely come much closer before passing off to the northeast.

[pepperhead212]

Good luck to all of you in TX, in the line of that storm! Hope that it breaks up, or speeds up, or something, and doesn't just sit there and keep dropping rain.

[worth1]

All I'm getting from it is a nice cool breeze from the north.
No rain.

[SpookyShoe]

Last night it got a little hairy with Nicholas (from the wind). So grateful that our neighborhood did not flood.
We moved the potted plants into the garage, at least the ones that I valued and didn't want to get damaged. I do have a lot of in-ground plants that are leaning over at a 45° angle this morning, lol. Nothing that can't be fixed.

I took these photos this morning. Lucky for us they are not our trees.

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[GoDawgs]

... She went through Hurricane Hugo in Charleston SC back in 1989 and hasn’t been the same since....

We were very fortunate that Hugo took a slight turn to the north as it landed and didn't come right up the Savannah River as had been thought. It would have devasted the Augusta area. Hugo was indeed a nasty one. Huge swaths of SC woodlands (lots of that owned by Weyerhauser and others) leveled.

[bower]

@SpookyShoe there is usually a wind side and a water side on the tropical systems, that our weather man talks about.. Sometimes wind is better than water! Hairy though, no doubt. So glad you aren't flooded and all garden things can be repaired.

[karstopography]

Yep, not such a fun night. We are sort of trapped here at house since our vehicles can’t get out. Two major trees are blown over and on top of our driveway. My folks are next door and their drive is clear so that’s our connection to the world for now.

I’ve been checking on and cleaning some job related stuff in town this morning. Entire Business district and most of residential part of town without electricity. Lots of big trees blown over or the tops got blown over and broken off. Wife works for State Farm and they are getting claims, trees on houses and vehicles. She’s at work on generator power. Talked to a friend that is head of Safety at one of the big Chemical plants. Winds out there were in the 70-75mph for quite a while, hours. He lives nearby and believes that’s what happened, a few hours of wind at or near Hurricane force. Rain was 5.7” total at my house so no big deal on that end.

I’m tackling our trees after lunch, would be nice to be able to drive out and in.

[karstopography]

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Bee hive almost got smashed by that tree. The table the hive was on did get smashed. Hive ended up about 12 feet away separated from the roof and base, but somehow upright. Bees were essentially trapped with the base that allows them to leave the hive to forage. I put them on a temporary table about 15 feet from their original spot. They seem a little disoriented, but otherwise okay.

More scenes from Nicholas.

[bower]

Oh my, the big heavy green hardwoods. Hope you have a chainsaw @karstopography . Bucksaw and axe are part of my hurricane kit, and so far that's been good enough to clear the driveway of one or two. I was surprised to have nothing to cut after Larry, for a change. I just raked the small branches off the driveway and I was done. Very lucky about the bees!

[worth1]

My wife tracked down the FedEx guy that wouldn't deliver checks to our office in Oyster Creek and got them.
She then drove through the head of the tropical storm to deliver them.
Then she got out fast.
I drove one of the company vans the back way to Angleton during the storm surge.
At the low spot I was in water up to the floor boards.
@karstopography knows exactly where that low spot is just outside of Oyster Creek before you get to dead man's curve.

[karstopography]

@Bower I’ve got many hours of experience working a chainsaw, hazard of living on wooded property with hurricanes and such. My dad has a great 18” Stihl, very sharp and easy to start. He also has Sixto the tree professional on speed dial. Sixto and his tree crew attacked the biggest Water Oak in the photo. Sixto also cleared a truly massive water oak from the neighbors on the other side. My son and I put the chainsaw to use on a downed big Green Ash that was blocking the drive at the other end. Between all of us our drive is now clear. Sixto and his crew will haul off the bulk of the wood come the weekend. We will pick the smaller stuff and burn that or just mow over it.

This storm Nicholas ranks well behind Hurricane Alicia in 1983 and Hurricane Ike in 2008 for damage to the property. My parents have lived here since the late 1970s. Alicia was a low Cat 3 and went maybe 10-15 miles from the house. Can’t remember the details about Ike. No structural damage this time, Alicia and Ike both damaged a portion of my folks house. Hurricane Harvey, the wind wasn’t the issue, it was the water.

I’m encouraged by what we accomplished today. Should have things looking much better by the end of the weekend. Weather isn’t too hot or anything. This storm sort of brought an odd chill and drizzle in its wake and now the setting sun is poking out.

@worth1 FM 523 just past Stratton Ridge I’m thinking.

[worth1]

@karstopography
Yep right where the land is at that at least at that time was always up for sale.
Old trailer house was on it.
Flooded constantly.

[svalli]

Our son sent these photos yesterday to me. He took them from the university lab window yesterday afternoon. That is 200 km north from us and I hope it is not yet coming here, since this is way too early to see the white stuff.

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Sari

[bower]

Hurricane Larry evidently neglected to rain on us much, so mother nature is sending TS Odette to make up the difference in a hurry. Somehow Odette is managing to do this with strong Northerly winds - something about merging with another system - so it'll be pelting and blowing from the north this time.
I regret that the main action is happening after dark, as it would be nice to watch how my catchment handles the water.