Andie

I'm crossing my fingers. Maybe January will deliver. Doubtful

Were at 71* at 2pm. Low of 36* tonight and 62* mañana. NO rain for the next 10 days......C'mom!

Saturday, January 4, 2020, was the hottest day on record in metropolitan Sydney, Australia, where 37 miles northwest the suburb of Penrith (map above) hit 120 degrees F., according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The national capital, Canberra, set a record high with a temperature of 110 degrees F. 60,000 square miles (14.8 million acres) have burned up in Australia since November 1, 2019, and 20 people have died, including three volunteer firefighters. A half billion animals and reptiles have died. Map assembled from NASA data by BBC as of January 3, 2020.

A sunny 65* today. It's been so long since we had rain of any appreciable amount, I actually had to turn on the irrigation system today. Everything is so dry. This is nuts.

The Deep South is being flooded with rain. Meantime, Texas is completely shut out of any moisture. When will we see some rain? As far as we are concerned, this is acting like a full blown Nina.

There are currently over 200 wildfires being battled in SE Australia. Some residents are having to be rescued on the beaches. This is considered to be the worst Wildfire season on record.

Anyone Is Texas going to get some real rain? All we get is damp!

Firefighters Fear Mega Firestorm. Firefighters from other nations, including the US, have joined up to battle historic fires that are devastating the land, homes and killing half a billion animals and reptiles. I have read that the DNA "bank" of koala diversity has been seriously damaged. It could take decades to begin to restore. https://www.wsj.com/articles/wave-of-blazes-strains-firefighting-network-from-australia-to-california-11577954905 RICHMOND AIR FORCE BASE, Australia—Smoke from huge wildfires near Sydney wafted over the tarmac as Jonas Doherty readied a newly modified Boeing 737 equipped to drop 4,000 gallons of firefighting liquid above the blaze. Mr. Doherty and his co-pilot descended to 150 feet and slowed the aircraft to about 150 miles an hour to empty the load, pressing a red button in the cockpit labeled “tank drop.” The duo and other air-tanker pilots are working 12-hour shifts and flying as many as 15 times a day as Australia battles its worst wildfire season in years. “It’s relentless,” said Mr. Doherty, a 41-year-old pilot from Idaho who flies for Coulson Group, one of the international companies contracted by Australian authorities for aerial firefighting services. “This is like a magnitude of five times what we’ve seen before.” https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/02/nearly-500000000-animals-killed-australias-wildfires-11989639/?ito=cbshare Almost half a billion animals have been killed in Australia’s raging wildfires with fears entire species may have been wiped out. Ecologists from the University of Sydney now estimate 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been lost since September with the figure likely to continue to soar. Devastating fires have ripped through the states of Victoria and New South Wales in the past couple of days alone, leaving several people dead or missing. Scores of homes along Australia’s east coast have been razed to the ground leaving thousands of residents stranded and many forced to take shelter in the only safe place left available to them, the ocean. Harrowing pictures and videos have captured kangaroos desperately attempting to flee great walls of flames while rescue teams have been met by the charred bodies of thousands of koalas.

A happy and successful 2020 and new decade from your southern sister!

Perhaps the Mods should contact iFred and talk about this. For the record I hit like on all the above approvals as I really agree. I liked the tracking. Those that disagree should post their thoughts, or not if it isn't that important to them. It IS a discussion forum after all.

We're already seeing shorts and poolside parties. This is simply ridiculous.

52*. Bright clear skies. Calm, low tonight of 32*. Just perfect.

Nice images in our area tonight after the rain. Big double rainbow. Second one we’ve had this year. Cool down tomorrow into the 50’s.

65* and sunny after a line of rain pushed through. Received .25" rain. Tomorrow will be in the 50's. Wish it was more. We need it.

Another 70* day. Sunday brings rain however and we need it.

70* and Overcast. Possible light rain tomorrow, but Saturday will bring showers and some thunderstorms. Monday we'll finally see the mid 50's. So,....where's Winter?

Won't be around tomorrow so,... Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah my li'l buddies!!

60* clear calm. Saw a lady walking just now in shorts and tank top. Ahhhh, Christmas in Texas! Rain Thurs&Fri. Highs in 50’s.

A 69* and Sunny Christmas on the way. It's a poolside margarita Christmas, I guess.

Happy Soltice! 10 hrs of sunshine here today. Days begin to lengthen. High of 51*. Heavy Overcast, no rain. Fog in the morning. Then clearing and a High of 60* Christmas Day...typical Texas. 69* and Sunny.

Question to the forum.... Are we in a Niño, Nina, or Nada? Where are we in terms of Central US affects? Thanks in advance.

From the above article. This says a lot. We're entering uncharted territory. I have no idea what may happen, but no doubt we may find out. "Dr. Ciaran Beggan, a geophysicist and geomagnetic specialist from the BGS, told FT that the movement of the pole has been “much faster” since the 1990s “than at any time for at least four centuries,” and that scientists “really don’t know much about the changes in the core that’s driving it.” With the pole passing the Greenwich (prime) meridian and continuing its race east, humanity is entering the unknown, scientifically speaking."

Updated info. Magnitude: 6.7 Depth: 29.0 km Epicenter latitude / longitude: 6.62°N / 125.24°E (Philippines) Nearest volcano: Matutum (35 km) Primary data source: GFZ Estimated released energy: 7.1*10^14 J (197 GWh / 1.7*10^5 tons of TNT / 10.6 atomic bombs equivalent) [learn more]

I've read 6.6 and 6.9. Either way, this was a strong quake in the Philippines 5 listed fatalities so far and a 3 story building collapsed. Numerous aftershocks https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/10/28/usgs-southern-philippines-rattled-6-8-earthquake/2492650001/

Cold front moved through and when have 40* at 7 am. Heading for a high of 45*. Currently some drizzle in the area. We'll have a very chilly week in the 40's with lows at freezing.