Dry September leading to muted colors
Sunny and pleasant has been our weather over the past six weeks, and it looks to continue with above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall for at least the next week to 10 days.
After many months of above normal rainfall, we have been experiencing a dry spell with only one or two rainy days. The interesting statistic about September is that in spite of all the dry weather, much of the area had a heavy rain on the first day of the month that produced as much as four inches of rain in 24 hours in some of our locations including Pittsburgh where the official record is kept. This will show as September being above normal rainfall even with all the dry days.
In other areas, it certainly has not been sunny and pleasant. Houston, Texas has just experienced their third 500 year flood in six years. Tropical storm Imelda brought 36 inches of rain in 36 hours including six inches in just 60 minutes. One town near Houston recorded 43 inches in three days, which is more than Uniontown gets in an entire year.
The fires continue to burn out West and it will be years if not decades before the Bahamas recover and rebuild from Hurricane Dorian. Florida and our Southeast coast were lucky this time, but more storms are on the horizon.
This week蘑菇视频 edition of Bloomberg News has an interesting article on how climate change is beginning an exodus of people out of the Florida Keys. As migration begins, homes are being bulldozed due to climate driven inundation. This retreat is just beginning with tiny steps being taken in the form of taxpayer funded buyouts for homes in flood prone areas. Staten Island as well as Houston and New Orleans are also a part of this effort.
Another interesting thing that is happening in Florida is a phenomenon of Sunny Day Flooding 鈥� the flooding of low areas even when no storm is present. This is attributed to the small rise in sea levels and is sure to get worse as further rises are expected from all the glacier and ice melt. Recently in the news, I saw pictures of Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay that has lost a portion of the island to rising seas and a gradual sinking of the land. Tangier Island is known as the sinking island in the Chesapeake.
Back home, folks are getting ready for the fall colors and the cooler temperatures. The summer wildflowers have given way to the yellow golden rod and the lavender and purple wild asters that blanket our meadows and roadsides. The colors are a real treat from Mother Nature as the first frost looms in the not too distant future that will bring an end to the wildflowers.
Deeper in the woods, I am concerned that the amount of dead and dying trees is becoming a real concern especially to hikers, bikers and hunters. Our trails are beginning to see the fall of the leaves and when you look into the woods, the spaces left by the dead ash and pine trees make for quite a void. Many of the wild cherry had also lost their leaves in August and even the forest maples are already loosing leaves that are covered with mold spots.
Like last year, I have a feeling the show will be somewhat muted this year. Just today I heard of a tree that fell on a car and another that fell on a tent in one of our local campgrounds. Like grandma told Little Red Riding Hood, 鈥渂e careful in those woods鈥� it蘑菇视频 not the Big Bad Wolf but the dead trees that can bring danger.