End Pavement

Speaking of current conditions, there is reportedly a big honkin’ storm headed toward Southern California late this week.

From the NOAA “Special Weather Statement”:

…STRONG SEPTEMBER STORM POSSIBLE LATE THURSDAY THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY… A STRONG STORM FOR SEPTEMBER MAY MOVE THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE THURSDAY THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WEATHER VERY RARELY SEEN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN SEPTEMBER. THIS COULD BE THE STRONGEST MID LATITUDE SEPTEMBER STORM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN AROUND 20 YEARS.

From the Press-Enterprise article “Big September storm on horizon”, there’s an added wrinkle.

With forecasters calling for what could be the most powerful September storm in 20 years to arrive late Thursday, firefighters battling the Butler 2 blaze in the Big Bear Lake area could face winds, rain and snow late this week.

Naturally, there’s a Red Flag warning in effect, thanks to the winds ahead of the storm:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAS VEGAS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM PDT /11 AM MST/ TO 9 PM PDT /9 PM MST/ WEDNESDAY. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DROP SOUTH INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ON WEDNESDAY. INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AHEAD OF THIS LOW WILL BRING SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 35 AND 45 MPH TO MUCH OF THE AREA BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO BE CLOSE TO OR BELOW 15 PERCENT IN MOST AREAS. STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL PERSIST INTO THE EVENING HOURS BEFORE CONDITIONS MODERATE AFTER ABOUT 9 PM.

So fasten your seat belts, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. ;)

Just wanted to point out a new category in the sidebar links: Conditions. Thanks to the Interweb, it’s exceedingly easy to have a gander at what’s going on where you’re headed, thus avoiding potential problems or even danger.

Unless of course you ignore a Flash Flood Watch and get caught in a thunderstorm. But that’s another post.

Here’s what under Conditions at the moment:

• California Fire News
• InciWeb: California
• National Weather Service: Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for California
• NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
• San Bernardino National Forest Current Conditions
• USGS: Earthquake Map for California and Nevada
• Weather Underground: California

It skews toward California and SoCal specifically, but heading to some of those sites will produce similar tools for other regions.

On a late walk with the poodle around the neighborhood last night, I happened to glance up to the southeast just in time to catch a pretty shooting star flashing in the sky.

Today, the Planetary Society reminds me that it’s that time of year for a beautiful summertime occurrence: “Check out the Perseids this weekend!”

Meanwhile, the Bad Astronomer helpfully lists the “12 things you need to watch the Perseid meteors Sunday night”.

Closer to the ground, we espied a fat raccoon poking his head out of a sewer drain.

In an effort to highlight California conservation organizations, I thought I’d begin a series of posts (with accompanying links in the sidebar) on various folks working hard to keep the outdoors strong and safe. Sort of like Stephen Colbert’s “Better Know a District” but publicizing cool people doing good things rather than making fun of politicians. ;)

First up, a group working to help the only mammal that truly flies — the awesome bat. From what I’ve read, there are over 900 species of bats, and California has 27 of them. There’s a reason Batman chose his awesome mascot. :)

The California Bat Conservation Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of bats. The Fund’s major activities include:

• dispelling widespread misconceptions about bats through informative presentations and live-bat displays at schools, libraries, museums, and community centers
• restoring injured and orphaned bats to health and returning them to the wild
• working alongside major conservation efforts to replenish shrinking bat populations

Have a suggestion for a California conservation group? Please get in touch.

A pair of cool introductory entries from the BirdNote podcast for the auditory birder, not to mention general outdoor folk wondering who’s screeching at them on the trail.

Bird Sound Types and Qualities Part I

What words do experienced birders use to describe the sounds of birds? There’s “whistle” to describe the Quick, three beers call of the Olive-sided Flycatcher. And the “rattle” of the Belted Kingfisher. The Dark-eyed Junco delivers an almost perfect “trill,” while the House Wren—like this one—lets go a “cascade.” Experts at birding-by-ear call the Downy Woodpecker’s song a “whinny.”

Bird Sound Types and Qualities Part II

Birding by ear is a great way to identify birds. Listen for qualities of the sound as well as the pattern. Western Meadowlarks have a song that is “liquid” and “clear.” Quite a contrast to the “dry” notes of this Chipping Sparrow often found in the same habitat. The Spotted Towhee has a “metallic” quality to its trill, while the Purple Finch uses a “sweet” and “slurred” cadence. The American Dipper belts out a “ringing” song.

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox/Assets/pns_06_01_07.pdf

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
925 AM PDT FRI JUN 1 2007

[...]

IF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES RECEIVES 1.20 INCHES OF RAIN OR LESS DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE…THE LAST MONTH OF THE 2006-2007 RAIN SEASON…THIS WILL BECOME THE DRIEST SEASON EVER. CURRENTLY THAT TITLE BELONGS TO THE WINTER OF 2001-2002…WHEN 4.42 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED. NORMAL SEASONAL RAINFALL AT DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES IS 15.14 INCHES.

AN ANALYSIS OF RAINFALL AT LOS ANGELES IN JUNE GIVES AN IDEA OF JUST HOW LIKELY IT IS THAT THIS SEASON WILL BECOME THE DRIEST EVER. ON AVERAGE…JUST 0.06 INCHES OF RAIN FALLS IN LOS ANGELES IN THE MONTH OF JUNE. SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN JULY 1877…129 JUNES HAVE COME AND GONE. RAINFALL TOTALED 1.20 INCHES OR LESS IN EVERY SINGLE JUNE EXCEPT FOR ONE…JUNE 1884…WHEN 1.34 INCHES OF RAIN FELL.

(thanks to Alex for the forward)