Edouard

Greg · 08-04-2008, 11:37 PM

Jeepers!

Erm... I might be off line tomorrow.

Zirconia Wolf · 08-05-2008, 12:51 AM

Oh my goodness!

I hope Edouard settles down before he meets up with you...

-ZW

(I'll start sending "happy thoughts" your way ASAP!)

Greg · 08-05-2008, 01:41 AM

Thanks, ZW! They're saying that Edouard will be at most a category 1 hurricane so I'm not too worried about really dastardly stuff. The scariest thing is the number of tall trees with limbs overhanging the house. This is one of the rare times I'm glad we're renting this place and don't own it.

The Johnson Space Center is closed. (Except, of course, for mission control and essential services. Since I'm working on the design of a new spacecraft, I'm not in that group.) My employer told us to put away our stuff, put plastic bags on our computers, and get outta there; however, I haven't heard of any official evacuations yet, not even from Galveston. They expect we'll be back to business as usual on Wednesday but of course they'll be closed tomorrow; can't have people driving to and from work in the middle of a tropical storm!

Coco · 08-05-2008, 01:54 AM

Oh, Greg! I had no idea! I apologize again for bothering you with trivia, especially when you have important things to worry about! Thank you for being so gracious about it!

Greg · 08-05-2008, 02:36 AM

No apologies necessary, Coco! I should thank you for providing an interesting disctraction!

Greg · 08-05-2008, 09:55 AM

Just so you'll know what's on my mind when I wake up at 4:30 in the morning...

They haven't updated the predicted storm track since late last night.

Based on the animated radar they are showing on The Weather Channel right now, it looks like the storm will come aground east of Galveston Bay. (That's the little notch next to the star that shows where we are. The star is actually a bit too far north.)

That's good for us because it means we'll be on the dry side of the storm. The storm rotates counter-clockwise so it picks up water on its east side and dumps it onto the land. The winds on the west side, where I expect we'll be, are the much dryer returning winds. Unless the storm is really well organized, the west side winds are also wimpier.

The storm is just skipping along the coast and slowing down.

Slowing down is not good. The longer the storm spends over water, the more energy it takes up. On the other hand, wimpy storms are good because they cool off the Gulf of Mexico so that there isn't as much energy for later storms. These storms are Mother Nature's way of moving energy from the tropics to the Frozen Waste of the North.

The storm is nicely soaking the coast east of here but so far in El Lago, the only evidence of anything unusual (that I can reasonably detect in my bathrobe) is the quiet. There's usually some traffic noise and a breeze ruffling the trees, but for both, it's the calm before the storm.

Greg · 08-05-2008, 10:09 AM

Still east of us.

On the Weather channel, they're talking about waiting for Edouard to make landfall, but from the animated radar it sure looks like the storm has already come ashore with the center right at the Sabine Pass. That's just off the right-hand side of this map. (You can see the Sabine River channel right at the edge of the picture. Louisiana to the right; Texas to the left.)

Maybe they're just being hopeful because they had their folks all set up in Galveston.

Greg · 08-05-2008, 10:15 AM

Ah, I was right. The storm guy on TWC just said that the storm is coming ashore at the mouth of the Sabine River.

Coco · 08-05-2008, 10:47 AM

I have to get ready for work but I wanted to tell you that you were on my mind this morning! I'm watching the weather channel and it sounds good. I hope it turns out to be a very nice day off for you and nothing more!

It sounds like Lousiana is getting the worst of it. Again!

"Bye, bye, Miss American pie!
Drove my Chevy to the levy
And the levy was...

... gone!"

Full disclosure: Greg told me that joke.

Kaylyn · 08-05-2008, 11:26 AM

Hmm, was the extreme north edge of this storm by any chance covering Central Louisiana Saturday night/Sunday morning? I was on my way to the mill when some horrific wind hit...by the time I got to the mill their power went out at the guard shack (the main mill has its own power source). A few tree limbs down on the road but no blockages...but that wind! I was scared there wouldn't be a load coming back up and I'd have to bring an empty trailer back...empty trailer + 40+ mph winds = knocked over truck! Luckily there was a load, and by the time I had it anyway, the wind had died down. This was about 3 am Sunday morning...

Greg · 08-05-2008, 02:27 PM

Kaylyn, yes, the edges of the green bits on the radar map were well north of Lake Ponchartrain so it took care of the drought quite well as it passed. From what I can tell, yup, that was Eduoard just scooting you aside as he went by. It should be pretty smooth driving from here on. Don't go west.

Coco, so far, you have your wish! We seem to be in the space between the arms of the galaxy.

Edouard at 9:05 AM Tuesday morning.

The storm rotates counter-clockwise. You can see that the nastiest stuff is swinging right around us. Of course, we might lose power at any time if there's a line down between us the power station, but so far, it's just a day to catch up on some sleep!

For some idea of scale: Mapquest says it's 51.4 miles from the center of Galveston to the center of Houston.

Greg · 08-05-2008, 03:34 PM

More amusement: The ferry from Galveston to the Bolivar Peninsula is running!
You can see where that is, in the map in message #7.

So far at my place, it's just a nice shower. It never stops, but it hasn't been really windy and the rain isn't up to typical storm standards.

Greg · 08-05-2008, 07:38 PM

So then... we had a couple of power outages and it took a while to get back on the net, but so far that's all the excitement here from this tropical storm! There are still a few nasty bits left around here but I'm hoping that we've seen the last of it.

homerette · 08-06-2008, 04:58 AM

Glad to hear that you weathered the storm safely.

Greg · 08-06-2008, 11:18 AM

Thanks, Homerette!

We had a few more brief power outages--just enough to reset all the electronics--but other than that, it was a non-event for us. I was feeling guilty for being off work yesterday.

Crystal · 08-15-2008, 01:56 PM

Well see Greg that's another reason you should move to Pennsylvania! I'm sure everybody else at NASA would move too if you wanted to!

Greg · 08-16-2008, 01:09 AM

Good idea, Crystal! Maybe you could speak the NASA administrator about it? His name is Mike Griffin and he's really a nice guy.

Miros1 · 08-16-2008, 01:10 AM

Crystal, why do I get the feeling you weren't alive yet in '72? There was this hurricane named Agnes...

Reader · 08-16-2008, 04:33 PM

Miros, did Agnes hit western Pennsylvania? No, none of us go back that far. We just don't think about hurricanes except as something to watch on the weather channel.

C'mon up, Greg, and get ready to party! You know what to pack!

Greg · 08-17-2008, 01:27 AM

I had to look it up, but I found a Wikipedia article about Hurricane Agnes. Good grief! That was one heck of a storm, and it was ony a category 1 hurricane!

08-04-2008, 11:37 PM	#1
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Edouard *Jeepers!* Erm... I might be off line tomorrow. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-05-2008, 12:51 AM	#2
Zirconia Wolf Reticulated MoonBat Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: My trusty computer in Issaquah WA, USA. Posts: 848	Oh my goodness! I hope Edouard settles down before he meets up with you... -ZW (I'll start sending "happy thoughts" your way ASAP!) __________________ Long Live All Wild Canines! Leader Of The Moon-Bat Revolution!

08-05-2008, 01:41 AM	#3
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Thanks, ZW! They're saying that Edouard will be at most a category 1 hurricane so I'm not too worried about really dastardly stuff. The scariest thing is the number of tall trees with limbs overhanging the house. This is one of the rare times I'm glad we're renting this place and don't own it. The Johnson Space Center is closed. (Except, of course, for mission control and essential services. Since I'm working on the design of a new spacecraft, I'm not in that group.) My employer told us to put away our stuff, put plastic bags on our computers, and get outta there; however, I haven't heard of any official evacuations yet, not even from Galveston. They expect we'll be back to business as usual on Wednesday but of course they'll be closed tomorrow; can't have people driving to and from work in the middle of a tropical storm! __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know? Last edited by Greg : 08-05-2008 at 01:50 AM.

08-05-2008, 02:36 AM	#5
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	No apologies necessary, Coco! I should thank *you* for providing an interesting disctraction! __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know? Last edited by Greg : 08-05-2008 at 10:12 AM.

08-05-2008, 09:55 AM	#6
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Just so you'll know what's on my mind when I wake up at 4:30 in the morning... They haven't updated the predicted storm track since late last night. Based on the animated radar they are showing on The Weather Channel right now, it looks like the storm will come aground east of Galveston Bay. (That's the little notch next to the star that shows where we are. The star is actually a bit too far north.) That's good for us because it means we'll be on the dry side of the storm. The storm rotates counter-clockwise so it picks up water on its east side and dumps it onto the land. The winds on the west side, where I expect we'll be, are the much dryer returning winds. Unless the storm is really well organized, the west side winds are also wimpier. The storm is just skipping along the coast and slowing down. Slowing down is not good. The longer the storm spends over water, the more energy it takes up. On the other hand, wimpy storms are good because they cool off the Gulf of Mexico so that there isn't as much energy for later storms. These storms are Mother Nature's way of moving energy from the tropics to the Frozen Waste of the North. The storm is nicely soaking the coast east of here but so far in El Lago, the only evidence of anything unusual (that I can reasonably detect in my bathrobe) is the quiet. There's usually some traffic noise and a breeze ruffling the trees, but for both, it's the calm before the storm. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-05-2008, 01:54 AM	#4
Coco Loving Life! Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 47	Oh, Greg! I had no idea! I apologize again for bothering you with trivia, especially when you have important things to worry about! Thank you for being so gracious about it!

08-05-2008, 10:09 AM	#7
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Still east of us. On the Weather channel, they're talking about waiting for Edouard to make landfall, but from the animated radar it sure looks like the storm has already come ashore with the center right at the Sabine Pass. That's just off the right-hand side of this map. (You can see the Sabine River channel right at the edge of the picture. Louisiana to the right; Texas to the left.) Maybe they're just being hopeful because they had their folks all set up in Galveston. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-05-2008, 10:15 AM	#8
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Ah, I was right. The storm guy on TWC just said that the storm is coming ashore at the mouth of the Sabine River. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-05-2008, 10:47 AM	#9
Coco Loving Life! Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 47	I have to get ready for work but I wanted to tell you that you were on my mind this morning! I'm watching the weather channel and it sounds good. I hope it turns out to be a very nice day off for you and nothing more! It sounds like Lousiana is getting the worst of it. Again! "Bye, bye, Miss American pie! Drove my Chevy to the levy And the levy was... ... gone!" Full disclosure: Greg told me that joke.

08-05-2008, 11:26 AM	#10
Kaylyn Rescuer of Kittens Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Shreveport/Bossier City, LA Posts: 125	Hmm, was the extreme north edge of this storm by any chance covering Central Louisiana Saturday night/Sunday morning? I was on my way to the mill when some horrific wind hit...by the time I got to the mill their power went out at the guard shack (the main mill has its own power source). A few tree limbs down on the road but no blockages...but that wind! I was scared there wouldn't be a load coming back up and I'd have to bring an empty trailer back...empty trailer + 40+ mph winds = knocked over truck! Luckily there was a load, and by the time I had it anyway, the wind had died down. This was about 3 am Sunday morning...

08-05-2008, 02:27 PM	#11
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Kaylyn, yes, the edges of the green bits on the radar map were well north of Lake Ponchartrain so it took care of the drought quite well as it passed. From what I can tell, yup, that was Eduoard just scooting you aside as he went by. It should be pretty smooth driving from here on. Don't go west. Coco, so far, you have your wish! We seem to be in the space between the arms of the galaxy. Edouard at 9:05 AM Tuesday morning. The storm rotates counter-clockwise. You can see that the nastiest stuff is swinging right around us. Of course, we might lose power at any time if there's a line down between us the power station, but so far, it's just a day to catch up on some sleep! For some idea of scale: Mapquest says it's 51.4 miles from the center of Galveston to the center of Houston. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-05-2008, 03:34 PM	#12
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	More amusement: The ferry from Galveston to the Bolivar Peninsula is *running!* You can see where that is, in the map in message #7. So far at my place, it's just a nice shower. It never stops, but it hasn't been really windy and the rain isn't up to typical storm standards. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-05-2008, 07:38 PM	#13
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	So then... we had a couple of power outages and it took a while to get back on the net, but so far that's all the excitement here from this tropical storm! There are still a few nasty bits left around here but I'm hoping that we've seen the last of it. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-06-2008, 04:58 AM	#14
homerette Day late & a dollar short Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: central VA Posts: 206	Glad to hear that you weathered the storm safely. __________________ May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out.

08-06-2008, 11:18 AM	#15
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Thanks, Homerette! We had a few more brief power outages--just enough to reset all the electronics--but other than that, it was a non-event for us. I was feeling guilty for being off work yesterday. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-15-2008, 01:56 PM	#16
Crystal Addicted Anjafan Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 160	Well see Greg that's another reason you should move to Pennsylvania! I'm sure everybody else at NASA would move too if you wanted to!

08-16-2008, 01:09 AM	#17
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Good idea, Crystal! Maybe you could speak the NASA administrator about it? His name is Mike Griffin and he's really a nice guy. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

08-16-2008, 01:10 AM	#18
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	Crystal, why do I get the feeling you weren't alive yet in '72? There was this hurricane named Agnes... __________________ A game that horrible Odessa-person introduced me to: http://www.puzzlepirates.com/?affili...163251&lang=en I'm spreading the addiction by corrupting all my friends (and attempting to make in-game money when they try the game).

08-16-2008, 04:33 PM	#19
Reader Bookworm Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: At the library Posts: 26	Miros, did Agnes hit western Pennsylvania? No, none of us go back that far. We just don't think about hurricanes except as something to watch on the weather channel. C'mon up, Greg, and get ready to party! You know what to pack!

08-17-2008, 01:27 AM	#20
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	I had to look it up, but I found a Wikipedia article about Hurricane Agnes. Good grief! That was one heck of a storm, and it was ony a category 1 hurricane! __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?