Monsoon's How Hot Will It Get / Bunk-a-bration
How hot will it get? No, that’s not the title of the newest jam by Thugg Mugg featuring Flexx Nutz and Neecie Flambé. It’s a reference to the near-record temperatures, 20 degrees or more above the seasonal average high (the low to mid 60s), that await us this weekend.
But first, allow me to celebrate: Friday is the eight-month anniversary of The Bunk’s birth, and he’s still a delight. He is fully healed from his surgery and seems to be coping well with his no-nad-hood.
Some personality (caninality? clumsy as that sounds, I think it’s actually a word) quirks continue to emerge: he is an inveterate finger- and toe-licker, for reasons that even he would be at a loss to explain; he prefers to sleep whilst jammed up against a door, preferably lying on his back with his extremities in the air; one of his favorite pastimes is to splash around with his paws in a shallow receptacle—like a water bowl, for example; he has a weakness for toilet paper sur la rouleau (on the roll); he likes being brushed, but things take a sour turn when someone tries to brush, however delicately, in the area of his nethers—then he emits a reedy lamentation (which is unfailingly hilarious) and tries to bite the brush, and the brusher. In short, we love him.
So here are some recent pictures of The Bunk for your enjoyment.
The Bunk on The Couch
The Bunk Examines Backyard; Gets Scritch from Monsoon
The Bunk Slumbers in Splayed Contentment
Now, on to the weather.Let’s look first at the next five days or so...
Friday 4/24: Mostly sunny and warmer with mild southwest breezes.High 77, low 49.
Saturday 4/25: Plenty of sunshine, breezy and still warmer.The temperature should easily eclipse the record of 84, set in 2001.High 87, low 56.
Sunday 4/26: Sunny, clear and very warm.The temperature could challenge the record of 91 set in 1990. High 90, low 58.
Monday 4/27: Partly cloudy and continued very warm.We could again challenge a record: 92, set almost a century ago in 1915.High 89, low 56.
Tuesday 4/28: Partly cloudy and still warm, but not quite as balmy; increasing clouds and humidity.High 82, low 56.
The second half of next week is looking grey and wet (no, that’s not Rue McClanahan’s memoir of struggling to maintain her libido into her 70s, it’s just a description of the weather) with highs in the upper 60s, lows in the upper 40s, and rain possible on Wednesday and Thursday.
Next weekend, as we limp into May, we’re looking at conditions a bit below normal with highs in the 50s on Saturday 5/2 and the mid to upper 60s on Sunday 5/3, with cloud cover and rain possible on Sunday.
The first full week of May (Monday the 4th through Friday the 8th) is looking seasonably pleasant and right about average, with highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s to low 50s.The next really good chance of rain comes in around that next weekend, the 9th and 10th.
Monsoon's April Vicissitudes Weather Forecast for Thursday, 16 April 2009
It’s typical April weather: rainy and cool for a few days, then we’re going to have gorgeous weather for the weekend, and then we’re back down to the rainy coolness for the beginning of next week. Temperatures dipped below freezing last night (and may again tonight) giving us an unwelcome bit of frost on our windshields, followed during the commute by fog, and finally by sun-blindness. Totally fun!
Here’s the forecast for the coming couple of weeks, nosing into the beginning of May. Enjoy!
Friday, 4/17: clear and beautiful with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Rather breezy. High 72, low 41.
Saturday, 4/18: partly cloudy, breezy and warm. High 76, low 45.
Sunday, 4/19: partly to mostly cloudy and cooler with some light breezes. Light showers are possible throughout the day, but don’t expect a washout. High 60, low 42.
Monday, 4/20: mostly cloudy, quite windy and colder with rain possible—including some steadier pockets of precipitation—particularly in the afternoon and evening. High 49, low 38.
Tuesday, 4/21: mostly cloudy and cool with a few showers possible, mostly light; clearing late. High 53, low 43.
Wednesday, 4/22: clearing and milder with breezy conditions. High 61, low 46.
Thursday, 4/23: sunny, clear, and seasonably magnificent. High 65, low 51.
Friday, 4/24: continued sunny and clear. High 68, low 55.
Next weekend: partly cloudy and nice on Saturday with a high in the mid 60s, then clouding up at night ahead of some Sunday rain, when highs will reach into the low 70s.
The following week: we’ll be near seasonal averages for much of the week, with highs in the mid 60s and lows in the mid 40s. Getting warmer (and actually more humid) toward week’s end ahead of some major moisture.
Beyond: it looks like we’ll begin May with a blast into the 80s (!) before moderating back toward seasonal averages. Stay tuned for updates!
Monsoon's Weather / Bunk Update for Sunday, 5 April 2009
I’m well overdue for a weather update, so here goes: we’re going to be fluctuating wildly through the coming weeks—60s one day, 40s the next; rain one day, brilliant sunshine the next—so be sure to dress and prepare accordingly.Just a little weather tip from your old pal Monsoon.
[A quick update on The Bunk, who had surgery to remove his testicles on Monday 3/30: he’s recuperating like a champ.He’s all hirsute energy, and was thrilled to have been freed from his “cone” (the Elizabethan collar) a couple of days ago—though he still wears it at night.Wound is healing nicely, all is well, and he’ll be visiting his friends at the Total Dog on Tuesday!Pretty soon I’ll let him address you all again, as he so memorably (and profanely) did the day of his surgery.A couple of snapshots appear after the forecast.]
Sunday 4/5 – sunny and very mild with a high in the mid to upper 60s.Clouding up in the evening ahead of an approaching cold front.Look for rain developing toward dawn on Monday.Low 48.
Monday 4/6 – overcast and rather windy with rain—heavy at times—and a thunderstorm likely.Watch for hail and damaging winds with the storm, though I don’t think we’re going to approach the widespread damage seen last weekend.Rain becoming intermittent in the evening, tapering to showers and drizzle late.High 59, low 43.
Tuesday 4/7 – mostly cloudy; clearing throughout the day.A shower cannot be ruled out early.Quite windy and markedly colder.High 46, low 29.
Wednesday 4/8 – partly cloudy, breezy and chilly.High 47, low 33.
Thursday 4/9 – partly cloudy with clouds rolling in late; rain possible in the evening and overnight.Milder.High 54, low 38.
Friday 4/10 – rather cloudy and breezy with showers and drizzle possible on and off throughout the day.High 52, low 45.
Next weekend is looking clear and seasonably mild for the holiday celebrations, egg hunts, and the like: clear to partly cloudy and breezy with highs in the mid to upper 50s and lows around 40.
Next week is looking rainy and cool—at least to start.Rain is possible anytime Monday through Wednesday, with highs only in the low to mid 50s.By Thursday and Friday we’re looking at clearing skies and somewhat milder conditions with temperatures getting into the upper 50s and low 60s.
Beyond we’re looking a bit rainy (April showers, and all that) and cool, followed by the warmest temperatures of the season so far around the 20th or 21st—highs perhaps reaching into the 70s!
The Bunk Pauses in Chewing Toy to Pant, Gaze Out Window.
The Bunk Gazes Sweetly at Monsoon. On Far Left of Picture Lies Remnants of Ropy Triceratops Toy, Mercilessly Pulverized By Sweet Bunk.
Monsoon's Weather Update and Jibba-Jabba for Tuesday night, 23 March 2009
Habari mori,
Sorry I haven’t posted any weather (or jibba-jabba) for a little while.Kind of a lot going on in the world of Monsoon.The good news is that spring is here and everything is now looking up.Thanks to everyone who sent flowers, well-wishes, emails, texts, gifts, and of course, scrumptious meals (big-ups to Megan!!).We really are lucky.
A brief update on the weather appears below.Soon I’ll have a Bunk update, as tomorrow (Tuesday the 24th) is the seven-month anniversary of his birth!
Tonight will be clear and quite cold, especially for this time of year.Strong winds will diminish overnight; low will be in the upper teens.
Tuesday will be sunny and continued chilly, with temperatures a bit below normal.Expect a high in the upper 40s with moderate winds, and an overnight low in the mid 20s.
Wednesday looks partly cloudy, windy, and seasonably milder with a high in the mid 50s and an overnight low around 40.A few showers a possible late.
On Thursday temperatures will be nearly steady in the mid to upper 40s with overcast skies.Expect showers and drizzle off and on.
Friday looks quite nice: partly cloudy with a high creeping into the upper 50s to perhaps the low 60s; low only around 40.
The weekend will be overcast, chilly, and rainy.Expect rain mainly on Saturday, but showers and sprinkles* could linger into Sunday.Highs will get into the low 50s on Saturday, then only into the mid 40s on Sunday.On Sunday into Monday, temperatures could dip below freezing—possibly for the last time this season.
*A note about “sprinkles”: that is the proper term for precipitation that is steadier than drizzle but not quite steady enough to send people running for their umbrellas.“Sprinkles” is not the term for those small, oblong toppings that are used to coat an ice cream cone or doughnut.The proper term for these dessert toppings is “jimmies.”Anyone beg to differ?
Jimmies.
A postscript to the note: some have speculated that “jimmies” (used to refer to chocolate ones, with “sprinkles” being used to refer only to the rainbow-colored ones) is a racist term whose origin lies in “Jim-Crow” laws. I am just the sort of fellow who would all-too-eagerly believe in such conspiracy-theory bigoted origins. However, my own exhaustive research has revealed that this is not true; the term “jimmies” refers to the machine operator at Just Born, which made the “chocolate grains,” later known as “jimmies.”Further confusing the matter is that these items are also sometimes known as “hundreds-and-thousands” and “on-tops” (particularly in Britain, but these also refer to such cousins of jimmies as nonpareils).And that “jimmies” are slang in Canada (and elsewhere) for the genitals, and slang in some parts of the Northeast for prophylactics.
Where was I?
The last couple days of March (Monday and Tuesday) are looking partly cloudy with temperatures a bit lower than normal: highs in the mid to upper 40s, lows in the mid 30s.
Wednesday (April Fool’s Day, and Megan’s birthday) will see a sharp drop-off in temperatures as a moisture-laden system moves through.High will only get into the upper 20s, and we could get as much as six inches of snow from this event. Expect widespread school closures.
April Fool.(Come on—you didn’t see that coming?)Expect seasonably mild conditions with a high in the mid 50s and a low in the upper 30s for the first day of April.
The rest of the week is looking rainy and cool with temperatures mainly in the low to mid 40s.
The following weekend (and beyond) will see clearing and spring-like conditions: highs in the 50s and reaching toward 60!
Monsoon's Forecast for Saturday, 7 March 2009
Habari mori,
The big questions, as we come off a day of shirtsleeves and spring fever and temperatures in the low 70s, are: will it last? And, almost two weeks before the vernal equinox, is winter over? The answers, in short, are: no, too mild too soon; and yes, more or less.
The weather:
Weather narrative: I’m afraid today was just a cruel tease. We won’t return to the frigid conditions that we saw last week—nor will we have any more snowstorms to contend with—but neither will we enjoy spring-like weather again until late March, at the earliest. We’re looking for some rain to accompany an incoming frontal boundary over the next few days, so that particularly Sunday evening and Monday morning could be wet. Showers are also possible on Tuesday into Wednesday. Temperatures will dip just below what is normal for this time of year (highs in the upper 40s and low 50s; lows just above freezing). Next weekend is looking quite nice with seasonable temperatures and a break in the precipitation of the workweek. The following week will be markedly colder, with perhaps the last snowflakes of the season (but nothing that will cause scheduling headaches or travel woes) falling on Tuesday or Thursday. Future weather: The following weekend (the 21st and 22nd) looks unseasonably cool with highs in the low to mid 40s and lows in the mid to upper 20s.
Monsoon's Winter Weather Update - Sunday afternoon
OK—here is my final pre-storm call. Most crucial here is where the “cutoff” will occur, which is predicated upon the storm’s track. Some forecasters are suggesting that the cutoff (the point at which intensity of snow and accumulations dive dramatically) will be somewhere in the immediate western suburban counties of Philadelphia. I think it’s going to be a bit farther west—somewhere around Lebanon or even Hershey—putting us in the thick of the accumulation. So here’s what I think is going to happen, adjusted slightly from this morning...
Philadelphia and Bucks County, as well as much of New Jersey: light snow (perhaps mixed with rain at first) arrives around 5 or 6pm, heaviest overnight, tapering toward early Monday afternoon. Expect blustery conditions, particularly overnight and into Monday. Accumulating 10-12 inches, with isolated spots getting as much as 14-16 inches. Probability of school delay: 20%. Probability of school cancellation: 95%.
Chester and Montgomery Counties: light snow arrives around 6 or 7pm, heaviest overnight, tapering toward noon Monday. Expect blustery conditions, particularly overnight and into Monday. Accumulating 8-10 inches, with isolated spots getting as much as 12-14 inches. Probability of school delay: 25%. Probability of school cancellation: 90%.
Berks and Lancaster Counties: light snow arrives around 7 or 8pm, heaviest overnight and into the early morning hours, tapering around mid-morning Monday. Expect blustery conditions, particularly overnight and into Monday; drifting will become an issue, especially in colder locations where the snow is dry and fluffy. Accumulating 4-6 inches, with isolated areas getting more. Probability of school delay: 30%. Probability of school cancellation: 75%.
I will send out updates as the storm begins if anything looks dramatically different from what I've laid out above...
Monsoon's Winter Weather Update - Sunday morning
Here’s an update on the storm expected this evening into Monday morning, with my own predictions about snowfall totals and cancellation probabilities. As new guidance comes in and the storm continues to develop, I may send out an additional alert later on today.
Track is most important here. If the expected track shifts 20 miles to the east, we’ll get an inch or two. If it shifts 30 miles to the west, we’ll get 10 inches or more. If it stays on target according to the latest model guidance, we’ll get 3-4 inches. Temperatures are plummeting, increasing the “fluff” factor and nudging totals upward. Here’s what I think is going to happen:
Philadelphia and Bucks County, as well as much of New Jersey: light snow (perhaps mixed with rain at first) arrives around 5 or 6pm, heaviest overnight, tapering toward early Monday afternoon. Expect blustery conditions, particularly overnight and into Monday. Accumulating 12-15 inches, with isolated spots getting as much as 18-20 inches. Probability of school delay: 20%. Probability of school cancellation: 95%.
Chester and Montgomery Counties: light snow arrives around 6 or 7pm, heaviest overnight, tapering toward noon Monday. Expect blustery conditions, particularly overnight and into Monday. Accumulating 10-12 inches, with isolated spots getting as much as 15 inches. Probability of school delay: 25%. Probability of school cancellation: 90%.
Berks and Lancaster Counties: light snow arrives around 7 or 8pm, heaviest overnight and into early morning hours, tapering around mid-morning Monday. Expect blustery conditions, particularly overnight and into Monday; drifting will become an issue, especially in colder locations where the snow is dry and fluffy. Accumulating 6-8 inches, with isolated areas getting more. Probability of school delay: 30%. Probability of school cancellation: 85%.
Looking ahead... really cold on Monday night (low around 10) and on Tuesday (high of only 28) before we get gradually milder conditions throughout the week. Expect a high in the upper 40s and a bit of rain on Friday the 6th. Even milder with a few showers over the weekend, and highs in the upper 40s to low 50s. Temperatures drop a bit for the following week, but nothing like the frigid conditions that will predominate from this evening through Tuesday evening...
Monsoon's Winter Weather Update - Saturday afternoon
The coastal storm for Sunday night into Monday is coming into sharper focus and is becoming more interesting in terms of potential snowfall and accumulation. I'm still trying to "nail down" the storm track to see how much we'll get in the forecast area, but for now it looks like:
Philadelphia & Bucks County: 8-10 inches
Chester, Montgomery, Lehigh Counties: 4-6 inches
Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon Counties: 2-3 inches
Saturday night's precipitation will be light snow mixed with sleet, with negligible accumulations.
I will send another update on Sunday morning with firmer predictions, including cancellation and delay percentages...