Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Weather It Is (Summer's Revenge)

Good Evening:

After unusually cool weather (and not just a single day), summer will take its revenge.

Actually, we see that low pressure will build in from our east, which is a regular summer pattern.  When it is hotter than average, it builds in even more strongly and further west, turning our winds from the west to more strongly and persistently to the east.  There is no high pressure area to our north to rescue us this time.

It's possible that areas closer to the coast will just be more humid than hot, but inland temperatures should soar in to the mid 30s (and mountains) to low 40s in the Jordan and Dead Sea Valleys. The heat should begin on Friday and continue through Sunday, possibly tapering off a bit on Monday.

It took me a while to remember how to spell soar, but I do know that such strong heat can make us a bit sore at each other.  It can also be dangerous to our health.  So drink plenty of fluids and try to stay out of the sun.

Barry Lynn

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Weather It Is (Rain Clouds From Gaza)

Good Evening:

It's going to get a tad hotter on Friday as warm breezes continue to flow in from the east/northeast.

However, another strong front will move in on Shabbat and drop temperatures back to spring time levels.

The front will bring partly cloudy skies with a chance of missile-drops from Gaza.  These missiles have become a regular occurrence around here, which is a bit odd because it is not suppose to rain in summertime.

Fortunately, the IMS has decided to issue missile forecasts each day now, so that the citizens of Israel will  not be taken by surprise.  Along these lines, we'll be selling our new line of umbrellas.  These umbrellas explode in a  shot and provide a protective cover against missile-drops; they will be on sale for 99.99 NIS (which rounds up to 100.000 under the new system of pricing).

My wife says that she heard an advertisement for new missile proof buildings in Ashkelon. Rather than each apartment having a safe room, the whole building will be one big safe room, subdivided into apartments (of course).  Each building comes with parking, and residents will be able to purchase new Subarus with heat seeking missile interceptors. The roof of the parking lot will be lined with extra concrete in case of unintended launchings.

Fortunately, the temperatures will be warming towards summertime levels as we head into July.  The warming temperatures, especially at upper-levels, should prevent any missile-clouds from developing enough to form missile-drops. On the other hand, any missile droplets that do grow large enough to be missile drops will fly further in the hot air. But, what should we expect when the "Gates of Hell" open, which just might happen if we send some Hamas folks on an extended vacation outside of the country (or so they threaten -- where is their gratitude?).

Shabbat Shalom,

Barry Lynn

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Weather It Is (That Wind)

Good Evening:

On Sunday, I could swear that I heard the wind moaning.  It moaned through the trees and against the windows.  It moaned in my ears as I walked between the streams of sun.  Tonight we were treated to a spectacle:  the Hamas spokesmen tell us they didn't take the kids -- so (by inference): the recent crackdown on them is unwarranted.  Yet, in the next breath of wind they tell us that they reserve the "right" to engage in kidnappings whenever...

Do they think that the scorching heat today has fried our brains?  John Kerry -- perhaps suffering from too much direct sun -- declared that Hamas is a terrorist organisation but they the US government would continue to work with the new PA government -- until further assessment suggests otherwise.

I keep looking for a chance of rain in our forecasts.  I am not sure why I am such an optimist.  True, summer refuses to come -- even though another hot day is on top towards the end of the week.  It's such optimism we all need to hope for the best: a happy end to our ordeal.

Barry Lynn

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Weather It Is (Moving Towards Summer -- Sort Of)

Good Afternoon:

The weather will warm up by about 8 C over the couple of days, but then it will cool down again, before warming up again, and then ending up somewhere in between.

In contrast, temperatures at 500 mb will be generally warming up and staying warm, which means that the Indian Monsoon is finally exerting its presence here (in the form of warm easterly winds aloft).

However, we're going to continue with more north by northwest rather than west by northwest winds for the foreseeable future, which means that summer will not be making an appearance (at least down  in the atmosphere where we live).

Hopefully, the three young men will be returned by the time I issue a new update (God willing).  One might imagine that one day there will be a peaceful coexistence between peoples, but first the Palestinians will need to decide that living with us is preferable to (trying) to kill us (with all of its negative consequences for them).

Given the influence of Islam on their beliefs (not just here, of course), one should not be optimistic.

Barry Lynn

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Weather It Is (Good Sleeping Weather)

Good Evening:

The weather is absolutely outstanding.  It's great sleeping weather!

Even though the weather is really good for sleeping, not all slept well. SOne of the cross-cultural difficulties I've encountered (or is it she has) is trying to decide to use a top sheet or not.  Certainly, when my wife adopted my Ashkenazi customs (or at least she was suppose to), she could have adopted the top sheet custom as well.  This is in place of either no top sheet or a comforter covered in a "pocket."  But she didn't, and this opened up the possibility of different bottom sheets as well.  So, one morning she got up and said that she couldn't sleep because the chickens were too loud.  I responded that my sharks didn't bother me.  I didn't really know what to say, and no obvious solution presented itself (since we were only half way through the weekly laundry cycle).  Nevertheless, later on I chose a more discreet bottom sheet.  Now, she has no trouble sleeping; strangely, the stars on my sheet don't keep me up but the moon in the sky does periodically continue to bother her.

The great sleeping weather will continue and if anything it will get a bit cooler with a chance of light showers late in the week.  The chance of showers will grow as the mid-level inversion breaks down with the approach of a weak low pressure area approaches from the west.  This is not a high chance, but any chance at this time of year is very unusual.

Early next week, temperatures may warm up a few degrees, but there is no clear signal for summer weather just yet.  In fact, it may be unseasonably cold and rainy over central Europe (and this might affect our weather at some point as well).

Barry Lynn

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Weather It Is (You Stole Our Rain)

Good Morning:

This news flash: "Palestine will request that the Arab League and the Islamic Conference will review the relations of the Arab and Islamic world with Australia in light of Australia's recognition of "Weather It Is's" Rain Enhancement activities," wrote Saab Erekat in a letter 
June 5th.


He told the "Wet-News" that Weather It Is provides forecasts to the Israeli government that enable it to steal our rain and wreak havoc on our outdoor activities. "This is our rain," he said.  "This is Palestinian Rain," he repeated.

Mr. Erekat also accused the Israeli government of using Palestinian rain to clean the streets in its capital, in occupied Jerusalem.

The Weather It Is spokesman, Dr. Barry Lynn, responded to Mr. Erekat's accusations.

1.             When Mr. Erekat speaks of Palestine, he must be aware that the name Palestine is actually the name given to the land of Israel (Judea and Samaria) by the Romans. It was simply another in the long line of efforts (including Mr. Erekat's) to put an end to the Jewish people.
2.             There has never been a "State of Palestine," so he wonders how we can steal its water.
3.             Jerusalem has never been the capital of a Palestinian State (let alone that there has never been a Palestinian state to "Occupy").  Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel, and is actually "owned" by God and "He" will decide whose capital it is.
4.             Let's be honest: the Palestinians want our land. Many people want something that isn’t theirs.  Since this argument doesn’t work, they lie and say we stole it. Mr. Erekat spins lies upon lies, and eventually they will fall on their own weight.  


Dr. Lynn continued:  the possible rain showers and cool weather forecast at the end of the week are ours.  They were never the Palestinians, and lying about it is not going to make it so.

Barry Lynn

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Weather It Is (Rain?)

Good Afternoon:

This morning my wife announced that her forecast (for today) was better than mine. Somehow (perhaps woman's intuition) she knew that it would be unseasonably cold and windy today.  I thought about disputing this statement, but didn't want to be "accused" of arguing.

Speaking of arguing or not, the other day I wrote that men have it "easier" than women.  However, if you think about it, this is probably not true.  As my wife said, the women teachers are fond to tell their husband stories, and there are many.  After all, men have trouble understanding why the same behaviour (or mess) on one day is perfectly acceptable but not on the other (and they often keep doing it).  And, it is not just a matter of  mis-understanding, but being in trouble -- big time. So, who really has it hard?

While that is neither here nor there, the weather seems a bit like winter out -- it's quite windy and even light rain is likely from the northwest coast into Jerusalem tonight into tomorrow.  This does seem a bit strange, but then our strange weather is strange.

Fortunately, we'll soon be entering an extended period of "no-weather."'  However, even though there will be no-weather during the next two weeks, the temperatures should be on the cool side.  One might even call the weather to be Beautiful.

Barry Lynn

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Weather It Is (Out of Balance)

"The Weather is not in balance," says the wife.  Or, if you prefer, a woman's mood fluctuates like the weather (I'm not making this up, and I didn't say it).  There's not much we can do about this.  Men have it relatively easy (in comparison), and that's just the way things are.

However, is our weather really not in balance?  The weather certainly has been strange. Continuous rain and cold in the eastern US, and continuous dry-storminess here.  In fact, the next instalment in on its way, and temperatures should warm substantially ahead of an approaching low pressure area.  The temperatures will hold at above normal levels into Thursday and then dive downwards again by Friday.  Jackets anyone?

(Some might argue that this out of balanceness is a result of the continued flux of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Indeed, NOAA is reporting that April's worldwide temperatures tied for the hottest on record. So, while it was a bit on the chilly side here and there, it was a bit more on the warm side elsewhere. Of course, there are those who will argue (or mention) that in the time of Ruth, for example, there was a severe drought, so droughts and unusual weather are not historically unusual -- but this doesn't mean that humankind can't stir the weather pot, so to speak)

And then... Then things (weatherise at least) will change.  We'll start upwards on the temperature scale and end up after about 10 days or so not to warm nor to cool, although perhaps a little bit below normal.  However, the wild swings should take an exit as high pressure to our north slowly dissipates, and then fades away.  This fade away will cut-off the supply of cold-air energy that was spinning up our periodic low pressure areas. So ends our wild weather, for now at least.

Our blessing should be that life should only be so tranquil (for men and women, too).

Hag Samaech,

Barry Lynn