Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Weather It Is (Hot and Hotter)

Good Morning:

It's 27 C with 34% humidity, and a light wind out of the NW.

Unfortunately, low pressure over the Saudi Arabian desert will continue to grow in size and expand westward, which means that our hot weather should be even hotter as we progress through the week, and it also means that the hot weather will last until week's end.

Some relief from the heat should come Motzei Shabbat and next week should turn even unseasonably cool.  There is also a slight chance of showers as low pressure drops down and develops over Cyprus.

For the moment, the end of the months should see a return to normal temperatures, which should continue the first few days of July.

Barry Lynn

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Weather It Is (That Time of Year)

Good Evening:

It's that time of year -- the calendar says we're nearing the end of the third week of June, and that means hot weather. The hot weather is in response to a growing area of low pressure (a heat low) over the Saudi desert.  This is a normal occurrence for this time of year, but when it drifts to the west our weather tends to get hot, too hot.

In fact, the heat will grow until the end of the week, and it will probably be quite uncomfortable.  Looking at the long range global ensemble, next week should be a bit more comfortable, but the month may end on a hot note again.

For this, I must apologise.  In may last post, I mentioned that the ensemble suggested that we'd arrive at the month without any significant change in temperatures.  However, it is apparent that this was overly optimistic, and that the global ensemble did not accurately reflect the development and westward drift of the Saudi Arabian heat low.

To be honest, I am bit surprised that I have not received any requests to also apologise for my last post from irate readers of the female variety.  In that post, I mentioned that the only reason one of the men folks could offer for marriage was womanly wiles.  However, I want to state here for the record that I don't agree with this supposition.  Women are neither wily, nor or they wooly (like the caterpillar).

I am not sure what women are, exactly, but wily or wooly are not an apt descriptions.

Is it ironic, then, that a French writer (on page 206) sought to address this very issue? Here is a description from "The Map of the Sky," by Felix J. Palma: "Moreover, while Gilmore was not versed in the art of gallantry, he had overheard many a gentleman in his club declare that for some unknown reason women were capricious creators, capable of expressing themselves only by means of complex riddles, which men had to waste their time and energy deciphering.  Faced with men's undisguised simplicity..."

Now, I have to tell you that this is not my wife, and I am sure that she is not yours either.  However, faced with men's undisguised simplicity, I can certainly understand if women might be described as "exasperated."

This still doesn't tell us why men get married (or women for that matter), but I've run out of space and time to expound.

Barry Lynn

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Weather It Is (Too Hot? Just Wait)

Good Afternoon:

It's far too hot. In fact, it is a steamy 34 C,  or 93 F.

However, a cool front will pass through our area late tonight, and tomorrow will be a good 5 to 10 C cooler than today.

Temperatures will then rebound a bit, but right now we don't see any hot weather before the end of the month.

In fact, the weather is going to be so nice during the next couple of weeks that any morning quickly grumpiness will fade away -- and one might even notice people smiling a bit more, if not holding the door for one another.  It will be the kind of weather you want to stroll in, instead of stroll through.

Do you ever notice a group of men standing together.  The women folk probably think that such groups of men are speaking about sports, or the latest betting pool.  In fact, I can tell you (from experience) that in most groups of men you might see standing idly on the street corner are actually speaking about married life.

What are they saying?  It's pretty much the same all the time, and the essence is that they are not the boss of the house.  This troubles them because when they were married they were told that Jewish Halacha insists that the man will decide on matters of importance -- i.e., his word is final!  Yet, the men soon find out the only decisions they make are the ones their wives decide for them.

Of course, the natural question would be "why did you marry?"  One person was heard to say that it was womanly wiles that led them down the golden path to marriage.  No one was able to offer a better reason than this.

On the other hand, I can tell you that I did make one very important decision in my life -- true: it was before I was married -- and that was to marry my wife.

Of course, she is the one who said yes!

Barry Lynn

Friday, June 10, 2016

Weather It Is (A Chill, but Lots of Heat Coming)

Good Morning:

There's been a bit of chill since our last heat wave broke: almost enough to say "that feels chilly."

The first day of our three day weekend, Shabbat, will be absolutely outstanding weather wise.  There will be light winds and the temperatures will be mild.

Shavuot -- on Sunday -- will start a warming trend: in other words, it will be a nice day for a barbecue. The warming weather will be in response to low pressure over the Saudi desert poking its way northwest into the eastern Mediterranean.

Israhag, Monday, will be on the hot side, and the heat will continue to build into Wednesday as the temperatures become scorching hot.  Unfortunately, the hot weather will end on a windy note, which means that the risk of wildfires will rise substantially during the mid-week period.

The end of next week will return to more seasonal weather.

Shabbat Shalom, Hag Samaech,

Barry Lynn

Friday, June 3, 2016

Weather It Is (High Heat)

Good Afternoon:

Today's high temperatures are in the mid 30s, and winds are blowing lightly from the northeast.  The hot and dry weather is courtesy of high pressure whose axis is to our south and west.

The high pressure area will intensify tomorrow and hence high temperatures will generally be in the upper 30s, and higher in normally hot places.

Late Shabbat, a cool front should pass through from the west, which will result in lower temperatures on Sunday and Monday.  As the front approaches, winds will pick up and fire hazards (which are already high) will become extreme on Saturday afternoon.

There is a 50% chance that we'll return to the same high heat by mid-week, but the end of the week should end on a cooler note.

Shabbat Shalom,

Barry Lynn