#Buckeye Rain Gutters | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tachyon-at-rest · 1 year ago

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The Los Angeles port system is where most of the consumer freight from China that we import comes through. I-10 & I-8 are their main East-West road routes for truck freight spreading throughout the entire US.

I-10 had a big bridge wash out from a much weaker storm a few years ago. This much larger weather system is more likely to obliterate at least one segment of I-10 in both directions if not several different bridges over usually dry bed river "washes". Between Indio, CA (near Coachella) and Buckeye, AZ (just west of Phoenix) there are no frontage roads nor alternative routes. Not "bad" detours, "NO" detours.

Except I-8.

I-8 has steep mountainous terrain that will have amplified rainfalls (8"~14") and it is closer to initial landfall so the storm will be at its strongest. To make matters worse is that I-8 follows the lowest path through this mountain range, which makes those steep valleys the narrow gutters that all of the crazy rain totals will funnel. I-8 could be much more dangerous.

If those two tap out you are left with I-15 to I-40 out to Lake Havasu or Kingman, AZ if the flooded roads are bad enough. Adding roughly 25%~50% to the mileage and probably double that to travel times with all of the truck freight traffic being crammed on to lower capacity secondary highways.

tl; dr - this is going to be a freight mess.

California has gotten its first tropical storm watch ever. The last time a tropical storm hit California was in September of 1939 just after Hitler had started World War II. They didn't issue such watches in those days.

Major Hurricane Hilary in the Pacific is way stronger than low energy Hurricane Don in the Atlantic a few weeks ago; the latter spent only a few hours as a hurricane as it spun around aimlessly away from land.

Hilary will weaken from the current Category 4, but how much it will weaken is still not certain. If it maintains sustained winds of at least 74 MPH/119 KMH when it reaches California, then it will become California's first ever official hurricane.

Hurricane Hilary is expected to hit Southern California as a tropical storm, with a punch that could include flash flooding and significant amounts of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm watch for much of Southern California was issued Friday morning. The National Weather Service's San Diego outpost said this was the first time such an advisory had ever been issued for the region.

As somebody who's been through half a dozen tropical cyclones on the East Coast, I would advise our California friends that rain is a bigger hazard than wind – in most cases. People in areas which have the potential for flooding should particularly remain on alert.

The 1939 storm, called El Cordonazo, became the first and only tropical storm to make landfall in the state in the 20th century, according to the National Weather Service. NWS says the storm, which was at one point a hurricane, originated off the southern coast of Central America before moving north and eventually coming ashore at San Pedro, California. Resulting floods from the storm killed at least 45 people across the Southern California region and caused $2 million in damage to structures and crops, the weather service reports. Another 48 people were also killed at sea.

There were far fewer people in California in 1939 when El Cordonazo caused deadly flooding.

Here is the current forecast for rainfall potential.

Keep up with the track of Hurricane Hilary here. Southern California should begin to feel the effects of Hilary on Sunday afternoon. Monitor local emergency information and follow advisories.

And if you're wondering why this is happening...

Our oceans are the warmest in recorded history. This is why it's so concerning

#Yes - I drove commercial freight 'long haul' for a few years in this area

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inthecityofgoodabode · 5 years ago

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April Fool’s Day

No traditionally lame April Fool’s Day post here ... just plant photos.

Our deutzia is blooming out. I can never remember its name so anytime I want to talk about it, I have to ask my wife what its name is. For those who are unfamiliar with deutzia, it is a low growing flowering shrub:

The blossoms don’t have a scent but I still find them magical. I imagine they’d make great hats for Froud faeries:

Heuchera (aka Coral Bells):

Another heuchera. These two pots are next to each other so we’ve got the dark green foliage, the Autumn orange foliage and the chartreuse foliage all in this tiny space on the edge of our back patio:

This seedling potato has put on an inch or two in the past day:

Oregano. It will fill that container by Summer and be spilling into the yard by Fall. If you’ve never eaten raw oregano, give it a try. It is slightly medicinal tasting but it has a mild numbing, analgesic effect in the mouth when chewed:

Green onions are about to bloom:

Green onions are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. With the exception of occasionally dividing them, I do nothing to them and they are in the garden green, willing and able all year round:

Our New Dawn Roses are budding. The little white speck at the tip that looks like a tiny piece of lint is a variety of aphid. Aphids feeding on your plant alone won’t kill them unless they are already stressed. However, aphids are vectors for bacterial and other infections that will kill your plants so it is best to treat for them. Insecticidal soap is probably the least environmentally impacting treatment but don’t buy it at a store. Instead, search for recipes online. Here is one from Bob Villa. All the recipes are basically a mixture of water, soap/dish washing liquid and some type of plant-based oil:

Hyacinth pods. I’m wondering if these will produce viable seeds. There are also two small slugs in this photo. They are both in the lower half of the photo. Have fun trying to find them:

Elephant Ear ascendant:

Most of our wild violets are dark purple but these are a pale purple:

Buckeye bracts preparing to open. Buckeyes are an early source of nectar to Ruby-throated hummingbird migrating in from Central America. As an aside, it puzzles me why some humans enjoy migratory birds but can’t empathize with migratory humans. They are both looking for a safe place to raise, nurture and provide for their children:

I don’t know what this is. I’m pretty sure it is some sort of vegetable but I’ll know more once it puts off secondary leaves. I found three of them growing in our compost bin and transplanted them to a pot to harden off. This one is the most successful so far:

Unidentified but kind of cute weed:

You’d think it would have gnarlier roots but it was easy to pull. The leaves are similar to a dandelion which could mean they are edible but I don’t eat unidentified plants because the Buddha died from accidentally eating a poisonous mushroom and, in theory, he had a lot more knowledge & insight than I do:

Ferns in the shadows under our Yoshino cherry tree:

More ferns underneath our Yoshino cherry. I really like ferns. They are an extremely ancient plant variety. All that ancient pre-mammalian history contained in those curled up, scroll-like fronds:

Woodland phlox about to unfurl. That filament on the foremost cluster is a dog hair ... judging by the color from Silverback:

Our chive is about to blossom. I expect to see those delicate, light purple flower by the weekend:

A robin. It isn’t clear in the photo but it has a gob full of earthworms. Here in the Mid-South, robin has the opportunity to raise two broods of young. Also, look at those filthy rain gutters. All that yellowish green is oak pollen. There is no point in cleaning it off until around May:

These clematis are fragrant. The fragrance is similar to privet but less sickeningly sweet:

Another Knockout rose:

Virginia Bluebell. You can see where several blossoms have dropped off and seed heads are starting to form. I’d love it if our bluebell started spreading:

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